tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post113870500153191657..comments2024-02-15T04:42:41.606+00:00Comments on James' Empty Blog: Today I felt as if I was not in Japan, but in the Alabama of the 1950s. I've been made to feel less than human, like an animalJames Annanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-1138772440512589482006-02-01T05:40:00.000+00:002006-02-01T05:40:00.000+00:00And I'll follow that up with a brief conversation ...And I'll follow that up with a brief conversation I had in the lift this morning with a senior member of staff here:<BR/><BR/>Senior staff: "So, are you going back home to the UK next year, then?"<BR/>Me: "Er, no, I've got no plans to leave"<BR/>Senior staff: "Because the budget cut next year is severe, you see..."<BR/><BR/>Bear in mind that (like 90% of non-Japanese here) I am on a renewable contract with no security of tenure, and you'll see why I consider legally-sanctioned racial discrimination is a problem.James Annanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-1138751612258239532006-01-31T23:53:00.000+00:002006-01-31T23:53:00.000+00:00Anon,As a sovereign nation I guess the Japanese ar...Anon,<BR/><BR/>As a sovereign nation I guess the Japanese are entitled to endorse or reject racial discrimination as they chose. But if they sign up to documents such as the <A HREF="http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/9.htm" REL="nofollow">UN Declaration</A> and make statements such as <A HREF="http://julesandjames.blogspot.com/2006/01/japans-science-budget.html" REL="nofollow">"We believe the path Japan should take is to provide a good research environment here for scientists from across the world"</A> then they can't continue to endorse such discrimination without appearing hypocritical and dishonest.<BR/><BR/>Sure, racial equality is a fairly "modern" concept in the West, historically speaking, but is there any reason why Japan shouldn't also be "modern"? With the resident non-Japanese population already over 2 million and increasing rapidly, this is not a problem that can just be wished away.James Annanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04318741813895533700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959776.post-1138712715627483792006-01-31T13:05:00.000+00:002006-01-31T13:05:00.000+00:00James:Can I explain something to you that as an Am...James:<BR/><BR/>Can I explain something to you that as an American you may not understand. When we first visited the US, before eventually living there, we were frightned stiff of encountering black Americans. This was at a time when violence, particularly black American violence was at it's highest in the big cities.<BR/>I recall at the time that if an Black American crossed our path we would peed ourselves.<BR/><BR/>My guess is that is what happaned in that essentially single race country.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com