Tepido.org – Fact-checking the ex-Hokkaido ex-Crusader

I didn’t review Mr Arudou’s latest Just Be Cause when it first came out, so let me get that done first:

OK, that’s that complete. Now, I see he is complaining about internet bullies writing to Japan Times about it and is asking his supporters to write in to defend the article.

However, over Golden Week I thought a bit more about the whole flyjin debate and have come to the conclusion that it is nothing more than a straw man to rally support to his cause. Without his sterling efforts, the term would have come and gone in a couple of weeks, but thanks to him playing it up in that article and on his site he has his constituency whipped up into a fervour:

I could not believe Japanese news actually blames foreigners for leaving and came up with a nickname for them. WOW! If everything on your website isnt enough evidence of bias then this certainly is.

even though the Japanese didn’t believe the situation was safe, they carried on as normal because they felt there was nothing else they could do. [...] If they thought about it, they would have to make a decision, and if they make a decision, they have to take responsibility for the outcome.

I’ve always felt that us NJ were to put up and shut up or leave because “koko wa Nihon!”. We are interested in your culture, just make sure you squash any residue of it while you reside here because you are at the bottom of our caste system and below us- pretty much sums up how I’ve been treated in Japan and everybody I know.

Fortunately, the sheeple over here (name-calling is OK if it’s not racist) have been keeping tabs (thanks especially to 空) on the Debitards (Mr Arudou, you’ll be OK with that term, then, as it seems quite an appropriate analytical tool?) over there.

PS: I’ve submitted a letter to Japan Times based around this theme, specifically prompted by Mr Arudou asking to be defended. I’m also not the only one to have done so.

PPS: Also see Eido Inuoe’s letter to the JT, although I suspect that the other newspapers won’t be too interested…