Japanese Men Refusing to Leave their Rooms

Off Topic
501

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
Consider, LoRez, that regardless of the fact that Mao’s and Stalin’s crimes were of a magnitude far greater than Hitler’s, both in terms of civilians murdered and territory stolen, we are allowed the choice whether to hate them or not. They were both greatly admired by the United States at some point of their careers (so was Hitler, but we’ll ignore that), and it is possible to talk about the good they did for their respective empires without quickly and obligatorily bringing up those forced labor death camps. [/quote]

I see what you mean. The only explanation I have is the cliched idea of a heavy Judeo influence in US media and finance. If, instead, that influence were Japanese or Chinese or Russian or…, I imagine the narrative would be quite a bit different.

I’m not particularly good at summarizing everything about a person or an event into a simple “like” or “hate”. It might be assumed that I “hate” Hitler just like “everyone else does [right?]”, but that’s only because I haven’t publicly taken a position either way. I could say that “America hates Hitler” with a lot more confidence than “American hates commmies”.

All moral and ethical and whatever discussions aside… I don’t think Hitler was particularly effective at reducing global Jewish influence, which was the ostensible goal as far as I know. At least measured in terms of effectiveness and efficiency of a policy at achieving its goals. And, from what I can tell, the “War on Terror” seems to be barely more effective, if that.[/quote]

To be fair, the shocking thing was that it was Germany, considered to be one of the most if not the most civilized nation of the planet.

Nobody expected Russia or China to be civilized and the way they butchered their victims really was not.

The thing with Germany is that they did it so efficiently, thoroughly and technocratic.

Nobody liked to see that the very same virtues that made her a beacon of civilization could turn around in a heartbeat and could be used to build stream lined slaughter houses for human beings.

The shock was greater because people expected more.

502

[quote]orion wrote:

[quote]Totenkopf wrote:
I asked this before but it might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

If anybody can answer me this, that would be fantastic. We all know that Japan has the lowest crime rate in the world from statistics and census but from information on imageboards and other Japanese interest board, this is an illusion. Due to the rumor that the criminal element is so infused with the government, murder rate is under reported and sometimes aren’t even reported at all or labeled under suicide or accident. Can someone provide me information on this or even confirm this?[/quote]

You want confirmed that people who just disappear where really murdered?

I thought the whole point was to make that impossible. [/quote]
Well not really. I just want to hear it from people the live in Japan that it’s not as safe as we are led to believe. Or maybe it is. I dont know. Im particularly interested in the Yakuza because they brought down the biggest fighting organization in the world and got away with it and they have a huge hand in politics.

504

[quote]Totenkopf wrote:

[quote]orion wrote:

[quote]Totenkopf wrote:
I asked this before but it might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

If anybody can answer me this, that would be fantastic. We all know that Japan has the lowest crime rate in the world from statistics and census but from information on imageboards and other Japanese interest board, this is an illusion. Due to the rumor that the criminal element is so infused with the government, murder rate is under reported and sometimes aren’t even reported at all or labeled under suicide or accident. Can someone provide me information on this or even confirm this?[/quote]

You want confirmed that people who just disappear where really murdered?

I thought the whole point was to make that impossible. [/quote]
Well not really. I just want to hear it from people the live in Japan that it’s not as safe as we are led to believe. Or maybe it is. I dont know. Im particularly interested in the Yakuza because they brought down the biggest fighting organization in the world and got away with it and they have a huge hand in politics.[/quote]

My guess is that it’s no different than a lot of places in the world.

If you’re trying to make inroads with your drug supply routes, gambling houses, hookers, etc. Japan’s not a very safe place for you.

If you’re just a normal guy living a normal life, none of this affects you whatsoever.

Just my guess.

505

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Totenkopf wrote:

[quote]orion wrote:

[quote]Totenkopf wrote:
I asked this before but it might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

If anybody can answer me this, that would be fantastic. We all know that Japan has the lowest crime rate in the world from statistics and census but from information on imageboards and other Japanese interest board, this is an illusion. Due to the rumor that the criminal element is so infused with the government, murder rate is under reported and sometimes aren’t even reported at all or labeled under suicide or accident. Can someone provide me information on this or even confirm this?[/quote]

You want confirmed that people who just disappear where really murdered?

