#the creation of japanese internments camps

[headfullmanythots]

the way the rage and desperation sets in so quickly for the soldiers in the pacific is so interesting to me. barely 3/4 of the way into the first episode they’re already exhausted, dirty, and angry. it’s such a stark contrast to mota and bob, where we see more melancholy or determination. can’t help but wonder if the intense onset of rage is somewhat contributed to by racism that makes it easier to be so careless about human life if the enemy is considered so other?

but also, i think the contrast in the attitudes of the soldiers in the pacific vs bob/mota speaks to the differences between the european and pacific theatres of ww2. i’ve read that the two fronts were almost entirely different wars, and that soldiers returning from each front could hardly relate to each other in the aftermath

[commajade]

blowback podcast connected something for me that i hadn't considered before. i'm very interested in the 1937 mass deportation of korean people from russia to central asia, i've researched it and written a play about it but i never connected it to the US and the 1942 japanese internment camps.

stalin claimed that it was because korean people may secretly be working with the japanese and it's too difficult to tell by looking who is secretly a japanese spy or not. this is plainly racist and hundreds of people died in the inhumane transport of people packed in cattle cars while starving or freezing to death for weeks. at the time, many korean revolutionaries that had been joining and climbing the ranks of the ussr. many korean revolutionaries were known to be be hardworking and not fear death or harsh conditions, as well as being well-read in marxist theory and morally principled. there was definitely a racial unease that came from foreigners that look similar to the japanese becoming so powerful in the ussr power structure so quickly, in only a couple decades. but all of these people were removed from power and exiled to uzbekistan or kazakhstan or other countries in the area and told to start farm communes on barren soil that had never been used for agriculture before during a cold winter. and some of these korean communes were miraculously successful and then used in ussr propaganda to show the unity among the many nations absorbed into the ussr. there is still a sizeable korean population in central asia called koryeo-saram.

the world powers were in close communication at this time and the US was definitely influenced by the ussr's treatment of korean people in the creation of japanese internet camps. it's the exact same process of rounding up japanese and some korean people regardless of their alliance to imperial japan and keeping them enclosed to one area in poor conditions for generations.

like the podcast points out, this connection rly strongly disproves the idea that the ussr and dprk have a master-slave relationship or that the people of the dprk are brainwashed puppets completely controlled by the greater and evil white power. the leaders of the dprk are not mindless evil, they were strategically skilled and morally principled communists that distrusted the ussr because of stalin's treatment of korean people in russia but nonetheless used their structures of politics and education as a foundation in creating their own sovereign korean communist state. the podcast points out that it's like the older relationship with china, korea didn't necessarily like china but they were the nearby powerful civilization that you have to take cues from when you are a small nation in their part of the world. the ussr was not that deeply involved in the formation of the nation of the dprk and certainly not controlling its leaders, it was simply an ally the dprk took as a model on a selective basis and a power they had to contend with. and had a certain gratitude for because they were the ones that militarily liberated the peninsula. there were not that many soviet advisors in the dprk, initially 200 and later 30. the korean people of the dprk were not subjugated under the ussr.

this connection also rly showcases the idea of an allied global whiteness forming as the world wars connect all parts of the globe. while i do not agree with the capitalist imperial propaganda that stalin was an evil villain comparable to hitler and mussolini and see the need to resist the historical revisionism about him, the way white communists revere him is also morally incorrect and not suitable to proper ideology.

[luvisia]

Can we know more about Ema please. Like her backstory, opinions on the prime assets and Easterman, how she ended up in the trials and anything else about her

first of all, thank you so much for your interest in her! i'm really enthusiastic about ema but i'm also a bit shy about sharing her to the world. i'm grateful for the opportunity, though, especially since i've given her much more thought since trials launched!

disclaimer: i have done research and read accounts based upon the themes i drew upon for ema's backstory, but i do not claim to know everything and contextualizing a fictional character with real history is something i am uncertain about despite the commentary outlast is known for. please reach out if there are improvements i can make.

backstory & recruitment to the trials:

ema was born in california to immigrant parents in the year 1936. her father was japanese and her mother was vietnamese, making the home in which she was raised an imperfect meeting between the cultures. both of her parents were farmers, but her father was also skilled in the art of ikebana, flower arrangement, and they sold these carefully crafted pieces at the market.

her parents were detained after the bombing of pearl harbor for resisting relocation to an internment camp. forcibly separated from her parents at the age of six, ema was sent alongside other children to an orphanage for the duration of the second world war.

her stay at the orphanage was traumatic. while she found community with those her age, the children were schooled on model citizenry and assimilated by way of religion and patriotism. ema was resistant to these ideas as she grew older and disciplined accordingly by harsh and prejudiced teachers. her documents were lost in the chaos that ensued after the internment camps closed, and she was shuffled around to a different foster home, where her situation was no better.

ema fled at the age of thirteen in search of her parents, but had no luck reuniting with them after returning to her childhood home, which had since been bought and sold. now a teenaged drifter, ema took to traveling between towns and picking up various work, sleeping on the road. she was arrested for vagrancy and served a short time in a women's prison, where she labored in a factory and discovered her aptitude for mechanics and engineering.

unfortunately, ema couldn't pursue her passion freely. her job at the time of her abduction by murkoff was the collection of scrap metals, which she would go about town sifting for and return to the local junkyard. she would typically conduct her business on bicycle, accompanied by the yard dog. the foreman of the scrapyard entertained her tinkering and creations, allowing her limited access to parts that were useless to the company.

she approached one of murkoff's charity outreach centers during a particularly brutal winter after she had returned home to find out she had been kicked out of her small apartment by her landlord and her few belongings were being sold off. desperate to lay her head down somewhere, and reservedly optimistic about their inclusive campaigning despite misgivings, she underwent a selection process and was aptitude tested by the clinic nurses. after she was selected from the slew of applicants, she was allowed to stay the night.

ema woke the same night to being dragged out of bed, a sack thrown over her head, tossed into the back of the rancid cattle car which eventually brought her to the sinyala black site.

opinions on the prime assets & easterman:

coyle disgusts ema more than he instills terror, and "dislike" isn't a strong enough word to convey her feelings about him. if she already harbored ill feelings towards authority, he amplifies them tenfold, especially for his maltreatment of others and racial remarks. she tends to get angrier the longer she has to deal with him, which puts her methodical and silent approach in jeopardy.

during her first trial, coyle murdered the two other reagent prospects she entered with in the underground parking lot. ema released roger, a reagent who had been abandoned to his mercy in a previous trial, who was being tortured in the jail. she escaped the police station and passed the trial with his help, which has impressed their memory on coyle. he still holds a grudge against them both, ema for being bold enough to steal his prisoner from under his nose and roger for his dishonorable discharge from the military.

mother gooseberry and futterman, however, strike fear into ema in a way she cannot quite articulate. their absurdity leaves little room for reason. likewise, associated environments do nothing to assuage old trauma that ema has not dealt with. she loathes the insinuation that she would harm orphans. she seems to narrowly avoid the pair at every turn like a mouse that keeps scurrying away from a trap. she prefers to avoid their gaze rather than meet it head on.

while gooseberry has only briefly made her acquaintance a time or two (one which involved ema waking up in a dental chair with a drill so many inches from her mouth), she eerily seems to regard ema and the other girl she has taken a romantic interest in, chantel, as the good apples in the rotten bushel of their usual cohorts (notably, all men). this happy coincidence is ultimately probably not for the best and ema greatly resents it.

she sees easterman as a far removed power who dictates her waking nightmares, and as someone who allows her to partake in gifts, but also as someone truly deserving of her spite. through the personal slips in his act, she finds him demented in his own way. and whilst sleeping, nightmares of the skinnerman are, unfortunately, not uncommon. she finds herself struggling to rest easy after trials. overall, ema takes a similar survival approach in the sleep room and tries to keep her head low regarding observation from the good doctor, his associates, and the project paperclip team.

extra details:

her preferred kit is the x-ray rig, used in tandem with her stealthy movements, tactical awareness and quick thinking. she keeps lockpicks on her person at all times. she tends to scout ahead for obstacles in her team of reagents and works best in a unit.

her experiences shaped her into a sharp, wraithlike person out of necessity, able to disappear without a trace, with a deep curiosity for knowledge and picking up new skills. ema is observant of others and always seems to be waiting for the next move someone makes so she can sidestep accordingly. although her lifestyle has taught her that being generous with her kindness is not always wise, she is still good at heart and tries her best to extend clemency to her fellow reagents by repairing their gear free of charge and teaching them skills.

she loves to read books, she enjoys taking things apart and putting them together, understanding how mechanisms work, and she harbors a soft spot for plants and green things, even keeping a potted plant in her sleep room cell later on.

dorris and noakes are her closest non-participant associates in the sleep room. while noakes maintains his excuse of emotional distance, he has slowly defrosted and warmed up to ema, allowing her to borrow his manuals and books to read, and she has had the rare reward of gleaning a few words about his family. dorris gave ema a rough time when she first arrived in the sleep room due to her youth, but has since grown to respect her discretion and shares her conspiracies and opinions in exchange for cigarettes and booze.

her closest reagent allies are roger, whom she became close with as a result of their meeting, regarding him somewhat like a father figure despite his ongoing problem with the bottle - chantel, a young woman about her age who sleeps in the cell beside hers but who is typically part of a different reagent team - and henri, a reserved russian reagent who began watching out for ema when she joined the fold and is learning some english from her (my friend's oc!) she isn't fond of andrey, a ruthless reagent who is often placed in her group and causes problems for everyone involved due to his selfishness. he often complains about ema being deadweight.

she cut off her hair after her first trial stained it in blood. nurse barlow shaped the crop into the pixie she now has. she usually dresses in a very gender neutral way, with button up shirts, loose pants and a worn, baggy leather jacket being her staples. she has been mistaken for a boy with the short hair, but doesn't care much.

speaking of gender and sexuality, she is a lesbian.

ema is kind of pocket-sized. she's about five feet tall. on the plus side, she takes the opportunity to sneak into and through unusual places.

she is about twenty-three during the events of trials.

she regards some of the ex-pop underlings with pity, understanding that they act like lost children at the whim of their mother or father. the only one that makes her lose her cool tends to be the night hunter, who throws a cog in her usual plans and challenges her approach to dealing with situations.

also she has a pinterest board & a playlist (which i need to update).

[umangseo]

Local Legends: Famous People from Trinidad, Colorado.

