It’s about time i said something while i wasn’t totally flustered and over the top about a few things. The whole attitude across the world about the Japanese Earthquake to me is sort of frustrating and jarring. I’m not just speaking out about the Japanese Popular Culture fans squeeing that someone is OK – that’s another issue i’ll deal with later in my post. I’m more speaking out about how many people i’ve heard and seen complain that Japan had it coming, or “It’s ethnic cleansing” – racism doesn’t die does it?
We don’t run around going “So you’re jewish, does this mean i can hit you with a stick and kill you because you’re not white – or even if you’re white you’re jewish?” do we? … No on the whole humanity does not. We’re becoming a race of people who separate how we feel about each other still by the color and culture of our people. We spoke about this in my SOWK111 class on Friday; and how culture is a large part of identity but it doesn’t mean that we judge or pass predjudice on these people.
How are we supposed to live with each other when we complain that Obama isn’t taking care of our own country – so why should we help New Zealand OR Japan?
Christchurch by far pales in comparison to the 8.9 quake from Friday evening – however they totally are opening their hearts out to Japan – as it’s only been a couple weeks since their 6.3 rocked the CBD of Christchurch. Several towns and places in Japan are wiped clean almost, the death toll admittedly far higher than Christchurch’s 166. But its the population level that makes the number higher, and the tsunami that followed after the quake that caused widespread devestation.
Why is it that for the warcrimes people think they never paid for (and trust me they have!) that when the Nuclear Reactors are having troubles – people think we should let everyone just get radiation sickness, and die? Why is it so many people that AREN’T of the World War 2 generation and are younger than 30 complaining that Japan is getting KARMA for what they’ve done?
What have they done since world war two?
They’ve practically been demilitarized, and they have certainly become a nation full of remorse and are more than embarrased for past crimes in war. This isn’t fair that humanity is turning on one another in a time of need – yes i get it, we’re human we complain a lot and we tend to ignore the fact no matter if we’re christian or not we have morals.
Ie: You kinda do need to love your neighbors regardless of religion 😛
I don’t feel that Japan deserves this anymore than Christchurch deserved two earthquakes of larger value in the last couple years – especially because New Zealand’s technology is different, but our buildings are old and sometimes not able to withstand things like this. Like the news said, the worst part of the quake was the Tsunami that followed – not the quake itself. (I would assume much like Chile?)
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot more i can do than just bitch and moan about the situation to help japan – but that takes time.
Before i go into how i could shut up and start fundraising LOL – i’ll explain what i meant earlier in the post about Japanese Popular Culture taking a role in the earthquake. We’re taking a small part of their culture for granted in this time, and while i’m sure many people are not meaning harm by this – it does come across as slightly hmm.. self centered and frustrating. I myself am at fault for already frustrating people whom i stood side by side virtually on the plains of Visual Asian Social Media (as an educated term i’ll make up since i’m not talking like i’m 17 years old in a teenage angst diary); people i could’ve dealt with better.
But this whole thing of constructing lists and passing them around – admirable to say one part, but the mass hysteria people generated is not necessarily a horrible thing, but an embarrassing thing. The lists and the media hysteria caused by so many people updating about it in a SOCIAL MEDIA sense, rather than a news-media “let’s keep the world informed” sense… seemed to me like the wrong spin.
Now i’m going to Apologize publically – there are things i’ve done in a time of need for Oshare Curry when i owned it – so when i was out of order about La Carmina’s posts; i probably commented something i shouldn’t have. My largest worry was that people who are not familiar with japanese culture, and are merely in it for the cosplay or even just anime or jrock – weren’t going to take it the right way. The jokes were cheesy, yes – but who can complain when me and my friend Ayla were being a bit lighthearted at some point just to eleviate the stress.
Even a few Japanese people we know, unaffected by the quake … “Disneyland has now become Disneysea… oops that was quite mean wasnt it?” – we all are doing our best to update and talk about it. People who are in the business of social media such as La Carmina; actually have business to do with Japan – they’re in the business of teaching and showing entertainment from Japanese and Asian Popular culture overseas. Animefood and Madhatter are the magazines similar; and they all have business to do with showing overseas what the scene is like.
So i personally apologize, these lists and these blogs i’ve seen – they’re just people doing their thing.
I got over flustered after spending all day hawking the news, twitter and facebook – it’s just jarring to the mind to an already over familiar with the computer person. I ended up a royal asshole by the end of the night – and my family quite frankly could have dealt without it :).
As for fundraising?
I don’t know yet- i’m not going to do something like that on my own, i used to co run a club back last year and well————frankly? I don’t want to make the same mistakes, our class group on facebook Otago Daigaku no Nihongo had a comment from a mutual friend and classmate to raise ideas on fundraising.
I can’t say much, but i’ve downloaded a crapload of Zazzle templates – and may work my ass off to do a few things from there and resell them for the fundraiser. I won’t confirm on it, because it’ll be a class group effort, and not just “class” as it’s a group full of friends and colleagues and classmates, as well as 100 and 300 level students from Otago, and exchange students.
Maybe my mom’s youth group at Coastal Unity may do something as well- like they did for Christchurch.
For now?
My hopes and prayers and well wishes DO go out to people affected by these natural disasters, and until our class group makes a decision on fundraising? I may do a side donation, but my funds are semi tied up in bills at the moment 🙂
Inuko's Corner 