Genetics does not explain why I am obsessed with martial arts, ninjitsu, yakuza and samurai. For I am a Japanophile not just because I am Japanese, but because I — a Westernized Canadian-born Japanese person — am interested in my ancestors' culture.
Genetics likewise does not fully explain why I am usually heterosexual, and like mostly women and very few men. Being born male is only a part of the reason.
Perhaps society — being mostly heteronormative — subtly favors males who are heterosexual, though the LGBT lobby has a positive cultural, political and social influence on consumerism today. Before modernization, and even today, Japanese culture occasionally discouraged open practice of homosexuality yet condoned the practice, provided two people who are in love keep it discreet.
Indeed, none of the major Japanese religions were openly hostile to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders.
Even so, the modern-day Japanese government, being conservative, does not guarantee civil rights to LGBT persons. As a result, in cases of spousal abuse, the victim does not have a refuge into which to flee.
In Japan, gay marriage isn't going to be in the Japanese law books for now.
The occasional admiring of a buff male body isn't genetic as much as physiological and an honest desire on the part of the observer to compare physical attributes, which is similar to a pissing contest.
Like the majority of Japanese males, my libido is repressed, due to cultural, physiological, psychological and religious influences. Being essentially in a culture where shame is used as a tool of social control, the behavior of a Japanese person may range from almost schizoid lack of sexual expression to discreet displays of sexuality tinged with shame and the fear of exposure of sexual deeds and the embarrassment resulting from such exposure.
With respect to animé and manga, which I read from time to time, yaoi and yuri are the same-sex flavor of relationships, along with mecha (robots), magical girl and harem genre. While yaoi and yuri present displays of sexuality for mass consumption by fans, robots may represent the hidden aspect of the libido with less overt sexuality; the magic girl, the fantasy element with humorous depictions of awkward moments involving sexuality; and the harem, the fantasy of a man with a lot of potential girlfriends.
Perhaps animé and manga could end up saving the world from utter boredom and anguish for teens and young adults. So I urge my fellow Japanophiles to help spread the word. 0_o
Returning to my confession of being a Japanophile, it was in my youth that I first discovered Shin Buddhism to be meatier than the teachings offered after Sunday service at the Central Fraser Valley Buddhist temple.
This discovery of the roots of Buddhism inspired me to learn Japanese so that I could recognize the characters. In addition, I developed an admiration for martial arts, particularly ninjitsu, as well as respect for samurai and the Yakuza.
Samurai are of interest to me since there were rumors that my father's ancestors may have been related to samurai. Indeed, this is most likely since my grandmother's maiden name was Tanaka, and my father's eldest sister married into the Nakamura family. For both Tanaka and Nakamura are well-known clans of Yamaguchi Prefecture.
As for Yakuza, it is rather interesting that a bad hand in Gaji — a popular Japanese flower card game — became the slang for Japanese criminal societies. However, mass media representations of Yakuza are often exaggerated for the blood and guts on film and in books — especially in manga, and on TV.
As well, the reports that when the city of Kobe was shaken by an earthquake some years ago, it was the Yakuza who first responded to the crisis before the municipal government did. However, I am not so naïve as to consider them to be the "good guys" as long as overt violence continues to be associated with the Yakuza.
Today, as a Canadian-born Japanese who is also a Japanophile, I do not favor the Japanese culture over the Westernized moderation of that culture which I internalize. While it would be admirable to be a perfect blend of Eastern and Western mores, I prefer the simpleness of the "less is more" philosophy with regard to both aesthetics. Thus, the less I try to be Japanese and Westernized, the more I emphasize the subtle qualities of both cultures.
Indeed, the blend of East and West is imperfect within my psyché yet useful to my life due to its simplicity.
Originally posted on January 25, 2004 at 0137H
Updated on February 12, 2013 at 0415H
Japanophile: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanophile
LGBT rights in Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Japan
The Tanaka & Nakamura families of Yamaguchi Japan: http://www.tanakamura.com/
Samurai: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai
Yakuza: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza
Animé: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
Manga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga
Showing posts with label simplify your life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simplify your life. Show all posts
20131102
The Mother of All Evil (satire)
The penultimate confirmation bias is when some people are convinced satan is real because of crime, war and terrorism.
What actually causes crime, war and terrorism is those nurturing moments of self esteem boosting by well meaning parents morphed into really bad Halloween costumes like the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman-ex-wife trio and the b-gal girls, both of which got too much attention.
In the midst of their narcissism, well meaning people are letting their sense of privilege escalate into death threats. In no time, someone is going to get hurt, usually by outraged people.
Did the two girls who dressed in black-face go out on Halloween like that? Probably not.
As for the Martin, Zimmerman and ex-wife trio, the last I heard, the girl got canned from work.
On the plus side, they are all famous for the wrong reasons in the black community.
However, I am waiting for Al Sharpton to step in and weigh in because that will determine whether the outrage might lead to more black on white crime in north Philadelphia and other ethnic hotspots across the US.
At the moment though, Halloween just got its childlike innocence destroyed by the moral outrage over politically incorrect costumes.