"Trinidad, Colorado, nestled in the southern part of the state near the New Mexico border, boasts a rich history peppered with notable figures whose contributions have left an indelible mark on the community and beyond. From trailblazing politicians to celebrated artists, here are some local legends from Trinidad, Colorado:

Lew Wallace: Perhaps best known as the author of "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ," Lew Wallace was also a Civil War general, diplomat, and territorial governor of New Mexico. He resided in Trinidad during his tenure as governor and made significant contributions to the region's development.

John Gagliardi: Trinidad's own baseball legend, John Gagliardi, had a remarkable career as a pitcher in the Major Leagues. Born in Trinidad in 1925, Gagliardi played for the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Browns during the 1940s and 1950s, earning a reputation as one of the game's most formidable pitchers.

Bessie Springer: A trailblazer in education, Bessie Springer dedicated her life to improving the lives of Trinidad's youth. She was the first African American teacher in the city's public school system and later became the principal of Lincoln High School, where she inspired generations of students to pursue their dreams.

Bernard "Bunny" DeVoto: An influential writer and conservationist, Bunny DeVoto called Trinidad home for much of his life. He penned numerous articles and books on environmental issues, including the classic "The Hour." DeVoto's advocacy helped shape conservation policies and preserve the natural beauty of the American West.

Ralph Carr: A champion of civil liberties during World War II, Ralph Carr served as Colorado's governor from 1939 to 1943. Despite facing intense backlash for his stance against Japanese internment camps, Carr remained steadfast in his defense of constitutional rights and is remembered as a courageous leader.

Kathy Mattea: Trinidad's musical legacy is embodied by Grammy Award-winning country singer Kathy Mattea. Born and raised in the city, Mattea rose to fame in the 1980s and '90s with hits like "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" and "Where've You Been." Her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics continue to resonate with audiences worldwide.

Dr. Justina Ford: Breaking barriers in the medical field, Dr. Justina Ford was Colorado's first licensed African American female physician. She practiced medicine in Trinidad for over fifty years, providing essential healthcare services to underserved communities and earning widespread respect for her dedication and skill.

Donna Johnson: Trinidad's artistic landscape was forever changed by the presence of Donna Johnson, a renowned sculptor known for her captivating bronze creations. Her works, inspired by the natural beauty of the region, can be found in public spaces and private collections throughout the country.

These local legends represent just a handful of the remarkable individuals who have called Trinidad home. Their stories serve as a testament to the city's vibrant heritage and enduring spirit, inspiring future generations to dream big and make a difference."

[xtruss]

Race: A California Panel Has Called For Billions in Reparations For Descendants of Slaves

— May 7, 2023 | By The Associated Press

People listen to the California reparations task force, a nine-member committee studying restitution proposals for African Americans, at a meeting at Lesser Hall in Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, May 6, 2023. Sophie Austin/AP

OAKLAND, California— California's reparations task force voted Saturday to approve recommendations on how the state may compensate and apologize to Black residents for generations of harm caused by discriminatory policies.

The nine-member committee, which first convened nearly two years ago, gave final approval at a meeting in Oakland to a hefty list of proposals that now go to state lawmakers to consider for reparations legislation.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, who is cosponsoring a bill in Congress to study restitution proposals for African Americans, at the meeting called on states and the federal government to pass reparations legislation.

"Reparations are not only morally justifiable, but they have the potential to address longstanding racial disparities and inequalities," Lee said.

The panel's first vote approved a detailed account of historical discrimination against Black Californians in areas such as voting, housing, education, disproportionate policing and incarceration and others.

Other recommendations on the table ranged from the creation of a new agency to provide services to descendants of enslaved people to calculations on what the state owes them in compensation.

"An apology and an admission of wrongdoing just by itself is not going to be satisfactory," said Chris Lodgson, an organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, a reparations advocacy group.

An apology crafted by lawmakers must "include a censure of the gravest barbarities" carried out on behalf of the state, according to the draft recommendation approved by the task force.

Those would include a condemnation of former Gov. Peter Hardeman Burnett, the state's first elected governor and a white supremacist who encouraged laws to exclude Black people from California.

After California entered the union in 1850 as a "free" state, it did not enact any laws to guarantee freedom for all, the draft recommendation notes. On the contrary, the state Supreme Court enforced the federal Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed for the capture and return of runaway enslaved people, for over a decade until emancipation.

"By participating in these horrors, California further perpetuated the harms African Americans faced, imbuing racial prejudice throughout society through segregation, public and private discrimination, and unequal disbursal of state and federal funding," the document says.

The task force approved a public apology acknowledging the state's responsibility for past wrongs and promising the state will not repeat them. It would be issued in the presence of people whose ancestors were enslaved.

California has previously apologized for placing Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II and for violence against and mistreatment of Native Americans.

The panel also approved a section of the draft report saying reparations should include "cash or its equivalent" for eligible residents.

More than 100 residents and advocates gathered at Mills College of Northeastern University in Oakland, a city that is the birthplace of the Black Panther Party. They shared frustrations over the country's "broken promise" to offer up to 40 acres and a mule to newly freed enslaved people.

Many said it is past time for governments to repair the harms that have kept African Americans from living without fear of being wrongfully prosecuted, retaining property and building wealth.

Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party chairwoman, urged people to express their frustrations through demonstrations.

Saturday's task force meeting marked a crucial moment in the long fight for local, state and federal governments to atone for discriminatory polices against African Americans. The proposals are far from implementation, however.

"There's no way in the world that many of these recommendations are going to get through because of the inflationary impact," said Roy L. Brooks, a professor and reparations scholar at the University of San Diego School of Law.

Some estimates from economists have projected that the state could owe upwards of $800 billion, or more than 2.5 times its annual budget, in reparations to Black people.

The figure in the latest draft report released by the task force is far lower. The group has not responded to email and phone requests for comment on the reduction.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a former Democratic assemblymember, authored legislation in 2020 creating the task force with a focus on the state's historical culpability for harms against African Americans, and not as a substitute for any additional reparations that may come from the federal government.

The task force voted previously to limit reparations to descendants of enslaved or free Black people who were in the country by the end of the 19th century.

The group's work has garnered nationwide attention, as efforts to research and secure reparations for African Americans elsewhere have had mixed results.

The Chicago suburb of Evanston, for example, has offered housing vouchers to Black residents but few have benefited from the program so far.

In New York, a bill to acknowledge the inhumanity of slavery in the state and create a commission to study reparations proposals has passed the Assembly but not received a vote in the Senate.

And on the federal level, a decades-old proposal to create a commission studying reparations for African Americans has stalled in Congress.

Oakland city Councilmember Kevin Jenkins called the California task force's work "a powerful example" of what can happen when people work together.

"I am confident that through our collective efforts, we can make a significant drive in advancing reparations in our great state of California and ultimately the country," Jenkins said.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.20

673 – Emperor Tenmu of Japan assumes the Chrysanthemum Throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara in Asuka. 1206 – Michael IV Autoreianos is appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. 1600 – The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden: five Swedish noblemen are publicly beheaded in the aftermath of the War against Sigismund (1598–1599). 1602 – The Dutch East India Company is established. 1616 – Sir Walter Raleigh is freed from the Tower of London after 13 years of imprisonment. 1760 – The Great Boston Fire of 1760 destroys 349 buildings. 1815 – After escaping from Elba, Napoleon enters Paris with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his "Hundred Days" rule. 1848 – German revolutions of 1848–49: King Ludwig I of Bavaria abdicates. 1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is published. 1854 – The Republican Party of the United States is organized in Ripon, Wisconsin, US. 1861 – An earthquake destroys Mendoza, Argentina. 1883 – The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property is signed. 1888 – The premiere of the very first Romani language operetta is staged in Moscow, Russia. 1890 – Chancellor of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck is dismissed by Emperor Wilhelm II. 1896 – With the approval of Emperor Guangxu, the Qing dynasty post office is opened, marking the beginning of a postal service in China. 1913 – Sung Chiao-jen, a founder of the Chinese Nationalist Party, is wounded in an assassination attempt and dies 2 days later. 1916 – Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity.[citation needed] 1921 – The Upper Silesia plebiscite was a plebiscite mandated by the Versailles Treaty to determine a section of the border between Weimar Germany and Poland. 1922 – The USS Langley is commissioned as the first United States Navy aircraft carrier. 1923 – The Arts Club of Chicago hosts the opening of Pablo Picasso's first United States showing, entitled Original Drawings by Pablo Picasso, becoming an early proponent of modern art in the United States. 1926 – Chiang Kai-shek initiates a purge of communist elements within the National Revolutionary Army in Guangzhou. 1933 – Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler ordered the creation of Dachau concentration camp as Chief of Police of Munich and appointed Theodor Eicke as the camp commandant. 1942 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur, at Terowie, South Australia, makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines, in which he says: "I came out of Bataan and I shall return". 1948 – With a Musicians Union ban lifted, the first telecasts of classical music in the United States, under Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini, are given on CBS and NBC. 1951 – Fujiyoshida, a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded. 1952 – The US Senate ratifies the Security Treaty Between the United States and Japan. 1956 – Tunisia gains independence from France. 1964 – The precursor of the European Space Agency, ESRO (European Space Research Organisation) is established per an agreement signed on June 14, 1962. 1969 – A United Arab airlines (now Egyptair) Ilyushin Il-18 crashes at Aswan international Airport, killing 100 people. 1972 – The Troubles: The first Provisional IRA car bombing in Belfast kills seven people and injures 148 others in Northern Ireland. 1985 – Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. 1985 – Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research. 1987 – The Food and Drug Administration approves the anti-AIDS drug, AZT. 1988 – Eritrean War of Independence: Having defeated the Nadew Command, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front enters the town of Afabet, victoriously concluding the Battle of Afabet. 1990 – Ferdinand Marcos's widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering. 1993 – The Troubles: A Provisional IRA bomb kills two children in Warrington, England. It leads to mass protests in both Britain and Ireland. 1995 – The Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo carries out a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, killing 13 and wounding over 6,200 people. 1999 – Legoland California, the first Legoland outside of Europe, opens in Carlsbad, California, US. 2000 – Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther once known as H. Rap Brown, is captured after murdering Georgia sheriff's deputy Ricky Kinchen and critically wounding Deputy Aldranon English. 2003 – Iraq War: The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland begin an invasion of Iraq. 2006 – Over 150 Chadian soldiers are killed in eastern Chad by members of the rebel UFDC. The rebel movement sought to overthrow Chadian president Idriss Déby. 2010 – Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland begins eruptions that would last for three months, heavily disrupting air travel in Europe. 2012 – At least 52 people are killed and more than 250 injured in a wave of terror attacks across ten cities in Iraq. 2014 – Four suspected Taliban members attack the Kabul Serena Hotel, killing at least nine people. 2015 – A Solar eclipse, equinox, and a supermoon all occur on the same day. 2015 – Syrian civil war: The Siege of Kobanî is broken by the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Free Syrian Army (FSA), marking a turning point in the Rojava–Islamist conflict.

