Just a quick note for any readers who come over from Japan Soc and decide to quibble with me. I will ignore any straw men that are put up. I realize this means I will have to ignore most of what anyone says, since 99% of the arguments I encounter are based on straw men.
If you don't know what a straw man is, here you go.
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4 comments:
Ok, I learnt something new today. :) I had no idea what a straw man was :)
Straw men!!! I love it. I like the UK term "Aunt Sally" too. It happened to me recently on Japansoc:
Me: "I was facing the door. Someone's briefcase was being shoved against me. I peeked left and right to see if there were any way he could put his briefcase where it wouldn’t be up against my back. Of course there was space. He was using as a barrier between us. Typical… So I turned around to face him, daring him with a glare to put his briefcase against my stomach or chest. He didn’t dare. Rather he avoided looking at me and turned his body so that his shoulder was now wedged between us."
Japansoc hito: "The author is dissatisfied because people are uncomfortable around him, so he responds by getting in people's faces even more. It's a self-perpetuating cycle."
Aunt Sally: Japansoc hito has equated my response to someone shoving his briefcase into my back and usuing it as a barrier between us to my dissatisfaction with the discomfort of the natives, which makes me look like the a--hole.
But, the internet is filled with these kind of people. Best to ignore them if you can. I try but sometimes if I'm bored I still let them rile me. So I try to keep writing (-:
I don't agree with several of your arguments in that two part essay but I wouldn't ever try to distort your arguments in order to make you look ridiculous.
While various Japanese police may not use this power, the fact is it's still there for them to do so. Yes, foreigners probably commit crimes - people commit crimes! But as other posters, such as Kelly and yourself Orchid, have pointed out, there are some pretty gruesome crimes committed by the Japanese themselves. How will they legislate against them?
Hey there friend! I love "Aunt Sally" I heard that growing up but "Straw Man" was new to me, I love it.
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