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ubikwit
@Thomas Anderson
Your attempt to associate people opposed to same sex marriage with slavery sounds like an increasingly desperate equivocation.
The fact that same sex marriage advocates, as a group, are trying to assert their collective "right" to be recognized as being in a type of relationship that has nothing to do with thousands of years of cross-cultural practice regarding marriage, not to mention mutual intelligibility within each society relating to normal social relations would seem to be more of collectivists approach than what I am arguing.
Your recourse to democracy in terms of something that means POWER is also an interpretation I have problems with.
Democracy is a collective decision making process, it is not about POWER per se. In fact, power is diffused in a democracy, making it difficult for any single individual or group to exercise POWER.
Your demand for
therefore seems misguided from the start.
First of all, although the democratic process in California and North Carolina has yielded results indicating that the will of the people is strongly AGAINST same sex marriage, you persist with your aberrant assertions with respect to democracy.
Moreover, it has not been decided by a the Supreme Court that there is a constitutional issue regarding the civil rights of people denied same sex marriage by the state they in which they reside.is a violation of their "rights".
Posted in: 'Beat' Takeshi rejects anti-gay accusation
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ubikwit
Wolfpack
well said. max weber would concur.
however, this same sex marriage issue is exposing some of the social schisms that can make a democracy dysfunctional. though there is bureaucratic inertia, etc. if the people are in touch with the founding notion of freedom as a defining aspect of the public interest, then they don't vote for ulterior motives in order to oppress anyone, and they can reconfigure the bureaucracy so that it serves the public interests, not its own organizational imperatives.
the schism that the same sex marriage advocates are exposing is the definition of freedom in terms of a vapid individualism as opposed to a component of the public interest. they are trying to misappropriate civil rights as a means to further fracture society and atomize individuals.
democracy doesn't work when atomized individuals are all voting for their perceived self interest, missing the forest for the trees, so to speak.
i consider myself a socially progressive person, but i have to throw my backing behind the socially conservative vote in north carolina to preserve the status quo and ban same sex marriage at the constitutional level. i suppose that will find its way to the supreme court before long.
but the point i wanted to make is that the same sex marriage advocates would also use your argument there to the effect that the vote in north carolina represents a form of tyrannical oppression of the majority against a discriminated against minority.
i don't think that democracy is the problem, but it should be a bigger part of the solution.
Posted in: 'Beat' Takeshi rejects anti-gay accusation
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ubikwit
@showmethemoney
where did come up with that self-righteous screed?
as i mentioned above, it is the same sex marriage people that are trying to overturn thousands of years of precedent. the onus is on them (i.e., you).
yasukuni's response to your comment states the same gist as my argument.
it seems that maybe you are engaged in a little selective reasoning, that is to say, ignoring the logic of reasonable arguments that call your agenda into question.
Posted in: Beat Takeshi compares same-sex marriage with bestiality
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ubikwit
@Wolfpack
in a democrac, the people are the government, the people working in government are their representatives, so that sounds like a cynical statement against democracy.
on the other hand, you grant authority to the church(es) to dictate what a marriage is.
that obviously ignores the question as to how discrepancies between how respective religious groups define marriage.
the democratic decision making process is the primary mechanism in modern society for resolving such controversial issues.
at first i thought that your previous entry, which ends with the passage:
was being sarcastic, etc. but the followup makes me wonder.
Posted in: 'Beat' Takeshi rejects anti-gay accusation
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ubikwit
i can't understand ozawa's intransigence on this issue.
japan's consumption tax is probably among the lowest among OECD countries, while public spending is among the highest, with the looming prospect of a graying society.
how do you balance that equation without taxing the have's at a higher rate?
Posted in: Ozawa willing to meet Noda but says he won't budge on opposition to tax hike
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ubikwit
I like my fructose fermented, anything between 12 and 120 proof will do.
Posted in: Sugar can make you dumb, scientists warn
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ubikwit
the same sex marriage folks are just a bunch of losers trying to keep up with the jones':
Posted in: 'Beat' Takeshi rejects anti-gay accusation
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ubikwit
@zichi
i fully agree with that statement.
but since you've pointed out that you don't understand the motivation for the japanese disposition, let me mention a book or two you might find interesting, and simply to point out that the history of the West in East Asia, at least since the time of the opium wars in China, is somewhat abysmal.
before mentioning the books, i'll point out that relations between japan and korea were good before the meiji restoration, having been restored by the tokugawa after the horrendous failures of hideyoshi's misguided invasions. the reason that relations soured during the meiji period was because the korean court refused to recognize the "restoration" of the emperor as sovereign of the divine country of japan.
