The scam continues. Germany stores about half its gold in New York. Germany is suspicious of the US dollar and the Fed and asks for their gold back. The Fed says "that's impossible." They claim that they couldn't fill the order until 2022 (Even though German's gold is supposedly less than 5% of all Fed gold holdings). The Germany asks to see their gold. The Fed says, "No!" Listen closely at about 2:10, in which during WW2 the Fed convinced Asian and African nations to store their gold in New York in exchange for Federal Reserve gold certificates, but when those nations tried to trade those certificates back to the Federal Reserve to recover their gold, the Federal Reserve claimed their own gold certificates were fakes, and kept the gold.
"Brevity is the soul of wit" - William Shakespeare (From "Hamlet")
Just a short message for my musician friends: Please! Do not put long intros and text at the start of your videos on Youtube! Why? Think about it: 1) People clicked your video because they either searched for you or saw a short description and thumbnail image... They want to see your image and music immediately. They don't want to sit through introductions that are longer than a few seconds. 2) Youtube already makes people sit through a 5 to 20 second commercial as it is. Just that causes people to click off your video. Don't make us wait even longer. 3) This is the deal-breaker. Even if someone likes your video, do you think that viewers want to sit through another long introduction on their second, and subsequent views? No. They don't. Think about it. Do you like long text intros on anything? If people want text intros, they'll read a book... So keep this in mind: "Brevity is the soul of wit." People do not need intros longer than 3 ~ 6 seconds on Youtube. For the reasons stated above AND it already says your band name under your video on the page! You want lots of views? Cut those intros out! Ahem... To give you guys and marketeers a good example, I recently found a band from Germany that I love and think might be going places. Their name is The Merrybeats. They only have a couple of videos so I want to use theirs as an example (and a good way to promote them at the same time). I wrote to Don Cire, the vocalist of the band and told him the above. I expect he will take it to heart and make the intros shorter (3 seconds? None?) for the next videos! This band deserves lots of plays! Here is one of their videos. This is a delightful song that, once you get to it, I'm sure you'll enjoy... The only problem is that the text credits at the start are 22 seconds long! Yikes!
Why Central Bank policy is a failure all over the world... (That's me - or at least how I feel when I'm at work most of the time....) Actually, though, this photo went along with an article about how Central Bank intervention and currency manipulation won't work.... Also for your reading pleasure (sorry folks, been super busy and haven't had the time to write! Will later today.... Maybe...)... Try reading these on for size... I'm extremely bearish on everything except precious metals... The yen? Get out while you can!
In the most anticipated (and likely most strawman/leaked) policy actions, the BoJ and the Japanese government (still independent entities theoretically) have unveiled the new monetary policy to complement the $116bn fiscal stimulus plan to boost growth:
*BOJ TO ADOPT 2% INFLATION TARGET
*BOJ WILL INTRODUCE OPEN-ENDED PURCHASING FROM JAN 2014
*BOJ TO BUY 2T YEN OF JGBS MONTHLY FROM JAN 2014
*BOJ TO BUY ABOUT 10T YEN OF T-BILLS MONTHLY FROM JAN 2014
With epic amounts of JPY shorts and NKY longs, JPY was notably bid versus the USD (from Friday's close) going in, 30Y JGBs bid relative to 10s, and the NKY and TOPIX were leaking lower. Now is the time to see just how effective this efficient market is at pricing in thestabilization-to-retaliation phaseof the current actions. Though of course, there is no intent to cough-'weaken'-cough the JPY:
*AMARI TO SAY AT DAVOS NO POLITICAL INTENTION TO MANIPULATE YEN
So, as expected, the BoJ joins the Fed and ECB on the unlimited "open-yended"(TM) printfest bandwagon. So far JPY is not totally impressed.