I thought the whole point was to make that impossible. [/quote]
Well not really. I just want to hear it from people the live in Japan that it’s not as safe as we are led to believe. Or maybe it is. I dont know. Im particularly interested in the Yakuza because they brought down the biggest fighting organization in the world and got away with it and they have a huge hand in politics.[/quote]

My guess is that it’s no different than a lot of places in the world.

If you’re trying to make inroads with your drug supply routes, gambling houses, hookers, etc. Japan’s not a very safe place for you.

If you’re just a normal guy living a normal life, none of this affects you whatsoever.

Just my guess.[/quote]

I think as compared to the every gangbanger their organized crime is just that.

Organized.

506

[quote]orion wrote:
To be fair, the shocking thing was that it was Germany, considered to be one of the most if not the most civilized nation of the planet.

[…]

Nobody liked to see that the very same virtues that made her a beacon of civilization could turn around in a heartbeat and could be used to build stream lined slaughter houses for human beings.

The shock was greater because people expected more. [/quote]

That makes a bit more sense.

So now years later, we now have genuine political forces denying evolution and discounting science because, you know, science begets holocausts.

Or something like that.

I do wonder how much of that is related though.

508

[quote]LoRez wrote:

All moral and ethical and whatever discussions aside… I don’t think Hitler was particularly effective at reducing global Jewish influence, which was the ostensible goal as far as I know. At least measured in terms of effectiveness and efficiency of a policy at achieving its goals. And, from what I can tell, the “War on Terror” seems to be barely more effective, if that.[/quote]

True. When you think about it, when was the last time a real genocide executed in earnest has been successful? I mean, Hitler got te ideas for his eugenics program, the Final Solution and Lebensraum from the American eugenics program, the Indian Wars and Manifest Destiny. But really, we might have wiped out a couple of tribes, but extermination of only 90% of the aboriginal population is not a complete genocide. I mean, look around. Casinos everywhere.

And Hitler also drew inspiration not only from the aforementioned Armenian Genocide, but also the more famous genocides from antiquity. Hitler even came out and said, when someone on his staff voiced concern that the world community might look askance at Germany for trying to exterminate the Jews, “hey, nobody remembers the Armenian genocide.” And the Turks were pretty successful at wiping out the Armenians in Turkey, but they certainly didn’t get 'em all. Heck, there are nearly a million and a half Armenians living in Fresno alone.

And what about those genocides of antiquity? Genghis Khan came real close to wiping out the Chinese and turning their country into a horse pasture, until one of his advisors (a Chinese guy, go figure) convinced him to tax the Chinese instead. Definitely not a successful genocide. And what about Carthage? Cato the Elder, the Rush Limbaugh of Rome, insisted in every speech he gave on the senate floor that delendo est Cartago! (Carthage must be destroyed). Well, he got his wish. Carthage was destroyed, its people slaughtered, it’s young women enslaved, the city pulled apart so not one stone lay atop another, it’s vineyards and orchards burned, and it’s fields plowed with salt. And STILL the Carthaginians wouldn’t die. They even got one of their native sons, Severus, to be emperor of Rome.

So yeah, I guess we have to go all the way back to the days of the Exodus, Joshua and the Judges to find out how to do a really effective Genocide. I mean, I’d put the siege of Jericho up against the Seige of Warsaw any day (the Nazis’ big mistake is that they forgot the trumpets).

And where are the Philistines and the Canaanites today? They can’t be those poor fuckers now known as “Palestinians” (even though “Palestina” is the Roman word for “Philistine”). Those are Arabs, and the only thing they have in common with the Canaanites is that they, too, were shit out of luck when the Chosen People came to claim their Promised Land.

No, most likely the Canaanites and the Philistines and the Amalekites and the Midianites and the Jebusites and the Hittites were utterly destroyed, just like it says in the Bible. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you conduct a successful genocide.

509

[quote]Varqanir wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:

All moral and ethical and whatever discussions aside… I don’t think Hitler was particularly effective at reducing global Jewish influence, which was the ostensible goal as far as I know. At least measured in terms of effectiveness and efficiency of a policy at achieving its goals. And, from what I can tell, the “War on Terror” seems to be barely more effective, if that.[/quote]

True. When you think about it, when was the last time a real genocide executed in earnest has been successful?[/quote]

If it was successful, would we even know about it?

