Wednesday February 15, 2012

ambrosia's past comments

  • 1

    ambrosia

    timeon: I don't know what the commonly held belief is and it's good that people can't take forever to get degrees but that's not the same as suspending someone or placing them on probation for academic reasons. Again, I've never heard of anyone being placed on academic probation or suspended for unacceptably low grades. I'm not saying it never happens but I've a lot of friends who work in universities and neither have any of them ever heard of it. What they have experienced is a lot of pressure to pass people no matter what and to give second, third, etc. chances to students who don't do the work, attend the classes or do the minimum requirements. I'm not saying all students are like that or even most of them but according to my friends, there are far too many who act like helpless, pre-pubescent, lazy, spoiled idiots who expect everything to be handed to them. And now we have a guy being suspended for a tweet about something he did which was completely unrelated to school. I'm not saying I think he should or should have been suspended. Clearly drinking and driving (or riding in this case) is a serious issue and no one should be blase about it. Back to my original point, I simply find it interesting that he was suspended for this while I've never heard of a student, undergrad because I don't know any graduate advisors, being suspended for academic reasons.

    Posted in: University student suspended following 'drunk driving' tweet

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Just to clarify, by academic I mean related to grades, scores, class rankings and what have you. I'm not talking about people who cheat. That would fall under ethics or morals.

    Posted in: University student suspended following 'drunk driving' tweet

  • 1

    ambrosia

    It's definitely stupid and dangerous to ride your bicycle while drunk but I've mixed feelings about suspending him from university because of it. As a side note, I've never heard of any Japanese university suspending a student or putting them on probation for academic reasons.

    Posted in: University student suspended following 'drunk driving' tweet

  • 1

    ambrosia

    Tamarana: Speak for yourself. There are numerous reasons why people live in Japan and many if not most of them have little to do with any particular perceived uniqueness of Japan. People come here because their work sent them here or because they could get work here. People come here because their spouse is Japanese or because they had siblings, neighbors, friends from home who were here and suggested they could get work. Your circle may include mostly educated, white people so your view may be a bit narrow. Those people may be the ones who were most inclined to come here for cultural reasons but get outside of your narrow world and you will see that for people from other Asian countries, South America and African countries, the reasons are largely economic. And those people quickly learn that no matter how fluently they speak the language or how stridently they obey the laws and rules, they will never be accepted as anything but foreigners and thus peripheral to Japanese society. I know whereof I speak because that describes my spouse to a tee; a visible minority from an underdeveloped nation, fluent in Japanese as well as 5 other languages, hard working, law abiding and regularly stopped by the police and disparaged to his face by people who think he can't understand him. By the way, my husband feels his country is as "unique" as Japan and I would love to see you try to tell him or his friends that Japan is more "unique" than their countries. Again, the perceived uniqueness of Japan is simply whitewashed, narrow-minded ignorance and over-blown national pride. As for whites experiencing racism, perhaps for the first time, you sound downright gleeful about this. While I can appreciate that experiencing racism may make you more attuned to it in your own country, that in no way makes it acceptable or a good thing or are you okay with racism as long as it's being experienced by white people? Schadenfreunde, vengence, just plain mean spiritedness, call it what you like but you seem to have it and it's not a pretty emotion.

    Posted in: Norway killer's manifesto praises Japan for not adopting multiculturalism

  • 0

    ambrosia

    As for Japan's supposed uniqueness, I've got some news for you - every country, culture and language is unique in it's own way. 99.0% of the people on the earth have borrowed from, given to and been influenced by their neighbors near and far. We're all unique and then we're not.

    Of all the dumb cliches you hear on a (sadly) regular basis, the one about Japan's uniqueness, has got to be one of the saddest, most desperate, pathetic and annoying ones. It's right up there with the whole master race and blood purity tripe. You've almost got to pity people so lost in their own, small, hate-filled worlds. They must be awfully uncomfortable places.