Germany and Japan have a long tradition of cooperating, at least when it comes to various iterations of world war, generically in the conventional sense (and where they tend to end up on the less than winning side). Which is why it may come as a surprise to some that earlier today German politician Michael Meister launched what is now the third shot across Japan's bow in what is rapidly escalating as the most dramatic case of global currency warfare between the world's net exporters (at least legacy net exporters: thanks to Japan's recent political snafus, it has now become a net importer as it is rapidly losing the Chinese market which accounts for some 20% of its exports) which started as long ago as 2010 when it was quite clear that currency warfare is what the insolvent world can expect, before it devolves into outright protectionism, and finally regular war as Kyle Bass explained recently. To wit: “What can Japan’s competitors do?” Meister said today in a telephone interview. “Either we’re all smart and do nothing, or we follow suit and create a spiral that hurts us all.”
I won't have much to say about yesterday's elections in Japan. There are tons of places that you can find much more informed commentary on that.
I would, though, like to add one thought about the fear of Japanese remilitarization. The following article was written in 2006 but the argument is still completely relevant to today.
In order for Japan to repent completely for past deeds and war crimes while returning to the fold as an equal partner in peace with her Asian neighbors, a seemingly monstrous contradiction must occur. Japan will be obliged to renounce her pacifist constitution — specifically Article 9 of the constitution — and create her own standing army so that she can become a normal independent nation, pursuing her own independent foreign policy and interests. Until Japan does renounce Article 9, she will never be able to come out from under the US security umbrella and, in turn, be able to create and maintain relations with her neighbors on an equal footing. Japan must create her own military again in order to rid herself of US occupation and control. Nevertheless, the notion of renouncing her pacifist constitution understandably causes Japan's neighbors to become very nervous due to Japan's past Asian aggression. This is the paradox of Japanese remilitarization. Today's Japan is at a crossroads. The US security umbrella that Japan has lived under these past 60 years often hampers relations between Japan and her neighbors. Japan's economic relations with those neighbors hum along at a fantastic rate, while her political relations are constantly hindered by political stumbling at home and Japan's security agreement with America. Even though many Japanese are beginning to think that staunchly supporting the United States is not a good idea with over 75 percent "quite dissatisfied" with Japan's support of the illegal invasion of Iraq, Japan today is at the beck and call of the American empire. But what can Japan do about the current situation? Many people in Japan feel that the US-Japan security agreement is an outdated and ill-fitting rented suit that must be changed. But how? One solution has been presented by the current Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, and looks like it might be acted upon in 2006. Koizumi wishes to revise Article 9 of the constitution that renounces Japan maintaining a standing military. As former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone said, "(Revising Article 9) would make Japan a ‘normal country' that can share responsibilities and cooperate with the world …" Even though some politicians like Nakasone are also against prime ministerial visits to Yasukuni Shrine, this policy of revising the Japanese constitution has drawn much criticism from China, Korea, and the Japanese Left. Also, though many countries and groups object to any proposed changes to Japan's pacifist constitution, would these changes signal a hard-right shift in Japanese politics? Would these revisions put still more strain on a China already under enormous pressure from a very belligerent United States? Would a remilitarized Japan be what the US empire really wants? Not necessarily. Incredibly, in the long run, a Japan with a foreign policy independent of the United States just might be much better at reducing Asian-Pacific tensions than a Japan that is a lap-dog of the USA. In many ways, this entire matter is merely a problem of semantics. Japan's Self-Defense Force is currently called Jieitai; the name of this force is to be changed to Jieigun, which translates into Self-Defense Army. To westerners, this may seem like a minor detail. But in a country that is filled with contradictions and has a language that holds hundreds of words meaning the same thing, albeit with slightly different nuances, this minor change can lead to major changes, depending on how it is interpreted. Would this change confirm that Japan is rearming and could pose a threat to her Asian neighbors once again? Or is this just another enigmatic problem of modern Japan that requires deeper consideration of the psyche and linguistics of today's Japanese nation? Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution states:
"Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. 2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized."As of 2004, Japan is already in the world's top five in military spending. Will changing Japan's military status make any real difference? Does Japan having her own military spell trouble for China or Korea? Leftists and some critics say that it does. But after researching this issue, I have to conclude that it does not. I have become convinced that the only way Japan will ever be able to free herself from US control and handle her own foreign affairs with all of her Pacific neighbors as an equal partner will be to renounce Article 9. Many of Japan's neighbors complain that Japan accedes to the USA's every wish and whim. I'd have to agree with that; in fact I complain about it as much as anyone. But I would add that if Japan's Asian neighbors want Japan to get away from the US security umbrella, then they have to expect that Japan will want to be treated as an equal partner in all discussions and problems. Thus, Japan escaping from the US security agreement is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, an independent Japan can take a dissenting opinion to the USA on Asian disputes. On the other hand, Japan will have to have her own military to do so. To this very day, Japan is treated as a junior in all aspects of her relations with all of her Pacific neighbors. China, Korea, and the rest of Asia will have to realize that they cannot have their cake and eat it too. The Japanese are a very pragmatic people. An independent Japan will require an independent Japanese military. To expect Japan to leave the US security agreement without having a standing military of her own is absurd. No politicians in any country would last in office for an hour if they allowed their country to fall into the precarious position whereby its national or economic interests could not be protected in an emergency. To think that any country's politicians could is completely ignorant. In spite of what you may read in the mass media, Japan is still under US occupation in 2006. Undeniable evidence of this can be found in the fact that Japan doesn't even fully control her own airspace or her own territorial waters. For example, for over the last 20 years Japan has been begging the United States to give her back the airspace above and around areas of Tokyo. Here is an extract from an article entitled U.S. to return part of Yokota airspace that appeared in the Japan Times on March 12, 2006.
"The United States has basically agreed to return part of the airspace over Yokota Air Base in Tokyo as part of the realignment of U.S. military forces in Japan, informed sources said Saturday."The basic agreement is expected to alleviate the overcrowding caused by the 470 commercial flights that must take detours around the so-called ‘Yokota RAPCON (Radar Approach Control)' area each day."The Yokota RAPCON covers the airspace above Tokyo and eight prefectures — Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Niigata, Nagano and Shizuoka. The military airspace is 7,000 meters high at its northern part and 3,700 to 5,500 meters in its southern part near Tokyo."Flights bound for western regions, such as Chugoku and Kyushu, have to ascend to avoid entering the banned airspace, while flights originating from those regions must make a detour south of Yokota, according to the transport ministry."The agreement, however, will effectively shelve Japan's request for the complete return of the airspace, which it has been seeking since the 1980s."You've heard of Saddam Hussein's Iraq having an illegal "no-fly zone" imposed on it, but I bet you didn't know until now that the USA still enforces one over Japan. After reading the above, is there anyone who believes that US occupation of Japan ended in 1952? Today, there are over 50,000 US troops stationed in Japan. In a recent survey, 63 percent of the Japanese people wanted the US troops out. The US military is a huge financial strain on Japan. Another article that appeared on Japan's Kyodo newswires on March 12, 2006 reported that the US was returning three military bases on Okinawa to Japan. Kyodo also reported that Japan looks set to cover the broken down empire's $8 billion estimated cost of removing 7,000 US marines from Okinawa and sending them to Guam. (I calculate that at $1.14 million per marine. Those guys must have a lot of luggage.) Many Japanese wonder why Japan must pay for the removal of US troops from Japanese territory to another US colony in the Pacific. The choice is clear: the only way Japan can become a normal country, treated as an equal by her Pacific neighbors, is to walk along the very same road her neighbors do. It would be a wonderful thing if every nation in the world would have a constitution that renounced military force and prohibited a standing army; it would be fantastic if war were abolished forever, but that is not the way things are. Japanese pacifists will blast me for stating this opinion, but as I have written about many times, the Japanese are, in many ways, very romanticist. It is a lovely and artful, heartwarming way to be, but unfortunately it is not the way the world works. Would a remilitarized Japan, free of US control, become more neighborly with China and Korea? Considering economic trends and business ties, one would hope and strongly suspect so. But, either way, in order to investigate those possibilities, Japan must escape from the grasp of the US. Japan's goal should be to rid herself of US occupation and control. After that, in order to maintain peace, Japan will have to negotiate with her Asian neighbors on an equal footing in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect. Unfortunately, because of the way things are done, to do so will require Japan to change her pacifist constitution more in line with the way everyone else does things. In order for Japan to become friendlier with her Asian sisters, she will once again have to support a military, like a normal country. It is fact-of-life. It is unfortunate that Japan must support a military to do so. It is most fortunate if doing so allows her to return to her Asian family. In this insane world, every normal country has a military. A normal country honors its military dead. That is the tightrope walk for Japan's politicians today: Japan must fulfill the requirements of any normal country while reassuring her neighbors of peaceful intentions. This is the huge paradox of Japanese remilitarization.
