Dagger in Your Back

Ijime

2009-04-30T22:30:00.004+08:00

Lately I was watching yet another anime (yeah, I watch way too much animes) and noticed an episode that really hit me right between the eyes regarding the issue of bullying or ijime as it is called in Japanese.

For those who are interested to watch that very interesting episode, here's the link.

So anyway, after watching that episode and together with another anime, I've suddenly become very jaded of Japanese culture which I thought was something that I could like. It seems that Japanese culture have these ideals of conformity and "staying within a group". Creativity and individualism is suppressed, conformity and mob mentality is encouraged.

Targets of ijime are basically ANYBODY who differs from the "group" as judged by the bullies of the group, and harassment can range from verbal abuse such as name calling, to mental abuse of silent treatment and alienation, to physical abuse of destroying the victim's properties (bags/shoes/table/clothes)or physical violence itself.

According to studies done, there has been an alarming number of teenage suicides over such cases of bullying in Japan. So why is it that this phenomena has been continuing? The key few plausible causes that keep popping up: the conformity ideals of Japan, resulting in indirect encouragement of the continuation of ijime by the parents and teachers; the fear of becoming the next target of ijime if one steps in to help the victim; and last but not least, a simple lack of empathy.

So, let's discuss this. Conformity ideals of Japan and how that results in the indirect encouragement of ijime.
The idea of conformity is a difficult one to explain. It is hardly that Japanese citizens are identical to each other in personality, actions and viewpoints, but they are encouraged to interact and socialize as much as possible in a group. Flying solo is seen as being something that is uncommon and plain weird, and immediate assumptions of one who flies solo and is independent is that of being an outcast, whether or not the person is actually ostracized or not.

So in cases of ijime, the targets, as per mentioned before, are different from those within the group, although the differences may be petty and subjective (such as having better grades or looks or the direct inverse, having worse looks/grades). As each and every target has their own widely varying reasons for being targeted, the adults (teachers, parents) see it as being: 1) part and parcel of growing up, an experience that everyone should grow through to make them stronger; 2) a way to make the outcast return to the group; 3) something that should be stopped. Unfortunately, the percentage of those who hold the first 2 views significantly outweigh those who hold the latter view. In fact, most parents remain complacently unaware, or unwilling to be aware, of ijime, until their own child takes a long walk off a short pier, so as to say.

Fear of becoming the next victim.
This is not an unreasonable fear, but what I really wonder is, what happens if the rest of the class gathers together and stands up against the bullies? It is quite doubtful that bullies would make up the majority of class, so then if the bullies make up the minority, I don't think they would dare to do anything against the rest of the class if the class is united in such a stand against bullying. Bullies are, quintessentially, cowards themselves, after all.

So then why does this phenomena of solidarity against bullying not occur? The reason is simple. The rest of the class too, are complacently thinking that which adults think, that ijime is a way to return the outcast to the group and that it is a natural process of growing up. And on top of that complacency, they simply do not grasp the seriousness of the pain and the suffering of the victims until they can actually experience it themselves. The mental harrassment can sometimes be more punishing than even the worse beatings, because it goes on continuously, like a torture that never ends. So even if the other students do not contribute to the actual bullying process, the fact that they do not help and avoid the victim like a leper adds on to the mental stress and pain that the bullied suffer.

Simple lack of empathy.
This reason is a follow up from the previous. Some students may not actually fear becoming the next victim, but rather, they simply don't care about the victims. To them, other people's lives are as insignificant as the passing of a mayfly, their survival or death means not an iota to them, only they themselves matter. It is not uncommon to get responses of "s/he was not close enough to me for me to bother to do anything for him/her" when interviewing classmates of those bullied.

This lack of empathy is the one that bothers me the most out of all the reasons that there could be for not helping the targets of bullying. If one fails to understand the reasons to help or fears helping, it can still be said as being reasonable within a limited range of tolerance. Misunderstandings or failure to comprehend is not something that is deliberate, fearing involvement is but an animal's instinctual method of survival. But understanding the need to help and not helping simply because of a lack of care and concern? It is the greatest de-humanization act ever.

Humor or Spam? Uptight or Right?

2007-12-12T11:44:00.000+08:00

*Note: this may make no sense at all to those who has never played an MMORPG and never visited an online forum before.

Just last night, I was playing my latest MMORPG, due to the implementation of the cash shop, the server experienced a massive overload of bugs and had to close down for maintenance. In the last 30 mins before server shutdown, a particular GM, called GLaDOS, was spamming endlessly for the WHOLE 30 mins about some "CAKE" and a whole host of other stuff that simply didn't make sense. Not to me, not to my friends who were playing together with me, nor to many other players as seen from the general chat.

Abit disturbed by this, I posted a thread in the game forums, asking if it was appropriate for a GM to be flouting their own TOS (terms of service) regarding spam. Immediately, the thread was accosted by flamers-cum-bootlickers who claimed the nonsense to be humorous and that they were quotes from another game (a game which is totally unrelated to this company hosting the MMORPG, by the way). In their posts, the flamers claim that the GMs were humans and had the right to have fun, especially since it was just before server close down. They further warp my OP, insinuating and sometimes even directly claiming that I was "whiny" and "pointlessly attacking" a GM.

Perhaps it was funny to them, although it wasn't to me, but my question holds. Spam is spam after all, so is it even appropriate for a GM to be spamming, especially on a System Broadcast channel, where it cannot be turned off in any way? So if I'm following their tissue thin arguments, I suppose it makes it alright for someone to crack racist/sexist/religionist/whatever-ist jokes, as long as X number of people finds it hilarious? They further claim that to be professional while giving System Annoucements would make the GMs sound like robots and lose their friendliness and connectivity that they have with the player base. Now THAT's odd too. Since when has professionalism been equated and used in the same breath as robotic? I've met plenty of customer service agents who let me have the chance to describe them as being both professional and friendly. Are they really so small minded such that they cannot even imagine the merger of the two, that one is either professional or friendly and not both ways? The most disappointing thing even, was that another GM also posted in this thread, and judging by his comments, he seems to think that the GLaDOS person's actions were acceptable.

