Another PC case I don't understand - Boston Museum of Fine Arts

[SuperCloud]

Do a Google image search for "no japanese allowed" (meh heres a link! https://www.google.com/search?q=no+...bIZHwoATy_bnIBQ&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1472&bih=711 ) you'll see signs, "no japanese or dogs allowed", "Japanese customers only", "no chinese, koreans or philipenos".

Had no idea they had signs written in various Asian texts espousing that kind of content. Interesting.

 

[Gadarene]

I guess it would be too difficult for some of you guys to read the article and the tumblr page it links to and see that several of the protesters were of asian descent.

And? Why should the opinion of the easiest of the easily offended matter a damn? Why is everyone in a rush to shackle society to their standards?

They can't speak for all Japanese anymore than those who aren't offended can. But no-one is in a rush to take seriously those Japanese who weren't offended by this and think the entire affair is ridiculous.

 

[Gadarene]

I'll let this brave young woman explain it for you:

spouting a load of crap on tumblr ain't brave. she's definitely not in a minority there

 

[iluvatar5150]

And? Why should the opinion of the easiest of the easily offended matter a damn? Why is everyone in a rush to shackle society to their standards?

They can't speak for all Japanese anymore than those who aren't offended can. But no-one is in a rush to take seriously those Japanese who weren't offended by this and think the entire affair is ridiculous.

TerranceL made a couple comments about how it was white people doing the complaining. I was responding to those comments.

 

[Gadarene]

TerranceL made a couple comments about how it was white people doing the complaining. I was responding to those comments.

Yup. And you made some insinuation that some people who were offended were Asian.

Presumably you must have felt it was relevant in some way?

 

[RDKirk]

My mom is friends with a Filipino who's dad fought for the USA in WW2 and was a POW during the Bataan death march. He said the Japanese treated the Asian POWs much worse than they did the American ones.

Back in the mid 80s, my workmate--a third-generation Japanese-American--and I would take sightseeing trips in the Philippines. Every now and then, an older Filipino would look at him hard and as, "Are you Japanese?" He'd answer, "no, I'm Chinese. My name is Wong. Tony Wong."

 

[RDKirk]

Yeah from what I've studied it looks like the hatred goes both ways ... or well three ways in that area of the world.

The Chinese hate the Japanese, the Koreans hate the Japanese and the Japanese hates both of them.

Why?

Japanese imperialism is a huge part of it, turns out when your nation gets repeatedly invaded by a certain country your going to not like them. My only issue is some of the stuff that gets brought up happened hundreds of years ago. Well there are still issues where the Koreans and the Japanese claim the same pieces of land and such.

Stuff that started hundreds of years ago, and extended physically up to 70 years ago (a few old Koreans, Filipinos, and Chinese still actually remember), and if you happen to be a Chinese, Korean, or Filipino living in Japan, you're still getting a taste of it.

BTW, here is a quite good South Korean science fiction movie that features a sinister plot by Japanese secret agents to go back in time and change the past so that the US enters into an agreement with the Japanese empire instead of going to war...and so retains its empire rather than losing it to the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009:_Lost_Memories

Portrayed in the movie is the South Korean view of the bigotry they still see in Japanese behavior.

 

[IceJad]

They can't speak for all Japanese anymore than those who aren't offended can. But no-one is in a rush to take seriously those Japanese who weren't offended by this and think the entire affair is ridiculous.

Can't say it better myself. Where the sentiment of the silent majority is drowned by much louder minority. We are all suddenly beholden to the whims of these minority.

That takes me to the question of how these people even got so sensitive? Many of whom are not even Japanese ethnically. And I'm very confident they don't practice wearing their own cultural wear daily. Even if they do its significance is lost to them.

Even for me most of my cultural values have lost many of its true meaning as it is passed down to me. Each generation add, subtracts and modify something before passing it to the next. Isn't this worst than Westerners appropriating our culture? We ourselves can't even keep our cultural traditions straight.

Don't believe me? Just ask any Chinese why you can't sweep the floor during the first day of the Lunar New Year. And I guarantee you differing answers.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Yup. And you made some insinuation that some people who were offended were Asian.

Presumably you must have felt it was relevant in some way?

I was pointing out that TerrenceL's assessment of the situation was wrong.

 

[TerranceL]

Back in the mid 80s, my workmate--a third-generation Japanese-American--and I would take sightseeing trips in the Philippines. Every now and then, an older Filipino would look at him hard and as, "Are you Japanese?" He'd answer, "no, I'm Chinese. My name is Wong. Tony Wong."

Oh goodness it's the asian pacific version of americans abroad who feel the need to tell people they are from canada.

 

[TerranceL]

Stuff that started hundreds of years ago, and extended physically up to 70 years ago (a few old Koreans, Filipinos, and Chinese still actually remember), and if you happen to be a Chinese, Korean, or Filipino living in Japan, you're still getting a taste of it.