    Posted in: Norway killer's manifesto praises Japan for not adopting multiculturalism

  • -1

    ambrosia

    Jforce: sorry, I meant - their right to gave the beliefs.

    Posted in: Norway killer's manifesto praises Japan for not adopting multiculturalism

  • 1

    ambrosia

    Jforce: you don't have to accept any beliefs. You simply have to accept people's rights to gave them, however dumb they may be.

    Posted in: Norway killer's manifesto praises Japan for not adopting multiculturalism

  • 8

    ambrosia

    Kentaro75: I'm sorry but I'm having trouble understanding you. So foreigners should live exactly as Japanese? Which Japanese? My neighbors who live like pigs and fight non-stop, the nearly 50% in my building alone who haven't paid taxes for over a year (I am friendly with the tax collector), the ones who leave their children unattended so the fall off of balconies or die in overheated cars, the ones who don't vote and obviously don't care a whit about their government, the ones who rape girls on trains, the ones who do nothing about it or the ones who lied continuously about the nuclear reactor? Which ones? I'd like to know who I should be modeling my life after. I'm assuming you'd rather not be lumped with the clods and criminals above but that's my point. No two Japanese live exactly alike so how could you even make such a ridiculous statement? And as long as we're talking about ridiculous statements, who's forcing you to give your seat to foreigners? I've not read of any give-your-seat-to-foreigner law being passed or any such campaign. Now if we're talking about your simply being too badly mannered to give your seat up to an elderly, injured, disabled or pregnant human being well than what can I say but you are a clod? Perhaps this is just all my misunderstanding though, you know, having difficulty with all of that foreign language you were forced to learn. Hey, why not instigate against kids being forced to study history too since you clearly learned nothing from that.

    Posted in: Norway killer's manifesto praises Japan for not adopting multiculturalism

  • 0

    ambrosia

    There are many steps to accepting others. You can allow them into your country for brief periods of time as tourists, students, short-term workers. You can accept them for longer periods under work visas or permanent residency. Finally you can accept them under the assumption of permanency as citizens. In all cases, the mere fact that you have allowed them in at all assumes a certain amount of give and take. They obey the rules and you treat them with respect. It's similar to personal relationships. If you're in my house as a guest I fully expect you to use my shower, eat my food, etc. But I also expect you to be personable, not break things and follow the general patterns of my household. If I marry you we'll live together with mutual respect for what each person brings to the relationship. I don't expect you to do things completely my way and don't expect you to want the reverse. Marriage works well when people go into it with their eyes wide open. Understand that you'll make mistakes, have fights and misunderstandings but that with time and respect things will be good. Mutual respect is always the key to any relationship be it on an individual level or on a national level. Mutual respect precludes being either a bully or a doormat. I don't have to give in to your every whim and you shouldn't try to push your views on me. We should both listen to each other and then make reasoned judgements and possibly get separate televisions. I'm not sure what each and every person means by multi-culturism nor am I sure what they mean when they say it's a success or failure. It's all relative to who you're asking. What is certain is that there are no "pure" nations. Pure! I think that word should be used for soap not people! There is also no going back to the way things were 200, 100, 50 or even 10 years ago, whatever that was anyway. Airplanes alone have made that a near impossibility. Mutual respect is the only way things are ever going to work.

    Posted in: Norway killer's manifesto praises Japan for not adopting multiculturalism

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Sorry, but they are beloved, multi-million dollar industries in other countries too and therapeutic visits to them are often covered by national insurance schemes. The ritual has been more exacted in Japan which can partially be attributed to a love of ritual and rules rather than a greater appreciation for the baths. They're also great at promoting them as being unique to Japan. As for the pool, I've certainly seen beaches as crowded but most places that I know of wouldn't let so many people in a pool because it's dangerous. The photo of Toshimaen speaks more to a lack of common sense on the part of the pool operators than it does a love of bathing. I fail to see the connection between wanting to be in crowded, foul pools with loving onsens, unless we're taking into account the onsens where people have gotten sick due to poor sanitation, where the supposed mineral contents of the water were faked or where all the onsen porn is filmed.