[100gayicons]

“I became involved in a lot of human rights activities, which all stemmed from my sexual orientation as much as anything.”

Kiyoshi Kuromiya was a true hero who devoted his life to the struggle for social justice. Whether it’s was for civil right for Black Americans, the injustice of the Viet Nam War, Gay Rights, or effective treatment for people with AIDS - Kuromiya was there fighting for the cause.

Perhaps Kuromiya passion to fight oppression stems from the fact he was born at the World War II–era Japanese American internment camp (Heart Mountain, Wyoming).

At a very young age, Kuromiya was aware he was homosexual, although he didn’t know the term for it. At the age of 9 he found a copy of The Kinsey’s report on sexual behavior on open shelves in Public Library. It explain his nature to him. He soon “came out” to his parents. But later he was arrested for lewd behavior in a public park with a 16 year old teen boy. They were both detained and placed in juvenile hall for three days as punishment.

”… the judge or whatever he was told me and my parents that I was in danger of leading a lewd and immoral life.”

The arrest made Kuromiya feel like a criminal. The sense of shame forced him to keep his sexual identity a secret.

But those repressed feelings drove him to fight oppression. While attending the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1960s Kuromiya got involved with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in their efforts to desegregate Maryland diners. Then in August 1963, he attended the March on Washington (along with 250,000 others) to demand justice for all citizens. At the end of the march Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

That evening Kuromiya had the opportunity to meet King and other Civil Rights leaders. He formed a friendship with King and became his assistant. He participated in the March on Washington and in the voter registration campaign with Black Students in Montgomery, Alabama.

As part of his anti-war efforts Kuromiya designed the “Fuck the Draft” using the pseudonym Dirty Linen Corp.

As a gay man, Kuromiya also sought equality and freedom for other gay people. In 1965 he participated in the “Annual Reminder” at Independence Hall, one of the earliest rallies to remind the public that LGBT people did not have basic civil rights protections. He used the occasion to publicly announce he was Gay.

After the Stonewall riots in 1969, Kuromiya helped to organize the Philadelphia chapter of the Gay Liberation Front. With the advent of the AIDS crisis he was involved with the creation of ACT-UP and was the editor for the organization’s “Standard of Care”, the first medical treatment and competency guidelines for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Kuromiya was diagnosed with AIDS in 1989. Then he suffered a recurrence of lung cancer that he had survived in the 1970s. But that didn’t stop him. He insisted on receiving the most aggressive treatment for his cancer and it’s impact on his HIV drug regimen. And participated in every treatment decision. Kuromiya died of complications from cancer in May 2000.

“I'm a twenty-year metastatic lung cancer survivor and a fifteen-year AIDS survivor. And I really believe that activism is therapeutic.”

[joshualunacreations]

Today marks the anniversary of the Mixed Marriage Policy of Japanese internment camps. The MMP—which granted limited exemptions to leave the camps—reveals the blueprint of white men's violent anti-Asian racism and their strategic creation of a gendered hierarchy to divide AsAms. (Read my thread on MMP here)

When I posted about the Mixed Marriage Policy, there was little info about it online. It seems academics knew about MMP for a long time yet never introduced it to the mainstream. Given how important these documents are to understanding anti-Asian racism, that needs to change.

A year after my thread, Densho Encyclopedia—an archive project that documents everything about Japanese internment—finally added a page about the Mixed Marriage Policy. At first glance this seems like a positive step in increasing visibility of the MMP. (Densho article)

The author of the Densho page on the Mixed Marriage Policy—who is mixed white and Asian—is now writing a book focusing on the experiences of mixed families in Japanese internment camps. However, a closer inspection of the project raises concerns about its intent and impact.

The first cited source of the Densho article on the Mixed Marriage Policy is AsAm academic Jennifer Ho, whom the author credited as an inspiration for her MMP book—the same academic who helped create the racist backstory of the new American Girl doll. (Backstory on American Girl doll Corinne Tan)

The American Girl doll backstory mirrors the MMP's racist logic by:

1) erasing Asian males as victims of racism

2) implying a negative marriage with an Asian man—who are victims of hate crimes

3) implying a positive marriage with a white man—who are perpetrators of hate crimes

The Densho article hints at a similar worldview. It focuses on mixed families suffering the trauma of separation and life outside the camps. While factual, this approach downplays the privileges of exemption and shifts attention away from Asians who were never eligible to leave.

This isn’t to say mixed-white Asians, other mixed Asians, and mixed families can’t tell their stories. But the fact is that white supremacy leverages mixed Asians as most deserving of a microphone and elevates their stories above Asians who have no white heritage or family.

Let's be clear: monoracial Asians and families were the primary target of internment. Mixed individuals and families were a secondary target, and—as evidenced by the very existence of the Mixed Marriage Policy—weren't intended to be hurt on the same level. (Chart showing a breakdown of MMP exemption eligibility)

The consequences of replicating the MMP's racist hierarchy are deadly. Right now, AAPI are experiencing a surge of hate crimes, yet journalists consistently omit AAPI men as victims. This impacts victims' ability to get resources, support, and justice. (Thread about AAJA and erasure of Asian men from hate crime media)

Overall, a book about mixed families in internment needs to be done with sensitivity and awareness of how white supremacy influences its creation. If the book reinforces the MMP's racist hierarchy & prioritizes the suffering of mixed Asians over non-mixed Asians, it's harmful.

[capitalism-and-analytics]

I'm speaking as a non-American so if I sound stupid then please forgive me. I've not followed too closely the culture wars in the US, especially around race relations, as we have enough on our plate here in the UK and Europe. But given your finance background and interest in politics can you explain how does reparations work in the US context? In other words what do proponents of this policy actually want to happen in terms of the how and to whom it is done? Would it take the form of some sort of tax break ? Or once in a life time lump sum? Or something else? I'm asking without hoping to bring in the politics into it but just focused on the practical aspects of it. And to your mind would it work or not? Thanks.

But given your finance background and interest in politics can you explain how does reparations work in the US context?

Unfortunately, this is less of a finance question and more of a public administration question, but based on historical precedence:

WWII Japanese Internment Camp Survivors: Lump sum payment of $20,000 ($50,000 today) to each survivor (not descendants or relatives).

Native American/Alaskan Reparations: Generally in the form of allocation of resources (land, money, natural resources, etc.) or tax credits to designated commissions/organizations dedicated to Native Americans.

Kingdom of Hawaii: As far as I know it was only an apology.

I’m sure there’s plenty of public administration or history experts that can better answer this though :)

In other words what do proponents of this policy actually want to happen in terms of the how and to whom it is done?

I’m not sure of which policy you’re referring to because national reparation bills and policies get brought up quite a bit, but at a high level I’m sure the more popular stances are in response to slavery and involve the following in some variation:

Financial Compensation

Creation of some form of agency, organization, or commission committed to ensuring recovery and equality for African Americans

Additional policies for promoting recovery and equality

As far as how? I would assume similar to the Native American/Alaskan Reparations is the most likely case.

As far as whom? Well this is where it gets much tougher because for Japanese internment camp survivors, the US government had a log, so it was easy to know who was eligible. On the other hand for most Native American/Alaskan Reparations they require you to have tribal citizenship, which can vary from tribe to tribe, but I believe the most common requirement for a tribe is to have at least 25% blood line connection to the applicable tribe. Ultimately, if I had to guess then I would speculate the African American agency would come up with some form of requirement.

Would it take the form of some sort of tax break ?  Or once in a life time lump sum?

It could be one of, both, or even neither. Reparations aren’t common enough to be able to say with certainty.

And to your mind would it work or not?

Depends what you mean; it’ll surely help and improve things, but generally that’s true of most issues that receive increased funding. Unfortunately, like most spending decisions it comes down to is it worth it and is it the most effective use of the funds?

There are some people who honestly believe that racial tensions are so bad in the US that there should be no limit on the amount spent on improving it. Conversely, there are some people who honestly believe spending any money on racially motivated causes is a waste of money.

As far as my personal opinion, I would absolutely not spend a dollar on it as there are far better uses of the money: orphans and disabled individuals.

[thoughts-of-a-social-worker]

Prevention Through Deterrence: A Reflection on Intentional Violence Committed at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Most people who have been paying attention know that there has been an ongoing crisis at the United States-Mexico border. Jason De León, anthropologist and Executive Director of the Undocumented Migration Project (UMP), works to humanize the victims of this crisis and to educate readers about the intentionality of the violence committed against them in his book The Land of Open Graves. The book, published in 2015, vividly illustrates the violence migrants face and calls attention to the conscious policy decisions made by our government which contribute to the continued dehumanization and inhumane treatment of these individuals. 

I remember reading a story in 2018 about the U.S. Border Patrol intentionally sabotaging water left in the desert for migrants. It aligns with much of what De León spoke of in his book. He cites a line from a 1994 Border Patrol policy plan which anticipated violence increasing as a result of their Prevention Through Deterrence (PTD) initiative. PTD pushed migrants away from safer, populated areas and forced them to cross through some of Arizona’s most hostile desert territory. In the Sonoran Desert, the animals, temperature, and terrain could mete out punishment against the migrants. De León says there is strong evidence that Border Patrol watches these crossings remotely, waiting extended periods of time to let the environment grind people down before officers apprehended them. 

How can we reconcile this treatment of migrants with the United States’ reputation as being the “land of the free” and a place of endless opportunity? De León addresses this as well. He describes a state of exception where multiple conditions are met which allow the deaths of thousands to be considered acceptable. The first condition is heightened state power due to a state of emergency. The second condition is the suspension of normal processes or applications of law, where normal protections do not apply. The third condition is the government being freed from its usual behavioral constraints. These conditions have all been met and, while in the state of exception, the U.S. government is free to adhere to what De León calls a “bare life” concept. Migrant lives hold little, if any, value and their deaths are viewed as no more consequential than the death of an animal or plant in the desert. I am reminded of the relatively recent “stand your ground” laws popping up in states all over the U.S. where, if someone perceives themselves as being in mortal danger, their own rights to take another person’s life are increased, while the value of that other person’s life is diminished. Whether or not there is any true danger present in that situation, what matters is the person’s perception of danger is what the law takes into account. 

