If you don’t know about the cartoon exosquad, then read about it here. Exosquad was an awesome space opera with mature themes, suitable for both adults and intelligent children. You can watch the entire series here on Hulu.com.
If you are outside the United States, you can use hotspot shield as a VPN with a United States IP address to watch it.
A few comments got deleted from various commenters over at the marmot’s hole because they were off topic. In relation to this comment by Hamel -
Shak: I grow weary of seeing Gerry claiming some intellectual and moral high ground. Yes, he does express a contrarian viewpoint, but so what? I do that sometimes too.
When you say that he apparently does it “in a society that refuses to consider points of view outside the official political orthodoxy†are you speaking of this blog, or Korea? Because the two must not be conflated.
I am aware that Gerry has spent some decades in Korea, and has some facility with the Korean language. I do not see any signs, however, that he “is able to take Korea on Korean terms.†I would say that of, for example, Oranckay, who essentially lived his entire adult life here, or John Linton, who grew up here.
As to my big mouth that likely can’t string a sentence together past the minimum 호프 Korean, well that’s funny. Is this really to become a “my Korean is better than your Korean†debate? I won’t claim to be any great shakes in the language, but I don’t like to blow my own trumpet.
As to what Gerry said about Dosan, I agree it wasn’t that unusual per se. I don’t necessarily think he meant anything negative. But for many here, the fact that Gerry is speaking about a Korean independence figure, and that he tends to speak mainly on Japanese colonisation of Korea and Dokdo, well, you do the math, as the Americans say.
I answered -
There is a substantial difference between whatever contrarian viewpoints you express and the specific viewpoint that Gerry has been expressing.
Virtually all Koreans, probably statistically 100%, agree that the Liancourt Rocks are historically and legally part of Korea, and have been for centuries. Any opinion that goes against this is considered distortion and lies. This unanimity of opinion in itself is problematic. I cannot think of a single issue in Australia, for example, that inspires such goose stepping in opinion. I think it is fair to say that the Dokdo issue is a cultural taboo. Discourse outside of accepted orthodoxy is proscribed, with harsh penalties dealt out to those that deviate.
I doubt that you have ever had a contrarian opinion, or if you did, expressed such a contrarian opinion regarding a Korean sacred cow to your Korean hosts. There are quite a few issues that are open to debate in Korea, but the one that Gerry discusses is not one of them.
That is why, regardless of the merits of his arguments (which I think are excellent), Gerry’s work is very important. There needs to be dissenting opinion. There being no dissenting opinion in Korea on this issue, this taboo, and it is very unhealthy. Think about it - Gerry expresses an opinion backed up with vast amounts of data, yet all we have are people ascribing evil motives to Gerry’s work without even dealing with the substance of his argument. We are not talking about a normal academic issue here, or even a territorial issue, it is a taboo.
Anyone can have contrarian views about safe topics, and have them safely - I am sure you are the archetype of that. Having a contrarian view about topics in which 100% of people are going to disagree with you despite themselves being basically ignorant of the topic in question is another thing all together. A little support for someone that actually faces societies taboos would be helpful. Your snide insinuations, sarcasm, and disingenuous remarks are just part of the taboo enforcement mechanism, whether you consciously participate or not.
Ampontan writes here about the Chinese removing fake atrocity photos from one of their museums in Nanjing.
I wrote about these kinds of fake photos, here, here and here, way back in 2005. The last one is specifically mentioned in the article as being removed.
The Japanese empire of old is dead and buried, as Ampontan says. I think that is an important fact to consider when witnessing the rage that Japan seems to evoke in some circles.
Gregory Clark, who has been a critic of Debito in the past, has written an op-ed for the Japan Times (where Debito has a regular column).
“Japan girai” — dislike of Japan — is an allergy that seems to afflict many Westerners here. If someone handing out Japanese-language flyers assumes they cannot read Japanese and ignores them, they cry racial discrimination. If they are left sitting alone in a train, they assume that is because the raci st Japanese do not want to sit next to foreigners. If someone does sit next to them and tries to speak to them in English, they claim more discrimination, this time becau se it is assumed they cannot speak Japanese.
Normally these people do little harm. In their gaijin ghettoes they complain about everything from landlords reluctant to rent to foreigners (igno ring justified landlord fear of the damage foreigners can cause) to use of the word “gaijin” (forgetting the way some English speakers use the shorter and sometimes discr iminatory word “foreigner” rather than “foreign national.”). A favorite complaint is that Japanese universities discriminate against foreigners. How many Western universi ties would employ, even as simple language teachers, foreigners who could not speak, write and read the national language?
