Family Mart Magazine Attacks FGs

[Mulboyne]

Japan Probe attacking the Mainichi now.

[Captain Japan]

I'd guess the main reason the Japanese language media has no interest in the story is that the magazine is clearly over-sensationalized tripe and should not be dignified by coverage.

I don't think the fact that it is over-sensationalized tripe is news at all - rather I think the fact that Kinokuniya and others had no qualms whatsoever in selling it was the point.

As far as too much free time, you are probably spot on. I speak from experience.

[AssKissinger]

I think the fact that Kinokuniya and others had no qualms whatsoever in selling it was the point.

Should they have qualms?

[Captain Japan]

Should they have qualms?

As much as I am willing to accept that Japan has few enforceable laws, real standards, or morals that we in the West have come to sympasize with, I still think that, yes, a traditionally conservative company like Kinokuniya should probably have used better judgment.

[Mulboyne]

[AssKissinger]

I would rather be able to buy whatever I want than to be sheilded from bigotry.

[mercury]

I've been here 15yrs and experienced the treaches of Jpanese cock blockin, lt and rt pussy-wing propaganda tellin the JN females to only give to the jn man,and to the white man for business purposes; while the yaks blame the negatives/scapegoat ESPECIALLY on the black men here,and now blanket "the gaigins" (but US peeps keep buying their products which keeps the lites on over here), and simultaneously sex industrize their women for porn, hostess bars etc. But s whats most funny is that most blacks dont want you to say anything negative about jn's which is ridiculus-cause if they lived here they would know the real deal. Mostly blacks in NY be like well at least over in Japan you dont have to worry about getting shot by the pooooleece/swat 50 times...I say if the jn's had one the war we'd more likely be extinct.

[AssKissinger]

I think if Japan had one the war the world's greatest onsen would be in America.

[Captain Japan]

I would rather be able to buy whatever I want than to be sheilded from bigotry.

I got into an argument with a guy about anarchy not long ago. He was in favor of it. I said to him that you can safely take that side because you know it'll never happen. I feel the same way about what you just wrote. I mean, where do you draw the line? Just publishing? I doubt it.

[Greji]

you dont have to worry about getting shot by the pooooleece/swat 50 times...

That's an out right lie. NYPD only authorizes their officers to shoot a perp 49 times!

[AssKissinger]

CJ, It would take a lot more than the fuckers who wrote that magazine to make me want to give up my right to read anything I want.

[Mulboyne]

A commenter on Debito's blog has drawn attention to this online Shukan Charger piece (Japanese) on foreigners committing crimes in Japan and fleeing the country.

[mercury]

There is still some b.s. ofcourse and mirror manipulation to his reasoning:



Why I published 'Foreigner Underground Crime File:' Editor makes his case and responds to critics

TOKYO — Ever since publishing a magazine called "Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu" (Foreigner Underground Crime File) last month, I have been subject to a campaign of harassment. In particular, some emails I've received have been quite vicious — and have included threats to my life. I have to admit that, although the ferocity of this reaction has surprised me, the basic emotions have not.

The topic of foreigner crime is taboo in Japan, with people on both sides of the issue distorting the facts and letting their feelings get the better of them.

On the Japanese side, the "foreign criminal" is a beast who lurks everywhere and wants nothing more than to destroy Japanese people and their way of life. Whether it's a North Korean agent kidnapping our daughters or a Chinese thief invading our homes, many Japanese are convinced that foreigners should be treated with suspicion and fear.

This attitude makes it impossible to have an informed conversation about where real foreign criminals come from, or the reason they commit their crimes. In fact, one of my goals in publishing "Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu" was to help begin a frank discussion of the issue.

On the other side, many foreigners consider any suggestion that they engage in lewd or criminal behavior to be an unacceptable insult. This can be seen quite clearly in the reaction our magazine elicited in the Western media, and especially in the online community. The army of bloggers who bullied FamilyMart convenience stores into removing "Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu" from their shelves have decided for everyone else that this book is so dangerous that it cannot be read.

Yet I wonder how many of these "puroshimin," or "professional civilians," have read — or even seen — the magazine. I suppose the same right to free speech they claim for themselves should not extend to those who might want to buy and read our publication.

What these people are ignoring is a simple truth: there are no lies, distortions or racist sentiments expressed in "Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu." All the statistics about rising crime rates are accurate, and all the photographs show incidents that actually occurred.

For instance, it is true that on June 19, 2003, three Chinese nationals murdered a Japanese family — a mother, father and two children aged 8 and 11 — and dumped their bodies into a canal in Fukushima. It's true that Brazilians and Chinese account for over half of the crimes committed by foreigners in Japan. It's true that American guys grope their Japanese girlfriends daily on the streets of Tokyo.

That's not to say that some of the criticism leveled at "Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu" is unreasonable. Bloggers have called attention to a few of our crime scene photographs, in which we have blurred the faces of Japanese people but not those of foreigners. Let me respond by saying that, if we had covered up the foreigners' faces, the reader wouldn't be able to recognize them as foreign, and the illustrative power of the image would be lost.

Use of 'niga' doesn't have emotive power of English word

Another criticism I have heard involves our use of the term "niga," which appears in the caption of a photo showing a black man feeling up his Japanese girlfriend on the street. I would like to stress that this term has none of the emotive power in Japanese that the N-word does in English — and to translate it as such is unfair. Instead, "niga" is Japanese street slang, just like the language used in the other captions on the same page.