Unfortunately, the United States has a long history of utilizing a state of exception to commit violence against people who are perceived to be threats. It happened during World War II with the creation of internment camps for those of Japanese descent – even those who were U.S. citizens. It happened when we forced Native Americans onto reservations, breaking previously agreed upon treaties when they no longer served U.S. interests. Today, we still have Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention camps where thousands of migrants are held without any right to due process. 

Jason De León opened his book with a story from his field journal where he and some colleagues were searching for human remains in the scorching desert. The lead guide, Bob Kee, had previously called police when he found signs of a dead body, but law enforcement was not motivated to conduct a thorough survey of the area. Though Kee knew further searching of the area on his own would qualify as disturbing a crime scene, he continued hunting for the body parts police missed. What they eventually found were remnants of a horrific death, with hardly any evidence left to show for it. De León wrote, “The desert has already started to erase this person, along with whatever violence and horror she or he experienced.” Still, he continues his work with UMP to find any signs of individuals who did not survive the trek toward freedom, because someone, somewhere, is still looking for that loved one. 

[bobcatmoran]

Got around to watching the latest Zenkaiger episode with Bon World, and I've been thinking about how I didn't even catch some of the references without Secchan's explanations, even though I was raised in the Jodo-Shinshu Buddhist tradition (one of the main sects in Japan) and have regularly attended services with my local sangha ever since I moved back to the Twin Cities, where I can access services without a 1 1/2 hour train ride one way or, in some places I lived during my 20s, without the nearest sangha being literally hundreds of miles away.

(cut for ramblings about Buddhism in the US vs Buddhism in Japan, even within the same tradition and general Religious Stuff)

The Japanese-American tradition of Obon is fairly different from the Japanese celebration of the holiday, perhaps nowhere more visible than the dances. Since Japanese-American communities in the US (and Canada) were made up of settlers from many different villages, each with their own Obon traditions, the dances that make up a central part of the celebration are, here, a selection from across Japan (mostly selected for their ease of people being able to learn them quickly) and native creations. "Ei Ja Nai Ka," based around the Japanese-American experience of the WWII Internment Camps and composed by PJ Hayashibara of San Jose Taiko (I've met her personally, and she is an awesome and supremely talented woman), is one of the more widespread Japanese-American specific dances, but there's also a number of English-language dances, which I was first introduced to when I went to the Oregon Buddhist Temple for their 2019 Obon. In Japan, from my understanding, a local temple will do their local dance all evening, and not the long, varying program of different dances that US temples do, and also how the entire ancestor-worship element of the holiday is pretty sidelined over here.

And I kind of was thinking about those differences (how Obon is oftentimes a major festival/fundraiser for US temples, and I sort of get the feeling that it isn't so much so in Japan), and how in general, at least in the Nishi-Hongwanji Jodo-Shinshu tradition, the Japanese-American and Japanese traditions are, to some extent, drifting apart. Although all ministers and ministers' assistants have to have training at the home temple in Kyoto, Japan, the people attending such training differ greatly depending on where they're from.

My local sangha has a minister's assistant who's an immigrant from a temple family in Japan, where she can trace back for generations upon generations the men (and it's always men) who've headed up their temple as head ministers. Since she's a native Japanese speaker, she attended the training with other native Japanese, and she was an outlier as a relatively young woman — nearly all attendees in the rest of her class were older, conservative Japanese men, the heads of their families.

In contrast, our other minister's assistants are 3rd generation Japanese-Americans, and they attended a class of North American and European students at the Kyoto home temple, and their classes were extremely diverse (lots and lots of people who'd grown up in other, non-Buddhist traditions), relatively young, and a very large portion were LGBT. The Buddhist Churches of America has been performing same-sex weddings for decades before such marriages were legal in the US, so I suppose that shouldn't be that surprising.

Which all circles back to me watching a Japanese children's show with the (twisted) embodiment of a holiday I regularly celebrate as a main villain, yet not being able to catch some of its references.

The Japanese-American tradition is, with each passing generation, moving farther away from the Japanese tradition, even though there is some cross-pollination (that Oregon Buddhist Temple Obon I attended? Their head minister is from Japan). It's, from my impression, more liberal, and very much more accepting of outsiders — a necessity since the Japanese-American community continues to intermarry and a certain percentage will leave the sangha either for their spouse's (probably Christian) church or to go full on atheist (which…we're halfway there anyway, putting our faith in Amida Buddha's Vow of creating a Pure Land to be reborn into which is ideal conditions for being reborn as a Buddha, yet not revering him as an actual God, nor regarding Siddhartha Gautama, founder of Buddhism, as a God, though absolutely regarding him as the founder of our faith as it currently exists and the discoverer of how a human born on this Earth may attain Enlightenment and a way to transcend the cycle of birth-death and Suffering). Like, we have Japanese immigrants who've grown up in the Jodo-Shinshu tradition joining our sanghas (a word which refers to the church community), but they're currently a relatively small potion compared to converts who didn't grow up in the tradition. Heck, even our relatively tiny local sangha has gained members during the pandemic and our Zoom services. I can only hope that, once it's safe to gather in person again, they'll come to meet us in person and eat D's manju which I've missed dearly over the last year and a half.

I definitely suspect that the Japanese-American church's relatively liberal POV is a drawing point for those converts, and I'm not complaining in the least.

Honestly, I suspect that the POV of interconnectedness that has been instilled in me by my temple has informed a LOT of my political views.

[96thdayofrage]

“Good White” Liberals and “Bad” Black Radicals: Conflicting Views

Working within a white liberal frame is not only frustrating for progressive African Americans who speak out honestly and forcefully about racism and other forms of social oppression: it often entails vilification that, in addition to being toxic to our mental and physical well-being, is actually hostile to our very existence.

I have dealt with this type of racial madness for the more than four decades I have worked within predominantly “white” academia where I am “tolerated” only when my politics do not venture beyond conflict-aversive, white liberalism. It seems like mission impossible for most of my colleagues to understand that although our politics and methods overlap at times in ways that allow us to work together on social justice issues we care about; the life experiences and standpoints of “white” liberals and radical African Americans are in important ways diametrically opposed. Indeed, “white” liberals often chose to not see politics at all, but instead to imagine themselves as being somehow apolitical, kind, and caring people, in contrast to the unruly African Americans they discount as unkind, reckless, and dangerous. In brief, the black demonic opposite of their white sainthood. I recall getting angry at a department meeting when a colleague pompously bragged about being an especially “tolerant” person and I wondered, who is it that he thinks is so despicable that, at best, all they might expect from him is to be tolerated.

Epistemologically, my experiences with racially paternalistic “white” colleagues are emblematic of what I have dubbed the IPA Syndrome, that so often plagues members of socially dominant groups; the Ignorance of not knowing, the Privilege of not needing to know, and the Arrogance of not wanting to know.

Now assuming that some of you who are reading this essay really want to know what divides “white” liberals and radical African Americans in terms of our politics, moral philosophy, and overall worldview, here is an expansion of something I wrote some time ago to outline my views on the conflicting orientations to social justice of members of the liberal/dominant group and those who experience a radical/oppressed viewpoint.

Goals

While socially-dominant liberals want to open the system up a bit, which they assume otherwise works just fine, so that it is inclusive of those currently excluded–the creation of a kind of Noah’s Ark, two of everything, diversity zoo–those who experience things from a radically-oppressed standpoint work assiduously to dismantle oppressive systems. For example, a liberal-social-science response to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II would have been to send in a team of researchers to make sure that the internees received proper food, clothing, health care, heat, light, and ventilation; while those taking a radical perspective might have conspired to destroy the camps and free their prisoners.                                                  

Methods

The liberal/dominant group member solution to social oppression is to make “reasonable,” facts-based arguments, to convince other members of the socially dominant group that certain ameliorative reforms are the right, the reasonable, and the rational thing to do to alleviate some of the suffering of the oppressed and to ultimately fix whatever is broken in a system which, again, is assumed to, otherwise, work just fine. In contrast, the radical oppressed change strategy begins with the recognition that both the cause and the solution to oppression is power. Therefore, meaningful change entails going way beyond being “nice,” “civil,” and accommodating. It, instead, requires, as the African American social protest slogan so aptly puts it, “No justice, no peace!” confrontations that forcefully remove the foot of oppression off our necks.                                                                  

View of Self

Liberal members of socially dominant groups tend to see themselves as caring people who strive to be inclusive and tolerant of others; while those who take a radically oppressed perspective view themselves a committed, lifelong, warriors against social oppression.                                                          

View of Oppressors

Liberals who are not socially oppressed tend to see social oppressors as merely ignorant people who simply do not know any better and who need to be educated and reasoned with; while a radically oppressed viewpoint views them as people who must be challenged politically and forced to change.

View of the Oppressed

Socially privileged liberals view the oppressed as social “others” to be tolerated and helped. [Note: Such “tolerance” is not extended, however, to those who operate outside of the liberal worldview. At best such a person is deemed as not being very “nice” as the social-tolerance rubber band of liberalism either breaks or violently snaps back.] All too often those who do not go along with their program are perceived as being an “immoral” and “unethical” demagogues. In contrast, oppressed radicals view themselves and others as allies in a never-ending struggle against social oppression.                                          

Position Within the Social Structure

While the position of liberals from socially dominant groups is relatively secure and privileged, oppressed radicals live lives that are insecure and subject to constant threats and traumas, as we struggle not only to be free, but to simply stay alive.  

Ideological Worldview

Finally, while members of socially dominant groups embrace a political and social liberalism  and diversity-framed, multi-culturalism that accepts the social system as good and worthy of protecting through making need tweaks here and there, as needed, those who hold a radical oppressed view will be satisfied with nothing less than fundamental systemic change.

As you can see these are real and serious differences; ones that must be understood and overcome when working as allies, and that must be accepted for what they are when working together is not possible, that is as genuine political disagreements that must be respected, without denigration or name calling.

Noel A. Cazenave (https://sociology.uconn.edu/person/noel-cazenave/) is Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut. He is currently writing a book titled, Kindness Wars: The History and Political Economy of Human Caring

[littleeyesofpallas]

I forgot what I was calling the series on zanpakutou names...

...but this one’s been sitting in drafts for a while.

Yamamoto[山本]: Mountain + Root, meaning the “Foot of [a] mountain”

Genryuusai[元柳斎]: BeginningTime/Original + WillowTree + Holy/Pure

Shigekuni[重國]: Chief/Main/Important + Country/Nation

“Ancient Holy Willow, from the Mountain base, of the Chief Nation”

I did this once before going over character names specifically, but I figured it was worth repeating:  The personal name Genryuusai is a direct play on his character design; the old kungfu master style eyebrows mirroring the hanging leaves of a weeping willow.  The family name is straight forward and locational, but combined with the given name paints a little picture of a tree at the foot of a mountain.

