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Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

freedom.press

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Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#31

Post by hackuser »

Neo-nationalism seems to be on the rise everywhere. Look at the UK (Scotland trying to secede, the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament, etc.), France (the National Front did very well in recent elections), South Korea (IIRC, textbooks are edited to replace history with nationalist propaganda), Israel, Turkey, Russia, China, Donald Trump, etc. etc.

When is the last time you heard someone stand up and point out how dangerous nationalism is, how it's historically led to wars, massacres, and other oppression and brutality. I suspect the public, hearing no criticism or counterpoints, goes along with the nationalists.

Where are the liberal and moderate conservative elite? Asleep at the wheel? Cowed? Complacent?

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#32

Post by crusso »

cuckcuckspruce wrote: post #30
crusso wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and much more recently we had the IRS stifling political groups that oppose the current administration. But there's a difference between government stifling of speech illegally and government stifling of speech legally. At least with the former there are legal avenues that can be pursued to correct the situation.

There's not much difference to the person being stifled, at least, not initially. Yes, you can litigate absurdly expensive court battles (assuming the government allows itself to be sued), have your voice silenced for the years and years your case takes to work its way through the courts, and then, assuming you win, finally get to say what you want a whole decade or more after the fact. Legal avenues are great like t…

There's not much difference to the person being stifled, at least, not initially.

There's a huge difference between a government being able to send the police in broad daylight to do its bidding and beat you up or jail you for breaking the "subversive speech law" vs having to deal with some bureaucratic agency making you jump through endless hoops trying to get your group's 501c tax status.

That's all before you even think about getting into a courtroom.

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#33

Post by ue_ »

hackuser wrote: post #31

Neo-nationalism seems to be on the rise everywhere. Look at the UK (Scotland trying to secede, the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament, etc.), France (the National Front did very well in recent elections), South Korea (IIRC, textbooks are edited to replace history with nationalist propaganda), Israel, Turkey, Russia, China, Donald Trump, etc. etc. When is the last time you heard someone stand u…

I would have hoped the world moved on to post-nationalism by this point. I can't say I had much hope for it, though.

I don't know if it's right to link all the countries which seem to be heading toward a more nationalistic government together, though. I think each case has its own causes and conditions.

For example, in some parts of Europe, it's the real or perceived threat to national security, and lots of reporting on terrorist attacks, and party leaders knowing how to take advantage of this.

What's the cause in Japan? Could it be that there's fear over what's happening in Europe, or could it be a threat from China, or something else completely?

The question is interesting to me, as I'm a wannabe immigrant. What would life be like if the trend continues? As I said, for my own wellbeing and happiness, I would have hoped we'd be heading toward post-nationalism. It's as if the "us and them" divide in Japan (this is the only country I know of) wasn't strong enough already.

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#34

Post by sirkneeland »

ue_ wrote: post #33
hackuser wrote: post #31

Neo-nationalism seems to be on the rise everywhere. Look at the UK (Scotland trying to secede, the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament, etc.), France (the National Front did very well in recent elections), South Korea (IIRC, textbooks are edited to replace history with nationalist propaganda), Israel, Turkey, Russia, China, Donald Trump, etc. etc. When is the last time you heard someone stand u…

I would have hoped the world moved on to post-nationalism by this point. I can't say I had much hope for it, though. I don't know if it's right to link all the countries which seem to be heading toward a more nationalistic government together, though. I think each case has its own causes and conditions. For example, in some parts of Europe, it's the real or perceived threat to national security, and lots of reporting…

>What's the cause in Japan? Could it be that there's fear over what's happening in Europe, or could it be a threat from China, or something else completely?

Threat of China, and the sense of angst that comes from 2 decades of economic stagnation, I'd wager...