Thanks to Bevin Chu
Edited by Jeremy Irwin
I do not advocate a more nationalist (or militarist) response towards China (or the Koreas) over territorial disputes and hope that things can be worked out to everyone's satisfaction in a fair and equitable manner. The point is that, when the USA is involved, it makes people deal in a decidely unfair and risky manner. (Consider how the Poles were intransigent against Germany in 1939 because they had an agreement with Britain and France!)
I do want the dear reader to consider how the USA being involved with these territorial (islands) disputes does cloud the water; there are two sides to this sword. Japanese remilitarization might just calm things doen and make people deal with each other as equals.
As predicted, events are quickly spinning out of control in the Eurozone and this is going to have many unforeseen consequences to Japan and the rest of the world's economy. The recent news and chain of events have even begun the clarion call that the countdown to the breakup of the European Union has begun.
When a politician holds up a copy of EU Constitution and says, "Elect me and I will make a country for our people, not the EU" He will be elected... Greece recently elected Neo-Nazis to parliament. Will it happen in other EU countries? I think the answer is "Of course!"
I think it is a safe bet that the Euro is a dead currency and I don't think it will last another two years. In fact, I believe that things will completely spin out of control this year (but have been wrong with timing before).
It turns out that austerity is extremely unpopular. But if newly elected politicians all over Europe begin rejecting austerity, this puts Germany in a very difficult position. Should Germany be expected to indefinitely bail out all of the members of the eurozone that choose to live way beyond their means? If Germany pulled out of the euro tomorrow, the euro would absolutely collapse, bond yields for the rest of the eurozone would skyrocket to unprecedented heights, and without German bailout money troubled nations such as Greece would be headed directly for default. The rest of the eurozone is absolutely and completely dependent on Germany at this point. But as we have seen, much of the rest of the eurozone is sick and tired of taking orders from Germany and is rejecting austerity. A lot of politicians in Europe apparently believe that they should be able to run up gigantic amounts of debt indefinitely and that the Germans should be expected to always be there to bail them out whenever they need it. Will the Germans be willing to tolerate such a situation, or will they simply pick up their ball and go home at some point?
"It turns out that austerity is extremely unpopular." Duh!
This looks to me like a lose-lose proposition.
If the EU countries stick to austerity, the people revolt and their governments fall. If they reject austerity (which I believe they will) then the Euro collapses. Germany is not going to keep bailing out these countries.
I expect that Greece will leave the Euro - soon! And then Germany won't be far behind...
Couple that with US economic problems and the Japanese financial disaster we are faced with and, as I said, I expect the bug to hit the windshield this year... Possibly summer.
"The chickens have come home to roost" - Malcolm X
I had many reasons for leaving the USA and moving overseas. One of the big reasons was, because of traveling outside of the USA a lot, especially in university days, I began to realize that the story (brainwashing) about the USA being the "Greatest country on earth" (that we were all exposed to throughout our youth in school) wasn't exactly true.
The propaganda involving American exceptionalism and how "we are different (better)" certainly wasn't true either.
Many people's of the world are proud of their countries (rightly so) and think they are living in the best country in the world... I've met lots of those outside the USA. Before I had met these people, I was under the impression that everyone was desperately trying to find a way to escape their country and get to the USA...
Maybe trying to escape to the USA was the dream of most people during World War II. It's not that way today. In fact, it's definitely become the opposite of that today; American people are trying to leave the USA.
I notice that, over this last year or two, this trickle of folks escaping from the USA has gotten bigger and bigger. Of course, the MSM doesn't report it. MSM only reports about important things like what kind of spray tans the stars use, but the fact that entire web sites and blogs, (like my favorites, International Man, or Dollar Vigilante) as well as many other online and offline publications that have popped up supporting expatriation or diversifying out of the dollar, shows you what I told people in the early 2000's: People who can read the writing on the wall are getting out of the USA.
