Is the problem really as bad as the Americans make out?

[thereisnospoon]

CNN.com - Japan put on sex-trade watch list - Jun 14, 2004

p.s. This is not a bash at America but do they really have the right to criticise when they have their own major crime, drugs, immigration, sex trade problems. Shouldn't they fix their own house before complaiing about other peoples problems.

 

[sadakoyamamura]

It seems that they are always into other people's backyard... There was a comment some time ago that the American Government is always acting as the World Police. This seems to be true. Look at Afghanistan, Iraq etc... Is it out of well, genuine concern for the world or are there hidden reasons like economics? Just curious... :?

For this reason, I remember the saying: Before you take note of another person's dirt in the eye, take the mote out of your eye first...

 

[Mandylion]

Prying into others affairs for political reasons is a tricky slope. You can end up in Iraq and other unsavory places. However, what tragedies might have been avoided if the world had been a little more involved in Hitler's backyard in the 1930's or in Rawanda not very long ago? If we stuck to the mind your own business school of international policy, imagine what attrocities could be committed, imagine what abuses of human rights.

I would hope, and I know, there are people working all over the world, in their own countries and internationally, to prevent the abuse of women and the trafficing of humans. I damn sure hope they don't limit themselves to their own backyards. Sometimes the spark that lights the fire under a government to do something about a problem comes from international pressure (like, to various degrees, whaling, nuclear safety, the drug and arms trade, human rights, economic reform, etc. etc. etc.)

I would rather be accused of sticking my nose over fences than have to tell a 16 year old tricked into working a sex club in Japan that she is on her own because the country I come from has its own problems - very sorry, can't help you and won't bring your plight to the attention of the world community because we have teens selling their bodies for drugs. Since they come from my country, they are much more important than you. Why don't you enquire next door?"

(my post is not aimed at anyone who posted/will post, rather the general isolationist attitudes that pop up from time to time - please don't take it all personal like).

 

[Golgo_13]

For this reason, I remember the saying: Before you take note of another person's dirt in the eye, take the mote out of your eye first...

Thank you very much!

 

[ashuri2]

Prying into others affairs for political reasons is a tricky slope. You can end up in Iraq and other unsavory places. However, what tragedies might have been avoided if the world had been a little more involved in Hitler's backyard in the 1930's or in Rawanda not very long ago? If we stuck to the mind your own business school of international policy, imagine what attrocities could be committed, imagine what abuses of human rights.

I would hope, and I know, there are people working all over the world, in their own countries and internationally, to prevent the abuse of women and the trafficing of humans. I damn sure hope they don't limit themselves to their own backyards. Sometimes the spark that lights the fire under a government to do something about a problem comes from international pressure (like, to various degrees, whaling, nuclear safety, the drug and arms trade, human rights, economic reform, etc. etc. etc.)

I would rather be accused of sticking my nose over fences than have to tell a 16 year old tricked into working a sex club in Japan that she is on her own because the country I come from has its own problems - very sorry, can't help you and won't bring your plight to the attention of the world community because we have teens selling their bodies for drugs. Since they come from my country, they are much more important than you. Why don't you enquire next door?"

(my post is not aimed at anyone who posted/will post, rather the general isolationist attitudes that pop up from time to time - please don't take it all personal like).

you're right in that there should be a certain level of altruism, but where does it go from caring to almost being an international bully? sometimes the u.s. claims to be out to help everyone but certain things make me wonder whether we're trying to make the whole world exactly like us or just trying to maintain our leadership position as long as possible. for a country a little over 200 years old, we rose to world prominence rather quickly, and i think some are afraid that we'll fall just as fast.

 

[Mandylion]

I see your point in general and I agree,

however,

in relation to the article posted and the comments made, when it comes to the abuse of women, if it takes bullying to make a country start to think about ways to end human trafficking, I'll be first in line with my a** beating hat on and the devil take the hindmost. The cultural relativist argument doesn't hold much sway here - 'oh, they are Japanese and have different cultural values so it is okay' - that was simplified yes, but you would be surprised how much this gets tossed around by some rather smart people.

Unapologetically, I say if you condone the abuse of human rights by either action or inaction you get whatever unsavory things that might come your way (that goes for the US too) by whomever wants to throw them.

 

[Elizabeth]

For the most part, the problem isn't the US government condoning human rights abuses so much so how best to deal with corrupt, developing countries or corporations with low labor standards based there in ways that don't hurt the local economy and put even more people out of work, eg economic sanctions and trade barriers.

 

[den4]

the grass is always greener in the neighbor's yard, until you see all the clovers, weeds, and hidden dandelions and blackberry bushes hidden behind the shrubs....
kind of like the aesop (?) fable about the dog and the bone.....where wanting more than what he has, he loses everything by dropping his own bone into the water....
Most Americans are cool people.....just the stupid loud mouthed ones or Darwin Candidates somehow make a bad name for the rest of us....but then, that is true for every nation....I don't think the Americans have a monopoly on stupidity, since we got most of our citizens from the rest of the nations around the world Share and enjoy! And since we did get most of our citizens from elsewhere, they have interests in those countries from whence they came

 

[Suki-Yaki]

yeah ..