I wonder, if there would come a day where people in authority would escape all judgement and punishment because of the existence of such bootlickers; and if there'd be a day where contemptible acts like spam/racism/bigotry would be excusable simply because it entertains a small group of people.

About Annabel Chong's Craziness

2007-05-20T17:53:00.000+08:00

Just to intro Annabel Chong to those who haven't heard of her and her antics.
Annabel Chong, real name Grace Quek, is (sad to say) a RGS and HCJC alumnus and is currently a web designer living in California. In 1995, she orchestrated a major gangbang involving herself and over 70 men, culminating in a world-record (which was broken soon after) of 251 sex acts, all done, supposedly, in the name of feminism and gender subversion (doesn't make that much sense, but whatever she says).

The rest of this post would relate mostly to her antics and her claims in an interview that she did.
Annabel Chong and her antics
An Interview with Annabel Chong, by Amy Goodman, 1999

The first and foremost thing that baffles me the most about her claims. That she can use pornography as a form of expression of feminism and gender subversion, that she's actually a feminist and not just a slut. Maybe the bit about gender subversion is possibly true, I certainly have not seen any other sensible woman (or even man) did what she did. I mean 251 sex acts in 10 hours? Did she even process that in her head of how it appears? I don't know about her, I don't know about you, but all that brings to mind for me is that of a lusty shameless woman spreading her legs for 10 hours to welcome all 70+ of those men to do as they wish with her. In a very ugly term to describe her, it's called "toilet". And apparently, she is confused about what true feminism should be about. Feminism goes beyond just challenging set notions of what a woman should do and behave. Feminism should also be about reversing such set notions by actions (which Annabel thought she grasped by indulging in pornography) of actually HELPING women who need help. Did her antics ever did any good to the women in Taliban? Did it ever make a difference to women in Afghanistan? No, it didn't. What she did made not an iota of difference to those who really mattered. All it did was create a scandal for herself and everyone else involved with her.

Her second claim offended me the most.
Annabel Chong: "All my life I've wanted to get out of Singapore and to be not a Singaporean. It's the idea of how far I can run away from home. Not home as in my parents, but home as in Singapore and all it stands for and all the things about Singapore that upset me."
She said she didn't want to be a Singaporean and all that Singapore represented. Well, a little newsflash for the self-centered lass. I, as a proud citizen of Singapore, can say without an ounce of regret that we don't want her as a Singaporean and to give us a bad reputation abroad either. It is not one's birthplace that makes one a true-blue citizen of a proud nation, but one's actions and attitude that does. She is neither part of Singapore nor representative of the community that makes Singapore Singaporean. It's true that we are conservative, but since when has conservativeness become a negative? Since when has sensibility and rationality become something undesirable?

My sympathy for her gang-rape incident is limited only to the trauma she experienced after the incident. After all, a rape is a violation of freedom of choice, which I'm sure is important to everyone, not just her. However, I have little to no sympathy at all for her for the incident itself. There's a saying that defines my stand on this clearly. You reap what you sow. Getting dead drunk and following an unknown stranger to a back-alley for consensual sex is just asking to get raped and robbed. I really wonder if all those drinking, smoking and drug use has lowered her IQ to that of a fool.

Another thing that she mentioned in her interview that convinces me of her self-centeredness and ignorance.
Annabel Chong: "There are a lot of words in English that do not have a Chinese equivalent. Like "feminism," for example. Try explaining feminism to a Chinese person from that generation. We don't have a term for it. "
Well, to burst her happy bubble of living in her own deluded universe, there is actually a term for feminism in Mandarin, just that she didn't know it, that's all. It's called 男女平等主义. Had she bothered to check a dictionary, she would know better than to put her heritage down like that. On the flip side, there are many phrases in Chinese that would never ever have a suitable English equivalent.

As an ending to her interview, she mentioned: "sometimes I get affected when I read bad reviews, where they say everything I say is bullshit and I'm completely crazy and have no self-esteem." The bad reviews are completely right, except for the part about the "no self-esteem". She has too much of it.

Well, for me, as an ending, it's good to report that she has realized the folly of her past and ended that chapter of life on Annabel Chong. At least there's hope for Grace Quek yet, though not so for Annabel Chong.

Rising Cases of Teen Delinquency: The Cause

2007-05-18T18:19:00.001+08:00

Singapore is facing a worrying rise in cases of teen delinquency cases; teenage pregnancies, underage smoking, drinking, "happy slapping", bullying etc. I've never been able to figure the cause of this rise, but most unfortunately, today I have.

My HDB block's void deck is the common meeting locale for young secondary school children of the neighborhood to gather for all sorts of activities, usually smoking, gambling and drinking. Today, I decided that something needs to be done about these children, so I called the corresponding school up to inform them of the situation. To my shock and consternation, the first response I received from the person on the line, presumably a discipline master, was to call the police. Maybe I was brought up sheltered or something, but I doubt that, since I came from a neighborhood primary school as well, and we had such incidents in our school back then as well. I was taught that the school is supposed to be your second home and your educators halfway your parents. Would a parent ask a bystander to call the police immediately upon their wayward children without prior warning or counselling? I don't know. In my state of shock, I asked if it wasn't a situation that the school should be handling first and foremost, but a bigger shock awaited. The response? "It's (the void deck that the children were gathering at) is too far away. Call the police." I know my neighborhood well enough to say that this void deck is not 15 minutes away on foot from the school and less than 5 minutes by car or bus.