Recently they have revived the story of how they bravely abolished antiforeigner discrimination from bathhouses in the port town of Otaru in Hokkaido. Si nce I was closely involved, allow me to throw some extra light on that affair.
An onsen manager who allegedly had earlier been driven to near bankruptcy by badly behaved Russian sailors had decided this time to bar all foreigners fr om his new enterprise. The activist then filed a suit for mental distress and won ¥3 million in damages. In the Zeit Gist and letter pages of this newspaper, some ha ve criticized these excessively zealous moves by the activists. These critics in turn have been labeled as favoring Nazi-style discrimination and mob rule. Maybe it is ti me to bring some reality to this debate.
Otaru had been playing host to well over 20,000 Russian sailors a year, most arriving in small rust-bucket ships to deliver timber and pick up secondhand cars. I visited the wharves there, and as proof I harbor no anti-Russian feeling let me add that I speak Russian and enjoyed talking to these earthy, rough-hewn people i n their own language. Even so, the idea of them demanding freedom to walk into any onsen bathhouse of their choice, especially to a high-class onsen like Yunohana, is abs urd.
The antidiscrimination activists say bathhouse managers can solve all problems by barring drunken sailors. But how do you apply a drunk test? And how do you throw out a drunk who has his foot in the door? Besides, drunken behavior is not the only bathhouse problem with these Otaru sailors. I can understand well why regula r Japanese customers seeking the quiet Japanese-style camaraderie of the traditional Japanese bathhouse would want to flee an invasion of noisy, bathhouse-ignorant foreig ners. And since it is not possible to bar only Russians, barring all foreigners is the only answer.
The antidiscrimination people point to Japan’s acceptance of a U.N. edict banning discrimination on the basis of race. But that edict is broken every tim e any U.S. organization obeys the affirmative action law demanding preference for blacks and other minorities. Without it, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama would probabl y not be where he is today.
Malaysia has also ignored it, with its Bumiputra policy of favoring Malays over Chinese and other minorities. There are dozens more examples of societies deciding to favor one group of people over others in order to preserve solidarity or prevent injustices. A large chain of barbershops in Japan has signs saying service i s denied to those who do not speak Japanese. Non-Japanese speakers probably cause much less harm to a business than delinquent Russians. But we do not see our activists i n action there.
The activists say there should be action to educate Russian sailors in bathhouse behavior. But do we see any of the activists in the friendship societies where worthy Japanese citizens try to ease problems for foreigners living here? Not as far as I know. Presumably close contact with these citizens would also upset their Japan-girai feelings.
In Otaru the obvious answer from the beginning was to create a seamen’s club similar to those that exist in many major ports. But here too the activists were very silent. It seems they prefer to move against weak targets where they can gain publicity with a minimum of effort. One result, either of the intensity of their beliefs or of their self-aggrandizement urges, is the vitriol they pour on those who have criticized their actions.
While not naming Debito directly, it is obvious that the criticism is directed at Debito and his mostly non-Japanese speaking followers. Is discrimination ever justified? Well, perhaps it is in a personal sense. If a certain group of people continually abused my trust, then I would probably be wary in the future of that particular group. It is a no-brainer.
This interesting article has appeared in the Joongang Daily.
PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi - At 69, Cheon Chang-suk lives alone in a tiny cell with moss-covered walls. She starts her day by collecting recyclable materials off the streets of her neighborhood, items she redeems for less than 1 cent per kilo at local stores.
In the eyes of the Korean government, Cheon is one of many underprivileged citizens who receive monthly welfare aid worth 380,000 won ($271), the minimum cost of living that people with no income get from the state.
But Cheon says the Korean government owes her more because her life was irrevocably turned upside down by the turbulence of modern Korean history.
During the chaotic and impoverished months following the cessation of hostilities of the Korean War (1950-1953), Cheon began working as a yangbuin, a term coined by locals for Korean bargirls and sex workers at major American camptowns, or gijichon in Korean.
Gijichon sprang up across Korea around 1945 when U.S. troops arrived here to begin their post-World War II occupation. The primary function of these brothels was to provide sexual services for U.S. soldiers in a controllable, confined area, a move seen to also protect local women from the American military men.
The camptown economy peaked in Korea during the 1960s when the country was in desperate need of foreign currency to rebuild its war-torn economy.
Camptown prostitution and related businesses on the Korean Peninsula contributed to nearly 25 percent of the Korean GNP, according to Katharine Moon, a professor of political science at Wellesley College, in a 2002 study.
According to Cheon, the Korean government supported the camptown brothels, hoping the industry would boost regional economies.
In fact, recent studies here by scholars and nongovernmental agencies have suggested that the Korean government helped build and maintain the brothels after the Korean War, supporting the claims of women like Cheon.