I often wonder if the animosity was really because the Japanese were so imperialistic or was it that everybody was doing it in that area the Japanese were just better at it.

BTW, here is a quite good South Korean science fiction movie that features a sinister plot by Japanese secret agents to go back in time and change the past so that the US enters into an agreement with the Japanese empire instead of going to war...and so retains its empire rather than losing it to the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009:_Lost_Memories

Portrayed in the movie is the South Korean view of the bigotry they still see in Japanese behavior.

Oh sweet thanks. I love South Korean films, so very different than what we get in the west.

 

[TerranceL]

I was pointing out that TerrenceL's assessment of the situation was wrong.

And yet it's usually white people I see whining about it, or it's second and third generation asian americans with way too much time on their hands who have very little actual connection to the cultures they are trying to defend.

People who actually live in those areas tend to appreciate the interest in their culture.

 

[IceJad]

Back in the mid 80s, my workmate--a third-generation Japanese-American--and I would take sightseeing trips in the Philippines. Every now and then, an older Filipino would look at him hard and as, "Are you Japanese?" He'd answer, "no, I'm Chinese. My name is Wong. Tony Wong."

That is a sad story having to hide your own race. WW2 is a black mark on the world regardless of race. Atrocities have been committed by both sides. Because the victor is the allies many of their own wrongdoings have been lost in records or white washed as necessary evil. Dropping not one but two atomic bombs on civilians is not right nor noble even it is wins you the war. Today it would be consider genocide.

Why must the decedents of soldiers especially from the losing side be forever punished? Because of their race? Is it a crime to be associate to criminals if you can even call the soldiers criminals to begin with? Personally as a Chinese I say to you Japanese out there all this is in the past. I have left it there. I'm not going to bring it up. I can't speak for all but I would like you to know someone out there have moved forward and would like to be friends with you.

But this is another topic for another thread.

 

[RDKirk]

That is a sad story having to hide your own race. WW2 is a black mark on the world regardless of race. Atrocities have been committed by both sides. Because the victor is the allies many of their own wrongdoings have been lost in records or white washed as necessary evil. Dropping not one but two atomic bombs on civilians is not right nor noble even it is wins you the war. Today it would be consider genocide.

Why must the decedents of soldiers especially from the losing side be forever punished? Because of their race? Is it a crime to be associate to criminals if you can even call the soldiers criminals to begin with? Personally as a Chinese I say to you Japanese out there all this is in the past. I have left it there. I'm not going to bring it up. I can't speak for all but I would like you to know someone out there have moved forward and would like to be friends with you.

But this is another topic for another thread.

You're not Chinese, you're Christian.

 

[dgiharris]

America .. the land of the perpetually offended

I get annoyed when there is a movement of being offended when it is clear that the so-called offensive action or venue was respectful and positive.

I didn't even know of the term "cultural appropriation" as being offensive until I read the article.

As a black man, what I find hilarious is that "urban culture" has been appropriated by pretty much everyone on the planet, you see its influence everywhere, and I'm not offended. If anything, it is affirming and makes me hopeful that one day we will all realize MLK's dream. To be fair, basically everyone's culture is appropriated in bits and pieces. We humans are like a bunch of magpies, when we see something we like we steal. And that is okay.

As for this case, you have a piece of art and a display and an opportunity to get your picture taken in the pose of the piece of art. Seriously, in what universe is this offensive???

The pose is classy, the art looks nice... You have to really try hard to be offended.

 

[IceJad]

You're not Chinese, you're Christian.

Tell me you can differentiate race from religion.

 

[TerranceL]

As a black man, what I find hilarious is that "urban culture" has been appropriated by pretty much everyone on the planet, you see its influence everywhere, and I'm not offended.

That's a great point, instead of looking at it like, "they are stealing my culture" in my opinion it should be seen as, "my culture is so influential that it's enjoyed all over the world".

 

[RDKirk]

Tell me you can differentiate race from religion.

First, "Chinese" is not a race, it's an ethnic group.

There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -- Galatians 3

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. -- Colossians 3

But our citizenship is in heaven. -- Philippians 3

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for His possession.... Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people. -- 1 Peter 2

The word translated in 1 Peter as "nation" is the Greek ethnos...from which we derive "ethnic."

God views all of His own as members of His own ethnc group, a nation of "uncut stones" that don't fit anywhere else.

 

[IceJad]

There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -- Galatians 3

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. -- Colossians 3

But our citizenship is in heaven. -- Philippians 3

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for His possession.... Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people. -- 1 Peter 2

God views all of His own as members of His own race, a race of "uncut stones" that don't fit anywhere else.

My Brother, firstly Amen to that. But you have to know that not all who view this are brother in faith.

Moreover it is exactly because of the grace of Christ that cleanse us of our inequities that I extend the same grace to others.

Anti-Japanese sentiment has been on the rise lately. And I for one would like them to know they have a friend in me. Even when the world turn ugly against them I would not.