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Juggertha β Can you see the difference?
Published: 2008-07-12 03:39:24 +0000 UTC; Views: 11710; Favourites: 54; Downloads: 220
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Description
/start rantOk, I'm getting a little tired of something I'm seeing far too much of in the comic/art world; the 'beautification of the Japanese Imperial flag'.
I've noticed how popular all things Japanese have become in Western culture. They're thought to posses some sort of Samurai Will, have the art of patience down pat, and are logically reserved... yet somehow still sexy.
Basically, they are Ninjas and Samurais, Geisha and Geek, all wrapped into one.
The truth is, Imperial Japan butchered and raped untold hundreds of thousands while on its campaign to control the Pacific. There was no 'samurai code' that prevented them from killing civilians. There was not enough Geisha to accompany their troops, so they 'enlisted' local women for the job. The 'geek' turned into a 'freak' when it came to inventing ways to kill the unarmed.
So, while you're happily praising anime and half hazardly adding the Japanese Imperial flag to your art, remember this; to many in Asia, that is akin to using the Nazi flag to promote a toy.
Kind of sickening, no?
/end rant
And for those with more questions, I refer you to the FAQ - [link]
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Comments: 201
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Its really a response to the constant bombardment of extremist liberal idealogies such as antifa/Anarcho-Communism.
Which is why Nazism/Fascism began in the first place; as a way to oppose the other end of the spectrum.
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As for the Nazi flag, i see in itΒ the corruption of whatΒ had the completely opposite meaning, which is Dangerous if applied to more recent symbols.
And the japanese, the flag that represented the japanese empire's ( spanning a century for its latest form, and more than a millennia if you consider the past dinasties)Β the start of its industrial era.
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Sad thing is that even though people condemn the Nazi swastika, no one gives a fuck about the Rising Sun flag being offensive
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There wouldn't be a was without spilled blood.
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There is a blood of innocents on a British flag, there is a blood of innocents on a flag of France and of course, there is a blood of innocents on a flag of the USA.
Stop looking at things from one simple point of view, grab a book and read something about a history of almost every single nation - maybe, that you will found out that saying "history is writen by victors" is quite accurate.
So stop being so bounded to that "mass-medial massage", please...
BTW, what does have a flag itself common with a things that are commited on its behalf by humans?
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Did you read my comments before you spouted your asinine tripe?
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well,with our stupid past?!
Germany started both world wars and...I dont want to think about it anymore...
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IMO, Germany has done more than most to atone for its past.
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yeah? and what did we do so special?
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Denounced the Nazi regime?
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what they did was horrible...okay,that one but one good thing is not enough for all the thousand dead judes
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america is worse, be happy you are a german
be proud of you because you belong to a masterrace!!
hurr-durr!
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true... but many other nations struggle with even that step.
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atleast germany today feel guilty for what they did in the past...
but japan's sayin their ancestors never did such a thing...
it makes me mad
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So true ... horrors of the past Unit 731 and DR Mengele.
But as flags go, both are powerful.
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On a side note, I tried to explain this to some guy who made an "otaku pride" stamp and he said something along the lines of "So what?" and blocked me.
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gotta' love the ability for reason some people have.
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This site might as well be renamed "ignorant pussyblockers with no understanding of the symbol they're using.com". Any more I wonder why I even bother with these fools.
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Eh, if I can get through to at least one of them it'll be worth the stay in the nuthouse.
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I can care less about the two. History is histroy (but I still like it, I'm a great historical researcher myself). But I'm just glad Japan is getting the 1.2x worst than Nazi Germany past known, people think of Imperial Japan and they say "Who gives a fuck, ITS JAPAN!". But even when a wapanese weaboo heres of Nazi Germany they say "OMFG, I hate those racist nazis, HITLER WAS SO BAD BAD BAD!". I cant believe one of the two countries that caused more casualties then Nazi Germany alone don't get enough attention. Whether a positive comment from a skinhead, or a uneducated ranty remark from a 9 year old girl. They still need there attention
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BushidΕ or samurai code was only meant for them to live by while guarding their Daimyo.But when it came to battle they found a loophole for them to act unbecoming of a Samurai turning those teachings into guidelines.
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I used the blood of the thousands that...
ah, I just "used" it. Seperate PS layer.
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I meant how did you get such an effect?
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I layed the blood over the base image. I don't recall the settings though. Sorry.
This was done some time ago.
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Okay - shame, I've been playing with PS and not come across such a good effect
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try setting the layer to multiply.
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What I'm saying is, don't let Tojo hide behind such a beautiful flag. Blame the ones who committed the crime, not the nation they brought shame to.
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So then should Germany now use the swastika?
How well do you think that would go over in the West?
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The swastika is a thousands-year old symbol profanitised by fifteen years of a political party. The very fact that it has so many negative connotations is very unfortunate.
However, if there should be such a problem with the Kyokujitsu-ki, which is different from the Hakenkreuz to those of us who have not been tainted by propaganda, why is it that there are so many nightclubs in Seoul with Nazi Germany as their theme?
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And did you just remove all of your deviations after startng this conversation?
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I don't have any deviations yet. This is a new account. Those were my favourites.
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There are not many night clubs in Seoul with that theme - there are a couple, and they have been criticized in the media - and rightly so. Koreans were not directly affected by the Nazi regime, and thus do not have the massive emotional connection to the swastika that those in the West do. Whenever possible, I make sure to talk to Koreans about that.
And just like that, when I see the overuse/casual use of the Japanese Imperial flag but fanboys in the West, I cringe. I've likened it to the Nazi swastika, and I think that's a fair comparison. Both were symbols that were previously used, and both came to represent a certain shade of barbarity.