510

[quote]Chushin wrote:

because, you know, science begets holocausts.

Or something like that.[/quote]

But it does! It really does! Every technological innovation in history has been closely followed by its use to kill some other poor fuckers who don’t have that technology.

When Thag the Cro-Magnon first invented the atl-atl (spear-thrower), do you think he only used it for legitimate sporting purposes? Hell naw!! That was the first tactical assault weapon, man, and Thag and his buddies wreaked havoc on every other Hominid species he could find. Which is why we don’t find many Neandertals these days. Genocide through science.

People were incinerating other people not long after fire was discovered. The word “holocaust” itself refers to the ancient practice of human sacrifice by immolation to the gods Baal and Moloch.

And how long after the first Chinese guy invented gunpowder before he thought of how he could blow some other people up with it?

Every technological innovation and invention, from Greek Fire to firearms to firebombs to nuclear firestorms, has been and will continue to be used by one tribe of people in a variously successful attempts to wipe out another tribe.

511

Hey now, PWI is just a click away. Let’s leave this thread as a nicer place!

512

It’s all Varq’s fault. He can turn anything into a religious/historical/political controversy!!

That asshole.

515

[quote]Chushin wrote:

Da fuck?

Wrong guy quoted, V.[/quote]

Oops.

Huh. How’d that happen?

516

So, ok, getting kinda back on topic [of the thread, not the thread title]…

If you were learning Japanese all over again, how would you go about doing it?

Would you take a more immersive route with movies, TV shows, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, children’s books, etc?

Or would you take a formal classroom instruction route with a good textbook and teacher and classroom pacing?

Or would you use something like Pimsleur or other audio-based course?

Or something else entirely?

517

[quote]Cortes wrote:

[quote]harrypotter wrote:
Cotes, just a question.

Is your wife incredibly cute to have such a cutiepie for a child or did you help with the matter? Mym mum took a look and she was all over it. BAAAWWW[/quote]

Ha, thanks, HP, did you miss the pictures I posted on pages 3 and 4? There’s a pic of my wife at the bottom of page 3.

I happen to think she’s pretty hot. AND that I helped with the matter. I know I’m right about at least one of those…[/quote]

Mmmmmmmmhh…

518

Lol. Posting from a new device seem problematic…

519

[quote]Chushin wrote:

I’ve had my fill of people arguing about who is less heinous in the Trayvon threads, and am not interested in “debating” this stuff with you. I just want to get along and have pleasant convos with friendss right now. I’ve had enough discord for a while and am retreating to a happy place where we all “just get along.”
[/quote]

[i]Stands on rooftop

Faces in the direction of a city in western Japan

Bows deeply[/i]

GOMEN NASAI!

520

For me, learning Mandarin…

  1. Listen to radio stations, mostly just to get used to the sound and cadence of the language.
  2. Learn characters/vocabulary/spoken words using memrise.com – basically spaced-repetition flashcards with mnemonics – and using the vocabulary from the HSK exam levels. This is basically the “chinese as a foreign language” proficiency test.
  3. Learning speaking and [formal] conversational phrases with the Pimsleur audio courses in the car.
  4. Watching a few Mandarin shows with my [now ex, maybe?] girlfriend, who’s from China. These are subtitled in both Chinese and English, so it reinforces both. There’s things I know how to say that I don’t know it’s written; and there’s things I can read, but don’t recognize in conversation.
  5. Switching my iphone over to Chinese, which includes the GPS (that was a pain to learn)
  6. Piecing my way through a few news articles here and there, and looking at some children’s books… but nothing very serious here. Most of my reading is still in the form of subtitles.
  7. Occasionally ordering a dish at a Chinese restaurant in Mandarin.

Probably the most difficult part of that is the fact that my girlfriend’s dialect was learned mainly from her parents, and is quite a ways away from mainstream standardized Mandarin. So there’s things she says that I don’t understand, and vice versa.

Dialects make things pretty hard.

I’m assuming I can basically adapt that to learning Japanese, when I get to where I want to be with Mandarin.