And the 3rd name(?) seems to be like an epithet more than a name; he is Yamamoto Genryuusai “of the Chief Nation,” presumably referring to Soul Society itself as said nation.  This becomes more meaningful once we learn that he is the leader of the original Gotei 13, before they were a military organization, and when they were just a gang of 13 powerful shinigami.  It seems to imply that he’s not just a chief representative of Soul Society, he’s so named because he helped found Soul Society.

Ryuujin[流刃]: School/Style/Way + Sword

Jyakka[若火]: Young/New/Premature + Fire

“Sword Style, Young Fire“

The irony of course being that Yamamoto is old as dirt, but his sword -the reflection of his innermost self- is explicitly youthful.

And then there’s his bankai,

Zanka no Tachi[残火の太刀]: Remain(s) + Fire + Thick + Sword

Zanka[残火]: “Embers”

Tachi[太刀]: a “tachi” is a specific kind of sword, often compared to the western Long Sword

“Tachi of [the] Ember(s)”

Most Bankai don’t really change names, they add extra titles to the shikai name.  But a few have wordplay that break that trend, and this is one of them...

Yamamoto’s here swaps “young fire” for “fire remains,” jumping from the start point of a fire to the end point of one.  The only shared kanji being ka[火] for “fire.”  It also changes out the “sword style” as subject, for a singular sword.  Although, chi[刀] is the same root kanji in [刃] meaning “sword”/”blade” which was an obviously intentional choice to further the parallel between names.  But because they’re pronounced totally differently, without the kanji present, it doesn’t come across in an English translation at all.

Higashi, Kyokujitsujin["東": 旭日刃]: “East,” RisingSun + Blade

[旭日]: Rising + Sun, not that this translates any differently, but it is the term for THE Japanese Rising Sun symbol, and not just the literal two words in proximity.  So while there's the obvious "sun rise" and "East" tied together, it's also got a distinct nationalist flare to it.

“Rising Sun Blade”

This one’s really pretty straight forward, but it plays into the overarching theme...

Nishi, Zanjitsu Gokui["西": 残日獄衣]: “West,” Remainder + Day + PrisonUniform

Gokui[獄衣]: Prison/Jail + Clothes, the term for a “Prison Uniform”

“[The] Day(s) that are Left Prison Uniform”

For some baffling reason the Viz translation for this was “Sunset Hell Robe” which is just wildly off base.  This seems evocative of prisoner watching the sun fall on the last day of a sentence; but whether that’s the last day before release or the last day before execution, isn't by itself clear.  Given the rest of the names here, though, I assume execution.

I actually feel like this is a scene from an old jidaigeki film but I can’t remember which... (it was the plot of an episode of Samurai Champloo, and a random plot for a dungeon in Wild Arms 5, so it might just be a general trope, but I’m positive there’s a singular core film it references.  Is it Hashire! Melos I’m thinking of? I thought I remembered it being a Japanese period piece though...)

Minami, Kaka Juumanokushi Daisoujin["南": 火火十万億死大葬陣]: “South,” FireSquad + TenTrillion + Death(s) + Big + Funeral + Formation/(military)Camp

English translation Viz went with was “Trillion Flame Great Corpse Formation” which, I can sort of see the logic in trying to make sense of an otherwise really tricky collection of kanji, but is once again pretty far off base...

So, I was super confused by why he’d used the construction kaka[火火] which is just “fire” twice, when A) that’s not any kind of a special compound word, and B) [炎] is the kanji for “blaze”/”flame” and the attack name was written vertically, which seems to clearly be a kind of word play here, but I couldn’t figure out what the other side of it was.  But I think I figured it out...

The Ritsuryou was the Chinese influenced law system in Japan during the 700s, and it borrowed a lot of Confucian bureaucratic systems, which included elaborate systems of measurement for uniform inventory of people and assets, many of which are no longer in use.  One such unit of measurement is a ka[火] which is a military squad consisting of 10 soldiers, and is in fact a homonym with ka[火] which just means “fire.”

kaka[火火]: Fire + (military)Squad

Juu-mon-oku-shi[十万億]: 10 + 10thousand + 100million, which is 10,000,000,000,000(ten trillion)

Another little aside, but Japanese has different major units than English does.  juu[十]:10, hyaku[百]:100, chi[千]: 1,000 all line up with English pretty simply in multiples of 10, but then mon[万]: 10,000 has its own designation rather than the compound of "ten + thousand;"

What we call "hundred thousand(s) are written juu-mon[十万]: "10 × 10,000"; and "million" is actually a compound, written as hyaku-mon[百万]: "100 × 10,000" instead of getting its own unit;

oku[億]: is the unit for "100,000,000"/"hundred million(s)" like it's being used here; and then there is also chou[兆]: "10,000,000,000,000"/"ten trillion" which Kubo seems to have avoided using (probably just for the sake of sounding more dramatic) and kyou[京]: "10,000,000,000,000,000"/"ten quadrillion."

“Fire Squad, TenTrillion Deaths, Big Funeral Formation”

So, to be clear...  (military)Formation is the core subject here.

Who’s in formation?  The Fire Squad

What kind of formation? Funeral formation

What kind of Funeral? Big

How Big?  10 trillion

A military squad equipped with fire starting weapons, carrying out a mass military burial, of ten trillion corpses; all of which is pretty literally reflected in how it raises a bunch of skeletons of dead warriors.  That is just a preposterously high death toll though, and it honestly reminds me of the stupid meme shirt, "BORN TO DIE, WORLD IS A FUCK... 410,757,864,530 DEAD COPS."

I do want to clarify that [葬] means "funeral"/"entombment"/"burial"/”interment” etc... and is explicitly about the dead and frequently (although not exclusively) about whole body burial...  I am super confused why the biggest bestest most powerful fire sword doesn't seem to CREMATE people...

but I also want to clarify that together [葬陣] does NOT refer to something like a "concentration camp."  Also "interment" as in to put a body in the ground, is not the same word as "internment..."  The Japanese words for something like an internment camp, or specifically the Nazi concentration camps are [捕虜収容所]: "Prisoner of war housing site" and [強制収容所]: "Forced housing site" respectively.

Kita, Tenchi Kaijin["北": 天地灰尽]: "North,” The World/Universe + Ash + Last day of the month/End

Tenchi[天地]: Heaven + Earth, very literally “Heaven & Earth” but in that it refers to “all creation” or “the whole world” or “the universe.“ 

I'm assuming this uses [尽] to mean "Last Day..." because of the rest of the names' theme of the passing of time.

“The Last Day... The World is Ash“

“The World Reduced to Ashes” was the Viz translation, which at least has the same general imagery as the intended meaning, but it misses the specificity of “The Last Day” and how that plays into the cycle from East to West, South to North in the different forms.  Also, in English it’s a little clunky, but I feel like it evokes two phrases, “The (Whole) World [is] Ash” and “[Your] Last Day [on] Earth” simultaneously.  The whole thing has a distinctly apocalyptic tone to it.

So, his bankai starts at dawn, gets to sundown of the final day, he's brought out to the execution/burial grounds, and then all that's left in the end is ash.  It tells a neat little story, and Kubo clearly had to fiddle with this for a while to get some of these names to come out right, so that's neat to see at work.  It's a shame this fight was so anti-climactic.

[combat-wombatus]

Anti-Asian Racism (Pt. 2)

so if you haven’t read my (long) post about historical anti-asian racism, you can find it here. i tried my best to put things in chronological order, so you might want to read that before you read this one!

i got really tired writing that one bc it was super long and i only covered up to like...the 1920s?? and so here’s a second part bc i couldn’t fit it all into one post oopsies

WARNING: this contains some graphic descriptions of violence. i don’t want to accidentally trigger anyone, so please read at your own discretion. however, i do feel that it is important to be educated on the parts of history that schools often overlook, so if you can handle this, please read it.

the watsonville riots—january 1930

as US nationals, filipinos had the legal right to work in the US, and employers exploited these workers relentlessly as they assumed the filipinos were unfamiliar with their rights. they were paid the lowest wages among all ethnic laborers. the immigration acts of 1917 and 1924 allowed filipinos to answer the growing demand for labor in the US, and many young filipino men migrated to the US. due to gender bias in immigration & hiring, filipino men courted women outside of their own ethnic community, contributing to mounting racial tensions. white men decried the takeover of jobs and women by filipinos and resorted to vigilantism to deal with the “third Asiatic invasion”, and filipino laborers in public risked being attacked by white men who felt threatened by them. eventually, on january 19, this culminated in 500 white men gathering outside of a filipino dance club—owned by a filipino man—with clubs and weapons intending to take the white women who lived there out and burn the place down. they were turned away by security guards and the armed owners, but returned later to beat dozens of filipino farmworkers. they dragged filipinos from their homes and beat them, threw them off the pajaro river bridge, attacked them at ranches—and at a labor camp, twenty-two filipinos were dragged out and almost beaten to death. the mob fired shots into filipino homes, killing 22-year-old fermin tobera: no one was ever charged for his murder. in stockton, a filipino club was blown up—the blast was blamed on the filipinos themselves.

many filipinos fled the country. filipino immigration plummeted. anti-filipino violence continued in california in the months after the violence ended.

japanese internment camps—1942–1945

established during ww2 by FDR through executive order 9066. shortly after the bombing of pearl harbor, FDR signed the executive order, supposedly to prevent espionage. military zones were created in california, washington, and oregon—states with a large population of japanese americans—and the executive order commanded the relocation of americans of japanese ancestry. it affected the lives of around 117,000 people—the majority of whom were american citizens. canada soon followed, relocating 21,000 of its japanese residents from its west coast. mexico did the same, and eventually 2,264 more people of japanese descent were removed from peru, brazil, and argentina to the camps in the united states.

even before the camps, discrimination ran rampant. just hours after pearl harbor, the FBI rounded up 1,291 japanese community & religious leaders, arresting them without evidence and freezing their assets. a month later, they were transferred to facilities in montana, new mexico, and north dakota, many of them unable to inform their families. most remained incarcerated for the duration of the war. the FBI searched the private homes of thousands of japanese residents, seizing “contraband” (looting).

