Chilling

[Spriggan]

This is an article about a growing trend of internet suicide packs in Japan:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/922190.asp?vts=061020032240

[42]

Japan seems to have some serious violence issues.

[Tage]

Wow. That is, in fact, very creepy.

[EUOL]

Hum.  I don't think Japan has serious 'violence issues.'  The culture is just so repressive emotionally.  

Kind of makes me sad, in a grim way, that they aren't doing it with katanas...

[Entsuropi]

REminds me... some people say that the reason anime often features very strong female protagonists with a lot of freedom is that it often goes to japanese businessmen.... guys whose jobs are so de-humanising and stressfull and regimented that they project the qualitites they do not have onto female characters.

Best not to ask about the habit of those female characters to get a) naked b) killed or mutilated in a gory fashion.

[Brian]

That is sick and really freaky.. but it doesn't suggest to me that Japan has violence issues so much as some really deep social issues. I hope their government will start to put two and two together on this.

No, its not my place to criticize the accepted practices of other cultures, but there are a number univeral truths in this world, and one is the fragility of the human psyche.

[42]

Let me see, Japan, tried to take over Korea, atried to take over China (at least parts), warred among itself for a millenium or so, developed a "warrior society", had ritualistic suicide, had kamkazi pilots, creates anime, game shows that glorify a good physical beating, is the largest consumer of video games, creates children shows around "battle-games" and has internet suicides.

I don't mean to bash on Japan, but how does all of that not equate to having some issues with violence?

[Brian]

I didn't say that I don't believe that Japan has violence issues. Only that this particular situation doesn't in itself suggest a violent culture to me, just a culture that doesn't pay enough attention to the emotional needs of its young.

Edit: I'm not saying that I DO believe Japan has violence issues, either. In other words I'm not taking a position on that in this thread. That is an entirely separate issue, imho.