"Perhaps it is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home
is to be charged against provisions against danger,
real or pretended from abroad."
- James Madison in a letter to Thomas Jefferson
I warned people about that just after the Invasion of Iraq. My friends scoffed. I doubt that they scoff anymore (or maybe they are still clueless or in denial).
Anyone who studied any sufficient amount of history should have seen the parallels of what happens to a country that wages wars of aggression to what that means for the domestic populace. I certainly wasn't the only one who saw it coming. My example was the historical record of the smart Jewish people and some wealthy and educated people leaving Germany and Europe before 1939. By Sept. 1, 1939, even those who wanted to leave, couldn't.
I knew what was going to happen. Many others did too. That the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq were a precursor to today problems in the USA should have come to no surprise to anyone. Of course these types of foreign adventures and wars of aggression lead to a collapse of society; they always have throughout the course of human history. To think that these incidents and wars would not lead to the current US debt, economic problems and a loss of freedom is foolish. To think that foreign wars would not lead to a suppression of the people and a rise of the police state is to ignore history... These economic problems and despair, and other recent examples such as the police beating of OWS protesters were completely predictable (they'll get much worse too!) Or, even this wonderful tidbit about how well life in America is today from Reuters this surprises no one:
A shopper pepper-sprayed other bargain hunters and robbers shot at customers to steal their Black Friday purchases, marring the start of the U.S. holiday shopping season, according to authorities.
Up to 20 people were injured after a woman used pepper spray at a Walmart in Los Angeles to get an edge on her competitors. In a second incident, off-duty officers in North Carolina used pepper spray to subdue rowdy shoppers waiting for electronics.
A man was in critical but stable condition after being shot by robbers in a parking lot outside a Walmart In San Leandro, California, at 1:50 a.m. (0950 GMT), Sergeant Mike Sobek said.
The man was in a group of men headed for their car after shopping when robbers confronted them and a fight ensued, Sobek said. The man's shopping companions held down one of the robbers until police arrived and took him into custody.
What's the problem here, officer? Boys will be boys. If you guys can pepper-spray peaceful protesters then why can't this lady pepper-spray a pack of insane and possibly dangerous shoppers out buying crap? I mean, think about it, anyone who would get up early and line up at a Walmart to buy cheap made in China junk must be insane and dangerous... At least dangerous to themselves!
I can write this sort of critique of the USA today, but even 7 years ago, when I wrote about how bad the USA was becoming, in America is Bankrupt, I received lots of hate mail and even a few death threats. Today, from seeing so many different writings and publications on the Internet along the same lines as what I wrote about, talking about USA expatriation is no longer laughed at, but seriously considered by those who matter.
In fact, the window has almost closed, folks. If you can get out now, you should. You won't be able to so easily in the near future.
Recently I was surfing the internet and reading some of my favorite writers and thinkers when something dawned on me. I read articles or interviews with the following people – all of whom I respect and enjoy their viewpoints – in approximately the following order:
Marc Faber, The Gloom, Boom and Doom Report
Doug Casey – Founder, Casey Research
Jim Rogers – American investor and author
Jim Willie – Hat Trick Letter
Dudley Baker – PreciousMetalsWarrants.com
Fred Reed – Author
Can you name something which they all have in common? If you said that they are all top writers or speakers about free markets and/or precious metals you'd be correct. But that isn't their only similarities. They also all have expatriated from their country of origin. After having read seven articles in a row I realized that every person I was reading has already defected from the USSA or other similar western countries.
Like I said, the smart people have gotten out.
It is not unusual to write about these things today. It was risky to do so seven years ago... But when I first decided to move here to Japan in the early 1980's, there was no one that I could tell my fears to... In those days, if you had told anyone that you believe that the USA was way overstepping its authority and turning into the new Nazi state, American people would have thought you were nuts.
Probably most foreigners, the world over, would have just nodded their head and said, "What took you so long to figure that out?"