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Then why should there be a problem with the Kyokujitsu ki in the west if the Swastika is not negative in the east?
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There are negative impressions in the E$ast - but some are ignorant of it. That's what this piece is about - trying to shed some light on the ignorance of those who use the symbol (in the West).
I doubt so many of those fanbos wouldbe using it if it was a swastika.
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Ignorant of it?! Hardly.
More accurately, ignorant in another form.
Your argument needs no support. It is strong enough already. Japanophiles are a minority. Japanophobes are all too prevalent in the U.S. Opinion columns in newspapers against Japanese players on US baseball teams or flying the sun disc flag, Korean propaganda in the New York Times, biased textbooks in the U.S... nearly every student I meet in school thinks that the U.S. is still at war with that "other China," that Japan is still not modernised, and that every single Japanese person is a murderer. The only ones who know anything about modern Japan are history teachers, history students, Anime Otaku and Military Otaku. My "Sinophile(China-lover)" history teacher a few years ago commented that even though it is rightfully banned in China, nobody should be able to hide behind such a beautiful flag. "...remember, this is a national symbol, hundereds of years old. It is completely different from the swastika. It didn't kill or order to kill. Just like the American flag doesn't simply represent the trail of tears." We had a vet from the Phillippines who recovered a Rising sun flag from the ocean and he showed us the worn yellowed fabric. He told us that "It was one of the most beautiful flags other than the Flag I defended that I have seen." And commented that, as horrifying as it was in the past, the military alliance between the U.S. and Japan was strong enough that the flag "simply doesn't mean what it used to mean." It's as allied to the U.S. as the British Naval Jack, and the British were the ones who have killed thousands in land wars over Ireland and refused the US its sovreignty until after a bloody war of nearly a decade, the real war that no American should forget!
Tojo ordered Pearl Harbour raids, which the Admiral Yamamoto was against. Individual generals ordered Nanking and Bataan, which even Tojo and Shouwa-tenno did not even know about until long after the crimes were committed. The Nation and its symbols are innocent, the individuals are guilty.
This propaganda is equivalent to saying the American flag is a representative of evil because of the KKK, the rapes in Okinawa, the puppy incident in Iraq, and the Trail of tears. Individuals committed these crimes. The Nation and its flag is innocent.
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Oh my god, you're honestly trying to say that the atrocities committed by the Japanese during WWII were an individual thing? You can't be serious. The invasion if its neighbors... that must have been done by a few individuals, right? The camps and experimentation's at Unit 731, that must have been just a few individuals? The widespread enlistment of forced 'comfort women' - that must have been done only by a few individuals??
That is one of the biggest cop-outs I've ever heard.
If the guy who came to our school wants to love the Japanese flag, even after fighting against it, that's his call. But that doesn't mean that the millions who suffered under it feel the same way.
Japanophiles vs Japanophobes in the US - I would have no idea of the ratio. I'm not American, and have never lived there. I do however watch American programming and movies, and it is definitely slanted in the direction of loving/glorifying Japan.
I compared the Nazi flag to the Japanese Imperial one (note, not the modern flag of Japan) because ..
-they were allies in WWII
-they were both responsible for experimentation camps
-they both tried to expand their territories by attacking their neighbors
-they both initiates their respective conflicts
-they both lost, and the horrors of their reigns became evident (to the victors go the spoils - as well as writing the history)
If you want to say that the American flag could also be cast in a similar light, then maybe I'd agree with you. Secret camps, killing civilians, attacking other nations... the US has done it all. But that wasn't the focus of this piece. If you'd like to do a similar piece, by all mans, go to it.
Oh, and I've noticed that you've brought up Korea a few times now. Just an FYI, I'm not Korean.
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"Japanophiles vs Japanophobes in the US - I would have no idea of the ratio. I'm not American, and have never lived there. I do however watch American programming and movies, and it is definitely slanted in the direction of loving/glorifying Japan."
That's because Japan's ALMOST a puppet state of the US (much like the UK 
I think your reply here is far more balanced and better put than your journal piece by the way. - Which seems to promote ignorance towards the swastika a bit.
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Thaks for taking the time to read it then.
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That is the naval ensign and the ensign of the Self Defense force. The navy has never had any part in these massacres.
Plus, the Hakenkreuz flagge was adopted by a party responsible for murder. It had only two decades of use. The kyokujitsu-ki has represented the navy for over two hundred years, a few of which the ARMY performed massacres.
Please remember the difference.
I wasn't expecting to be doing this on DA... I thought this was an art community, not a propaganda board.
π: 0 β©: 1
1. DA is an art board. You are correct. But art is often political and historic. Heck, propaganda IS art.
2. That is not only the flag of the Japanese navy, but also of the War flag of the Japanese Army until the end of WWII. [link] (1870β1945)
3. If you honestly believe that the Japanese Navy never had any part in any killings in its history, you're being either intellectually dishonest or naive.
This flag symbolized Japan's Imperialism in Asia. If you don't like the piece, and don't like "propaganda" on DA, why did you bother commenting??
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In defence of innocence. The war criminals performed the acts, not the flags. The war criminals were punished. The facts stand.
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Many of the War Criminals are still worshipped in Japan. Are you aware of that fact?
Listen man, you're obviously a fan of Japan - I've seen your gallery, and you're pretty close to the fan-boy that I describe in my post.
If you like Japan, fine, that's your call. But you should realize that a good chunk of Asia still has hard feelings towards them.
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