Job Discussion Forums

[japanman]

Maybe though, this magazine thing may be a good thing. As we all know, Japanese are so racist that they don't even know what the word means. This magazine may bring the topic into the public debate and make people think about things a bit, show that the foreign community doesn't like this kind of stuff and is full aware of what people are thinking.

[gaijinalways]

Strangely Ali I would agree with you, except I am often getting Japanese (and Chinese) telling me how they don't have racism in their countries because their populations are so homogenous . So they may know the term, but I am not sure many of them really understand what it is or that even 'passive' racism in Japan is dangerous beyond the simple fact where it affects the ability to live comfortably, provide for your family, and collect a better retirement pension.

So knowing vocabulary doesn't mean you really understand the concept behind it, nor does it mean you are ready to act to change any of the related problems with it if it exists in your society. Of course, the Japanese hardly have a unique misunderstanding of this as all cultures have a blind spot for some aspect that their culture and cultural constructs may hinder them from 'really' examining.

[japanman]

I'm not saying it is just a good thing, but debates entering the public arena are always a good thing. Also, the anithesis may also be published which will show people what utter rubbish that magazine is talking about.

[osakajojo]

[Eva Pilot]

I still haven't been able to lay hands on a copy yet.

[chirp]

I was told on Saturday by the person running a Family Mart in Shimokitazawa (Tokyo), that all copies had been pulled from the shelves at the request of the Family Mart Head Office. Initially, the poor guy thought we were doing checks to ensure his compliance!

[sethness]

Osakajojo, thanks for catching my math error. A decent lawyer would cost 1,000,000 yen (10 thousand US bucks).

BlueFrog, whether you can order non-Japanese materials depends on the jail you're in, and the luck of the draw about the jailors. The problem is, in a small jail, sometimes there's nobody who can ensure that your non-Japanese mail, dictionary, novel, etc. is free of forbidden information-- like secret messages from cohorts, how to make bombs, etc.

For me, in a county weekend lockup (2 months), I wasn't allowed anything non-Japanese except a Japanese-English dictionary. I wasn't allowed to special-order from bookstores, either-- only request what the stores MIGHT have, and if they didn't have it, tough.

In the pre-trial "holding center" for the prefecture (2 months), there was an English-speaking guard who censored mail and ensured that anything we ordered or received was kosher. A fellow inmate, however, was not allowed to write to his mother in French because none of the guards could read French.

------
BlueFrog, you asked if I was kept all that time in the hopes that I'd confess. Nope, I think part of it is just the petty childish selfish indulgence of the prosecutor, part of it is a mix-up that I didn't know my ONLY meeting with a pre-trial judge came BEFORE I met with a lawyer (after that, the prosecutor could extend my jail stay as long as he pleased without consulting a judge), and finally, the @*(#$&(@#*&$ machinations of my "free defense lawyer". The lawyer didn't want to pay out of her own pocket for a translator, so she bellyached and delayed for an extra month until the court appointed her a free translator-- who was also the court translator and the prosecutor's translator, and far from impartial. :-/

The word "railroaded" wanders 'round my mind, in search of a frew pricks to pin it to.

In general, half the judicial system is impartial but doesn't give a damn about steamrolling over folks' lives, while the other half is a pack of selfish, childish arrogant twits drunk on power. :-/

For example, my lawyer and the judge actually expected me to be SATISFIED and PLEASED when I lost my job and spent 4 months in jail (while payiing rent on my apartment), just because I got out of jail "without paying a fine for my misdemeanor". F*****, a hundred-dollar fine means nothing alongside 800,000 in lost wages.

[Eva Pilot]

I found a better book at Family Mart anyway...

"How to be a Business High Flier and a Magnet for Women."

The title alone sold me.

[canuck]

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

Just deleted a posting for being a personal attack and otherwise inappropriate for this forum.

The thread is locked so that all concerned can engage in some deep breathing exercises as needed.