To recall an experience when I was working at a company office before I came to the USA allows me to exemplify one case of just how twisted the modern American mindset has become. This is the case of the US invasion of Grenada. For me, this was a quick preview of what was coming for the USA. I didn't like it at all.
Ronald Reagan was the president of the USA. He had won by a landslide against Jimmy Carter in 1980. The US invaded Grenada in 1983.
In 1981, I had started working at a Prudential district office as a salesman / broker. The other salesmen were nice guys and most of them were typically at least 20 ~ 30 years older than me and many of them were ex-military men.
One day when I came to the office they were drinking and having a celebration. I walked in and it was a happy scene. A few dozens guys drinking and eating and having several "toasts" to whatever it was they were toasting. When they saw me they shouted, "Mike! Come on in! Have a drink! We're celebrating!"
I grabbed a drink and was very happy to join the party! "Wow! Drinking at work? Cool!" I then asked, "What are we celebrating?"
To which several guys smiled and said to me, "We won a war!"
"What war?" I replied.
A very nice older guy named Jim Cline said, "We invaded Grenada and won a war! The Vietnam war is over! We've won!"
At first, I was happy. But then it dawned on me... "What the hell are we doing invading some Caribbean nation and half these people don't even know where that is?"
The MSM was reporting that we invaded that island nation to save US university students... Then the story was something about 5,000 Cuban regular army on the island building an airport... There were so many excuses. (sounds like Iraq?)
Later, I went to the public library and found out some truths. First off, if you are Cuban, everyone is in the army so 5,000 "Cuban regulars" means about 600 Cuban soldiers, their wives and their 8 kids. The University students were never in any danger and that the UK and several other nations severely protested the US action as US imperialism (Nah! Couldn't be! We're the good guys, remember?) and that a US puppet government was put into power. So much for being the good guys.
While the invasion enjoyed broad public support in the United States, and received support from some sectors in Grenada from local groups who viewed the post-coup regime as illegitimate, it was criticized by the United Kingdom, Canada and the United Nations General Assembly, which condemned it as "a flagrant violation of international law".
I remember thinking that everything the US media was telling us about this naked aggression was a complete lie. I remember thinking,
"Hey! We're supposed to be the Land of the Free! We're supposed to be helping people and spreading democracy (and I don't mean from the barrel of a gun). We're not supposed to be invading other countries!!!"
The writing was on the wall for me. I hated my job and, because I studied television and media in university I understood how this brainwashing business worked (thanks Mr. Al Miller). I could see what kind of right wing America we were heading for. I was surprised that no one else saw it coming, it seemed to me.
I was still young, cocky and believed I could do anything I wanted.
And I wanted to be free. I left the US police state. Now there are many following.
I do feel vindicated. I feel sorry for those in the USA who fail to see what's coming. I am still, to this day, astounded that even university educated people (like my family) in the USA support the vast US empire and military industrial complex. Their day of reckoning is almost here.
.....Inside their borders, as Americans get tazed, pepper sprayed, beaten and caged on a regular basis, they are beginning to realize that the land of the free and home of the brave was a catchy jingle from centuries ago. It is now the land of the fee, home of the slave.
TRAPPED
Today, as the American government works to erect a wall and conducts unmanned drone flights on the border with Canada, many in the US are awakening to the fact that they are becoming trapped.
The US Government has even made it so all student debt is now completely inextinguishable in bankruptcy... meaning that for students who wasted 4-8 years of their life getting what is often a worthless piece of paper and six figures of debt, they will be enslaved for life and, as we are predicting at TDV, will be forced into the military to pay off their obligations.
GIVE THANKS IF YOU WERE NOT BORN IN THE US
In an erstwhile change of fortune, what was once the best place to be born, between 1623-1970 has now become one of the worst. Only those born in North Korea and Cuba, and a handful of other despotic regimes, can be said to be much worse off.....
It's 1939 again... Excepting the fascists have taken control of the USA.
Get out while you still can.
