Re: Words

From: "Padraic Brown"

> If ABC tried this here in the States, the ACLU would on their case,
> up their butts and down their throats within 12.3 microseconds with
> a miltimillion dollar class action lawsuit and we'd probably see
> demonstrations, boycotts, riots, etc. Mm. What hijinx indeed!
Ah well, then, silly foreigner, you simply don't understand the "Japanese
way".

(My Taiwanese partner didn't get why I found this unnerving. "Oh, c'mon;
it's just good fun." "If it's 'just good fun', why ain't there a Japanese
out there flapping his arm miming 'cock-a-doodle-do'? Why don't you go on TV
and pound *your* breast like a gorilla?" "Well, that's different."
"Ah-HAH!!" [Even so, I didn't win that one -- I simply didn't understand the
"Asian way".])

<Side bar> That said, I don't see anyone demonstrating, boycotting, or
rioting over "Big Brother" or "Jerry Springer". In a democracy (and Japan is
a democracy), you have the right to make a complete boob of yourself. No one
physically compelled those foreigners to oink, waddle, or strut; they did it
of their own volition. Their reasons are their own -- cash? TV exposure?
What I find disturbing is that they willingly hit the air waves to
perpetuate stereotypes of foreigners which I find repugnant. But I imagine
this sort of thing has been going on since the beginning of time.</side bar>

Kou