I won’t apologize for offending anyone (that’s what liberals do.)

wearyman on February 13, 2007 at 8:31 AM

Actually, liberals don’t apologize for offending others – they chalk it up to “freedom of speech”, “artistic expression”, or something along those lines.

Whoah guys! Relax! It was a joke. (I thought that was obvious) I’ve seen FAR WORSE coming from some other people here who weren’t threatened with a ban. I assumed that we were a group of adults who could take a ribald quip now and again, perhaps I was wrong.

The comment was intended to be a somewhat off-color dig at Japanese Adult pop-culture. Apparently it falls upon deaf ears here.

To those that were offended, may I suggest some growing-up time? While I wouldn’t want Hot Air to come to resemble the Men’s locker room, an occasional dip into the ribald side shouldn’t beget such an outcry.

I won’t apologize for offending anyone (that’s what liberals do.) But I will refrain from the adult humor if that’s what it takes to stay un-banned. From this point forward I will endeavor to keep my comments “family friendly”.

Basically that’s what they want. Before modernity, the emperor really had little power. You have to get back to ancient times to find a period during which the emperor was the real ruler of Japan. However, when you get back that far, “Japan” is a much smaller geographical area. The “unification” of the various clans, etc., into something similar to present-day Japan didn’t happen until about 1600. Medieval Japan and early-modern Japan were essentially ruled by a series of military governments (shogunates, etc.).

In 1868, the shogunate finally lost power and Japan had what is usually referred to as the “Meiji Restoration,” in the sense that the emperor was being “restored” to his role as ruler. Again, the emperor hadn’t had any real power for many centuries, and the system of imperial government was almost completely new, so it’s more accurate to refer to it as the Meiji “Renovation.”

After the Meiji Renovation, and especially during the buildup to the Pacific War, the Japanese military/government utilized a manufactured religion, “State Shinto,” to mobilize the people around a manufactured nationalism, an image of “authentic Japaneseness” that made Japan special, and gave them a role in leading Asia, blah, blah, blah. That’s where a lot of the current ideas about “traditional” Japan come from, and most of them are modern creations. (Of course, the whole idea of “traditional” Japanese culture is problematic anyway. Which “traditional” Japan are we talking about? And which Japanese culture are we talking about? Contrary to popular propaganda, Japanese is not the least bit homogeneous.)

That’s probably way more than anybody cares about, but it’s a rare occasion that knowledge from my field is relevant to anything, hahaha!

On the contrary, most of Al Qaeda’s terrorists were incompetent. Most of Al Qaeda’s terror plots were bungled in the planning and assembly stages. Only a few of them actually delivered a bomb on target.

For example, the first attempt to attack a US warship in Yemen failed because the rubber raft swamped. They barely made it back to the beach they launched from. Some Yemeni fisherman found their raft on the beach at night and ripped it off along with everything valuable in it. It was a comedy of errors.

The Islamists have a lot of enthusiasm for killing infidels but they’re mostly dumb as a box of rocks.

Aero, the reason your liberal friend can’t admit that Muslims are engaged in a global jihad against the West is that would exclude the possibility that the West, particularly America, is the aggressor in a racist war for oil. If the Muslims are to blame, that would mean that Bush isn’t and how is that possible?

They are everywhere!! Except Iraq of course.

roninacreage on February 12, 2007 at 5:16 PM

Isn’t Tom Cruise a Samurai?

Yep, last one too.

EnochCain on February 12, 2007 at 7:35 PM

LoLz! I just shot Sobe out my nose!!!!

And what’s Bukakke? I’m afraid to Google it.

frankj on February 12, 2007 at 4:43 PM

Bryan: I humbly submit myself to seppuku!

Heh. That’s gonna leave a mark.

Bryan on February 12, 2007 at 5:42 PM

Just be glad this isn’t an image board….

Isn’t Tom Cruise a Samurai?

Yep, last one too.

The ultras usually either slice themselves with old samurai swords to protest Japan’s status in the world or its decadence or whatever, or stage an incompetent bombing of some kind.

Isn’t Tom Cruise a Samurai?

On the far right you have the ultranationalists who want to return Japan to the days of the samurai and the emperor’s unquestioned, divine rule.

That’s the most freakin’ awesome description of a terrorist organization I’ve ever read. It beats the crap out of, “Mysogynistic goat farmers who live in caves and issue threats through youtube.”

I just don’t think it was the ulta-nationalist because usually they make a splash. Gas, bomb, etc. Nothing they would like better then another Manchurian incident. The left does stupid crap. Stink bombs. Kick policemen. Deface posters. Stuff like that. This seems like a pretty amaturish attack for the emperor worshipers.

Bryan: I humbly submit myself to seppuku!

Heh. That’s gonna leave a mark.

Aum Shinrikyo, the cult that attacked Tokyo’s subway with sarin in 1995, is its own deal with tenets that put it all over the left-right map.

When terrorists do something, get mad and bring fire down on their pointy little heads. Engage them, defeat them, bury them.

Tantor on February 12, 2007 at 4:45 PM

AMEN BRUDDAH! Enough handringin’ more righteous indignation!

-Wasteland Man

To the meat of the story, I hope it’s just Ultranationalists, and not Islamic terrorism. Do we really need MORE of them running around?