anyway, before the moderator interferes, let me recommend a book: sakamoto ryoma and the meiji restoration by marius jansen
Posted in: New Jersey town's monument to Korean sex slaves upsetting Japanese officials
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ubikwit
@Bluebris
yes, i guess that a few countries have decided to permit it, but that doesn't mean it is right, and it remains to see how the policy plays out in those countries.
i could be wrong, and it could amount to nothing, but i don't think that is the case.
look at common law marriage. you don't need a ceremony or a certificate to be recognized as being married under the law in common law countries.
i don't see a compelling need to recognize same sex marriage, and nothing i've read here has changed that view in the slightest.
@Thomas Anderson
the onus is not on me to prove definitively that it will, but on those seeking to overturn thousands of years of precedent to prove that it won't, and also make a compelling case as to why it should be permitted, i still don't see why civil unions don't suffice.
what has homosexuality had to do with the institution of marriage? why should the fact that there is basically no affirmative answer to that question change the status quo? it is a radical idea without any grounds to justify the co-opting of an age old institution.
i have mentioned the potential negative impact on children, and the increased burden that might place on parents, as in heterosexual parents, and that can lead to friction. in some places the electorate is already taking this issue very seriously, with the pro faction--being the more politically proactive in this case--scoring victories initially, followed by a couple of wins for the anti side. that is already a sign of serious schisms, and if it is such a divisive issue, i would tend to think that weighs in favor of maintaining the status quo.
you can't sit there and pretend like there is nothing controversial about this issue, as if everyone against it were just behind the times or something. i consider myself to be among the more socially progressive people on the planet, and fairly open minded.
so, i'm still listening.
Posted in: Beat Takeshi compares same-sex marriage with bestiality
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ubikwit
Thomas Anderson
the question as to whether this will cause harm is open.
first of all, since recorded history, there has been no "marriage" between persons of the same sex.
the first and foremost issue is that of changing a normative aspect of the social order.
and most importantly, that affects the socialization of children. children are impressionable in their formative years, and the exposure to such couples could very well have an undesirable impact, especially as far as heterosexual parents are concerned.
the nature vs nurture question is not settled, and i personally am inclined to place a significant weight on nurture.
Posted in: Beat Takeshi compares same-sex marriage with bestiality
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ubikwit
cleo
you seem to be neglecting the fact that members of organized crime use tattooing as a kind neo-feudalistic symbolism.
it is a means of intimidating the public in a modern society, and that is why many places have passed laws mandating that businesses are legally obliged to ban people with tattoos, should they be visible.
that is also why the banned yakuza organizations from hanging a coat-of-arms sign in front of their office about 10-20 years ago.
Posted in: Hashimoto clashes with Osaka officials over tattoo survey
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ubikwit
zichi
i gather that you support the "nature" side in the "nature vs nurture" debate. i'd say that the jury is still out, and maybe permanently deadlocked on that question.
in this comment, however, you seem to be saying that no matter what reason someone is against same sex marriage, that they are, by nature--apparently--a homophobe. am i wrong?
is this term "homophobe" a psychological characteristic of a persons "nature"? or can it be it a contextually defined attribute?
what do you mean by
i think it can be reduced to the private matter of sexual relations between mutually consenting adults, versus the traditional social institution of marriage that has nurtured society through the ages.
it seems possible to consider the same sex marriage movement not to be a socially progressive movement, but a regressive movement based on an aberrant notion of individualism.
i don't want to be accused of attempting to deny anyone of their rights, but the way in which those rights are being defined seems skewed.
individuals do not exist in a vacuum, and society has been evolving over the course of thousands of years.
Posted in: Beat Takeshi compares same-sex marriage with bestiality
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ubikwit
is this what these politicians consider to be the work they do to earn their salaries?
it seems that the djp has almost totally lost touch with the people whose interests they are supposed to be representing, that is to say, the middle class that elected them.
it would appear that they are all working together behind the scenes to project a semblance of oppositional politics, and then colluding to deceive the public.
the djp refuses to implement a VAT type system that would shield the disadvantaged from being further burdened by an unfair tax, and the ldp demands that the djp drop the key points of the manifesto that got them elected in the first place, which would, of course, enable the ldp to present the djp as a bunch of frauds!
ludicrous.
