Osaka mayor: WW II sexslaves 'necessary'

[Walsingham]

If I may say so I think you have hugely underestimated the changes in Japan since the 90s. My understanding is that the 'faith' of the new generation has been sorely tested by all the scandals and economic **** ups.

 

I'm certainly no expert. What little I know comes from studying the yakuza. But I think refusing a dime wager is more than a little pessimistic.

[Gorgon]

The US is not an occupation force, it's a strategic alliance and the Japanese are quite determined to stick with the post war constitiution. There is absolutely zero chance of Japanese democracy disappearing with the US bases.

 

I thought it was rather interesting to hear American generals come out openly and declare that the US would not trade in Japan for China, even if it was the more logcial choice of the two, notwithstanding the historical relationship.

[TrashMan]

 

You can't make Japan's problematic treatment of its past go away by pointing out that you have ultranationalists everywhere either. Do German schoolbooks deny WW2 atrocities? Are there German politicians in important places of power that deny German atrocities in WW2? This really is a problem that is particular to Japan.

 

But you have ultranationalist everywhere. And ultra-apologists. And stupid people.

 

I've seen levels of ignorance and stupidity that boggle the mind.

 

Can you immagine a natzi war criminal sitting in the Israel parlament? Because that's basicly what's happening in my country.

 

Democracy sucks because poeple are inherently lazy and stupid and uninformed.

[Malcador]

How do you 'imagine' you share values with Japan, by the way ?

[HoonDing]

How do you 'imagine' you share values with Japan, by the way ?

Love for baseball?

[Malcador]

 

How do you 'imagine' you share values with Japan, by the way ?

Love for baseball?

 

Good point.

[Tigranes]

If you think Japan's democracy will disappear when the 'occupying' US forces withdraw, you're living in some weird ignorant multiculturalist's fantasy world where you think you're accounting for Asians' 'cultural differences' by ballooning an unsubstantiated imagination of 'Asians'. That democracy as Asia knows it was heavily a Western import, with all the pains associated with the process, is elementary. Arguing that there is some centuries-enduring 'Asian mentality' that is so ill-disposed to this democracy that today it remains a superficial layer ready to be overthrown doesn't stand up to any experience of actually talking to Asians, living in Asia, or studying Asian politics. 

 

What is potentially true is that the general population's desire for democracy is often exaggerated and misrepresented by journalists, politicians and scholars who talk about democracy - that is, it's often difficult to work out what 'they' mean by democracy when 'they' protest in the streets to overthrow their dictators in the name of elections and freedom. That 'they' themselves look to Western literature for guidance to articulate it to themselves doesn't help separate the waters. 

 

Finally, the way Asian democracy works in its most developed forms (South Korea and Japan) is rather different, but I'd hardly call American democracy a 'textbook example', for instance - it's very peculiarly American in a number of ways. Also, for both countries, there has not yet been a true generation change; most people in power, in the front or behind the scenes, are either of the pre-democratic generation or owe their clout to that generation. 

[Monte Carlo]

Are we collectively looking into this a bit too much? The man who made this statement is a ****. He should be given a slap and then we can move on.

[Zoraptor]

Heh, somewhat amusing seeing the Inscrutable Oriental line coming from a Serb, given that the WASPs it was particularly popular with happily lumped slavs into exactly the same category.

 

There's as much chance of Britain reverting from 'democracy' as Japan or India. But for all the problems in places like Thailand, Pakistan and Malaysia there are also places where democracy has happened more or less spontaneously and with very few problems at all in asia- Indonesia, for example, while not perfect is a lot better than anyone would have thought a decade or so ago.

[Walsingham]

Heh, somewhat amusing seeing the Inscrutable Oriental line coming from a Serb, given that the WASPs it was particularly popular with happily lumped slavs into exactly the same category.

 

There's as much chance of Britain reverting from 'democracy' as Japan or India. But for all the problems in places like Thailand, Pakistan and Malaysia there are also places where democracy has happened more or less spontaneously and with very few problems at all in asia- Indonesia, for example, while not perfect is a lot better than anyone would have thought a decade or so ago.

 

Zor, I'm as fond of the Thais as the next man. But I hardly think they have a sound democracy. Oh wait, balls. That's not what you were saying is it?

[Zoraptor]

Yes, Thailand has a disfunctional democracy- at present- since the power of both the military and King is both significant and applied in a partisan manner. Malaysia is disfunctional because much of the state apparatus is designed towards supporting the ruling party and Pakistan has both a powerful couptastic military and a bunch of political violence.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Zoraptor