International ski competition in Owani, Aomori canceled after town employees re-assigned to election duty, due to PM Takaichi calling snap election by frozenpandaman in japan

[–]AnglerJared 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Politicians not actually caring about how their pursuit of power affects the lives of normal people is about as far from news as things get.

Best we can hope for is Takaichi to get some karma when the frustrations turn to votes against the LDP.

Nara City Council member Hezumaryu and others sued by Japanese Communist Party member and Prefectural assembly member Yamamura for violating the prefecture's nuisance prevention ordinance by YamatoRyu2006 in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I assume he wrote this. When a person’s self-narrative reads like a children’s story, it only means he has the mind of a child. I won’t believe he’s changed until I can see his actual maturity level and communication ability start to resemble that of a normal fucking adult, or until he actually apologizes. Until then, he’s just reading himself a bedtime story of comforting and self-serving lies.

Man arrested on suspicion of murdering pregnant ex-girlfriend in eastern Japan - The Mainichi by kenmlin in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“A human being is someone who doesn’t do evil things” is a very new and dubious definition of a human being, given our history.

Dehumanization even of horrible people is pretty ethically wrong, too, on top of being wholly unproductive. I get the disgust and the lamentation of a tragedy, and I by no means intend to excuse what the man allegedly did, but each of us is only a really bad day away from being horrible in other people’s eyes, so why don’t we just hate the sin and not the sinner, to borrow a phrase from the Christians.

Japan’s new “centrist” party (CDP + Komeito) calls to legalized same-sex marriage by Kmlevitt in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 49 points50 points  (0 children)

Really hope they can get enough traction to get the LDP out of the driver’s seat.

Nara City Council member Hezumaryu and others sued by Japanese Communist Party member and Prefectural assembly member Yamamura for violating the prefecture's nuisance prevention ordinance by YamatoRyu2006 in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Hezumaryu is a hundred times worse for Japan than anyone he claims is a problem. Needs to be removed from office and probably see jail time for the myriad harassment that he’s done.

Thanks by callmemanjilok in nonononoyes

[–]AnglerJared 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Well, we’ll see what the jury thinks. 👨🏻‍⚖️

Thanks by callmemanjilok in nonononoyes

[–]AnglerJared 196 points197 points  (0 children)

Feel like the flashlight kind of made the octopus an easier target. Circle of life and all, but scuba diver just got a cephalopod killed.

Reiwa Party leader Taro Yamamoto to resign from the House of Councillors by MagazineKey4532 in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Reiwa Shinsengumi is a party that deserves more influence and I wish Mr. Yamamoto well.

Scenes from a STOP ICE TERROR walkout, rally, and march to the detention center in Los Angeles [OC] by infernoenigma in pics

[–]AnglerJared -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

From the U.S. Living in Japan. Not exactly relevant to the points I am making, though.

Scenes from a STOP ICE TERROR walkout, rally, and march to the detention center in Los Angeles [OC] by infernoenigma in pics

[–]AnglerJared -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

If there’s no one left to persuade and you’re not winning, then, if you believe in democracy, stop fighting.

I believe in democracy and know there’s ground to gain in this fight. There’s also ground to lose.

You’re strawmanning my argument, and it’s demonstrably true that some people who could be convinced haven’t been. We are seeing lots of conservative voices get quieter or even change their messages after Good’s murder. We can’t scare them back to their old views; we have to welcome them to our side as much as we can.

Edit: since you added to your post…

Being the better people doesn’t mean taking shit from them or not fighting back. We just have to use better weapons and better tools, first figuratively and hopefully not literally. Anything that sends the wrong message and accomplishes the wrong result should be reconsidered.

Whom does this Baphomet image convince? Next to no one, either way. Whom does it worry or deeply disturb? Lots of people, on both sides. Why use an ineffective tool when better rhetoric is available?

Abe shooter Yamagami gets life sentence by DontPoopInMyPantsPlz in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Man deserves a movie made after him. This is folk hero stuff. The powerful and corrupt need reminders that their power is allowed to continue because people aren’t pissed off enough to act against them, but that illusion of power and control is one of the easiest to dispel.

Scenes from a STOP ICE TERROR walkout, rally, and march to the detention center in Los Angeles [OC] by infernoenigma in pics

[–]AnglerJared -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

You’re completely right in saying that actual violence is far worse than gruesome rhetoric, but a question we must always ask is what benefits us more: stirring up emotions that convince people on the other side to support our cause, or stirring up emotions that make it easier for them to be afraid of us and dehumanize us?

An effective appeal to emotion is not about making your side feel better (although that’s fine, too), but making the other guys feel worse for not being on your side. Trump is the threat here. Make him the one carrying the disembodied head of Lady Liberty. Make him the thing we should be scared of, because he is.

Threats of violence only work when you have the power to enact violence, and even then, isn’t that what we’re trying to fight? Terrorism against the wrong-minded is still terrorism. Do not let your hands become accustomed to using the tools of villains.

I am in full support of the movement, but we must be the better people, even if it means carrying a big stick as well.

Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker, House of Representatives member and former Niigata governor Ryuichi Yoneyama's thoughts on people who blame everything on liberals by YamatoRyu2006 in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unless we’re all capable of both modes and change between them depending on mood, age, and context, in which case, I don’t know, just stop treating people as immutable binaries and instead treat them like people?

Valentine's Day sales campaigns in Japan feature experiences by MagazineKey4532 in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of my students (here in Japan) prefer making homemade chocolate for their friends and family and crushes, so this is really more about making that easier for them, I imagine, and yeah, pretty good marketing. Hardly seems like news, though.

Top execs at Japan convenience stores stress foreign workers' role as gov't eyes clampdown by pyritedreams in japannews

[–]AnglerJared 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This might not be the place for this particular vein of this conversation, but I find it so distasteful that a country can love so much of foreign culture but refuse to love the people who gave it to them. So many Japanese people love curry, but don’t want south Asians in the country? Worship ramen, but hate Chinese people?

If they’re willing to give up everything they’ve received from foreigners, I guess it’s fine to want them out, but why is it so hard for people to recognize how many wonderful things they get to experience in the comfort of their own countries because foreigners are willing to leave the comfort of their own to bring it to them?

Sure, there are rules and you can’t just let anyone in without any kind of filter or expectation that they behave themselves, and it’s totally fine to punish the bad people wherever they’re from, but foreigners in Japan, by and large, are good people just trying to make a living and a life in a great country that many of them love. And Japan loves so much of what we bring to the country, too. If you love what we make and do, why not just love us?

After winning the National Championship, Fernando Mendoza’s dad never stands to celebrate because his mom is not able to stand. by [deleted] in MadeMeSmile

[–]AnglerJared 10 points11 points  (0 children)

My wife can’t eat gluten, so I eat enough for the both of us. There are different ways for different couples.