Thanks to the translate feature on Twitter, Muslims around the world seeing what Japanese really think about us.
Cw racism and self harm (in replies)
Its kinda heartwarming to see people of many languages agree this is messed up and criticizing Japanese racism
spoiler
People have such a romanticised view of Japan. Underneath what you and I see is a violent, horrible, brutal history and today there is little racial acceptance, it is more tolerance. They will rarely be vocal about it, but Japan is often racist place. From what I know, it is oddly the other way around in that it is the urban areas that are more racist than those who lives outside the cities.
It is especially disappointing to see how many leftists romanticize Japan in particular and make excuses about it just because a few anime artists are somewhat left-leaning and progressive, as if artists aren’t left-leaning and progressive basically anywhere and even that’s somewhat underrepresented in Japan compared to their population. It’s not only a conservative society, it is conservative beyond its development and income level for the most part. Just because they aren’t violent about their prejudices and bigotry (usually) doesn’t mean they aren’t, even in big cities. They have been basically riding something similar to “alt-right” since early 2000s too.
Tapping the sign that says “ostracism, bullying, and other kinds of psychological violence are still discriminatory violence”. Japanese society uses violence against anyone they deem “deviant”, not to mention women or poor people, it doesn’t matter they’re not shooting or assaulting people.
I know for myself in a ironic twist Japan actually helped me break through the small town American propaganda I was surrounded by. My 2nd grade teacher literally told me that we were lucky to be able to choose our clothes because no where else in the world was free.
Anime and video games made me go “well… Wait if these people are not free, how are they doing this. And I started looking up stuff as I could.” Then there was the fact where I was a lot of people were racist of Japan and would justify the nuke (I will warn now, I will never view a nuke as justifiable).
Now within the past few years I’ve learned that Japan has a huge problem. It honestly makes me sad. I can’t help but feel this is still an American issue. Because the US was certainty fast in coming in after the bomb and making use of the situation. I can’t help but feel that the future might of been different with a more left presence in Japan.
Regardless. The right wing fascist element is going to continue to be a big problem. I feel for the variety of people like this family that will suffer because of it.
There is indeed always a sort of liberation in being able to associate with other if you are either othered yourself or asked to dehumanize the other, which is why I think so many progressives (and especially queer people) tend to associate themselves with Japan, because the media they produce gives them both an outlet and an out of certain social cycles.
Still, even in that situation, I do think that it is now Japan mostly is because it is seen as the only respectable other with qualities that can be emulated or even looked up to even as it is romanticized and fetishized. There used to be some others, at one point it was Sufi Islam in West, India and its spirituality and now there is also China but Japan does remain the only one that is a “Honorary West” that even in progressive people either appeal to certain underlying prejudices or otherwise sidestep them.
I agree with that
America has supported their fascist ruling party since they were allowed to have it back and helped suppress left wing politics
Couldn’t have said it better.
A lot of people like that about Japan though. Just like people fawning about high conviction rates.
I remember reading an account of a foreigner living in Japan just seeing a yakuza goon beating a man half to death at a train station and people just walking by. No amount of anime or video games can paper over such a deep rot.
Aside from the reversal in urban and rural areas it sounds like the US south.
Its the power of cool japan and soft power, people have a way better view of them than they should