As a result, I am sure Anonymous might be cyberstalking the guilty parties involved when the moral outrage grows strong enough to mount an online lynch mob, rather than attract violent sickos.
Meanwhile in the Middle East, all you have to do is direct a badly written movie insulting Mohammad and people riot, right after the mullahs work them into a frenzy by shouting "Death to the Great Satan!" in Iran and "Yankees go home" in Saudi Arabia.
It is ironic that that notorious movie was blamed for the killing of a US Ambassor in Libya when it actually was a militant operation designed to extract one or more of their own from the CIA compound. The reason why the CIA had captured the men: to determine where munitions ended up. It is most likely the ambassador was killed to prevent anyone in DC from knowing where those munitions ended up.
My guess is, al-Qaeda got their hands on Libyan munitions in Syria.
Meanwhile, back in America, there is little hue and cry that the US government was funneling money into the Muslim Brotherhood. In fact, the Egyptian people were outraged that America was giving the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt money directly without scrutiny by the military and overthrew Morsi.
Perhaps the CIA planned it that way, knowing how anti-American sentiments are an institution in most mosques in the Middle East, along with conspiracy theories about Zionist control over money and propaganda.
It makes the bad taste in Halloween costumes seem surreal in comparison.
Who cares about bad ideas in Halloween costumes? The really bad thing in DC is supporting al-Qaeda indirectly by siding with the rebels in Syria.
The other bad thing is supporting terrorism and war by buying gasoline for your car. Every time you gas up your dollars makes Kuwait and Saudi Arabia rich. Probably a couple pennies out of every dollar spent on gasoline supports al-Qaeda.
Yet we find this logic to be ridiculous, because in our world of mass consumption, all buying gasoline does is make the gasoline companies happy and us happy that we get to work faster to work than on public transit.
If you love your cars more than public transit in your city, could it be because your privilege of driving a car exclude your positive contribution to a safer ride on the bus? That's assuming that you are a law-abiding citizen in your SUV. Public transit needs your help riding the bus. Just make sure you practice all that socializing you learned when the masses were learning hard knocks from the school of life.
I can imagine the privileged aren't going to give up their second car due to their concern about crime on the bus. Yet they may be suffering more road rage due to air pollution and mainly the mental pollution caused by child care nurturing of self esteem by doting parents without daring to teach humility to their child, lest it traumatize them.
Meanwhile their kids love a certain cute music celebrity - take your pick which one you think is cute - who is fronting hip-hop and the culture it implies. I am not probing deeper into this culture lest I get death threats. I like my face just fine and unbroken.
Regarding that confirmation bias regarding crime, terrorism and war, it is because of laws made by the majority that visible minorities receive justice. If that justice is deserved, then it ought to be meted out humanely. Otherwise it leads to crime. If that justice is inhumane and is supported by the State, then it may become State terrorism. All other forms of terrorism are children of the State, some legitimate but mainly illegitimate. When the terrorism becomes well known, the UN may decide to wage a just war -- that is, if America does not start one to serve its own foreign policy requirements and US government obligations to whoever supported the warmongers in the Senate.
In short, confirmation bias leads to crime, terrorism and war until we only see crime, terrorism and war in the world today.
This occurs when the elites of society opt out of dealing with life. It begins with not teaching kids the value of humility for fear their self esteem will be destroyed forever. It leads to narcissism, which can be summed up as "the privileged self importance a person deserves at all times."
If you really want to stop crime, go ride a bus and share your self esteem freely. I am sure some narcissist will put you in your place.
If you want to prevent terrorism, then free everyone who does not drive by selling that second car.
If you want to prevent war, then sit your ass on the next bus and open your eyes to daily life.
For neither war, nor terrorism nor even crime is due to satan but to humanity's undeserved sense of entitlement.
Yes, I am suggesting that selfishness is evil. However, I am only referring to acts of selfishness which have a criminal component to it. This might include certain hate crimes as well. I am certain that the mass media industry is complicit in it, just to get more subscribers and even higher ratings.
In fact, I'm sure of one thing: consumerism is the mother of all evil.
Pardon me for cutting this short! I have a bus to catch.
What actually causes crime, war and terrorism is those nurturing moments of self esteem boosting by well meaning parents morphed into really bad Halloween costumes like the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman-ex-wife trio and the b-gal girls, both of which got too much attention.
In the midst of their narcissism, well meaning people are letting their sense of privilege escalate into death threats. In no time, someone is going to get hurt, usually by outraged people.
Did the two girls who dressed in black-face go out on Halloween like that? Probably not.
As for the Martin, Zimmerman and ex-wife trio, the last I heard, the girl got canned from work.
On the plus side, they are all famous for the wrong reasons in the black community.
However, I am waiting for Al Sharpton to step in and weigh in because that will determine whether the outrage might lead to more black on white crime in north Philadelphia and other ethnic hotspots across the US.
At the moment though, Halloween just got its childlike innocence destroyed by the moral outrage over politically incorrect costumes.
As a result, I am sure Anonymous might be cyberstalking the guilty parties involved when the moral outrage grows strong enough to mount an online lynch mob, rather than attract violent sickos.