Absolute shock and disappointment at the callousness of the educator's ethics and attitude towards student guidance. If all educators were like him, there's hardly any surprise that our children's morals and behavior are on a fast forward track in its decline.

Just as a follow-up to this. The children are still are the void deck, happily gambling and smoking away.

The thing about humans...

2007-04-29T23:45:00.000+08:00

Humans are fallible and imperfect, that's the way we (yes, I'm human too, though some people obviously don't believe I am so, judging by the way they treat me) are and would most probably always be. Authors of science fiction can fantasize all they want about a perfect race in the future, but the truth is, it's impossible. Even the technology we create are often full of glitches, simply because the creators are so too.

The thing about humans that makes us so imperfect can be summarized simply into human behavior and beliefs (beliefs not in the form of religion, but principles that govern our behavior). What we tell others, what we tell ourselves, what we truly believe and what we actually do are often not congruous. This, I believe, is the key point of what makes us, for the lack of a better word, human.

Take for example a recent experience I had. Not to go into all the sordid details of what happened, I had a major disagreement with a group project mate over what constitutes good project mate behavior. Her argument, in my interpretation of all its condemnations, was that I should act friendly and interact them with more, that I was being too obvious with my dislike of them. However, I do not agree with her, because I do not condone hypocrisy in myself, and likewise, others. While I may not like them very much, I was civil and polite, and as accomodating as I possibly could be in the face of their failings. No, I'm not trying to sound like a saint, because I freely admit to my own failings as well. I'm not tolerant enough of them and my standard of expectations for them (and myself) is often too high. As my peers and doctor later advised me, it is best not to expect so much out of others and myself. But I digress. The whole point of the argument and what it brings to mind about the issue I'm discussing is that; while the project mate insisted that it would be better a project mate and social behavior to be a hypocrite (that's literally her words), she was being sarcastic because she doesn't believe her actions to be hypocritical. (Pretense to like and act all smarmy with people you actually don't like isn't hypocrisy[1]? Then I don't know of a better word to call it.)

The thing about her, using the list of my key point, is that: she tells others to be hypocritical because she thinks it is productive in social relations and she tells herself that it isn't hypocritical behavior probably because she doesn't understand the meaning of hypocrisy. She "probably" knows deep inside herself she was being a hypocrite, just that she refuses to admit it consciously and the melding of all these resulted in her actions towards me and others (she said the other girl in the group was the prettiest girl she has ever seen, but to be fair, the other girl was only average in looks and she is, in my opinion, prettier than the other girl).

That was just one example. Personally, I always tell myself and others that I try to live by a code of conduct that is both fair to others and myself, however, thinking about it, what I probably truly believe in is that there's no true fairness and equality in this world and I still judge others unfairly even as I remind myself to be fair to others.

Still, even if that I claim what we think and do is different, we should still try as much as possible to consciously congrue them. If we fail to even live by the basic morals and principles that we set for ourselves, humans can only degrade further in our imperfection and be that much further in our quest for perfection. Sounds dramatic? Hardly.

Endnote:
[1] Definition of hypocrisy from Dictionary.com:
· a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.
· The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

Female Empowerment in a Tokyo Host Club?

2007-04-28T13:24:00.000+08:00

Introduction
The turn of century brought about an economic shift, followed by an ideological shift, leading to the prevalence of the host clubs subculture nowadays in Japan. Host clubs were virtually unheard of until the recent years, where media attention paved the way for the swiftly gaining popularity subculture. There are an estimated 200 host clubs in the Kabuki-chō district in Tokyo alone (Takeyama, 2005), and there are other, similar, flourishing grounds in Osaka and Nagoya.

In Japan, hierarchy is still an integral part of the people’s lives, and this contributes to the importance of appearance of social status to the Japanese. Hence, their consumer culture is targeted at the extremes of brand names: the expensive and the exclusive (Ardnt, 2003; Bardsley and Hirakawa, 2005) and this culture is largely supported by women who have large disposable incomes (Friedman, 1992). Therefore, it is hardly any wonder that the host clubs are flourishing despite the current decline of the Japanese economy, and as Takeyama says, host clubs are an “example of Japan’s fad-driven consumer culture”.

These host clubs train hundreds of applicants[1] before finally selecting a rare outstanding few to become actual hosts of their clubs. The hosts are trained in the art of seduction and about the female psyche (Takeyama, 2006), which enables them to eventually gain control from their clients and manipulate them.

Outward Signs of Female Empowerment
A single client can be attended by up to six or seven hosts in a single night, namely her chosen favorite host and a group of “helper” hosts, unless she is a newcomer[2]. The service of a single woman by several handsome men who compliments and fawns over her every move and gesture can be described as a parallel to a harem. Like the practice in any harem, the one in position of power, in this case, the female client; chooses her companions out of a whole selection of candidates and any of the chosen may lose his favored status at anytime. As it is usually men who have harems, this practice is a clear sign of position of power for the female client. In addition, it is usually men who approach women to initiate dating, but this is reversed in the clubs, as the clients approach their hosts and request for dates outside of club hours. As such, women transgress traditionally accepted social norms of gender behavior, blatantly challenging it, and empowering themselves.

These host clubs offer customized services[3], tailored perfectly to suit the individual needs of each and every client. The hosts also pay special attention to their clients’ physical appearances and offer up compliments, boosting the self-confidence of their customers, especially the married ones, whose husbands seldom notice any outward changes in them. In a male-dominated society like Japan, where women are often designated background roles and are overlooked by their male counterparts (Iwao, 1992), this could be said as an empowerment for the Japanese women, as the hosts make conscious efforts to take notice of them and put them in a position of priority and status, something she could never get outside of the clubs.

