Wednesday February 15, 2012

ambrosia's past comments

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Stephen Jez: I think the problem was your implication that living with one's parents is a sign of immaturity. As you know and stated, it's part of the culture here and part of the whole amae thing, not viewed as bad or immature. So you getting mad at SolarSalis for disagreeing with you is a bit ironic when you basically slagged off a whole culture for something you disagree with. Personally, living with my parents or in-laws isn't something I'd choose either unless I were in utterly dire straights. I love them all but would rather make my own way. That's me and that's my culture. I'm not going to slag off others for doing differently unless they are truly parasites. If everyone is happy and no one's being hurt why not?

    According to the Guardian, living with the parents is an increasing practice in Britain as well. In the past, British children have tended to leave home earlier than their European cousins but the latest ONS figures, published today, show that 25% of men aged 25 to 29 now live with their parents. This is almost double the proportion of women in their late 20s (13%) who still live at home.

    Posted in: Coming of age

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Firstly, neither of us knows for sure what "the bread and butter of the yakuza" is.

    It's been well documented so you might want to get your head out of the sand on that one.

    Secondly, according to the article, they met on a deai site. That is basically a bulletin board. There is no need to to imagine anything more convoluted and sinister than there is.

    Who has said that the yakuza was involved in this particular case? Again, read the post. I never said the yakuza was involved in this case.

    Some people here seem to want to imagine a yakuza behind every street corner...

    Some people here seem to want to imagine that others imagine a yakuza behind every street corner.

    Posted in: 35-year-old man arrested for paying 15-year-old girl for sex

  • 0

    ambrosia

    SolarSails: I can understand why people come out in support of prostitution. However, prostitution involving a 15-year old is, in my opinion, a problem. It's been shown that teenagers' brains are wired for risk. They don't take consequences into account as an adult would. What that means in terms of prostitution is that they'd be less likely to use birth control and more likely to end up with STDs, which, if left untreated, can cause sterility or cancer (HPV can cause cervical cancer). A prostitute of any age is at risk of violence from their john but a teenager is less likely to report it due to the shame and underage factor. Certainly if she is meeting johns via unregulated "dating sites" she has no one looking out for her. Then there is the whole aspect of sexualizing children. Yes, a 15-year old is still a child and if you take the word of people on this site into account, Japanese 15-year olds act the same as college students - meaning immaturely. Children shouldn't be sexualized. Can we agree on that? Children ought to be taught that there are other options in life, that an education is important, that there are consequences to your actions and some of those consequences will follow you for the rest of your life (as the Facebook generation is now learning). Girls ought to be taught that while fitting in is a lovely thing, it ought not to come at the expense of your physical well-being. 15-year olds ought not to be paid to be having sex. I dare say 15-year olds shouldn't be having sex at all. It can wait. There is plenty of time for it a little later and I'll just go out on a limb here and say that it ought to be with someone you know, who you at least like and who respects you. But that's just me.

    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107210133.htm

    Posted in: 35-year-old man arrested for paying 15-year-old girl for sex

  • 0

    ambrosia

    *You new to Japan or something? *

    Not even close.

    *Teenagers selling themselves here is nothing now. Why do they do it? Because of materialistic goods. *

    I wouldn't dispute that. The vast majority of prostitution is done for material gain of some sort, be it food, shelter, drugs or designer bags. The reason I said I don't know why your average 15-year old is selling herself, though one can certainly dispute whether or not your average 15-year old is indeed selling herself, is that I don't know what kind of home she grew up in, what her parents were like in terms of what morals they taught her, who the greatest influence on her life was, why she would think sleeping with a stranger is the best way to make money, why material goods are so important to one so young. You can go with her being "a slut" and say it's as simple as that. You can go SolarSails way and say it's not a problem. I'm going with there being a multitude of reasons, none of them dismissively simple and that at the end of the day, I still think a 15-year old can change her ways and should certainly be encouraged to do so.