Note that the rationalization for these prostitutes is exactly the same one the Japanese had for the so-called “comfort women”.
Moving on to the last paragraphs -
People working on behalf of women like Cheon are looking for solutions with reference to the Korean sex workers forced to serve the Japanese military during World War II. Koreans registered as so-called comfort women receive a one-off government payment worth 43 million won and an 800,000 won monthly stipend. But the public doesn’t view women involved in camptown prostitution in the same way they see the comfort women because camptown sex workers went to work voluntarily.
Another issue that weakens Cheon’s case is that some of the camptown prostitutes were already working in local brothels, which does not bolster the argument that they were victims of the Korean War.
“It’s a subject that still requires more research, because the enemy or the historical context is not as clear as the comfort women,†says Lee Jeong-hee, a Democratic Labor Party lawmaker who is considering putting Cheon’s case into a bill.
“We need to see this issue beyond historical injustice and look at it from the broader perspective of sex trafficking and the individuals involved from the past to present.â€
Actually, many of the comfort women were prostitutes as well. Most of the answered ads in the same way as the camp town women answered ads. Government doctors tested the women, just like the Japanese did. Women were registered, just like the Japanese did. The only difference is that the comfort women were camp followers, following the Japanese camps as they advanced and retreated throughout the war, while the American camps were stationary. The US congress opened a can of worms when they passed the comfort women resolution. Expect this to come back to haunt the US at some point.
Read the rest of the article yourself.
More occidentalism commentary on the comfort women.
Korea Registered “Comfort Women†for UN Soldiers
“Jamaeâ€: Selling Oneself into Slavery
King Sejong Ordered Comfort Women for His Troops
Comfort woman gives contradictory testimony
From the Korea Times. This letter writer seems to have bought all of the false arguments about Takeshima/Dokdo.
Dear editor,
Though it seems late to voice such an opinion, Japan’s claim to Dokdo is historical, geographical and legal idiocy. The only result of Japan’s claim to Dokdo has been to intensify an already strained relationship between Tokyo and Seoul.
Even a layman who knows how to turn on the news or click around the Internet should come to the obvious conclusion that Dokdo belongs to Korea.
First, Korea claimed Dokdo in 512. Japan did so in 1905 under an imperialist policy.
Second, various maps, from ancient to modern and from France to Japan, show Dokdo as Korean territory.
Third, and most legally important, the Cairo Conference of 1943 declared that Japan would be expelled from all territory taken by violence and greed.
It is no historical secret that Japan was defeated by the Allies in 1945, and was thus required to return all territories acquired through force.
While Japan appears to have some legitimate claims to Dokdo, they all fail when placed under even light scrutiny. In fact, most of Japan’s assertions are ridiculous.
They range from allegations that Koreans were unaware of Dokdo’s existence to allegations that Dokdo could not be found on Korean maps: ridiculous.
Essentially, based on Japan’s use of logic they should annex all of Korea and everything else they acquired in the early 1900s.
Any person aware of the Dokdo issue should ask a simple question: “Why is Japan still trying to claim Dokdo?” All countries want more fishing rights, but what is Japan hoping to accomplish by claiming the islets that are indubitably Korea’s? Japan’s actions are nonsense.
Firstly, his first point happens to be totally incorrect. Korea didn’t claim Takeshima/Dokdo in 512 AD - a look at the documents supposedly supporting that claim reveals the assertion is nonsense. Japan’s claim on Takeshima/Dokdo in 1905 was a formality to cement their sovereignty over the island in accordance with international (meaning western) law. Before that Japan had a long association with the rocks, including knowledge of it’s location and land usage. However, being an uninhabited island, sovereignty could not be determined at first glance, so Shimane Prefecture took steps to incorporate the Liancourt Rocks into it’s territory.
The Liancourt Rocks were not gained by force, and indeed, there was no conflict or war of words over them at all. If the writer of the letter has information that shows the Liancourt Rocks are “indubitably” Korea’s, then he should bring forth this new evidence.
This foreign English teacher should also take note that his opinion is only valued by Koreans for it’s validating effect. This kind of opinion makes him a “good foreigner” while any other type of opinion would make him an “unqualified foreign English teacher” that needs to “study history” and “respect Korea”. The Korean media pushing Dokdo is the same Korean media that is spreading the idea that foreign English teachers in Korea are dope smoking child molesters. Perhaps he will learn someday. It is sad seeing so many foreigners play foreign monkey for Koreans. No self respect at all.
Thanks to MP for the link.
Interesting article with lots of examples from Doug Bandow at antiwar.com.