1/3 of hawaii’s population was of japanese descent. some politicians called for their mass incarceration. 1,500 people were removed from hawaii and sent to camps on the US mainland. japanese-owned fishing boats were impounded.

lieutenant general john dewitt prepared a report filled with proven lies—such as examples of “sabotage” (cattle knocking down power lines)—and suggested the creation of military zones and japanese internment camps. his original plan included italians and germans (because we were at war with them too!) but the idea of rounding-up americans of EUROPEAN descent was not as popular.

california’s state attorney general and governor declared that all japanese should be removed at congressional hearings in february 1942. general francis biddle pleaded with the president that mass evacuation of citizens was not required, pushing for smaller, more targeted security measures. FDR didn’t listen, and signed the order anyways.

around 15,000 japanese americans willingly moved out of prohibited areas. inland states were not keen for new japanese residents, and they were met with racist resistance. ten state governors voiced opposition, fearing the japanese would “never leave”, and demanded they be incarcerated if the states were forced to accept them. eventually, a civilian organization called the “war relocation authority” was set up to administer the plan, but milton eisenhower (from the department of agriculture) resigned his leadership in protest over what he characterized as incarcerating innocent civilians. 

no one really cared back then, but we appreciate the sentiment. however, this led to a stricter, military-led incentive to incarcerate the japanese civilians, so you didn’t really win, mr. eisenhower.

army-directed evacuations followed, and people had six days notice to dispose of their belongings other than what they could carry. anyone who was at least 1/16th japanese was interned, including 17,000 children under 10, as well as several thousand elderly and handicapped. 

these camps were located in remote areas, the buildings not meant for human habitation—they were reconfigured horse stalls or cow sheds. food shortages and poor sanitation conditions were common. each center was its own town, with schools, post offices, work facilities, and farms—all surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers.

in new mexico, internees were delivered by trains and marched two miles, at night, to reach the camp. anyone who tried to escape was promptly shot and killed, no matter their age.

when riots broke out over the insufficient rations and overcrowding, the police tear-gassed crowds and even killed a japanese-american citizen. three people were shot and killed for “going too close to the perimeter”.

in 1942, fred korematsu was arrested for refusing to relocate to an internment camp. his case made it all the way to the supreme court, where he argued that the executive order violated the fifth amendment. the supreme court ruled against him.

the camps were finally closed in 1945, after mitsuye endo fought her way to the supreme court once again. the government initially offered to free her, but endo refused—she wanted her case to address all of the internment camps. she was successful; the court eventually ruled that the the war relocation authority “has no authority to subject citizens who are concededly loyal to its leave procedure.”

the my lai massacre—march 16, 1968

during the vietnam war, US army soldiers entered a vietnamese hamlet on a search-and-destroy mission. they didn’t encounter any enemy troops; they did, however, proceed to set huts on fire, gang-rape the women, and murder around 500 unarmed civilians—including approximately 50 children under the age of four. army leadership had conspired to sweep this massacre under the carpet—the my lai massacre triggered a cover-up by the army that served to keep the atrocities committed a secret from the american public for 20 months during an election year.

american soldiers stabbed, clubbed, and carved “C [for Charlie] Company” into the chests of their victims (alive); herded them into ditches and blew them to bits with grenades. they cut off victims’ heads and slashed their throats.

this was more than spontaneous barbarism; for years, the army had dehumanized the vietnamese people as “gooks” and depicted women and children as potentially lethal combatants.

army officers who heard eyewitness reports of a massacre were quick to discount them. they issued a press release that informed news coverage—with lies. they claimed that their troops had killed 128 viet cong forces, even though they had been met with no resistance and suffered only one self-inflicted wound.

after word of the massacre reached the general public, more than a dozen military servicemen were eventually charged with crimes, but lieutenant william calley (the leader of the charlie company who was the main perpetrator in the massacre) was the only one who was ever convicted. pres. richard nixon reduced calley’s sentence to a light punishment—three years of house arrest.

three years of house arrest, and for only one person. for slaughtering 500 unarmed civilians. you do the math.

deportations

in 1975, more than 1.2 million refugees from southeast asia fled war and were resettled in the US—the largest resettlement for a refugee group in US history. in 1996, the illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act (IIRIRA) expanded the definition of what types of crimes could result in detention & deportation—this broader definition could be applied retroactively, resulting in more than 16,000 southeast asian americans receiving orders of removal—78% of which were based on old criminal records.

islamophobia (article 2 preview) (article 3)

after the 9/11 attacks, islamophobia was especially prevalent in the western world, although it was also prevalent in other places without large muslim populations. from a small percentage of violence, an “efficient system of government prosecution and media coverage brings muslim-american terrorism suspects to national attention, creating the impression that muslim-american terrorism is more prevalent than it really is”, even though since 9/11, the muslim-american community helped security and law enforcement officials prevent nearly two of every five al qaeda terrorist plots threatening the united states. globally, many muslims report feeling not respected by those in the west, including over half of those who live in the US. in late 2009, the largest party in the swiss parliament put to referendum a ban on minaret (a tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques) construction, and nearly 60% of swiss voters and 22 out of 26 voting districts voted in favor of the ban—even though most swiss say that religious freedom is important for swiss identity. a network of misinformation experts actively promotes islamophobia in america. muslims are more likely than americans of any other major religious groups to have personally experienced racial or religious discrimination in the past year—48%, compared to 31% of mormons, 25% of atheist/agnostics, 21% of jews, 20% of catholics, and 18% of protestants. 1/3 (36%) of americans say that they have an unfavorable opinion about islam (gallup polls).

in the aftermath of 9/11, the US government has increasingly implemented special programs with hopes of “curbing and countering terrorism” and “enemy combatants.” these policies—such as the USA Patriot Act and the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System—have been targeted towards and disproportionately affects arabs, south asians, and muslims in america.

of course, the most lethal terrorist groups active in america are white supremacist groups, but people tend to overlook that because it’s always easier to blame something you have zero understanding of.

the non-profit advocacy organization South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) cataloged 207 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic political rhetoric directed towards south asian, muslim, middle eastern, hindu, sikh, and arab communities between nov. 15, 2015, and nov. 16, 2016. approximately 95% of those instances were animated by anti-muslim sentiment. also, “approximately 1 in 5 of the documented xenophobic statements came from president-elect donald trump.”

that’s who america hired to run our country in 2016. this was way before his misdeeds in office, yet it took us so long—and such a hard fight—to oust him. did it really take that long for everyone to catch on?

police brutality—(christian hall) (angelo quinto) (tommy le)

“CHRISTIAN HALL was a 19-year-old chinese american teen who experienced a mental health emergency on december 30, 2020. pennsylvania state police were called and requested to help de-escalate the crisis. rather than providing aid or assistance, the troopers shot and killed christian. his hands were up in the air as he stood on the SR-33 southbound overpass to I-80, posing no threat to the armed officers.”

they shot him seven times, with his arms up in the air.

“I miss my son so much. I love him so much but if his death is the catalyst for change, then so be it. Let his name be remembered. His name is Christian Hall.” —Fe Hall, Christian’s mother.

a video, shot by his mother, shows ANGELO QUINTO, a 30-year-old Filipino immigrant, unresponsive on the floor after officers subdued him with a knee to the back of his neck. the video shows him bleeding form the mouth after police knelt on his neck when he was experiencing a mental health crisis in his family home. he died three days later in the hospital without waking up. the antioch police had no body camera footage, nor has the department named the officers involved.

“I was just hoping they could de-escalate the situation,” his sister said in an interview. she called 911 when her brother had been experiencing mental health problems and paranoia. she says that she remains conflicted about calling the police that night: “I don’t know if I will not feel bad. If it was the right thing to do they would not have killed my brother.”

“TOMMY LE, a 20-year-old Vietnamese-American student, died hours before he was scheduled to attend his high-school graduation in June 2017. He was shot multiple times by sheriff’s Deputy Cesar Molina after responding to reports of a man armed with a knife. Deputies discovered after the shooting that he was carrying an ink pen, not a knife.

The office reported that Le had lunged at the sheriff’s deputies with a knife and had been threatening residents, shouting he was “the creator.” An autopsy showed that two of the three bullets that struck Le were in his back, and a witness said that Le was shouting he was “Tommy the renter.”

despite the challenges our communities face, AAPI communities receive less than one percent of philanthropic funding.

covid-19

i’ll try to keep this brief. there have been so many instances of violence perpetrated against the asian community during covid-19—not to mention the casual snipes at our culture, the microaggressions we face every day, the verbal and sexual harassment we encounter, sometimes even on the way to the grocery store for a supply run.

VICHA RATANAPAKDEE: a thai-american, he became known as “grandpa” throughout his neighborhood, where he’d made it a ritual to go on morning walks each day. it was during one of those walks on january 28, 2021, when the 84-year-old was forcibly knocked onto the ground. he was transported to the hospital, where he died two days later.

“He never wake up again. He [was] bleeding on his brain,” his daughter said in an interview. “I called him, ‘Dad, wake up.’ I want him to stay alive and wake up and come and see me again, but he never wake up.”

between march and december last year, the organization Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate recorded nearly 3,000 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide. the new york city police department also reported a 1,900% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes last year.

i think senator tammy duckworth put it very aptly.

“Most people, I don’t think, think of Asians as being the subject of racist attacks, but we have been. And we’re the one community that’s often always seen as the ‘other’. I—to this day—still get asked, ‘So where are you from really?’“

i don’t think i’ve ever related so much to something a senator said.

actor and activist daniel dae kim talked about an encounter he had with a pollster who said asian americans are “statistically insignificant” in polling models in a congressional hearing:

“Statistically insignificant. Now all of you listening to me here, by virtue of your own elections, are more familiar with the intricacies of polling than I am, so undoubtedly, you already know what this means—statistically insignificant literally means that we don’t matter.”

do we matter? are we really “statistically insignificant”? blips in the machine, to be used and then thrown away once we become too “fussy” or demanding?

testimonies from victims showcase the array of xenophobic and racist insults they’ve encountered. i’ll put an (x) next to the ones i’ve personally heard.

“Go back to Wuhan and take the virus with you.” (x)

“You are the reason for the coronavirus.” (x)

“Damn, another Asian riding with me. Hope you don’t have covid.”

*fake coughing* “Chinese b—” *more fake coughing* (x)

now for some really “creative” ones that i’ve personally encountered:

“Cock up my dad’s botton, Chinease cunt”

“You don’t got the kung-flu, do ya?”

“Ever ate a dog?”

Along the same vein, “ever had any bats? Heard they’re delicious.”