Posted in: Opposition hints at tax deal if gov't cuts spending plans
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ubikwit
this is amusing, as the substantial networks affiliated with organized crime in osaka were a significant factor in his winning the election for mayor.
many places in japan have laws against people with tattoos, barring them from onsen and public bath houses, for example. though there are people with tattoos that aren't affiliated with organized crime, they are few and far between in japan, as tattoos have carried the stigma of being associated with criminals and organized crime for quite some time, aside from other japanese cultural sensibilities that are not in accord with practices that permanently mark and mar the body, such as tattooing.
not a few people here have been pointing to totalitarian aspects of hashimoto's policies for some time now, and it is also interesting to see similar references in relation to something like this, as opposed to the broader issues relating to the teachers and the national anthem, etc.
if he is trying to weed out organized crime moles from public service, well that is probably the only policy initiative of his that i would be in agreement with. on the other hand, this could just be a political grandstanding tactic to make it seem like he's being an equal handed fascist across the board, not just targeting the teachers union.
Posted in: Hashimoto clashes with Osaka officials over tattoo survey
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ubikwit
actually, i have not asserted that the gay marriage movement has the explicit aim or intention of undermining society, simply that such is the effect of their narrow-minded and delusionally form of individualism based on an entitlement mentality with respect to "freedom of choice".
basically, the pro faction on this page are railing about "moralizers", and and i've basically been accused being paranoid about some sort of conspiracy theory ("masterplan") on the part of the gay marriage advocates by hyper defensive, irrational people with some sort of pseudo freedom fighter mentality.
i've been talking about societal implications, and history, and haven't heard one reasonable rebuttal yet.
the attitude that the option o civil unions deprives gays of their civil rights is an attitude that seems to border on the sociopathic to me.
what this may boil down to is a battle about (re)defining an important aspect of the social order, and i don't think that a victory for the gay faction in the public sphere would resolve the issue.
Posted in: 'Beat' Takeshi rejects anti-gay accusation
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ubikwit
How so? By missaproriating a traditional social institution that has historically had absolutely NOTHING to do with homosexuality?
It sounds like an aberrant form of an entitlement mentality based on a rabid form of lame individualism (as opposed to rugged individualism, based on meritocracy and achievement).
Posted in: 'Beat' Takeshi rejects anti-gay accusation
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ubikwit
marriage between a man and a woman (including polygamy) has been a fundamental organizing principle of society across cultures throughout history.
although the divorce rates are extremely high compared to say 50 years ago, and the sociological reasons for that need to be investigated, there can be no question that this gay marriage movement premised on an assertion of the individual's right to choose is a movement that in effect seeks to further undermine the foundation of society.
Well, did he deny that? hehehe His comments are rather amusing in how they manage to skirt the subject at hand that so many are placing grave importance of in the movement.
At an rate, I am not convinced that there is not a threat posed to society by this movement per se at the level of society, and speaking in defense of society against that threat does not equate with being a homophobe.
Alas, there is always the risk of exposing our ignorance by taking a stand, but there is a lot at stake here, so provacative statements like the one made by Takeheshi at least motivate people to thresh out the issues.
Posted in: 'Beat' Takeshi rejects anti-gay accusation
6
ubikwit
all of you people demonizing other people who oppose "gay marriage" are acting like a bunch of fascists.
you can be against "gay marriage" and not be a gay basher.
you're all so liberal, aren't you!
gays have been co-opted by the maintstream, and now even obama is on the band wagon...
it used to be that gay people acknowledged that they were different, and sometimes contributed to society artistically or intellectually to keep the dominant forces in society in check, by exposing their hypocrisy and faults.
now the gays have a movement to coopt tone of he oldest mainstream institutions of society.
and everything gets reduced to an atomistic "freedom of choice", a phrase echoed by many of the commentors here.
Posted in: 'Beat' Takeshi rejects anti-gay accusation
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ubikwit
this is mostly about politics, not nuclear power. these reactors are supposedly much safer and newer than those neglected GE junkers from the stone ages in fukushima.
they probably need to be put on line, after reasonable safety upgrades, such as backup cooling systems, even if there is a long term plan to phase them out.
nuclear power has accounted for too large a percentage of power to be simply eliminated immediately for reasons other than providing short term political gain to a few dubious politicians trying to play on the fear of a lot of uninformed people who may very well be in the dark (pun intended) before long.
Posted in: Hosono fails to convince Kansai leaders on restart of Oi reactors
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ubikwit
she's an industry Frankenstein fraud, nothing artistic involved, just typical sex and death tactics used in 1970s era subliminal advertising for cigarettes and the like.
shut her down!
she obscene!
Posted in: Lady Gaga warned to tone down Philippine show