The clients, like any other customer, reserve the right to end their patronage of the clubs if so displeased. Some women, attending such clubs for thrills and adventure, find it lacking and never returned to the clubs again, despite the glitter and frills of the lurescast by the hosts[4]. It is a significant exercise of freedom of choice by the women and is unfettered by the confines of gender norms.

The lavish spending women indulge in at the clubs clearly reflects their status in Japan as major players in terms of consumer culture (Cullen, 2002; Takeyama, 2005; Wright). As Friedman suggested, many Japanese women view marriage as an inevitable hurdle they must go through in life, marking the end of their independence and freedom, so they tend to enjoy it the best they can through shopping, traveling and other forms of entertainment. In this way, it is also possible that the women are making use of the hosts as a form of fantasy escapade, where they can make their lives more endurable and woman-friendly. Furthermore, this could also present an opportunity for women to thumb their noses at the “geisha club” (Takeyama, 2005) and mizu shōbai catering to men.

Analysis of the Empowerment: Fact or Facade?
Yet, despite all the outward signs of female dominance and empowerment in this game of “commodified romance” (Takeyama, 2005), females rarely come out the winner. Often, they suffer financially and emotionally, sometimes even morally. Analysts of this subculture have all converged on one idea: women are not seeking sex, but romance when going to the host clubs. While it is possible for men to seek sexual gratification without love, the reverse is seldom true for women (Takeyama, 2005).

The art of seduction that the hosts learn allows them to slowly subvert the power from the female client to themselves, as they initially act subservient and do everything they can to secure the affections of that client. The host manipulates his clients’ emotions to the extent where they would provide whatever the host demands of them. Many of such women claim to lavish gifts and spend freely at the clubs out of their own free will, however, the truth is, there is no real freedom of choice, for their emotions are being manipulated by the host (Takeyama, 2006). These women are captives and victims of their own feelings, ingeniously exploited by the host.

Some of these women state their reasons for their monetary contribution to their hosts[5] as being a form of expression of her own success. Japanese women are generally unable to “express [their] value as a woman, or professionally” (Takeyama, 2005; Iwao, 1992), and for these host clubs regulars, they seek an alternative way of expressing their self worth, for their men’s success seems to imply their own success. This clearly shows a deep-rooted gender ideology within the Japanese woman’s psyche that they are unable to reject; and to them, only men’s successes matter, and women’s success can only be measured by the success of the men they support, instead of through their own work.

There is probably a subconscious desire in these frequenters of the host clubs to relinquish control over to men, namely the hosts. A veteran host, Nishimura, frequently receives dozens of mobile phone messages daily from his regulars[6], asking him for advice with regards to their own lives. This communicates their clear desire to him for him to assume control, whether they realize it or not. As such, the presence of host clubs is clearly not an empowerment, paradoxically; it is an enforcement of gender roles within Japan. Women who frequent host clubs are usually the ones whom are neglected by their husbands, whom are so indifferent to them to the point that these women feel they are not being controlled enough and need to seek out alternative sources of control over themselves.

The clubs often use a relatively low first-time fee to lure in newcomers (Cullen, 2002) and from there, seduce her to continuously return, with increasing tabs[7] for the subsequent visits, and many women eventually find themselves in severe debt from frequenting the host clubs. There are many cases in which the host club regulars turn to plying the sex industry in order to pay off the debts and continue supporting their favored hosts, whom they believe to be their “boyfriends” (Takeyama, 2005; Cullen, 2002; McCurry, 2004). These women often end up having the hosts dump them as soon they become impoverished[8] and are unable to pay for the company of the hosts anymore. Such a display of blatant emotional abuse by the hosts of the women shows that men are the truly empowered ones in the arrangement.

The existence of host clubs in patriarchal Japan could, on the surface, signify a step forward for women in the power scale between men and women. Superficially, it seems that women weld ultimate power in the economics of existence of the host clubs; however, further analysis of this host club phenomenon strips away the thin layer of facade to reveal a paradoxical truth. When the women are using money to ensure romantic and dedicated services from the male hosts, they seem to desire female empowerment; but in actuality, they subconsciously deviate towards surrendering to traditional gender norms and enforcing its existence within the Japanese society. The empowerment is, thus, but a beautiful illusion and fantasy, much like the host clubs themselves.

Footnotes:
[1] The potential hosts undergo rigorous courses of how to bow, serve, dress and conduct themselves, in order to provide highly individualized and attentive care to their female clients.
[2] Newcomers are greeted by the entire staff, from which she chooses her desired companions for the night.
[3] Customized services include linen napkins to place over the laps of clients who wear short skirts to ensure her modesty, and waiting for them outside the ladies’ room with a hot hand towel (Takeyama, 2005). While all these could be read as general signs of chivalry in Western culture, the idea of subservient males attending to females is virtually unheard of in a male-dominated society like Japan. And this is precisely the marketing point of the host clubs, where they play on the chivalrous, gentlemanly characteristics absent from the general male populace in Japan, and the clients willingly pay the price for such services (Cullen, 2002). Such services could never thrive in a Western culture, for chivalry is taught as a virtue and provided freely.
[4] Ryu, a veteran host, admitted, “Hosts can only seduce women who are willingly seduced, for whatever reason. Women who are not interested in [romance] are not seduced no matter what we do” (Takeyama, 2006), indicating that the women are in control as long as they do not fall for the lure cast by the hosts.
[5] Hosts are socially ranked in the clubs at which they work by their income from their clientele. The more his clients pay per visit, the higher his ranking in the club as a top veteran host.
[6] The messages range from “declarations of love to a request for advice over a possible job change”.
[7] The companionship and food do not come cheap, and the client is required to pay for the time of the hosts accompanying her, as well as all the food and beverages they consume at that table, even if she does not consume anything herself and it is possible for bills in a single night to run upscale in the thousands.
[8] Nakamura Usagi, a writer, is reputed to have spent close to 15 million yen at such clubs when she fell in love with one of the hosts(Kadri, 2003 , Takeyama, 2005; Bardsley and Hirakawa, 2005). She claims to have been disillusioned by the whole experience and is now married to a gay whom she met in a gay bar (Bardsley and Hirakawa, 2005).