Meanwhile in the Middle East, all you have to do is direct a badly written movie insulting Mohammad and people riot, right after the mullahs work them into a frenzy by shouting "Death to the Great Satan!" in Iran and "Yankees go home" in Saudi Arabia.
It is ironic that that notorious movie was blamed for the killing of a US Ambassor in Libya when it actually was a militant operation designed to extract one or more of their own from the CIA compound. The reason why the CIA had captured the men: to determine where munitions ended up. It is most likely the ambassador was killed to prevent anyone in DC from knowing where those munitions ended up.
My guess is, al-Qaeda got their hands on Libyan munitions in Syria.
Meanwhile, back in America, there is little hue and cry that the US government was funneling money into the Muslim Brotherhood. In fact, the Egyptian people were outraged that America was giving the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt money directly without scrutiny by the military and overthrew Morsi.
Perhaps the CIA planned it that way, knowing how anti-American sentiments are an institution in most mosques in the Middle East, along with conspiracy theories about Zionist control over money and propaganda.
It makes the bad taste in Halloween costumes seem surreal in comparison.
Who cares about bad ideas in Halloween costumes? The really bad thing in DC is supporting al-Qaeda indirectly by siding with the rebels in Syria.
The other bad thing is supporting terrorism and war by buying gasoline for your car. Every time you gas up your dollars makes Kuwait and Saudi Arabia rich. Probably a couple pennies out of every dollar spent on gasoline supports al-Qaeda.
Yet we find this logic to be ridiculous, because in our world of mass consumption, all buying gasoline does is make the gasoline companies happy and us happy that we get to work faster to work than on public transit.
If you love your cars more than public transit in your city, could it be because your privilege of driving a car exclude your positive contribution to a safer ride on the bus? That's assuming that you are a law-abiding citizen in your SUV. Public transit needs your help riding the bus. Just make sure you practice all that socializing you learned when the masses were learning hard knocks from the school of life.
I can imagine the privileged aren't going to give up their second car due to their concern about crime on the bus. Yet they may be suffering more road rage due to air pollution and mainly the mental pollution caused by child care nurturing of self esteem by doting parents without daring to teach humility to their child, lest it traumatize them.
Meanwhile their kids love a certain cute music celebrity - take your pick which one you think is cute - who is fronting hip-hop and the culture it implies. I am not probing deeper into this culture lest I get death threats. I like my face just fine and unbroken.
Regarding that confirmation bias regarding crime, terrorism and war, it is because of laws made by the majority that visible minorities receive justice. If that justice is deserved, then it ought to be meted out humanely. Otherwise it leads to crime. If that justice is inhumane and is supported by the State, then it may become State terrorism. All other forms of terrorism are children of the State, some legitimate but mainly illegitimate. When the terrorism becomes well known, the UN may decide to wage a just war -- that is, if America does not start one to serve its own foreign policy requirements and US government obligations to whoever supported the warmongers in the Senate.
In short, confirmation bias leads to crime, terrorism and war until we only see crime, terrorism and war in the world today.
This occurs when the elites of society opt out of dealing with life. It begins with not teaching kids the value of humility for fear their self esteem will be destroyed forever. It leads to narcissism, which can be summed up as "the privileged self importance a person deserves at all times."
If you really want to stop crime, go ride a bus and share your self esteem freely. I am sure some narcissist will put you in your place.
If you want to prevent terrorism, then free everyone who does not drive by selling that second car.
If you want to prevent war, then sit your ass on the next bus and open your eyes to daily life.
For neither war, nor terrorism nor even crime is due to satan but to humanity's undeserved sense of entitlement.
Yes, I am suggesting that selfishness is evil. However, I am only referring to acts of selfishness which have a criminal component to it. This might include certain hate crimes as well. I am certain that the mass media industry is complicit in it, just to get more subscribers and even higher ratings.
In fact, I'm sure of one thing: consumerism is the mother of all evil.
Pardon me for cutting this short! I have a bus to catch.
20130501
How to Simplify Your Life
Just figure out how much you can live without.
At your current job, squirrel away at least $30,000. Then move to a a small town where the closest hospital is 50 miles away and there is one doctor in town. The town's population should be 5,000 or less.
Rent is going to be cheaper than any city with 50,000+. $300 or less a month! A unit in a trailer park might go for $20,000 with an annual property tax of $100. With the $10,000 left over, you have 10 months to secure a job assuming $200/month for food & bare minimum necessities of life (wood for wood-burning stove).
The worst that could happen is dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Oh yes! Buy thermal underwear and bear-proof your garbge containers.
At your current job, squirrel away at least $30,000. Then move to a a small town where the closest hospital is 50 miles away and there is one doctor in town. The town's population should be 5,000 or less.
Rent is going to be cheaper than any city with 50,000+. $300 or less a month! A unit in a trailer park might go for $20,000 with an annual property tax of $100. With the $10,000 left over, you have 10 months to secure a job assuming $200/month for food & bare minimum necessities of life (wood for wood-burning stove).
The worst that could happen is dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Oh yes! Buy thermal underwear and bear-proof your garbge containers.
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