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| 2004/11/12-14 [Politics/Foreign/Asia/Japan, Reference/History/WW2/Japan] UID:34858 Activity:high |
11/12 I can't seem to get over what I read about Japan's "Biological
Unit 731". I mean I know Japanese did some bad things in
China, but I never really knew the details. Thanks to the
wonder of the internet and the recent discussion of author of
"Rape of Nanking", I decided to Google it. At first it was not
a big deal, all history, but soon I got pretty sick of what I
was reading. I mean all those live experiments on human body.
And now I can't seem to quite get over it. How could any
person with conscience justify what they are doing? I mean
taking pictures of Naked prisoners is bad, but this kind of
stuff is down right horrible. I find myself having some
trouble getting past what I read. I drive a Japanese car,
Japanese stuff is all over my house, and my company works with
Japanese clients and heck I've even been to Japan once and
sort of liked it. But how do I get over what I read? I am just
kinda angry/pissed at something. -Chinese sodan
\_ Attila the Hun, Nero, Ivan the Terrible, slavery, Hitler,
eugenics, Pol Pot, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum. WWII plumbed horrid
depths of human darkness; it's over. The people in Japan you deal
with nowadays most likely had nothing to do with it. Don't look
at them as compatriots of manics, look at them as people. -John
Japanese stuff is all over my house, and my company works with
Japanese clients and heck I've even been to Japan once and
sort of liked it. But how do I get over what I read? I am just
Easy; pretend you're Tibetan. _/
kinda angry/pissed at something. -Chinese sodan
\_ As a fellow Chinese Sodan I can only say that one should let the
past be the past. There's already too much hatred in the world
to reopen old wounds. Yes, the crimes were horrible, yes,
more Chinese died due to the Japenese than Jews (only the
Russians lost more people), yes Nanking was a crime against humanity,
yes, they treated POWs wit utter brutality. However, we cannot
blame the children for the crimes of their fathers. To do so
would only continue the cycle of hatred. Having said that I do think
that the Japanese need to acknowledge their crimes, like the
Germans have, and make a heartfelt apology to all nations, not
simply China, of their WWII aggressions. The Japanese have,
unfortunately, decided to forget that part of their history.
I believe that this not only affects Sino-Japanese relations,
but it has also greatly damaged the psyche of Japanese society.
I believe that until the Japanese are willing to come to terms
with that past there will always be this sense of guilt
lingering in the corners of their collective culture.
\_ Certainly younger Japanese bear no guilt for old atrocities, but
when you have modern nationalists denying what happened, and no
public national apology, it's at least a tacit approval.
\_ Do you get angry/pissed about atrocities against non-Chinese?
\_ My friend's parents still hold a grudge, they only buy American
cars. Maybe that's why Iris Chang was found in an Oldsmobile.
\_ My first three cars were American, and now I've finally bowed to
quality issues and bought a Japanese one as the fourth.
--- Chinese
\_ Nothing can be done now. Historically people have done some
pretty horrible things, the Japanese aren't alone in this,
although they did take brutality to an artform. Just remember
this whenever someone suggests dropping the bomb on Japan was a
horrible thing to do.
\_ Japan got nuked twice, get over it.
\_ But it wasn't the Chinese who nuked it.
\_ hmm. but the Chinese sold out their culture to
communism, they get what they deserve after that.
\_ huh? what's wrong with communism?
\_ I see you've been brainwashed well.
\_ huh? Nanking was the capital of ROC run by the
KMT, not the CCP.
\_ Older generations of Jews have tended to not purchase German-made
goods, though the younger generations have since abandoned the
practice. Memories fade and people die. You can certain boycott
practice. Memories fade and people die. You can certainly boycott
Japanese goods if it will make you feel better, or you can just
console yourself with the fact that the Japanese who committed
those atrocities are either dead or dying, and the younger Japanese
seem unlikely to repeat the mistakes.
\_ You enjoyed your visit to Japan? Do you speak Japanese? My wife
was a Japanophile, and she took a couple years of Japanese in
college. She's Chinese, btw. When she finally visited Japan,
she was stunned by the constant stream of Japanese chatter around
her disparaging her on her "barbaric" appearance and behavior.
Another friend of my wife's worked as a programmer in Japan for
a few years, and she also came out of the experience a Japanophobe.
\_ your wife probably is barbaric, being chinese and whatnot.
you should upgrade to a better race.
\_ I like sexy barbaric females.
\_ It does sound hot
\_ My coworker (Colombian/Hungarian) lived and worked in Japan
for a year and loved it. Her Japanese friends come to visit
all the time. It's your wife, dude.
\_ Not to get all racist, but you do know how closed-minded
some asian cultures are right?
\_ I once had the honor to escort a Chinese doctor around a
festival in rural Japan. Everyone assumed she was Japanese
and no one made disparaging remarks about her when they
learned the contrary, despite her lack of Japanese language
skill. Anecdotal evidence swings both ways and is, in
general, inconclusive. --erikred
\_ s/some asian cultures/some asians/
\_ Try it out for yourself:
http://www.alllooksame.com
\_ Yes, most of my white friends have had good experience in
Japan. That, however, does not mean that other Asian types
are treated with the same amount of respect and courtesy.