The future of robots and humans

2007-04-28T12:49:00.000+08:00

Technology is advancing at such a fast pace that it probably won't be long before the techno-giant, Japan, perfects and produces a perfect replica of a human in synthetics, i.e. a robot. Yet, like cloning, the issue of producing a totally human-like robot has been a source of much discourse since the dawn of the millenia, with many films such as Terminator, IRobot, A.I. and much much more, shedding light on an unspoken fear of a future with robots deeply intertwined in the lives of humans. Much of the discourse centres around the intelligence of the robots, their capabilities, the autonomy of will , and their emotions.

Recently, I bought and watched a Japanese anime, Chobits, which features exactly all these fears and discourse. In the anime, a boy moves from his rural home to Tokyo to enter preparatory school. The story is set in a parallel time to existing modernity, with all artifacts and characteristics of life similar to now, except that computers are in humanoid forms instead of the current boxy shape. He, being too poor to afford the price tag on the persocoms (which refers to the humanoid robots/computers), finds one in a trash area. He starts her up and eventually, through many experiences and much time, falls in love with her. Ordinarily, persocoms are devoid of emotions and free will, much like the standard PC that we have now, but the persocom that the protagonist picks up is special, capable of exercising free will and experiencing emotions like happiness, pain and love. The persocom, named Chi, falls in love with her owner too, even before he was able to come to terms with his own feelings with a persocom.

There are several key points to note about this anime. The anime theme of romance between a robot and human transcends and challenges existing notions that it is impossible to have a future with robots and it brings to mind questions about the value of programming robots to have emotions, if it were possible to do so. Further, the author deliberately names the humanoid computers as persocoms, which could mean "personal computer" or "person computer", depending on how you interpret it. Are persocoms, or robots in general, just so simply a computer, or is there more to it? Throughout the story, the author often has the characters (and the audience) question the value of persocom-human relationships, often sidelining them in comparison with human-human relationships. Eventually, my interpretation of what the author ultimately wants to say is this: it doesn't matter who or what your beloved is, it doesn't matter what s/he can or cannot do; because, ideally, love is unconditional.

Even though the ultimate subtext the author wishes to bring forth is that of romantic idealism, the anime still uncovers and unravels much of the discourse about robot-human relationships, putting it, instead, in a positive light that sets it apart from the existing literature and cultural media on it.

Should we arrest the intelligence and autonomy of will of robots to prevent them from taking over the world? Should we spare them from the weakness and vulnerabilities of experiencing human emotions? Are robots better than humans or vice versa? You decide after watching Chobits.

Genesis? Must be a male thing.

2006-11-14T04:18:00.001+08:00

Disclaimer:
Genesis is a simply too abstract and complex and is beyond my understanding, so pardon my ignorance while I ask the following questions about Genesis.

Since everything in the Universe is created in 7 days, and were created by God, then who created God?

Since Jesus is the Son of God, then why is Mother Mary known only as the Blessed Mary and not the wife of God or simply Goddess?

If we accept modern science of XX and XY chromosomes as true, then where does the Y chromosome in Jesus come from if Mother Mary was a virgin?

Since Genesis is a fact and Evolution a fiction, and God can create all diversity and all amounts of life in the Universe, then why did he create only Adam and Eve? Two single humans in a vast universe of life?

Following the above question, if God can create humans in any amount, then why did he create Eve? Surely then, Eve is redundant, as seen that she was created from the extra rib of Adam.

If God had never intended for Adam and Eve to partake from the Tree of Knowledge and for them to learn about sexual reproduction, then why did he create genitalia, Eve and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge?

If God had intended for Adam and Eve to partake from the Tree of Knowledge, then does that mean that he was the serpent in disguise?

Also, if God had intended for Adam and Eve to partake from the Tree of Knowledge, then why were Adam and Eve punished, with Eve being punished more severely than Adam?

Following the thought about punishment, I've been taught that God was a benevolent, all-forgiving God, but why does he then mete out punishments?

Since God was all-benevolent and forgives all sins, then why do non-followers of Jesus' teachings have to be denied entrance to Heaven and sent to Hell?

Further on, I've heard a story about how God created the three colors of Man: white, brown and black. It was said that God created the first image of himself and baked it in an oven, but hadn't left it in there for long enough. Henceforth the first figurine became the underbaked White (Caucasians) man. He then created a second image of himself and overcooked the figurine to become the Black (Negros, Africans, Indians) man. Finally, he finished a third figurine and timed it nicely such that it came out a beautiful tanned brown, which became our modern Brown (Middle Easterners, Asians) man.

Refering to the above story:
If God was the supreme creator, surely he wouldn't make mistakes such as undercooking or overcooking his creations?
If God had deliberately made the color distinctions, then why is the supposed preferred image of himself, the Middle Easterners and the Asians, discriminated against by the White Man, which is supposedly the less preferred?
If God had deliberately made the color distinctions and meant for all three to be equal, then why do race discriminations exist?

Anime Reviews

2006-11-08T19:18:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: Personal opinions. You don't have to agree with me.

Here are some reviews about the Japanese animation that I've seen so far.

