It gets on my nerves whenever i see people blindly worshiping a celebrity, a brand, or a nation. Similar to what I’ve ranted about before regarding Pride, idolizing someone or something without question is, frankly, just dumb.
You see it everywhere. Millions of people elevate celebrities to godhood, blissfully ignorant of the fact that many of those so-called idols are, in fact, terrible human beings. And I’m not even referring to that Facebook post from 15 years ago, no, I am talking about their current actions. It is almost impossible for any real person to live up to the divine personas crafted by their fanatics. And when I say “celebrity” I mean in the broadest sense, this nowadays encompasses politicians too. Sure, fanatics have always existed, but the merging of blind fandom with politics is a terrifyingly potent cocktail. If American Gods were real, we would have spawned hundreds of new, shitty new gods by new. Thank heavens it is just fiction.
But naming individuals wouldn’t feel right for this rant, so instead I’ll focus my grumble on a country. And it is not the USA (surprise!) This time, I’m pointing at Japan, not for Japan itself, yes that too, but mostly because of its fanbase who paint it as some utopian paradise, as if it is heaven on Earth.
And it’s not just isolated to niche internet bubbles. You’d think this phenomenon would be limited to anime fans or those who casually dip their toes into Japanese culture through movies or news, or perhaps Lamen (or Ramen?). Nope. Even people who have barely encountered anything from Japan have this glowing image of a place where everyone is polite, no one crosses on red light, lost wallets full of money always find their way back to the nearest police station with its contents intact, and the people are universally intelligent, law-abiding, and happy.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
And that is what boils my blood, the dumb, naive, ignorant worship. People can’t spare five minutes to fact-check anything! They don’t pause to ask questions or delve into the deeper truths. Instead, they just buy the myth. And just like that, Japan is placed on a pedestal it never deserved.
Well, sorry Otakus, time to start the Japanese Massacre.
And it is a real Massacre. People love to criticize Germany, but Japan, their wartime BFF, often escapes the same scrutiny.
In 1937, after capturing the Chinese city of Nanjing, the Japanese forces killed as many as 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers. They also subjected tens of thousands of women to unspeakable sexual violence in what is now known The Rape of Nanjing. And yet, to this day, the Japanese government minimizes the atrocity, refusing to fully acknowledge it.
Then there is the Unit 731, a horror story disguised as a research program. This WW2 unit conducted grotesque experiments on live humans. Let’s me say this again. EXPERIMENTS ON LIVE HUMANS. Disease Injections, Controlled Dehydration, Biological Weapons Testing, Organ Harvesting, Amputations, Vivisections (!!!) and of course, let’s not forget normal boring pew-pew weapons testing on live humans. The victims were referred to as “logs” and they were stored in what were essentially human lumberyards. It is sickening to even imagine. And while you’re at it, take a look at the extensive list of Japanese war crimes from that era. It is practically a book!
“But that is the past!” some might say. Sure, the atrocities of WW2 may be decades behind us, but the cultural echoes of that era are not. The children of that time, raised in a society steeped in xenophobia and nationalism, grew up to take power. And their influence persists today.
So let’s talk about modern-day issues.
The Criminal Justice System! Japan’s justice system is deeply flawed. Known as a “hostage justice” system, it boasts a conviction rate of over 99%, which is less a testament to through investigations and more an indictment of its coercive practices. Suspects can be help for weeks without charge, subjected to intense interrogation sessions, and pressured into confessions regardless of their actual guilt. And once you’re caught in the system, it is nearly impossible to escape. Innocence doesn’t guarantee freedom.
And let’s not forget of a topic that is very much forgotten by Japan, Gender Equality. Japan ranks abysmally low in the gender equality, coming in 124th out of 146 countries in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index. Women face systemic barriers in politics, the workplace, and even basic societal respect. Less than 15% of leadership roles are help by women, and most of those are public facing positions for people to see they have women with suit in the company, “Look people, we got one woman working here, and she is speaking! Even though we got thousands of men and all decisions are made by men.“.
And sexual harassment remains rampant, with many victims silenced by a culture of victim-blaming. Even when policies are introduced, they are often performative, without any real control or enforcement.
And speaking about working culture, Japan’s toxic overwork culture is notorious. “Karoshi“, or death by overwork, this isn’t just a word it is a grim reality for many. The cultural aversion to confrontation and deep-rooted loyalty to employers make resigning a Herculean task. Some workers are so desperate that they hire a “proxy resignation” service (yes, that is real), companies whose sole purpose is to assist people quit their jobs without facing their bosses.
And let’s go back to that word a bit, Karoshi, because it is something otherworldly, you’d think “death by overwork” should be something rare, depending on your country this is not even a real concept, yet, in Japan it is so common they have a word to describe it. This is just sad.
I believe the grumble here is already too big, so, what’s the takeaway? Japan may not be a terrible country nowadays, certainly not, for sure there are many worst countries and cultures out there. Japan has many incredible aspects, their landscape, their culture also have many great points, their technologies, some traditions. The point is blindly worshiping it (or any place, any person, any idea) is an insult to reality. Every society has its flaws, and like we can see from history lessons, some flaws are bigger than others. Worship demands perfection, and perfection doesn’t exist.
Let’s stop with the naive pedestal-building. Admire what’s worth admiring, but don’t close your eyes to the rest. The truth is always far more complex, and deserves to be seen.
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