    Posted in: 35-year-old man arrested for paying 15-year-old girl for sex

  • 0

    ambrosia

    LoveNot and Midoritori: I don't know about dancing with the mouse but I think the kimonos are beautiful, especially the red one on the far left. They're young women, their kimonos or furisode, are supposed to be colorful and bright. Save the austere, somber kimonos for when they're older. I get so tired of seeing people wearing black and muted colors. I look forward to Coming of Age Day when I know there'll at least be some flashes of color about.

    You might want to calm down a little. Life changes, culture changes. There's no need to get so worked up about Mickey or the Colonel being involved in the celebration. They're part of Japanese culture now too. In your minds is it the foreignness that makes Mickey and the Colonel crass? Would it be less crass if they were with Hello Kitty or Kamen Rider? In all likelihood, the kimono has its origins in China or Korea so that's an import that's become part of the culture too, just like so many things, along with tea ceremony, kanji and Buddhism. Would you rather they wore clothing made of rice husks and drank muddy water? What is any culture but for what it gets and changes from other cultures?

    Posted in: Coming of age

  • 0

    ambrosia

    WilliB: Please read my post more carefully before you make snide, incorrect comments regarding it. I never said organized crime was involved. All I said was that it was wrong to assume that we know why she engaged in prostitution and if one was going to mock others for assuming an organized crime element it was also wrong to assume she did what she did so that she could buy a fancy bag. Knowing that she met the man via a website gives us little to no understanding as to why she was engaged in prostitution. Is that clear enough for you?

    That said, while I have no idea about the situation this particular girl was involved in, you're awfully naive if you think that the organized crime element doesn't have its hand in deai websites. The sex trade is the bread and butter of the yakuza and if they can find a way to get involved in it they will - be it clubs, street walkers or online sites. There's nothing wild or fantastically speculative about that. It's pretty common knowledge.

    Posted in: 35-year-old man arrested for paying 15-year-old girl for sex

  • -1

    ambrosia

    I agree that doing nothing and looking the other way won't teach her anything but I don't necessarily agree that arresting her will do anything either except limit her options in life and guarantee she continues with this type of lifestyle. Groups like Polaris are there to try and help people in her situation.

    I certainly don't know why your average 15-year old girl is selling herself and seriously doubt you do either. I don't understand why it's okay for you to assume she sells herself in order to buy bags but you mock people who assume that organized crime may be involved in what she did. I know nothing about her and am assuming nothing. All I've done is give reasons why some places choose not to arrest prostitutes. I wasn't looking for a miogynistic rant against Japanese girls.

    Posted in: 35-year-old man arrested for paying 15-year-old girl for sex

  • -1

    ambrosia

    The reasons for not arresting prostitutes are because it is generally considered more affective to arrest the johns when wanting to reduce prostitution. Prostitutes are very often victims of sex trafficking and arresting them acts as a deterrent for girls / women (and boys) who would otherwise seek police help in getting out of the situations they are in. Being a Japanese prostitute in Japan does not mean that the prostitute is not under the control of a pimp or a criminal organization. Not arresting someone as young as 15 may hep her to turn her life around.

    Regardless of whether or not we think she knew what she was doing or why she was doing it, 15 is young enough for her to get out of that lifestyle and still make something of herself. If she is arrested and ends up with a record, her options in life are extremely limited, especially in a country such as Japan where second chances are often not given. Someone mentioned that 15 is just 3 years shy of 18. That's true. It's also true that 15 is just 3 years shy of 12.

    http://www.japansubculture.com/2009/04/human-trafficking-and-sexual-exploitation-in-japan-the-new-victims-japanese-teenagers/

    http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/international-programs/japan/accomplishments

    Posted in: 35-year-old man arrested for paying 15-year-old girl for sex

  • 0

    ambrosia

    LH10: Apparently you do since you bothered to click on it and post something.

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Nicaraguan: There's no need to explain your financial situation to me or anyone else. I was responding to another poster who seemed to think that it mattered for whatever reason. I don't.

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • -1

    ambrosia

    "Well, all I can say that something about the marriage made Emi Inoue vey unhappy. What woman would want to give up a life in comparative luxury, not wanting for anything with a rich husband ?"

