← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Julian the Apostate
Thread ID: 13113 | Posts: 3 | Started: 2004-04-10
2004-04-10 09:36 | User Profile
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has slammed gender free education policies, labeling them "ludicrous" and "grotesque" and accusing their advocates of being "sorry people with weakened sensibilities."
Ishihara also used a Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education meeting to laud Japan's World War II kamikaze suicide pilots.
He also spoke out strongly on behalf of respecting Japan's controversial national flag and anthem, which many leftist educators despise, saying they are symbols of the country's military aggression.
"Kimigayo," the national anthem, and the Hinomaru Rising Sun flag "present us with a great opportunity to consider our ultimate responsibilities in a human society where membership of a state or a race is inevitable," the governor told the meeting held in Shibuya to discuss education facilities in the capital. "We can change all of Japan from Tokyo."
Ishihara also told the crowd of roughly 2,300, including many public school principals, of his admiration for kamikaze pilots, while at the same time taking a shot at current education policies that emphasize sexual equality.
"(A kamikaze pilot) headed for battle would be given a quiet farewell off away from others by a woman he loved, but whose hand he had never even held. And he would go in the belief that he was sacrificing his own life for the sake of someone of the same age but the opposite sex," Ishihara told the throng. "We're implementing grotesque education policies that don't even take into consideration such relations between a man and a woman." (Mainichi Shimbun, April 10, 2004) [url]http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20040410p2a00m0dm011000c.html[/url]
2004-04-10 12:22 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Julian the Apostate]Ishihara also used a Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education meeting to laud Japan's World War II kamikaze suicide pilots.[/QUOTE]
I have an uncle named Bud who is a highly decorated WWII (Navy) veteran of the Asian theater. He was a gunners mate and had 4 ships shot out from under him.
He had naught but admiration for the Kamikaze pilots, one of whom took out one of the ships he managed to get his Irish backside off just in the nick of time. I talked to him recently about this on my last visit to Wisconsin. What stories that guy has. Man. Really hair-raising stuff. And you know it's all true, because the Irish would never embellish!
The point about the Kamikaze pilots is that they did it for their country, although unlike the Palestinian suicide bombers they did it to uniformed enemy. What's not to like?
Uncle Bud shares their warrior spirit, and always was at pains to salute it when he could. He's sick and old now and will be gone soon, God bless him.
I wonder if the current generation of young men could pull off a trick like defeating the Imperial Japanese Navy?
Walter
2004-04-11 09:42 | User Profile
I remember when I was a child kamikaze pilots were talked about with awe. People recognised their fanaticism but also their courage. We saw the ultimate act as something mysteriously oriental though I've since learned that the Germans also used suicide tactics towards the end of the war. Despite their undoubted courage I came across this from Yoko Ono which you may be interested in: During the war I was in Japan and one day there was a radio programme where the soldiers who were the Kamikaze pilots. Before they were leaving they were allowed to say something on the radio to their parents or family.
And they all said: "Mummy, I'm going now and I wish you a long life," or something like that.
It was just the most horrific thing that I've heard and I'll never forget that, I'll never forget that.
What an incredibly cruel thing to do to any human being.
I think that changed my whole idea about war.
I was a young girl so I really didn't know what war was, except that it's very frightening.
And every night I had to go into a shelter when the bombers came overhead.
But just the cruelty of that was too much, I thought. There was nothing noble about the war.
I mean, there was propaganda in both countries I'm sure, saying "It's a noble war, we have to do it", or something like that.
But when you get down to that then you know it's cruel and totally wasteful." [url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3058721.stm[/url]