Fushigi Yugi (sometimes also spelt Fushigi Yuugi), translates to Mysterious Game/Play
52 episodes, followed by the OVA
Genre: Love-Romance, Magic, Fantasy, Action, Comedy
Author: Watase Yuu

Short Description:
Two best friends found an old book in the forbidden section of the National Library, entitled Universe of the Four Gods. When they started reading the book, both girls were transported to a magical world resembling ancient Imperial China. By an odd twist of events, the two best friends were converted into bitter rival Priestesses, racing to summon their respective Beast-Gods, who would grant them their wishes. Eventually, their journey brought them, together with characters from the book, back into the real world, where their conflict has devastating effects on the world that they are familiar with.

Main Characters:
Priestesses
Miaka Yuki (Me-ya-car You-key): Priestess of Suzaku (Sue-za-coo)
Yui Hongo (You-we Hong-go): Priestess of Seiryu (Sey-ree-you)

Celestial Warriors of Suzaku:
Tamahome (Ta-ma-hoe-may)
Nuriko (Nu-ree-co)
Tasuki (Task-key)
Hotohori (Ho-toe-hoe-ree)
Chichiri (Chee (Cheek without the k sound)-Chee-ree)
Mitsukake (Meet-sue-car-kay) - has a cat named Tama (Ta-ma)
Chiriko (Chee-ree-co)

Celestial Warriors of Seiryu:
Nakago (Nah-ca-go)
Soi (Soil)
Amiboshi (army-bow(bow and arrow)-she)
Suboshi (sue-bow-she)
Tomo (Toe-mole)
Ashitare (Ah-she-tar-ray)
Miboshi (Me-bow-she)

Review:
This is an intense story with an incredible plot, with friendship, love and desire, ambition, loyalty all woven in tightly in the fabric of the story. While the story spirals between lighthearted moments and on-the-edge-of-your-seat ones, it never loses its sense of humor.

While the overall plot can be summarized simplistically into one that is about good triumphing over evil, but that is an understatement. It would be likened to saying that a tsunami is a wave. The plot weaves in so many plot turns and twists, with complications thrown in and new characters introduced, eventually all that you want to do is to go with the flow of the story, where ever it might take you. Even though the ending was pretty much clear-cut, I think this animation teaches us that it is not the result that matters, but the process of getting it. Had the result remained the same, but the circumstance of getting to it changed, I believe that the impact of the entire story would be different.

Parallel to the Harry Potter series of books, much-loved characters are sacrificed for noble causes along the way, which serves to strengthen our main character's resolve further for her quest ahead. It draws your feelings, be it sympathy or anger, and totally gets you involved in the anime. You're not just a neutral observer anymore, you're as much a part of the story as the characters themselves. This is probably what the author wants you to realize as well, through her parallel of the transportation of the two ordinary school girls into a magical fantasy world.

I especially liked the puppy-love romance that went on between Tamahome and Miaka. Their love is an epitome of sweet and innocent love that goes on between young adolescents, something so rare in our real world nowadays. Another lovable factor about this anime is its sense of humor. It's so quaint and in-your-face about it. Totally cracks me up.

The animation is colorful, cheerful with an innocent quality about the characters, unlike many of the other romance based anime, which tend to be slightly ecchi (eh-chi: perverted).

This is an anime that you definitely must buy.
*****

Maburaho (Mar-boo-rah-hoe), currently no English title available
18 episodes
Genre: Magic, Harem, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Author: Toshihiko Tsukiji

Short Description:
Shikimori Kazuki (She-key-more-ree Car-zoo-key) is a student at Aoi Academy, an elite school for magicians. As respect and ability was gauged by the number of times in which one can use their magical powers, Kazuki was ranked at the bottom of the entire school, since he can only use his magic eight times, while his fellow schoolmates had theirs in the range of thousands or hundreds of thousands. Despite the low numbers of times in which Kazuki can use his magic, the power of his spells were incredible: he had the power to crack the planet into halves if he wanted to. But these were not revealed to him until much later, and by then, he had already developed a low self-esteem and was a very resigned young man. Soon, his family lineage of powerful sorcerers were made public knowledge, and 3 girls were sent to marry him and obtain his genes for their families. His genes had the potential producing a child with incredibly strong magical powers, which could bring honor to the girls' respective families. But as the girls began to get involved in all aspects of his life, they gradually fell in love with his sweet and selfless nature. Eventually, Kazuki used up his magical charges and turned to dust, remaining behind only as a ghost. But even then, the three girls stayed by his side, endeavoring to return him to his original human state.

Main Characters:
Shikimori Kazuki
Miyama Yuuna (Mee-yah-ma You-nah)
Kazetsubaki Kuriko (Car-zet-sue-bar-key Coo-ree-co)
Kamishiro Rin (Car-mee-she-roe Ree-in)
Chihaya Yamase (Chee-ha-yah Yar-ma-seh)
Akai Haruaki (Ah-kai Ha-roo-ah-key)
Akai Shino (Ah-kai Shin-no)
Elizabeth (pronounced Eh-li-za-bear-to)
Karei Hirosaki (Car-ray Hero-sar-key)
Nakamaru (Nar-car-mar-rue)

Review:
Similar to Fushigi Yugi, this is an extremely funny anime about an "ordinary" school boy suddenly being harassed to no end by three strong-willed young ladies. He appears to be stretching the limits of male decency and propriety through his modest behaviour, while the girls stretch the opposite ends of propriety by being bold and brazen.

The plot line is pretty straightforward: guy has this number of charges, he uses them up for the girls in his life, turns to dust, returns as a ghost then is restored as a human. However, the way he behaves and his attitudes towards those girls, no matter how poorly they treat him, endears the observer to him. While he may be depressed and possesses an unimaginably low self-confidence most of the time, I would definitely prefer him over many other chauvinist, overbearing and horny males portrayed in the anime and in real life as well. Kazuki represents the idealized man, perhaps not to many others who have watched this anime (judging by their poor reviews), where he is humble, shy, patient, empathetic and gentlemanly (the list can go on forever).