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#35

Post by sirkneeland »

hackuser wrote: post #31

Neo-nationalism seems to be on the rise everywhere. Look at the UK (Scotland trying to secede, the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament, etc.), France (the National Front did very well in recent elections), South Korea (IIRC, textbooks are edited to replace history with nationalist propaganda), Israel, Turkey, Russia, China, Donald Trump, etc. etc. When is the last time you heard someone stand u…

>the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament

The BNP doesn't have any seats in Parliament.

I assume you might be referring to UKIP?

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#36

Post by bnb_luic »

sirkneeland wrote: post #35
hackuser wrote: post #31

Neo-nationalism seems to be on the rise everywhere. Look at the UK (Scotland trying to secede, the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament, etc.), France (the National Front did very well in recent elections), South Korea (IIRC, textbooks are edited to replace history with nationalist propaganda), Israel, Turkey, Russia, China, Donald Trump, etc. etc. When is the last time you heard someone stand u…

>the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament The BNP doesn't have any seats in Parliament. I assume you might be referring to UKIP?

The label applies to both. But just one gained seats in May.

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#37

Post by TazeTSchnitzel »

sirkneeland wrote: post #35
hackuser wrote: post #31

Neo-nationalism seems to be on the rise everywhere. Look at the UK (Scotland trying to secede, the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament, etc.), France (the National Front did very well in recent elections), South Korea (IIRC, textbooks are edited to replace history with nationalist propaganda), Israel, Turkey, Russia, China, Donald Trump, etc. etc. When is the last time you heard someone stand u…

>the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament The BNP doesn't have any seats in Parliament. I assume you might be referring to UKIP?

The BNP have been replaced by UKIP.

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#38

Post by [deleted] »

sirkneeland wrote: post #34
ue_ wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would have hoped the world moved on to post-nationalism by this point. I can't say I had much hope for it, though. I don't know if it's right to link all the countries which seem to be heading toward a more nationalistic government together, though. I think each case has its own causes and conditions. For example, in some parts of Europe, it's the real or perceived threat to national security, and lots of reporting…

>What's the cause in Japan? Could it be that there's fear over what's happening in Europe, or could it be a threat from China, or something else completely? Threat of China, and the sense of angst that comes from 2 decades of economic stagnation, I'd wager...

[deleted]

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#39

Post by Alupis »

hackuser wrote: post #31

Neo-nationalism seems to be on the rise everywhere. Look at the UK (Scotland trying to secede, the crazy extreme right-wing party getting seats in Parliament, etc.), France (the National Front did very well in recent elections), South Korea (IIRC, textbooks are edited to replace history with nationalist propaganda), Israel, Turkey, Russia, China, Donald Trump, etc. etc. When is the last time you heard someone stand u…

While I agree with the spirit of your post, your premise is wrong. Being nationalistic has nothing to do with being conservative; there is no correlation there. Many liberals are blindly nationalistic as well.

Intense nationalism does cause conflicts (look at the US and Russia relationship at the moment), often fabricated for pure political gain by controlling/power individuals.

Very few individuals look at the core of an issue, but instead follow the example set forth by people in authority positions and/or the frenzied click-baiting-gotta-get-eyeballs-on-as-many-ads-as-possible media.

For example, a Russian jet is shot down over Syria by Turkey. Almost immediately the spin machine kicks into high gear to paint a picture of a plotting Putin carefully strategizing how to dismantle NATO by means of getting his soldiers killed (which makes little sense)... all because the nationalistic side says "USA good, Russia bad". People died, we should have some compassion.

Re: Japanese government dismantles freedom of the press

#40

Post by gozur88 »

scribu wrote: post #16
SwimAway wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fortunate? Freedom of speech (et al.) is a birthright, NOT a privilege. If only the people of Japan stood up for their rights..

> If only the people of Japan stood up for their rights.. As mentioned in the article, there already are massive protests around this issue. What more could they do? Try to take down the government by force? Even if they succeeded, I'm sure the U.S. would be happy to step in to "calm the waters" and impose martial law outright.

They don't need to have a violent revolution. They can just vote for a different party in the next election cycle. If the votes aren't there, revolution wouldn't succeed anyway.
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