US Government Hypocrisy. Watch this:
NOTE: Thanks to T. Foley for part of this article's inspiration. T graduated from a top class California University at Santa Barbara. I used to think he was an intelligent guy... That is until he was totally "Gung-ho!" for the Iraq invasion and actually told me before that fiasco started, "We'll be in and out in 4 weeks!" ... I totally lost respect for him and the rest of the "Gung-ho!" people he associated with then. Here were people who were university educated and vehemently anti-Vietnam war just a few years before, but then, at that time, they suddenly became cheerleaders for the US military machine? Extraordinary!
Japan is often thought of as a heaven for men. Japan is thee Man's Country. There's lots of things here that are very, for lack of a better term, "beneficial" for men. Just a few off the top of my head are the fact that it isn't unusual at all for a 45-year-old or 50-year-old man to have a 20-something-year-old wife; while it is frowned upon, it is also often allowed, that married men have affairs with various women and having a mistress is still common. It is also not considered as "having an affair" by many women when her man goes to a sex parlor or so called hostess club and has his frustrations, er, "relieved."
In my old age, I've come to realize that these types of frivolities are not a benefit but a curse. They just cost money and surely, one woman is trouble enough. Also, at my house, even though I am the boss and Lord King of all I survey, my wife is chief financier and she controls the money and budget.
But I digress...
So, in this country, that has the image of a man's paradise - paradise where a man's virility is often showcased; where the women walk two steps behind the men, it makes me chuckle whenever I see a Japanese men's team getting beat in any world sports game. It doesn't matter if it is baseball, soccer, volleyball, whatever, I've always take secret pleasure in seeing the Japan men's team get beat.
It must be some sort of psychological screw-up in my brain. It's been that way since I was a kid. I've always loved Japan, but I always wanted the Japan men's teams to lose. It didn't matter what it was, but it was usually the Olympics, and the Japanese men's team would consistently come in as an "also ran." I was happy when they lost.
Which is weird in one way, I always wanted the USA men's and women's teams to lose too, but that wasn't because of the way society is, it's because I want to always cheer for the underdog, and the USA is never the underdog... Ever! I mean, how could you possibly be the underdog when you have all the money, the best facilities, the best trainers, dietitians, drugs, er, I mean, "sports rehabilitation techniques."
But this always wanting the Japan men's teams to lose confused me inside. I mean, if I loved Japan so much, then why did I want their men's teams to always lose?
I concluded it was because my mom was Japanese and I had this idea that Japan is a very chauvinistic country and that the men dominate the women. I'm sure that I am not the only one with that image in my head either. It must be that everyone thinks so.... Especially us half-Japanese kids who have a Japanese mother that we love dearly...
I guess growing up with the image of a Japanese man treating women as second rate citizens leaves a bad image in the minds of us kids. It isn't always true, of course, I have to deal with my phobias and stereotypes on my own I suppose.
So, it's been OK cheering against the Japanese men's teams because they always lose anyway. Sometimes, I've even felt sorry for them...
But there is a Japanese team who I always cheer for and I always am extremely happy when they win. Can you guess which team that is?
Japanese forces penetrate deeply into German territory!
The Japanese national women's teams win and they win often. Recently, just to name a few, they won at Olympic Softball, Volleyball, Marathon, and they've done OK at other sports like table tennis and synchronized swimming (arguably not a sport!)... So I enjoy it when the women's teams win.
Perhaps it is a twisted satisfaction that I get from watching these poor ladies, as representatives of the female half of their society, actually showing the guys how to win.... Something that the guy's teams rarely do (excepting the two times they lucked out in baseball). Perhaps it is because I feel a sort of revenge for my mother.
I don't know what it is. But, when the Japan women's teams win, it feels good just because I get some sort of childish feeling of revenge or satisfaction (even though I don't really care about any sports).
So the Japan women's teams showing the men's teams how to win is great fun. It proves that times they are a changin' and that women are taking their place, slowly but surely, in Japan....
That, and the fact that in 80% of all Japanese households, the wife holds the purse strings and controls all the money and finances it makes me wonder if this really is a man's country or is it that the men are all children and the women are the adults and are de facto controlling them!
Of course, that is nonsense and poppycocky. In Japan, men are king. The wives merely win all the time and control the money.