Capitol Hill was recently roiled by an issue of no obvious concern to America: the World War I genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire against its Armenian population. But the tendency of Washington policymakers to concoct foreign policy to satisfy influential interest groups has become quite common, from Haiti to Israel to Eastern Europe to Turkey.
Consider the emotional controversy over the Armenian genocide resolution. What conceivable relevance did this issue have to the U.S. government?
The genocide was begun almost a century ago by a nation that no longer exists. Everyone who planned the murders and most likely everyone who participated in the killings are dead. The successor state of Turkey is unlikely to stage a repeat performance. Most congressmen know little enough about U.S. history, let alone the circumstances of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Yet if our esteemed solons feel competent to judge the Ottomans, why stop there? Should Congress denounce Italy because the Romans destroyed the city of Carthage and sowed the ground with salt? Or chastise Mongolia because Attila the Hun spread death and desolation throughout Eurasia? Perhaps Britain deserves chastisement for botching the partition of India and Pakistan.
Surely the murderous expulsion of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia, Poland, and other states after World War II warrants attention. Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia should not be ignored. But also deserving mention is Ethiopia’s brutal depredations against Eritrean secessionists. And who can forget the horrors committed by alleged republicans during the French Revolution?
Of course, the Armenian genocide resolution was introduced to bash Turkey, not to teach history. The Armenian lobby hoped to use the U.S. Congress as its club. In seeking to advance its agenda, the lobby exhibited an almost frivolous disregard for the impact on U.S. foreign policy. Only when the magnitude of the threat to U.S.-Turkish relations become too obvious for even a hermit to miss did the House Democratic leadership sideline the resolution. Whether Congress should have yielded to Turkish pressure after making the measure a priority is an open question. But on its merits the resolution should never have come up.
There is more, and I invite everyone to have a read. However, he left out the comfort woman resolution out of his fairly comprehensive list. The comfort woman resolution illustrates the point - a complicated issue from long ago, with complicated causes, with questionable testimony before the congress, for the purpose of an ethnic minority living in America to pursue their agenda of bashing Japan.
There is a troll about purporting to be me posting on blogs and sending emails to bloggers, claiming to be me. BE CAREFUL - This individual is trying to stir up trouble between the various bloggers.
If you think I have sent you an email, or wrote a comment on your blog, confirm with me on matt@occidentalism.org.
If the mail or comment in any way is strange or attacks another blogger, especially Michael the Metropolitician, Kushibo AKA Jonathan, or Robert from the Marmots hole, you know it is not me.
I reported it to the cyber-crime division of the NSW police, so we will see what they can do. In the meantime they have advised me not to make any mentions of the stalker on this blog. Someone has a lot of time on their hands and no life.
What do you do when your homeland is going down the toilet, and there are well connected people and organisations that actually support spreading AIDS? I don’t know. If you do, let me know.
The latest from the ’spread AIDS’ lobby is their reaction to a 2 1/2 month jail sentence given to a HIV positive male prostitute in the ACT, Australia.
Australia’s peak sex workers association says the jail term prostitute sends a “disgraceful” message that having sex with an infected person is unsafe.
The Scarlet Alliance chief executive Janelle Fawkes said the organisation was “appalled” by the decision, saying she was extremely concerned at the possible repercussions after this kind of message.
“Last week, the ACT attorney-general, Simon Corbell, came out and stated that Section 25 should be reviewed and considering current risk in transmission that, in fact, an HIV positive person being a sex worker does not hold a higher risk for the community,” Ms Fawkes said.
“But this week, we have a judge in the ACT making an example of a person who was only being a sex worker whilst HIV-positive.
“That sends a clear and cutting message that having sex with an HIV-positive person is unsafe and that is simply not true.”
The same activity in NSW and several other states would not be deemed illegal, Ms Fawkes said.
Having sex with a HIV positive person “does not hold a higher risk for the community”? That is absolutely insane. Of course there is a higher risk of contracting HIV from someone that is HIV positive, because the risk of contracting it from someone that does not have HIV is zero.
“Sex worker whilst HIV-positive”? Is that supposed to be something like “driving whilst black”? These people are lunatics, and people could contract HIV or AIDS because of their activism.
Having sex with HIV positive people is unsafe. What on earth is this country coming to?
Hat tip to bananaboy
I got this email from a person using an anonymous email service called ‘Borked Pseudo Mailed’.
Why don’t you put you full name, workplace, and home address on your blog.
If you give a good reason on your blog I will keep your information secret.
Is not wanting to be pursued by strange stalkers like yourself reason enough, perhaps? Here is a better idea - why don’t you give me your full name, workplace, and home address, and we can sort this out like gentlemen. Or at the very least use your own email address to send a mail.
I wonder who sent this email.