However, the character development took a sudden 180 degrees turn for Miyama Yuuna, the girl who is constantly claiming to be Kazuki's wife, when Kazuki turns into a ghost. While Yuuna had been sweet, ditzy, childish and slightly possessive in the first half of the anime, she suddenly morphs into this psychotically possessive girl in the second half. It may be good for a few laughs initially, but it wears thin pretty quickly and you'd soon be wishing that Kazuki had left her for the dead instead of using his remaining charges of magic to save her life. Personally, I'd think she should show a greater extent of gratitude and infinitely better treatment towards Kazuki since he saved her life, but it sure doesn't seem to be the case. This is probably why there are so many negative reviews floating about on Maburaho.

Many of the reviews I read seemed pretty confused about what they want to advocate. They claim it is a poor story, with lousy character development and simplistic plot, yet they recommend for you to buy it.

I'd say this simply, if you like a lighthearted romance-comedy anime, Maburaho is the thing for you, just fast-forward over all the annoying Yuuna-tantrums.
****

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, English title of Rumbling Hearts
14 episodes
Genre: Romance (Mature themes), Drama
Author: N/A

Short Description:
Two best friends, Haruka Suzumiya and Mitsuki Hayase, were introduced to Takayuki Narumi and both girls fall in love with him. While Hayase only realized it much later, Haruka had already started dating Takayuki, even though Takayuki had started dating her only out of sympathy. Eventually he develops affectionate feelings for Haruka and while on the way to meet her one date, he was delayed by Hayase and Haruka became the victim of a serious accident which left her in a coma. Three years later, Haruka awakens, unaware of the passage of time and still thinking that Takayuki was her boyfriend. In that three years, Takayuki had fallen into depression by strong guilt that he had indirectly caused Haruka's accident by being late for the date and was only relieved from the depression when Hayase professed her love for him and began an amorous relationship with him. When Haruka woke up, he was torn between having to make a choice between responsibility and his emotions, eventually breaking the hearts of both girls before coming to a decision.

Main Characters:
Takayuki Narumi (Tar-car-you-key Nar-rue-me)
Haruka Suzumiya (Har-rue-car Sue-zoo-me-yah)
Mitsuki Hayase (Meet-sue-key Ha-yar-say)
Akane Suzumiya (Ar-car-nay Sue-zoo-me-yah)

Review:
I'd be forthcoming about this anime. It is a total flop. Unless you like watching a good-for-nothing, wishy-washy school dropout waver between choosing among the two girls, the anime totally hits the dirt.

My only strong impression of the anime is that Takayuki keeps wavering back and forth between the two girls. He just cannot seem to decide which girl he really likes and which girl he feels responsibility towards. The expressions, behaviours and attitudes of Takayuki just project a single image: confused. He doesn't know who he loves and he wants the best of both worlds. It's extremely tiresome to watch him break the hearts of both girls, both of whom, in their own ways, have sacrificed their lives for him. Hayase abandons her bright future as a professional swimmer and turns school dropout to support him through his depression, while Haruka gets into a coma because he just couldn't seem to make it to dates on time. My personal preference had been Haruka, but he eventually chose Hayase instead, perhaps deciding that she had sacrificed more for him.

I've only one word to describe his judgement, him as a person and the anime overall: pathetic.
*

Supermen? We, Superladies, don't need them

2006-06-26T03:25:00.000+08:00

While watching an hour long drama serial on television, I noticed that I had probably seen the trailer for the latest movie, Superman Returns, about ten times. My response? It's a nuisance.

These few years has seen a widespread surge in the production of movies starring Marvel comic characters, such as Spiderman, the Hulk and Superman. This blog is inspired by an article which similarly points out that ladies of the 21st century has little or no interest in a muscled bound male in red spandex underwear worn on the outside of his skintight suit (what horrid dress sense, by the way). Personally, I'd have more interest in a bespectacled, tall and slightly built male who has a keen sense of sensitivity to my emotions and moods than one who has a keen sense of need for saving the world.

Females have endured ages of abuse, domination and contempt by their male counterparts (the yang looking down upon the yin), and have survived through countless persecutions exceeding horrors that the Holocaust can provide. Think burning at the stakes for witchcraft during the middle ages, the torture and sexual abuse females have had throughout history ever since some chauvinist male introduced the idea that females were inferior to males. After living through all these Dark Ages, the dawn of the new millenium has spawned an army of iron ladies who are mentally and emotionally stronger than males of today. Many females today now balance managing work and family at the same time, succeeding in both, hence abolishing the idea forever that the breadwinner does not have time to manage the household. To say that working prevents one from having time to manage the family, is a totally feeble and lame attempt to escape responsibilities of familyhood. You will have time if you choose to make time for it.

Indeed, many females have become so independent of males that it is the yang that is feeling needy of the yin now. While I cannot tolerate abuse of females, I can totally empathize with males' need to dominate females. They feel the need to dominate females because they have a desperate need to keep their female counterparts by their side to manage their lives for them, and domination is the only macho solution available to them.

Superman saving the world? What a joke. He wouldn't exist without his mother and he wouldn't have the strength to lift cars and airplanes without his girlfriend snuggled against his side. Stand aside, Superman, for the Superladies of today.

Blame the Young for Being Apathetic?

2006-06-04T11:02:00.000+08:00

Lately, we've just had a Governmental General Election, and because of that, the issue that has been of growing concerns in the recent years came up for debating again. Youngsters nowadays are being accused of greater apathy towards social, political and economic issues, not without reason too. But are the young really at fault for the way they behave? Are the usual stated factors of greater affluence, times of peace and lack of experience of hardships really enough to explain this phenomena?