    Let me try again since the mods thought my last response was off topic. Do you know why she got divorced? Do you know how "luxurious" their life was? Do you know how "luxurious" her life in Japan was? Does luxury make people happy? Does luxury or a lack of it have anything to do with her having knowingly and willfully broken the law?

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • 1

    ambrosia

    Yuri, as Nicky has stated so well, your opinion is clouded by emotion and bitterness, not logic. You claim to have had some bad experiences in Wisconsin. I don't know if that's true or not but I could tell you that my husband, who is not white, not American and not Christian, has spent plenty of time in Wisconsin and surrounding states and had nothing but good experiences. Does that mean everyone will have the same? No. Does your supposed bad experience mean everyone will have similar bad experiences? No. So, again, what's your point? You didn't like Wisconsin ergo Karina will not like it? Rubbish! Are you trying to say that Japan is better because there is no racism or people who talk about a "superior" Japanese "lifestyle"? Thanks for the laugh! I have experienced plenty of racism here in Japan, both in Tokyo and other smaller towns where I've lived. My feeling is that that's the problem of those racist individuals and not all Japanese or all people of the prefecture, city or ku in question. You'd do well to do the same. Less bitterness and being more openminded would go a long way in having people treat you better or changing their attitudes once they meet you. I'm not saying it's your job to make people less racist but if I compare the experiences of my husband, who is a very gentle, warm and openminded person, to those you say you've had, one has to wonder if people just responded to the negative energy you give off, certainly in your posts.

    At the end of the day, the problem is not whether or not you like Wisconsin or whether the American justice system has flaws - don't even make me get into the flaws in Japan's justice system. The problem is that Mrs. Inoue broke the law. She knowingly and willfully broke the law. You may think it's barbaric to have your hand cut off for theft, as they do in Saudi Arabia? I doI. So, you know what you don't do if you go to Saudi Arabia - you don't steal! You don't want to be executed for drug trafficking, don't traffic drugs in Malaysia. You don't want to lose custody of your child and get thrown into jail in the States, then don't illegally take your child out of the country and deny the other spouse visitation.

    How many times have I heard Japanese cry "you have to understand our culture". Well, Japanese have to understand other people's culture too. Mrs. Inoue failed grandly in doing so and now she's going to pay for that. Pity because it didn't have to end up like this. I wish her and you a better 2012.

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • 0

    ambrosia

    "I really thought he should have allowed to stay with families in Florida..."

    Not sure what your rationale is for thinking that other than not believing children should be raised by their fathers.

    "Haven't you made mistakes in your life?"

    Of course I have and when I've made the mistakes I've taken the consequences that resulted from them. That's part of being an adult.

    "Her issue was far serious than any of us can imagine, it involved her only daughter whose father decided to leave her and marry another woman."

    Speak for yourself and don't assume you know anything about me or my life experiences.

    "Won't you be cantankerous as you are now?"

    Cantankerous? This coming from the person who's posted no fewer than 25 times on this very topic, usually with ridiculous assumptions and accusations. Do you even understand what cantankerous means because it describes most of your posts to a t? Add obsessive to that and you've got a picture of what other posters think of your interest in this topic as well as why the mods have told you to cool it.

    "Too bad she was not helped properly with people she trusted for legal advise."

    First off, the word is advice not advise. One's a noun and one's a verb. Second, how in the world would you know? Do you have a vested interest in this very topic or do you just enjoy stirring the pot? From here on out I think I'll take a cue from the posters who've wisely chosen to ignore you. Keep on tilting Mr. Quixote. Happy New Year. From the tone of your posts one can only hope 2012 is better for you than 2011 seems to have been. No one's that angry for no reason.

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • 1

    ambrosia

    I'm finding it hard to follow your logic Yuri. First off, Wisconsin is 169, 639 k2, 46% of which is covered in forest. It's got multitudes of lakes, rivers, ponds and wildlife. Every single place in Wisconsin may not be beautiful but if you think it's a horrible place you've either never really been there, been to only one or two places or hate wildlife. Either way, not only is it a ridiculous assertion but it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the woman broke the law. Plain and simple.