    Posted in: The big heat

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Zenny11: There was a law passed some years ago saying that any newly built or widened roads have to have bicycle lanes. They've done some of that in the main part of Tokyo but you'd never know it because all it's meant is that people use the cycling lane for parking spaces. There was a brief effort at getting cars not to park in the few bike lanes but it seems to have faded.

    Posted in: Cyclists confront increasingly bumpy situation

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Onsens and rotenburo are popular in Japan, no doubt but to say you haven't heard of things like these in other countries just means you need to get out more. Have you ever heard of spas? The word is not Japanese. Romans took ritualistic baths and conducted business in the bath. Have you ever heard of Turkish baths? No, they're not related to the sex trade. Have you ever heard of Budapest, Hungary, Aachen, Germany, Hot Springs, Arkansas? They're all towns famous for their spas, onsens, rotenburos, call them what you like and there are many others like them. The ritual and style may be different but they are all hot baths from natural springs. They've been popular for relaxation and healing in Europe in particular for as long as they've existed. People tend to get sucked into the whole idea of the "uniqueness of Japan" when in reality there are plenty of things here that are similarly popular and common in other countries.

    What you need to even consider going into a place like Toshimaen is not many other convenient options and dreadful summers. Throw in a couple of hot, cranky kids begging you to go to a water park and that's what you've got.. Try some beaches in New Jersey, Spain, Italy, etc. at the height of summer and you'd wonder the same thing.

    According to snopes.com there is no chemical to show that someone has peed in a pool, though i was told the same thing as a kid. If you could provide a legitimate link proving me wrong you'll have my apology. Otherwise, I stand by that being something parents and teachers tell kids to scare them into not peeing in the pool.

    Posted in: The big heat

  • 4

    ambrosia

    Asy Asyy: Bicycles, under Japanese law, are light vehicles and are therefore meant to be on the roads. They have every right to be there and to take up space. Let's face reality too, for rides under 15 to 20 km., an in-shape cyclist can often get to their destination faster than a car, and that's with following the rules. So, perhaps it's cars that are taking up too much space. Let's not even get into the pollution, negative health affects, natural resources used to make cars, and so on and so on ......

    Posted in: Cyclists confront increasingly bumpy situation

  • 3

    ambrosia

    Manta60: I couldn't agree more. Cars are generally predictable if you're paying attention. The cyclists, not so much. One generalization that I'm perfectly comfortable making is that the vast majority of cyclists in Tokyo ride like selfish, ignorant, illogical morons! I also cycle regularly and not on the pavement. When I have an idiot coming at me the wrong way, I hug the side and refuse to move out into the lane so they can get by on the inside. They're breaking the law and endangering others and I will not kowtow to that kind of unnecessary stupidity, I don't care how old they are. I usually verbally let them know what the rule is too. I've had some yell back but I'm not bothered. Neither will I move for cyclists on the pavement when I'm walking. I almost always walk on the side and if a cyclist can't get past me then they can bloody well wait until the pavement, where they shouldn't even be, opens up a bit. Cars will never get used to cyclists on the roads until more people start riding and more people start riding properly. Right now, most cyclists are more like crazy, unpredictable hornets than fellow vehicles sharing the roads safely. Safe cycling roads depend as much on cyclists following the rules of traffic (and logic) as they do on car drivers looking out for cyclists. Never was the adage, it's a two-way street, more appropriate!

    Posted in: Cyclists confront increasingly bumpy situation

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Skeptical Hippo: Just because people take baths doesn't make them bathing obsessed. I know plenty of foreigners who shower twice a day. Does that make them shower obsessed? I've also encountered plenty of Japanese who could stand to bathe or shower a bit more, especially on summer mornings. It's not nice to be stuck on crowded trains with people who smell of that funky sweat-all-night grease. That aside, kids are kids and many of them most certainly will pee in public pools. For some it'll simply be a matter of not noticing they had to go until it was too late and for others it'll be because they're too lazy or having too much fun to get out of the pool. I suspect a few adults (yes, Japanese included) would fall into either category. After all, it's a pool, not their bathtub and they're going to shower when they get home, right? Your post suggests you either think Japanese are more hygienic than others or that it's somehow okay or acceptable for people to pee in pools in other countries. I don't know of any place where it's acceptable to pee in pools but I'd bet it happens where ever there are kids having fun in the water. It's one of the reasons I really don't care for public pools.