\_ Part of the distinction is whether you are considered a
'visitor' or a 'native.' According to my friends who lived
in Japan, one is treated like a King ... until one stays
for a while. Then eventually one is treated like a native,
which is considerably more stressful, but at least it's how
the japanese treat each other. -- ilyas
\_ Consider that the purpose of the Nuremburg trials and the execution
of Tojo and the Japanese high command was to remove the burden of
collective guilt on the part of the German and Japanese public
after the war. Most Japanese, on hearing about the atrocities
committed by Unit 731, are absolutely horrified. I don't want to
belittle your own feelings; I just want to offer you some historical
solace. --erikred |
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| www.alllooksame.com This is obviously done solely to take advantage of the bigger profit margin associated with Japanese cuisine. And, I respect their cuisines just as much as I respect Japanese cuisine. I'm also aware of the frustration Koreans have about the Japanese people making Kimchi that does not meet the Korean standard. My problem is that I just don't like people who disrespect the cultures of others, and do nothing but to exploit them. In all the photos, everyone should stick up their middle finger. If you look at the Asian models sprucing up the click2asia site, I have one thought: do these people ever laugh and act kooky? Some may wander through the Zen garden and rake sand to find inner tranquility and others may meditate under the weeping willow by the creek full of cavorting fat carp fish. For the discerning popular culturalist, s/he would correctly identify Lisa Ling, ex-co-host of The View on ABC as the one on the left; Wu has sleep in her eyes, but for a great while, I was under the impression that these two women were the same person. They both seem to be popular with American mainstream culture and with mens magazines. A rather curious coincidence indeed that recalls an old Chinese folklore called aping a beauty. Folklore notes a famous beauty named Xi Shi whose beauty was unrivaled in all of old China. Unluckily for Xi Shi, she also suffered horribly from an ailment of the heart and was often seen clutching her chest and wincing in pain with pinched brows. A neighborhood girl who did not know Xi Shis health condition misconstrued her wincing face and clutching bosoms for gestures worthy of imitating. So she began to walk about the village aping the beauty to ridicule and unfortunate results. I for one always answer Shanghai followed with China for the rare few who are so smitten with my beauty that I must further reinforce a world geography lesson for the dirty and naughty schoolboy in all men. However I have as of late observed that this question, harmless enough in a multicultural grab bag like this fine city, can create great duress and offense to certain people of the Asian appearance and persuasion. When a NALP (Non-Asian Looking Person) asks where I am from, I presume that the question is in fact an implicit inquiry of my ethnicity. The subtle stress on the words are and you in the question suggest that they are by no means interested in a domestic locale such as Brooklyn, and they certainly would be enormously disappointed should this pair of rose petal lips answer with a ghastly, Ohio. For the life of me, I couldnt conjure another way of inquiring anothers ethnicity. Would the incensed Asian Looking Person (pun intended) be less indignant if the NALP had explicitly asked, What country are you from? One particular encounter I will recount demonstrates the complexity and subtle political play involved in our innocuous question. An Asian looking man and I were having a lovely conversation and sharing typical immigrant stories of growing up as one of the few Asian families living in our town. You gentle, sophisticated Readers may find nothing remarkable or worth noting about this, but I must remind you, in the olden days before feng shui and Pearl River Imports became popular, wearing a Chinese-styled dress to school did not elicit compliments and positive attention. Since I could not tell whether my companion was of the Chinese, Korean, or Japanese descendent, I asked him the question. National versus ethnic identity has created the ideology of being a dash-American. No one else in other countries identify himself as an Chinese-English, Chinese-French, or a Chinese-Kiwi. A Chinese-American, Japanese-American, or the all-encompassing Asian-American exists only in America where it suggests: A) I am not FOB (fresh off the boat), B) Dont ask me questions about feng shui or what my Chinese name is, or C) Watch what you say around me. Although I do think that having a strong sense of ones national identity is important, I do not think that this sense can be defined through nomenclature nor through employing a language of denial. Belonging, entitlement, and the right-to-be-here are ideologies that can not be shaped by attaching a dash after ones ethnic root. Then again, these are probably the people who think Amy Tan is the best thing to happen to Chinese-Americans. I must apologize again for my tardiness in showering you with my words. I know I send shivers down your spine and ripples of wanton desire through your rippled loins. The way of Moi has been terribly occupied in consulting for a major international cosmetics company. These poor souls with big, round eyes who want to tap into the Asian market have not a clue on the mysteries of the Oriental Eye. Accursed to some and quite lovely to others such as Moi, the epicanthic fold has always been a point of contention and debate among Asian women. Defined in the dictionary as "a vertical fold of skin from the upper eyelid that covers the inner corner of the eye," this piece of skin is more popularly known in Asian communities as the "single eyelid" as opposed to the "double eyelid" common in Caucasian features. Blepharoplasty, a surgical procedure in which "single eyelid" women can have their eyes "fixed" to have a "double eyelid" look, is common in Asian countries along with other forms of tormenting rituals such as eyebrow and eyeliner tattooing. Many of my Shanghai flowers back in the days pinched and saved their earnings just to have the surgery. And if one could not afford blepharoplasty, one can simply purchase little crescent-moon shaped "eye tapes" from the cosmetic store. This creates a temporary crease on one's eyes but it is also known to cause blistering. Alternatively, one can emulate the ways of Connie Chung and apply an impressive amount of blue eyeshadow on one's eyelids and hope ones eyes look doubly big. Many a times I have lost my patience during conversations with Asian women who contemplate having their eyes fixed. Curling one's eyelashes also creates a more dramatic flare on double eyelids. But on another level, the fake double eyelid makes one appear either terribly sad or extremely sleepy. I like to use Adobe Photoshop, the founder of imageering, as an example. The Oriental Eye is becoming quite fashionable and so intriguing that Adobe has changed their trademark non-Asian eye to a progressively more Asian-looking eye. And many a man have fallen prey under their intense hooded lure (some ancient spells made from deer penis helps as well). The mysteries of the Oriental Eye lies beneath its almondine shadows, and its beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. |