“Wouldn’t want ya to pet my dog. Ya might steal it and cook it for dinner!” *hyena laugh*

a little personal anecdote

i debated whether or not to wear a mask to school in early march. my aunt lives in china, and she’s a first-responder (trained paramedic & contact tracer) and we knew how bad the virus was going to be in late february when we facetimed her, quarantined in her apartment. her toddler was staying with her husband at her parents’ house because she was afraid of infecting them. she didn’t see them in person for four months, working 14-hour shifts in the back of an ambulance decked out in a hazmat suit.

my mom cried when she facetimed us the second week of her grueling shift. i couldn’t stop thinking about her when i went to school that day. my mom sent me another picture during art class, and i just couldn’t control myself. i started crying during class.

i asked my mom whether or not i should wear a mask to school, and she said that if i did, i would be singling myself out. i wouldn’t be protecting myself—far from it. if i wore a mask to school, people would think that i had the virus, not that i was trying to protect myself from it.

gossip spreads like wildfire, and the next day, everyone knew i had relatives in china. most of my friends were sympathetic, but they were wholly removed from the situation. it was early march, and they never believed that the coronavirus would spread here. they were firmly rooted in their opinion that it was an easy situation, grossly mishandled by the chinese government, and that we’d do much better if it ever washed up on our shores.

i do hate the chinese government, and back then, i didn’t think too much of their antagonism. yes, the situation was mishandled. it was like a repeat of the SARS outbreak in 2003—first a cover-up by the local government, then a cover-up by the national government, and finally, a realization that no, in fact, they could not handle it in secret. yes, the media had to get involved. no, dead bodies were not piling up in the hallways while they waited for doctors to triage care. yes, we have capacity! look at these documentary mini-videos, forcing doctors and patients to leave a wing of the hospital empty and operate below maximum capacity so they could shoot propaganda videos for the lunar new year, boasting about how well they’re handling it!

i won’t argue that in the beginning, this was mishandled. i will argue, however, against the idea that asian countries are incompetent. that western approaches are oh-so-much-better.

in wuhan, they built a makeshift hospital spanning three soccer fields in the span of a week, with properly-functioning utilities, hospital beds, decontamination, and security. people rallied together and donated everything from money and supplies to food and ventilators, from all across the country. doctors and medical staff shaved their heads so they could better wear masks and volunteered to go to wuhan, where the situation was much more dire than in other areas. thousands of medical students from shanghai were transported to wuhan to fill the personnel shortages.

china reopened in june.

what did we do?

we didn’t ask the asian countries for experience. china, japan, and korea had handled the 2003 SARS outbreak and knew what kinds of things needed to be done. from the beginning, they wore masks. they halted travel, they did routine testing, performed contact tracing, set up programs for bringing food to the immunocompromised, elderly, and disabled, and worked as a cohesive community.

on the other hand, we resorted to childish infighting, political games, shunning masks and blaming it on asians, when we could’ve learned from them instead. we didn’t do contact-tracing. our testing systems were sorely inadequate. borders were closed with china, yes, but the majority of the cases in the US arrived from italy and other european countries who had already been infected. banning travel between the US and china was nothing more than a political gimmick.

states fought each other for basic medical supplies. there was no national unity. we were fractured in two, and COVID became more fuel for the fire dividing the two parties, when it could’ve been something that unified us.

and instead of blaming china, we would’ve been better off recognizing our own failures.

you can say that the virus caught china by surprise.

it shouldn’t have done the same to us.

we knew it was coming. but we still botched it.

blaming the virus on asian communities is a sign of immaturity and a lack of accountability. own up to your failures.

anyways, my mom was right. whenever we wore a mask in public, people really did think that we were “dirty, foreign chinese.” we stocked up on groceries so we wouldn’t have to go out, because every time my mom did, people would look at her weirdly. they didn’t wear masks.

one time, she was accosted by a blonde woman when we were at a supermarket. i’d gone with her that time because it was right after practice, and i was in the car anyways. the lady came up to us (without a mask: this was in may) and said, “excuse me, you don’t have the virus, do you?” with a pointed look at my mom (who was masked up).

my mom, being the polite person she is, simply responded “no, i don’t.”

the woman didn’t let us go after that. she pushed even more. “well, you see, i was just making sure...with this chinese virus going around, it’s scary, you know?”

i wanted to ask her why she wasn’t wearing a mask if it was “so scary”, but i couldn’t get a word in before she asked another question.

“by the way, y’all aren’t chinese, right?”

yes i am. yes we are. why does it fucking matter. we’re wearing masks, you’re not, get the hell out of my face.

honestly, i don’t know how my mom does it. she has the patience of a saint. she said “mhm”, grabbed a gallon of milk, and walked to the self-checkout area. the lady looked at me and raised her eyebrow, and i said “so what if we are?”

she looked like she’d been slapped in the face. i turned and followed my mom, but she said “now hold on young lady!” i ignored her and kept walking.

i don’t owe her anything. why do people think it’s okay to talk to others like that? we’re human beings too. we’re allowed our basic dignity. basic respect. we’re not something for you to joke at, to laugh at, to fetishize or bully into submission. i don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to realize that. i don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to treat others like human beings.

to people like that lady in kroger:

why do you feel the need to do it? is your opinion of yourself really that high to think that you’re superior to others who are different from you? are you really that conceited to think that you’re the perfect image of a perfect human, and anyone not like you is unworthy, considered lesser? or is your opinion of yourself really that low, to think that whatever you say, it doesn’t really matter anyways? why do you find derogatory jokes and demeaning comments funny? why do you think it’s okay to harass a stranger just going about their day? is your life really that boring, and you have nothing else to do with your time? why? would it be okay if i came up to you and asked if you ate rotten shark meat, then laughed it off and said “oh, i thought you were from iceland”? is that okay? can i ask if you eat cockroaches? how would you respond if i asked “where are you from?”? you would say america, right? and if i asked again? europe? where in europe? oh, you don’t know? are you illegal? was your mother a prostitute? are you a communist? why are your eyes so big? do you speak europeanese? crut iveroij aeish poient. oh, those aren’t words? well i think they sound like european words. what’s your name? je-re-mi-ah? like jeeryyy-miiiaaaccchh? oh, that’s not right? sorry, my tongue just won’t bend that way. your names are so weird! why would your parents name you that? oh, it means something? well, i don’t know the language, so don’t expect me to say it right. have you ever eaten haggis? oh, that’s scottish? oh, you’re not scottish? sorry, you all look the same to me. scots and italians are just so similar, you know? what’s your name? your last name is anderson? i know an anderson! she lived in texas. are you related to her? oh, you don’t know her? sorry, i thought you were all related. yeah, like i said before, you all just look so much alike, you know? are you lazy? oh, nothing, i just heard from my dad that all french people are lazy. oh, you’re not french? well, you still look lazy. are you good at english? oh, nothing, i just assumed that all white people were english. i know you like to assume that we’re good at math. oh, you got an A in english? isn’t that normal? i can’t help it, you’re just smarter. you probably don’t even study. oh, you do? well, you’re smart anyways, so it doesn’t matter. you’re so good at math for an american! oh no, nothing, i just assumed that all americans were bad at math. *starts playing with her hair* oh, that’s making you uncomfortable? but your hair’s so silky, and it’s so smooth. what kind of hair products do you use? i want to learn how to make my hair look exotic like that. oh, you’re not exotic? but you’re foreign. of course you’re exotic. you know, *leans in and whispers* men like you this way, yeah? they just looveeee exotic ladies. *winks*

can you see how this is demeaning? can you see how this diminishes our culture, our hard work, our accomplishments?

racism isn’t funny. it’s not cool, it’s not a joke, and it’s hurtful. it makes us question our capabilities, forces us to have unrealistic expectations of ourselves, makes us feel unworthy and “other”. just stop? stop making hurtful comments. stop stepping on other people to feel better about yourselves.

[peekbackstage]

Hello. At first let me thank you for your blog. I mean your posts and opinion as an insider is so interesting to read, it’s like you let us see a little more in this entertainment industry. After reading some posts I can now clearly see why so many stars live hard life, often have anxiety and even suicide thoughts. I mean their life seems to be fully controlled until they become really “someone” in this industry. Does it mean that until it happens they will do anything their company want and have nothing to do. I mean even if they get hate, they should pretend like they don’t care and can’t even say something against haters. My question is so random, I’m sorry. I also wanted to know, why so many singers and idols go acting even if they know many will hate it, they know they will get comments like “idols don’t let real actors to play”. I’m not sure about c-ent as I’m new. But I saw many such comments and reactions in Korean media. So why do they do it? Will they earn more money than being a singer or? Why not to try acting then? Why do they try to become idols? I mean there are so many talented singers and trainees who want ro sing. But eventually we see that many people who debuts as idols soon or later give up singing and try acting. I was just wondering. Thank you in advance, sorry if my question is too obvious. And better late than never. Happy New Year :)

Disclaimer: The following post is informed by my own experience working in the music industry. Chinese industry practices might vary.

In Asia, the world of entertainment tends to be pretty tightly regulated. It’s generally pretty difficult to get a foot in the door and even more difficult to actually “make” it. This post is going to mostly discuss Korea and Japan’s industries, as I am most familiar with those two markets. 

LET’S TALK A BIT ABOUT IDOL HISTORY! 

(Skip this entire section if you aren’t interested in history.) 

In 1962, Johnny Kitagawa, the CEO of the entertainment company, Johnny’s & Associates, launched Japan’s first boy band, Johnnys. While this group saw some minor popularity, it paled in comparison to the group that is often considered to be Asia’s “first” idol group, Four Leaves, who debuted in 1967. 

Four Leaves was a project composed of bishounen (pretty) boys who sang and dance but didn’t play any instruments. They were hand-selected and trained by Johnny Kitagawa himself, who largely focused on the artists’ personalities, attributes, and physical characteristics. 

Four Leaves’ success was so great that Johnny’s sought to replicate it, creating the first idol (aidoru in Japanese) training camp system which is the foundation of all idol companies these days. Just like idol companies today, Johnny’s selected young bishounen boys who were admitted via an audition process, and then placed them in a dorm together. There, they would train as Johnny’s Juniors (aka trainees) until they were ready to debut. 

By the 1980s, Japan had quite a few idol management companies (jimusho) that wanted to replicate Johnny’s success. By that time, the idol industry had matured, and the training camps had become extremely rigorous, Olympic-style singing, dancing, acrobatics, etc. all for the sole purpose of improving stage performances. By the time SMAP debuted in 1988, the system was already in place. But what SMAP did changed the game entirely: they launched their own variety show, effectively putting themselves into every Japanese household and endearing themselves to every single Japanese housewife. 