    Posted in: The big heat

  • 1

    ambrosia

    Keika1628: That's a bit of a smug attitude, isn't it. What in the work makes you think other posters didn't watch the game? There were over 90 posts on an article, on this site, about the game, posts from some of the very people you've incorrectly assumed didn't watch the game, myself included. The ladies are posing with Kan so it's perfectly reasonable that people would comment on him. And what were the "overwhelming advantages" that the other teams had? Just curious.

    Posted in: Winners

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Congratulations to the ladies! Well done. Now to whoever designed those post-game uniforms or whatever the correct term is for what they're wearing in the photo: Would it have killed you to design something that doesn't make them look high school boys? Women of physical strength have a hard enough time being viewed as feminine in Japan. It doesn't help matters any them being dressed like boys. I'm not saying they should be all in pink with ruffles and bows but some kind of sensible happy-medium. Let girls know that you can be strong and feminine and not an ice skater. I just last week had lunch with some Japanese friends, four women and two men and they were all baffled by the concept of a woman having visible muscles and being feminine at the same time. And I'm not talking about weight-lifting competition muscles, just some nice tone to their limbs, arms and legs that don't look like they'd break under the slightest strain. These ladies are good examples of strong but feminine. Let them flaunt it a little for heaven sakes. Besides that, it's boiling hot and those get-ups can't be comfortable. What about promoting Super Cool Biz???

    Posted in: Winners

  • 0

    ambrosia

    Oikawa: As of last year they still had the no-tattoos policy and it's well posted. I doubt they'd have let you get away with it just because you're a foreigner. Anyone who works at Toshimaen has to have a certain hardness given the roughness of much of the crowd there. More likely than not no one who was in a position to say anything saw it or they did and just had too many other things to worry about that day than dealing with a matter they may not have cared about anyway, like making sure the bosozoku (?) didn't start another fight.

    Posted in: The big heat

  • 2

    ambrosia

    That's no camera trick. The pool is usually that crowded, especially on weekends. The pool in the photo is donut-shaped and has a gentle current to pull you along. It is not a pool for swimming in but just floating. There are lap pools, a wave pool and wading pool at Toshimaen. What there are not, or don't seem to be, are limits on the number of people who are allowed in to any of the pools. The crowds are ridiculous, dangerous and gross. I've been to Toshimaen (under duress) four times and each time found it to be very poorly maintained, dirty and unsanitary. The garbage cans overflow, the undersides of the big, tube slides are coated in dirt and the drains reek of mold. Crows swoop down to snag the garbage, glass bottles are allowed, as is eating and drinking most anywhere. You absolutely can't go in if you have tatoos but are free to potentially infect each and all with any skin diseases you may have. I even saw a young woman in the pool with an eye patch which was covering her pink eye (she talked about it with her friends in a not quiet voice). Additionally, it seems to either attract a rough crowd or to just bring out the worst in people. I noticed that the police were called three of the four times I went there. When the park is closing the staff seems to have an especially difficult time getting the young men, in their late terns and early twenties, out of the current pool. I'm done going there and would discourage anyone I know from doing so even once.

    Posted in: The big heat

  • 0

    ambrosia

    JapanToday: As a side note completely unrelated to the Women's World Cup, I'm not loving the way your new site shows up on my iPhone. I've got to constantly move a story from side to side in order to read a full line. That's not the case with other sites I go to so I'm assuming I'm not doing anything incorrect. Is that something that's going to be fixed while you're performing upgrades?

    Posted in: United States has the trophies, Japan the game

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