Japan isn’t actually going in that direction… as far as I can tell, there’s just a ton of “Japan is so weird” articles that get shared in the west. Like, articles about vending machines that sell used panties to perverts, or men who get married to anime characters. You could just as easily write these articles about the US or any country in Europe, it’s just a bit of old-fashioned orientalism going around that we happen to write these articles about Japan. I assume SK is mostly boring and has boring problems like the rest of us, like rampant alcoholism and poor work culture. Likewise, the social problems with Japan are boring ones like (again) work culture, being punished for standing out, or having to navigate bureaucracy.
I don’t even know why chibi would be on your list since it’s just a style of drawing cartoons with big heads.
They’re ‘boring’ because we’re used to them, not because other cultures wouldn’t look on in horror.
Every culture has their variant of this.
For example, Indians would never tolerate the level of alcohol consumption that is essentially mandatory to hold office jobs in SK and Japan.
And SK and Japan wouldn’t (to my knowledge) tolerate the level of societal control over marriages/sex/personal identity that Indian culture considers normal. And definitely wouldn’t tolerate the lack of civic sense.
Chibi was an indirect reference to what western cultures refer to as CSAM (in not-as-uncommon-as-outsiders assume cases). Too subtle eh?
Do you want me to get more specific? It’s not like Akiba and several other nearby distracts are actually about just maid cafes (actual-what-they-purport-to-be ones anyway) and cheap electronics, eh?
Every culture has things like this, yes. And the bizarre (to the reader) and outrageous (to the reader) articles get clicks.
> Chibi was an indirect reference to what western cultures refer to as CSAM (in not-as-uncommon-as-outsiders assume cases). Too subtle eh?
Sure, subtle, or maybe downright cryptographic. I would describe it as cryptographic.
> Do you want me to get more specific?
I think your general point is unclear. Maybe you could explain your overall point in general terms first, before going into specifics. Or maybe you could start with specifics to motivate the broader point you’re making. I think the bottom line here is that when you say Japan is going in a “similar direction”, I have no idea what direction you think that is.
> It’s not like Akiba and several other nearby distracts are actually about just maid cafes (actual-what-they-purport-to-be ones anyway) and cheap electronics, eh?
Neighborhoods aren’t “about” something, so when you say that Akiba isn’t “actually about just maid cafes”… obviously, because Akiba isn’t about anything. If you are winking at the camera and trying to insinuate that I know what Akiba is “about”, it’s not going to communicate anything about Akiba. This has all the hallmarks of how people communicate crackpot theories, and the antidote is to explain things in plain terms with direct language.
I honestly agree with everything you have said. I have constantly seen self-proclaimed "intelligent" arguments which basically make the same assumptions you have stated and then have the gall of saying they aren't racist. I daresay these individuals need to grow up and get out of their colonial mindset.
This literally reads like some misinformation campaign hit-piece. I would suggest reading up on actual news sources that function within India and speaking to Indians who live in India.
I for one like them. They are fast and on-time. The crowd to my destinations is usually during rush hours (before 9) which is now exacerbated due to the lack of NS staff recently.
Frankly, that pales to what we have here in The Netherlands. A single OV-chipkaart swipe and you can take an NS train to wherever you want without needing to reserve seats and pre-book tickets. When I was in UK I didn't understand why the need for so much complexity when they could make it work like London metro (swipe in/out with a card). Needless to say I am not a fan of the UK system.
As implemented, the OV chipkaart has its own share of problems.
1. For railway travel, you need to top up a minimum balance of 20 € (okay, technically 16 €, because with an anonymous card you're allowed 4 € of credit), which is already a bit on the high side if you're only need to go a few stations by train and are only travelling occasionally.
2. Changing trains has become a bit more complicated, because if the change of trains also coincides with a change of the train operator you now always have to check out and back in again (and the check out/in procedure also potentially makes things more expensive than a true through ticket).
3. Certain offers (including e.g. reduced fares for children!) are only available with a personal chipkaart – for a long time those were impossible to obtain without a Dutch address of residence and/or bank account. These days they're also sold to residents of Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, but you still have to order them in advance, and everybody else is still left out (e.g. somebody from Lille is actually closer to the Dutch border than somebody living in Munich, but only the latter is allowed to buy a personal chipkaart).
Wouldn't work because you could complete the same trip via a range of different companies. So to keep track, you'd need to be tapping in/off each train so the operators could charge you accordingly. And then you'd never have an idea of what the price would be, as fares change according to how early you book and how busy the trains are.
I'm not saying it's a good system - it's a very bad one, having it split between so many companies is a mistake. But the London metro is not a good analogy since it is all one company.
The Netherlands is a small country though. Reservations are not needed because you're expected to stand if the train is fully occupied. Travel journey is rarely longer than an hour.
The Dutch railway system is more like a giant metro/light rail. Trains between the major cities have a high frequency of every 10 minutes.
The current Indian government has taken an increasingly fascist approach towards Indian Muslims. It has been jailing Muslim activists without due course and trials, demolishing homes of Muslims participating in peaceful protests and turning a blind eye to fireband Hindu leaders openly calling for genocide against Muslims.
Hmm these articles quote people like Rana Ayyub who have been known to scam people [1]. And Javed mohammed who incited violence over mere words. As for Bangalore specifically I don't agree with that ideology, but there is an influx of illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in the city - I will not ignore that either.
Now I wonder if you are aware about what recently happened, where two Muslim men beheaded a man in broad daylight for merely supporting someone's right to speak about their prophet. The poor man just happened to support a BJP spokesperson who was defending her faith. There have been multiple instances where there were massive riots and protests calling for the spokesperson rape and beheading. No to mention a leaked document about islamisation of India [3].
I personally do not think Muslims are being oppressed in light of such activities. On the contrary I think the game of media and setting narratives is being played on an international level to depict India as being anti-Muslim.
