【ニッポンの新常識】 Common Knowledge Revisited㊼
SEALDsだからおかしい、との主張に私は与しない
I Don’t Agree with Dismissing an Argument Just Because It Is Espoused by SEALDs
http://www.zakzak.co.jp/society/domestic/news/20151226/dms1512261000003-n1.htm
This is my last column for this year. I first ran a one-week series of articles in Fuji Evening News in November of last year titled “Japan Strikes Back,” and then this column started running in February. Since that time, my articles have appeared in the Sankei Newspaper, Seiron, Voice, Shincho 45, WiLL, etc. Including books written together with other authors, 4 books have been published, and “Japanese Still Brainwashed by GHQ” (PHP Kenkyusho) is now in its twelfth printing. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in these projects.
Perhaps the opinion of an American resident of Japan showed a fresh viewpoint. Or perhaps my comment that “Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution Is Itself Unconstitutional” drew special attention. Especially on Twitter, opinions have been varied, and I have received lots of comments and criticism. I would like to thank those who have reacted to my views.
There are two types of reactions that bear special attention.
Firsts, when I discussed the student group “SEALDs” or the actress Sayuri Yoshinaga, among the people who agreed with my views were a significant number who said “Students (or actresses) who don’t know anything about politics or military matters should keep quiet!” I cannot agree with that view.
There is a high possibility that anyone who is concerned about the occupation, title, educational background, age, sex, or affiliation of the person speaking does not have their own clear standard for evaluation. They accept the assertions of “experts” without reservation, are easily influenced, and easily deceived by propaganda. They should be looking not at “who made the assertion” but at the “whether the assertion is rational.”
Second, mainly among those who disagreed with me, some said “The old Kent didn’t used to say such things.”
I first appeared on television in 1983 and my last regular appearance on TBS “Sunday Morning” was in 1997, so “the old Kent” refers to me as I was at least 15 years ago.
During that 15 years the world has changed drastically. Consider the 9.11 New York Terrorist Attacks, the war in Afghanistan, the return of abductees from North Korea, the Iraq war, the anti-Japanese riots in China, the rise of the Democratic Party of Japan, nationalization of the Senkaku Islands, the Great East Japan Earthquake, the formation of the second cabinet of Shinzo Abe, the retraction of mistaken articles about comfort women by the Asahi Newspaper, the rise of the so-called Islamic State (IS), the construction of bases by China in the South China Sea, the 70th Anniversary Military Parade in Peking, the terrorist attacks in Paris, etc.
The father of Indian Independence Mahatma Gandhi said “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever.” People are free to reject learning, change, and progress, but I do not want to live by rusty old notions of common sense.
That’s why I look forward to next year with great anticipation.
毎週日曜日発行 まぐまぐメルマガ：http://www.mag2.com/m/0001655307.html
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Home Page 公式サイト：http://www.kentgilbert.com/
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