This caused their popularity to skyrocket, which in turn led to the creation of the ecosystem we now all know: the all-encompassing idol who sings, dances, and acts in tv shows, variety shows, plays, and films. Brand deals and endorsements also really took off during this time, especially with the most popular member, Kimura Takuya. 

(It must be noted that SMAP became very popular not only in Japan, but also all over Asia!) 

By this point, South Korea was taking notice, and by the 90s, debuted their first generation of idol groups, which included the likes of H.O.T. and Shinhwa, who all went through more or less the same style of training that Japanese idol jimushos put through trainees through. 

It must be noted that during this time, South Korea was pretty invested in trying to find the right secret sauce to also debut their artists in Japan, given the mature idol market there. S.M. Entertainment succeeded in doing this with their second generation artists, BoA, Super Junior, and TVXQ, by partnering with Avex Entertainment in Japan. (They even went as far as debuting a visual kei idol group, TraxX, which was actually produced by Yoshiki from X-Japan, to capitalize on the entire visual kei market in Japan.) JYP followed suit with Se7en and Rain, and YG Entertainment debuted BIGBANG and 2NE1. 

During this period of time, it must be noted that the big talk of the town was surprisingly not pop internationally - it was actually Jrock, which had a big surge of popularity in overseas markets between 2007-2009. (Hence S.M.’s desire to debut a visual kei idol band in Japan.) The Hallyu wave hadn’t really started yet, but within a matter of a few years, Kpop was suddenly the hottest new thing just about, well, everywhere.

In fact, it was so popular internationally, that by 2013, Kpop had become the #1 biggest contributor to South Korea’s GDP. It was so important to South Korea that the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism established KOCCA (the Korean Content Agency), which began heavily investing in the export of all things “Hallyu,” but especially Korean music. International industry conferences worldwide suddenly started to see the rise of Korean showcases, which took place literally everywhere. KOCCA was determined to export their idol culture all around the world. 

To capitalize more on international success, companies such as S.M. Entertainment and JYP began to incorporate Chinese members into their groups. This was specifically to give them a foot into the massive Chinese market, which, until the Hallyu ban in 2017, had a massive demand for all things Kpop. 

It was around this same time that TFBoys in China debuted. The industry largely considered them to be the first real homegrown mainland Chinese idol group that rose out of a similar training system used in both South Korea and Japan. 

HISTORY LESSON OVER! 

Why did I feel the need to explain all of this history, you wonder? Couldn’t I just answer the question in a straightforward way? 

Well, not really. It’s pretty important to understand that oftentimes, in the industry, idols aren’t seen as true artists - they are actually seen more as manufactured cultural products. The more products there are (i.e. music, acting projects) the more money there is, which in turn leads to more opportunities. When they are just starting out, idols never get to pick what activities they actually participate in - especially if they haven’t yet established themselves as very successful artists. 

And even when they are established, oftentimes, an idol company will push an artist to try expanding/broadening their various creative outputs with acting. Why only sell music, when you can make money through tv and film? 

Add in the additional benefit of not having any risk at all involved in said tv/film project and it’s win/win for the company - because they aren’t putting up any money upfront to produce and market the project. 

Companies want their idols to pursue acting gigs because it increases the market share for the artist and more opportunities for their artist to create new fans who might discover the artist through the drama or film. This tends to be a big part of the idol ecosystem, though it must be noted that not all idols do go down this route if their company determines that their music products might generate far more money than their acting products. 

This is especially true for rappers in particular, whose solo musical releases might not generate as much fanfare (or as much money) as an acting gig - especially in South Korea, where there is already a very mature, established Korean hip hop genre with plenty of very established hip hop artists. (There’s also a very popular hip hop competition show, Show Me The Money, that regularly features celebrity Korean hip hop artists.) 

Sometimes, it just makes more sense to take acting opportunities, as they can generate better income than music. 

Talented singers sometimes might also choose to go the acting route for the same reason - also because opportunities keep coming across the desks of their managers, who sometimes talk them into the projects. Other times, it may simply be that once an idol tries their hand at acting, they realize they have a real knack for it and end up wanting to pursue more acting projects. 

In any case, there isn’t a single, universal reason why idols choose to go from singing to acting, but there is a universal reason why all idols inevitably do make the switch: money. 

And for companies in particular, acting projects their artists star in are 100% pure profit with zero financial risk. 

In any case, quite a few artists started out in music, tried their hand at acting, and then continued to do both. We see this especially with artists such as Vanness Wu, IU (Lee Ji-eun), and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, who are all still active in both acting and music. 

I hope this massively long post was informative and also helped answer the question, “Why do idols go from singing to acting?” (I also hope I helped explain the way the idol ecosystem works and how it all started!) 

Thanks for the questions and for reading.

Edit: Oops, I totally forgot to answer the question, “Why do some people become idols?”

The answer is pretty simple: it’s really hard to get into the entertainment industry, and many people see idol factories as a straightforward roadmap into a career in entertainment. While it isn’t the only way into entertainment, it often is the path many artists do ultimately choose to take. 

[jewish-privilege]

Not only was US president Franklin Roosevelt perfunctory about rescuing Jews from the Nazis, but he obstructed rescue opportunities that would have cost him little or nothing, according to Holocaust historian Rafael Medoff.

FDR’s role in preventing the rescue of European Jewry is detailed in a new book called, “The Jews Should Keep Quiet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, and the Holocaust.”

Published in September, Medoff’s book includes new archival materials about the relationship between Roosevelt and Rabbi Stephen Wise, who the author sees as a sycophantic Jewish leader used by Roosevelt to “keep the Jews quiet.”

Wrote Medoff, “Franklin Roosevelt took advantage of Wise’s adoration of his policies and leadership to manipulate Wise through flattery and intermittent access to the White House.” In return for visits to the White House and Roosevelt calling him by his first name, Wise undermined Jewish activists who demanded the administration let more Jewish refugees into the US.

According to Medoff, Roosevelt’s policies toward European Jews were motivated by sentiments similar to those that spurred him to intern 120,000 Japanese Americans in detention camps as potential spies.

“Roosevelt used almost identical language in recommending that the Jews and the Japanese be forcibly ‘spread thin’ around the country,” Medoff told The Times of Israel. “I was struck by the similarity between the language FDR used regarding the Japanese, and that which he used in private concerning Jews — that they can’t be trusted, they won’t ever become fully loyal Americans, they’ll try to dominate wherever they go.”

During the 1920s, when Roosevelt was already a seasoned politician and a vice presidential candidate, he expressed racist views in editorials and interviews. Regarding new immigrants — and Asians in particular — he bemoaned the creation of ethnic “colonies” in major cities.

...During these key years before Roosevelt entered the White House, he also wrote and spoke about “the mingling of white with Oriental blood” and preserving other forms of “racial purity.” According to Medoff, all of this was part of a long-held worldview that later guided Roosevelt during his three terms in office.

“Roosevelt’s unflattering statements about Jews consistently reflected one of several interrelated notions: that is was undesirable to have too many Jews in any single profession, institution, or geographic locale; that America was by nature, and should remain, an overwhelmingly white, Protestant country; and that Jews on the whole possessed certain innate and distasteful characteristics,” wrote Medoff.

...“It wasn’t the public mood that set Roosevelt’s immigration policy; he could have quietly allowed the quotas to be filled without anybody knowing it,” said Medoff. “His harsh policy was a choice that he made, which emanated from his vision of what he thought America should look like.”

...According to Medoff, the USHMM exhibition “distorts and minimizes Roosevelt’s abandonment of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.” The president is depicted as having been virtually powerless to enact rescue efforts, despite overwhelming evidence the administration worked to torpedo rescue plans at nearly every opportunity, explained the author.

“[Roosevelt] would not have had to incur substantial political risks had he permitted immigration up to the limits set by US law, admitted refugees temporarily to a US territory, utilized empty Liberty ships to carry refugees, or authorized dropping bombs on Auschwitz or the railways from planes that were already flying over the camp and its environs,” wrote Medoff.

The Holocaust museum’s portrait of Roosevelt is particularly problematic, believes Medoff, because the president’s torpedoing of Jewish rescue efforts has been well-documented for several decades. Specifically, Medoff pointed to David Wyman’s seminal 1984 book, “The Abandonment of the Jews,” as well as research conducted by historians Henry Feingold and Monty Penkower.

...Asked for a response to Medoff’s take on “Americans and the Holocaust,” USHMM communications director Andrew Hollinger said...

“[Rescuing Jews] was not a priority for President Roosevelt or virtually anyone else in the government, which the exhibition lays out,” Hollinger told The Times of Israel. “The exhibition clearly shows President Roosevelt led the effort to prepare America to enter the war, but never made rescuing the victims of Nazism a priority.”

The installation, said Hollinger, asks a key question: “If Americans knew so much about Nazi Germany’s persecution of Jews, why didn’t rescue become a priority?” The installation poses that question not only with regard to Roosevelt but to various sectors of the American public, said Hollinger.

...During the 1930s, Roosevelt maintained trade with Nazi Germany, and his administration even helped the Germans evade the boycott against German goods that many Americans were practicing.

...Even after the Kristallnacht pogrom in November of 1938, Roosevelt refused to criticize the leaders of Nazi Germany. His statement about the slaughter merely called the night’s events “unbelievable,” and he declined to name the victims or perpetrators. Indeed, FDR did not issue a single statement critical of the Nazis during the first five years of Hitler’s rule.

In 1939, as the world went to war, Hitler broadcast his intentions to annihilate European Jewry. Simultaneously, FDR refused to support a bill that would have let 20,000 Jewish German adolescents into the US. Anne Frank and her sister Margot could have qualified to be included, since they were German citizens and under age 16, said Medoff.

Roosevelt’s determination to keep Jews away from America knew few limits, as probed in several chapters of Medoff’s book. Although it is well-known that Roosevelt turned away the St. Louis ship packed with German Jewish refugees, the president took other steps that have been omitted by most of his biographers.

For example, when the Dominican Republic made a public offer to take in 100,000 Jews on visas, the administration undermined the plan. From Roosevelt’s point of view, explained Medoff, that country was too close to home, and Jews deposited there would inevitably come to America. Officials in the US Virgin Islands, too, were willing to rescue Jews by letting them into the country, but Roosevelt halted the plan, wrote Medoff.

...“Where we can really see the impact of remorse over the Holocaust is in the rise of the Soviet Jewry protest movement and pro-Israel activism by American Jews,” said Medoff. “Many of the key figures in those efforts have said they were driven by a determination not to repeat the failure of their parents’ generation to speak out during the Shoah.”