{"id":8894,"date":"2011-05-09T08:38:52","date_gmt":"2011-05-08T23:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=8894"},"modified":"2011-06-18T09:11:11","modified_gmt":"2011-06-18T00:11:11","slug":"readers-critics-are-dominating-the-discussion-re-my-last-japan-times-column-on-undeserved-fly-jin-bashing-consider-writing-to-the-jt-to-offer-some-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=8894","title":{"rendered":"Readers: Critics are dominating the discussion re my last Japan Times column on undeserved &#8220;Fly-jin Bashing&#8221;.  Consider writing to the JT to offer some balance?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_8577\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8577\" style=\"width: 149px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/inappropriatecoverthumb150x226.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8577\" title=\"inappropriatecoverthumb150x226\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/inappropriatecoverthumb150x226.jpg\" alt=\"IN APPROPRIATE, A novel of culture, kidnapping, and revenge in modern Japan, By ARUDOU Debito\" width=\"149\" height=\"226\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8577\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">New novel IN APPROPRIATE by ARUDOU Debito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/handbook.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1298\" title=\"HANDBOOKsemifinalcover.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/02\/HANDBOOKsemifinalcover.jpg\" alt=\"Handbook for Newcomers, Migrants, and Immigrants to Japan\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.francajapan.org\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1705\" title=\"franca-color\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/franca-color-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Foreign Residents and Naturalized Citizens Association forming NGO\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/tshirts.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1701\" title=\"joshirtblack2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/joshirtblack2-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\\\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/joshirtblack2-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/joshirtblack2.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 75px) 100vw, 75px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/japaneseonly.html#japanese\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1700\" title=\"jobookcover\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/jobookcover-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\u300c\u30b8\u30e3\u30d1\u30cb\u30fc\u30ba\u30fb\u30aa\u30f3\u30ea\u30fc\u3000\u5c0f\u6a3d\u5165\u6d74\u62d2\u5426\u554f\u984c\u3068\u4eba\u7a2e\u5dee\u5225\u300d\uff08\u660e\u77f3\u66f8\u5e97\uff09\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/japaneseonly.html#english\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1699\" title=\"japaneseonlyecover\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/japaneseonlyecover-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"JAPANESE ONLY:  The Otaru Hot Springs Case and Racial Discrimination in Japan\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cinemabstruso.de\/strawberries\/main.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2735\" title=\"sourstrawberriesavatar\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/sourstrawberriesavatar.jpg\" alt=\"sourstrawberriesavatar\" width=\"75\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?cat=32\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4921\" title=\"debitopodcastthumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/debitopodcastthumb.jpg\" alt=\"debitopodcastthumb\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?cat=32\"><\/a>UPDATES ON TWITTER:  arudoudebito<br \/>\nDEBITO.ORG PODCASTS on iTunes, subscribe free<\/p>\n<p>Hi Blog.  Question for you:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Did you like my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=8870\">most recent Japan Times column on the &#8220;Fly-jin&#8221; bashing<\/a>? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>If so, please write in to the Japan Times and say so (community@japantimes.co.jp). <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Internet bullies are writing in and once again trying to reassert their control over the debate. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t let them anymore. Offer some balance.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rationale<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>My previous Japan Times JUST BE CAUSE column on &#8216;Fly-jin&#8217; was, as predicted, controversial, and occasioned I&#8217;m told more comment than any column I&#8217;ve written before.  Wow.  Thanks for commenting.<\/p>\n<p>However, I&#8217;m also told the comments were overwhelmingly negative towards my standpoint. This is fine too, since it is my job as a columnist to stimulate debate and offer alternate views.<\/p>\n<p>However, remember what my column was on: How NJ are bullying each other into silence and submission in a society that already disenfranchises NJ.<\/p>\n<p>If you disagree with my last column&#8217;s thesis, that&#8217;s fine. It&#8217;s your right.  And clearly your voice is already being adequately represented.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you agree with my thesis, and you don&#8217;t want the bashers to have the last word on this topic, I suggest you speak up now and send in your opinions to the Japan Times.<\/p>\n<p>After all, it is generally the case that the critics are more likely to comment than those who agree. It&#8217;s tougher to build upon the sentiment of &#8220;I completely agree, the end&#8221;, than it is &#8220;I completely disagree and here&#8217;s why&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>But this time it&#8217;s special.<\/p>\n<p>The whole point of the previous column was that media bullies have been controlling the debate on the status of NJ, and decrying them, unfairly as I argued, as deserters.  &#8220;Fly-jin&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>If you don&#8217;t want them to continue to control the debate or let them have the final word on the subject, I suggest you send in your thoughts to the Japan Times via community@japantimes.co.jp<\/p>\n<p>Consider offering some balance, please.<\/p>\n<p>There has been too much complacency and silent victimization regarding this subject already.  Speak up.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks. Arudou Debito<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>UPDATE: \u00a0Here&#8217;s how the debate went in the Japan Times regarding the &#8220;Fly-jin&#8221; article. <\/strong><\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/search.japantimes.co.jp\/cgi-bin\/fl20110607hs.html\"><em><strong>http:\/\/search.japantimes.co.jp\/cgi-bin\/fl20110607hs.html<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em><strong> Thanks for commenting. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you like my most recent Japan Times column on the &#8220;Fly-jin&#8221; bashing?<\/p>\n<p>If so, please write in to the Japan Times and say so (community@japantimes.co.jp).<\/p>\n<p>Internet bullies are writing in and once again trying to reassert their control over the debate.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t let them anymore. Offer some balance.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the Rationale: [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,18,22,44,26,13,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pinprick-protests","category-academia","category-cultural-issue","category-discussions","category-ironies-hypocrisies","category-media","category-problematic-foreign-treatment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8894\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}