    I do have sympathy for her. One way or the other she's going to be paying for this for the rest of her life. But let's be clear on one thing - she put herself and her daughter in a bad situation by being stupid, impetuous and selfish. She caused these problems for herself, no one did it to her. It wasn't a no-turning back situation. At any point she might have come to her senses and tried to work something out. She chose not to.

    And for all the contempt you seem to have for America and its legal system, let's remember that one highly charged case where American courts ruled that Elian Gonzalez should be sent back to his father in Cuba. Yes, American courts ruled that a Cuban child should be sent back to Cuba. It's extremely hard to imagine such a thing ever happening in Japan.

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Wouldn't "record length" be more accurate?

    Posted in: Softbank to release record-long TV ad featuring 'White Family'

  • 1

    ambrosia

    If the younger / middle-aged guy was so bothered by what the man did he could have just kept on walking. There was absolutely no reason to have attacked the man, none. I'm not a pacifist, I don't like people yelling at me and would probably have been annoyed with the older man too. However, unless he'd grabbed me or gotten physical in any way, there's no way I would have punched him and I wouldn't want to be friends or family with anyone who would have. That's not superhuman or perfection. It's simple self-control and human decency. Yes, it's indecent to go around punching people who say things you disagree with, even if they shout those disagreements. I can't even imagine how mortified I'd have been if I were a kid and my father had punched someone who yelled at him. My father was not the gentlest person in the world but even he would never have done something like that. Seriously, what's wrong with people that they can find a reason to explain this kind of reprehensible behavior? How many times have I read posts in the past where people bemoan the fact that Japanese look the other way when someone does something wrong? Well, is it any wonder with people such as Mr. Yamane running around and so many willing to defend him.

    Posted in: Man arrested over death of elderly man who rebuked him for ignoring red light

  • 4

    ambrosia

    Where does it say the doctor doesn't have extended family in the States? Just because he's an immigrant it doesn't mean he doesn't have other relatives living there, in fact far from it. Once immigrants get citizenship they often sponsor family members and his being a doctor would likely make it easy for him to do so. There's a lot of speculation going on about this case but it seems like few facts.

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • 2

    ambrosia

    "I don't think it's the case that US courts are 'racist against the Japanese'. It's just that they seem to assume that living in the US is of necessity so much more in the best interests of the child than living anywhere else. I'm pretty sure that if Dr. Garcia had wanted to take his daughter back to Nicaragua and his wife had wanted her to stay in America, the court would have sided with the mother."

    Do you have any links to support that or is it just your opinion? Sorry to say, but you have shown an anti-American bias in past posts and have also said you've never been there. Unless you've been reading a lot of U.S. papers or divorce / custody proceedings, I can't imagine why you'd say that. Just curious. And no, don't ask me to prove this bias. It's just something I've picked up from reading posts on this site for a few years now. I'm okay with you denying it and I'm okay with you having it. I'm not that fussed either way but am just wondering from where this opinion on custody decisions comes.

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • 2

    ambrosia

    Ridiculous and spurious comments about Chicago being a bad place to grow up are made even more ridiculous by some readers' inability to read correctly and geographical ignorance. The article says the girl flew in to O'Hare which is indeed in Chicago. However, it says the father is a Wisconsin doctor. Wisconsin is the state directly north of Illinois which is the state where Chicago is located. Nowhere does it say Chicago, which is a great city by the way, is where the man lives. He could live in Milwaukee, Green Bay or La Crosse to name but a few lovely Wisconsin cities.

    As for the notion that Japanese moms are role models, what does that even mean? Is there some implication that all Japanese moms are the same and all perfect or all uniquely perfect? It's hard to even comprehend the ridiculousness of such a generalization so I can only assume some sort of sad wounded national pride is at play in that comment or someone's just trying to stir the pot.

    Posted in: Girl reunited with father in U.S. 4 years after being taken to Japan by mother

  • -1

    ambrosia

    Well then, actually I do mind. Had I wanted to say exactly who it was addressed at I would've said so. You can see it however you want.

    Posted in: Mother cycling with 2 daughters run over at crossing; both children die

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