Consider this, I've often met outspoken, fiery teenagers, from other countries, whom are well informed of their country's every issue and have plenty of good suggestions on what can be done to improve the situation while playing MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role playing games, which, by the way, also proves that, contrary to being a waste of time, playing still allows you to learn if you are apt to learn). So why is it not the case in my country?
From here on, I am going to touch on a few highly sensitive issues, so if you wish not to hear them, please do not read on.

Parents are first and foremost the cause of apathy among the young. Parents of the current generation of youngsters were in the transitional stage where they have experience of some hardships but had the chance for education such that they can enjoy a wealthy and luxurious lifestyle now. It is also highly unfortunate that these generation of adults also went through a phase of highly unstable governments during their teenage years and early adulthood, which enforced upon them an unshakeable notion that it is better not to interfere in anything to stay unnoticed and alive. In the past, riots and fights started from mere disagreements, ending up in hundreds injured and massive cost of property. People would get dragged off for torture or questioning for even speaking out against the authorities. In the light of such events, I empathize and totally understand the development of the survival instinct of the tortoise. Hide and stay hidden. These same people have therefore inculcated their survival instinct into their children, drilling it into them day after day, even more effective than the most rigorous types of brainwashing anyone else can provide. But as we move on to the new era of fast paced times, where our education now allows us to duel with words rather than fists, the ability to speak well becomes of utmost importance. Inability to express your opinions, due to lack of chance to do so and the fear of offence, would only portray locals as being not well educated enough or being insufficiently proactive, regardless of your paper credentials.

The generation of teenagers nowadays are being stressed left, right and center. While the government on one hand, wishes for greater participation and concern in political and social issues by the youngsters, their parents admonishes them not to get involved in anything that would draw unwanted attention to themselves. The media on the other hand, criticises youngsters for being too apathetic, but is unable or unwilling to point out the real truth behind as to the reason why or come up with any real workable solutions.

Furthermore, I believe that the inability to speak openly about the sensitive issue, that parents are teaching their children wrong from day one, is making the situation worse. No one likes to be told that they are messing up their children's lives by teaching them what they thought was best for their children (I can tell you, my parents definitely wouldn't like it). While parents always have the best interests of their children at heart, they're somewhat too rigid to changes anymore as adults and are unable to recognize that the survival skills of old is now outdated and would only serve to hold their children back once their children enters adulthood and the working life.

I am unable to provide any effective solution to this problem of apathy as well, since my only suggestion is to reeducate all parents about inculcating the wrong idea to their children (which I highly doubt is feasible or workable), so my only conclusion to this is to plead for the case of the poor misunderstood teenagers. Stop blaming us (since I'm a teenager as well) for faults that are not solely ours and stop giving pressure from either sides to be this or that way. Let us decide our own destiny and take our own falls without adults being behind us all the time with a cushion.

Euthanasia: Animals vs Humans

2006-06-04T06:17:00.000+08:00

Euthanasia is an undisputedly controversial topic among all of us. Pro-lifers and pro-choicers alike have been at each other's throats at this for all time. But is it really as controversial and widely debated about as we think it is?
Lately, my beloved pet dog is suffering from cornea ulcer, a terrible condition to be in. Perhaps contact lens users would be more familiar with this term, with regards to the recent Renu contact lens solution incident. In any case, my pet has to undergo surgery, moderately expensive, SGD 350, with no guarantee of full recovery. Upon hearing the cost, my father immediately suggested putting her to sleep (for a lack of better phrase, kill her in the excuse of relieving her pain). While my father may have thought it the best solution, I somehow feel he was more motivated by the idea of the cost than actual concern of the welfare of my pet. I'm not completely against euthanasia of any form, humans or animals, but I believe both types of euthanasia should be subjected to tight scrutiny and discussion till all available choices have been exhausted before choosing that path.
Consider a human in the terminal stages of cancer, where he has probably no chance of recovery again. If a doctor should ever suggest euthanasia for the poor suffering patient, I can probably guarantee the doctor to lose his popularity with all his patients and eventually be out of work. I've ever worked in a hospital part time to observe the workings of nurses, while at the same time being able to converse with the patients. At that time, it so happens I was posted to an oncology(cancer) cum ICU ward, where many of the patients in the ward are suffering in various stages of cancer. Never in my time while working there, have I witnessed a doctor or nurse suggesting euthanasia to the patient's family, just because he or she is no longer responding to medicine and may be passing away soon. So while humans are entitled to the best of care and most advanced of treatment even near death, animals are not?
I believe both humans and animals suffer just as much in illness and both are entitled to the best and most advanced treatment we can provide them with, regardless of cost. Animal lives are not any less important than human ones, so we should not ever give up on them so quickly. If I should give up on my pet and put her to sleep just because she suffers from a chronic illness, then how can I expect my own children to have to bear the burden of taking care of me in the future when I should suffer from chronic illnesses too?
From what I understand, humans have much longer lifespans and consume medicines costing more by a large margin from animals. If we consider giving up on our pets because of cost, shouldn't we also start putting to sleep the older generation of humans, whom mostly suffer from chronic illnesses and consume a large portion of tax dollars yearly to subsidise their medical fees, while being unable to contribute to tax? I'm certainly not suggesting this, because it is probably the most moronic and inhumane thing anyone could ever do, but I hope pet owners out there could see the comparison I've made and do not euthanise your pets until you have no further choice. Only ever choose that option if there's really no more cure and if it'd end their pain that much sooner.
STOP EUTHANASIA IN ITS TRACKS. LOVE YOUR PETS UNCONDITIONALLY THEY WAY THEY LOVE YOU.
I pray for the swift and full recovery of my beloved pet.