Finally, some critics point to the absence of advertisements in "Gaijin Hanzai Ura Fairu" as evidence that we are financed by a powerful and rich organization. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason there are no ads in the magazine is because we couldn't find any sponsors who wanted to be part of such a controversial project. However, in one way I wish we did have the backing of such an influential group: I would feel a lot safer if I could count on them for security!

Having been given this opportunity to share a message with Tokyo's foreign community, I would like to stress three points. First, before foreigners rush to accuse me and my staff of racism, or to label our publication a typical example of Japanese xenophobia, I would ask that they consider how quick their own culture is to view the Japanese as subhuman. In World War II you labeled us "monkeys," and in the bubble economy years, you considered us "economic predators."

Second, as our country becomes increasingly globalized and more foreigners come here to live and work, the Japanese will be forced to confront the challenges of a pluralistic society. Only by honestly discussing this issue and all it entails can we prepare our culture for this radical change.

Finally, if we can manage to openly discuss the issue of foreign crime in Japan, we will have the opportunity to address our own problems as well. Sure, we could continue to run away from the topic and remove books from shelves, but in doing so we are losing the chance to become more self-aware. What we need to understand is that by having a conversation about violent and illegal behavior, we're really talking about ourselves — not as "Japanese" or "foreigners," but as human beings.

Shigeki Saka is an editor at Eichi Publishing Company in Tokyo.

What do you make of this?

[joshuaism]

[quote="mercury"]
I would like to stress that this term has none of the emotive power in Japanese that the N-word does in English —]

So true. I'm always seeing Japanese call their closests associates "niga's".

[yt]zV-zItIFlvA[/yt]

[Greji]

"....Why I published 'Foreigner Underground Crime File:' Editor makes his case and responds to critics...."

What do you make of this?

I would say that probably you could not convince him that what he is doing is wrong unless you went through a prolonged court battle and even then, if you were lucky enough to win, you more than likely, wouldn't have convinced him. You would only have embittered him more than he obviously is already.

BTW, it would be nice if you would have placed a cite for that article/letter. It is an interesting post!

[amdg]

Link
http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/recent/lastword.asp

[amdg]

I would ask that they consider how quick their own culture is to view the Japanese as subhuman. In World War II you labeled us "monkeys," and in the bubble economy years, you considered us "economic predators."

Reply: These phrases do not have a negative meaning in English. They are just part of our slang so you have no reason to be upset when we use them.

[Oradea]

The Mighty race of the Japanese feel that it is okay to make fun of others, but when the tables are turned.......

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070214p2a00m0na010000c.html

Cant make fun of the Japanese you know, hanging offence.

[Oradea]

I just read the statement from the magazine publishers.

Pissed myself laughing when he referred to it as a book....nicely done.

[Greji]

I just read the statement from the magazine publishers.

Pissed myself laughing when he referred to it as a book....nicely done.

Debito has it on his site with his response.....

[dimwit]

Debito has it on his site with his response.....

Can you say TROLL WAR.



Ever notice how both the author of that piece of toilet paper and Debito:rolleyes: both love to write in Boldface and Caps Locks? I sort of remember doing that when I was back in grade eight.

BTW we need a cringe smiley. just does do Debito:rolleyes: justice.

[mercury]

[mercury]

[mercury]

[dimwit]

Mercury is there any point to those last three posts? Gboothe already give a url address for anybody wants to look at. Why are you posting it veraitim?

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4801

4. Generally, you should try not to post full stories unless they are very short. Try to post a few juicy quotes or the core of the article and then a link to the original site.

[Oradea]

Quite unecessary

[Samurai_Jerk]

Wow. I'm surprised how many of you think this kind of publication should not even be allowed. There's nothing in there that should be considered criminal and the publishers should have the right to print it. Stores should also have the right to sell it. However, I would hope that most places would have the good sense not to sell it. That was the problem here. That convenience stores and book stores thought nothing of putting it out on the shelves.

I don't think that the publisher really believes the book isn't racist and that he was starting a frank discussion on the issue of foreign crime. He knows it's sensationalistic crap. So there really is not point in trying to have a reasonable discussion with him. If you'd never seen the magazine his argument (except for the "niga" part) sounds very reasonable. But once you actually flip through this mook you realize that he is completely full of shit.

[AssKissinger]

However, I would hope that most places would have the good sense not to sell it.

That's the same kind of bullshit feminists and fundies say about porn. If store owners start worrying about every special interest and concern all kinds of stuff will be removed from the shelves. Who cares if some magazine hurts your feelings? Goddamn yall are fucking pussies.

[Samurai_Jerk]

That's the same kind of bullshit feminists and fundies say about porn. If store owners start worrying about every special interest and concern all kinds of stuff will be removed from the shelves. Who cares if some magazine hurts your feelings? Goddamn yall are fucking pussies.

It doesn't hurt my feelings. If it did I wouldn't have bought a copy. The magazine is fucking hilarious. And when I went into the store and complained, it was because I was drunk and in the mood to fuck with someone.

However, corporation should take responsibility and if something does bother enough people then they should have the sense not to sell it. It's similar to FOX TV deciding not to air OJ's "If I Did It" special and the publishers of the related book deciding not to release it.

[Greji]

Goddamn yall are fucking pussies.

Yup. That's because I prefer them to ketsu's! But I do subscribe to the "Any port in a storm" theory!