For this reason, I remember the saying: Before you take note of another person's dirt in the eye, take the mote out of your eye first...

Hmm .. I kinda recognize this saying , is it of an Arabic origin ^^;? Just a guess ..

Yup! It's not only the way americans dig into others' business . It's also the way they (or some of them^^ feel superb over those others . It pisses me that someone , so full of mistakes , would look at me as a less of a human , and urge into "fixing" me . Simply annoying .

 

[ashuri2]

I see your point in general and I agree,

however,

in relation to the article posted and the comments made, when it comes to the abuse of women, if it takes bullying to make a country start to think about ways to end human trafficking, I'll be first in line with my a** beating hat on and the devil take the hindmost. The cultural relativist argument doesn't hold much sway here - 'oh, they are Japanese and have different cultural values so it is okay' - that was simplified yes, but you would be surprised how much this gets tossed around by some rather smart people.

Unapologetically, I say if you condone the abuse of human rights by either action or inaction you get whatever unsavory things that might come your way (that goes for the US too) by whomever wants to throw them.

and i am forced to agree with you concerning the issue in perspective to the article. i was getting kind of general in my analysis of the u.s.'s policing the globe instead of thinking how some of these policing policies do actually result in some good changes.

 

[senseiman]

No offence, but it is pretty idiotic to be criticizing the US state department for this. Most industrialized nations prepare similar annual reports on the human rights situations in other countries, so it isn't just the US doing this. While sometimes they might politicize these lists to single out official enemies for criticism, in the case of Japan you can't make that argument.

The sex trade is an international problem and from what I've read a lot of the foreigners working in this field in Japan are treated much like slaves. I think everything that state department official said was true. The reason they make these reports is so that the government can take these concerns into account when forming policy in the hope of doing something to alleviate them. Criticizing them based on the fact that the US isn't perfect seems to be missing the point entirely.

 

[ashuri2]

No offence, but it is pretty idiotic to be criticizing the US state department for this. Most industrialized nations prepare similar annual reports on the human rights situations in other countries, so it isn't just the US doing this. While sometimes they might politicize these lists to single out official enemies for criticism, in the case of Japan you can't make that argument.

The sex trade is an international problem and from what I've read a lot of the foreigners working in this field in Japan are treated much like slaves. I think everything that state department official said was true. The reason they make these reports is so that the government can take these concerns into account when forming policy in the hope of doing something to alleviate them. Criticizing them based on the fact that the US isn't perfect seems to be missing the point entirely.

i'm not criticizing the u.s. for the human rights report- that is what i consider a good thing. i was criticizing how the u.s. acts in general sometimes, as if it can pretty much do what it wants in the world arena and still be able to count on the support of other countries just because it happens to be (currently) the most powerful nation. the u.s. seems to make a hapbit of flaunting what the u.n. requests it to do or not to do, but then still expects it support. it's more the 'superior attitude' that annoys me, i think.

 

[Jean-Francois]

It turns out that R. Kelly is right when he sings

Money makes the world go round,
Ain窶冲 nothing free in the world in life !

United States leads the way in contributions to UN humanitarian and refugee relief efforts. They remain the largest donor to the World Food Program, contributing 51.4 percent of its budget to help feed 72 million people in 82 countries. They also contribute 25 percent to the budget of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The U.S. government contributed 27 percent of the costs of UN peacekeeping and 25.8 percent of the budget of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2002.

go money, go money, yo
money makes the world go round
yes it does
still don窶冲 nuttin窶 move but the money
this brother窶冱 got to have it
money makes the world go round
from sun up till the sun goes down
yeah, what?
so much money

 

[Xkavar]

There are very few things I am proud of when it comes to my government.

Putting their nose in forced sex trades and slavery is one of them.

'Course, if it was me, I'd have used a gun.

 

[justin]

I am very proud to be an American and enjoy the freedom that is my birth right as an American.

I only wish America would take care of itself and leave the rest of the world alone.

I feel that America should bring its troops home from around the world and let other countries deal with their own problems (invading army or not).

As for foreign aide money, it should be cut to at least half of what it is. That money could help feed American families in need. America should only send aide for things like natural disasters and such.

I just feel America should take care of itself and let the rest of the world do the same. I know I am going to get an ear full for my views, but hey its called "Freedom of Speech." You have your views and I have mine.

 

[ashuri2]

There are very few things I am proud of when it comes to my government.

Putting their nose in forced sex trades and slavery is one of them.

'Course, if it was me, I'd have used a gun.

much as it's not politically or democratically correct, i kind of like your style...