OMGZ!!1! t3rr0rzor!!

[MajideSaiaku]

Basically my J-lady doesnt want to visit anymore because of the recent Terror BS thats been on the news about an apparent terrorist plot in the UK, coupled with the moronic crippling "security" arrangements made which basically make flying economy even more horrid then it ussually is.

How do you convince a typical Japanese person who has no will of her own to educate herself and make up her own mind to believe her boyfriend that its safe over the paranoid ranting delusions of the scare-mongering media, aided by the British government (she obviously cant appriciate Unlike Japan, our government has other interets then simply running the nation and enjoying the power for powers sake).

☝

Seriously though it is quite annoying.

Edit: I just wanna clear it up, if I thought for a second she was in danger of fying to Osama wannabe's, I would dump her here and now rather then risk her life on a bombed plane, but she isnt gonig anywhere near an American air-route, and even if there was a bomb-plot, it has apparently been foiled.

They have released no evidence, and anyway, the intelligence work they seem to have been doing seems more effective then denying people their evil evil magazines (which could potentially give the pilot severe paper-cut).

So yeah, In my opinion the threat to her from terrorism has changed none before or after this latest scare-mongering.

What does one do to convince her?.

 

[Kinsao]

Jeez, I dunno. ☝ I feel for you ... ;_; You could try telling her that it's actually safer now because of police/security being on the alert and all ... :?

 

[Davey]

When is she supposed to come? just explain to her that it is safe, without forcing her it's safe safe safe...

its on the news a lot now, so let it go over is another thing!

 

[Mike Cash]

How do you convince a typical Japanese person who has no will of her own to educate herself and make up her own mind to believe her boyfriend

So you want her to have enough mind of her own to not believe the media/govt....but not enough mind of her own to disbelieve her boyfriend?

You don't want advice from forum denizens. You need to be talking to a tightrope walker.

she isnt gonig anywhere near an American air-route

And we all know that acts of terror are only committed against Americans and American interests....

What does one do to convince her?.

Get on the plane yourself and fly to her rather than ask her to fly to you?

Or was there some more complex solution that I missed while fixating on the blindingly obvious?

 

[ArmandV]

My first trip to Japan was the month after September 11 (Halloween, to be exact). The airport in Los Angeles was swarming with security, including the National Guard. Although my family (who stayed home) was apprehensive, I felt no anxiety since I felt that flying was 100% safer than September 10, 2001.

With the current heightened alert, security has been beefed up, so the chances of any terror-related incidents are nil to none. Nobody would dare now to try something on an airline. She has nothing to worry about.

Sometimes women, not just J-women, don't think logically as men do.

 

[cursore]

I se she's in Japan now.. where about?

Anyway, it is quite hard to change someone's mind, but if she doesn't feel to travel now for fear try to respect her fears and try to make her understand that there is virtually no risks.. Or fly over.. I would recommend on the 9th of September KLM from Edinburgh... if you are scared I'll keep you company on the plane... ah ah ah

 

[ArmandV]

How do you convince a typical Japanese person who has no will of her own...

Obviously, she has a will of her own if she isn't listening to you.

To paraphrase Bela Lugosi: "This time you must get a girl with no will of her own, no fiendish intellect to oppose her master!"

 

[Mike Cash]

To paraphrase Bela Lugosi: "This time you must get a girl with no will of her own, no fiendish intellect to oppose her master!"

To quote Marty Feldman: "Abbie someone..."

 

[ArmandV]

To quote Marty Feldman: "Abbie someone..."

I am presuming that came from Young Frankenstein. I just don't recall the context.

 

[MajideSaiaku]

And we all know that acts of terror are only committed against Americans and American interests....

Thats not the point, the apparent terrorist threat was against America bound flights, since she would be going nowhere near the states I assume she was never going to be a potential target. save your world politics for the threads you ussually save it for, Mike, I appriciate the effort, but you've been getting more and more, lets say, less helpful lately, I asked advice, I didnt invite you to share your finer considorations of the philosophy of terrorism and who and why and how.

The fact is I've yet to hear of a single case of Islamic terrorists so much as eyeing up a flight to or from Japan as a potential target.

So you want her to have enough mind of her own to not believe the media/govt....but not enough mind of her own to disbelieve her boyfriend?

I want her to have enough of a mind to use common sense.
I'm a bigger terrorist target then she is, because as of yet not one Japanese civillian has died to Islamic terrorism, unless its just totaly covered up.

Get on the plane yourself and fly to her rather than ask her to fly to you?

Or was there some more complex solution that I missed while fixating on the blindingly obvious?

True it would be an obvious awnser, and I'de gladly do it, save her peace of mind and I can prove that I, again arguably a bigger terrorist target due to my nationality then her, can fly quite safely.

The only problem is I cant **** out ﾂ≫??000 a go everytime I fancy going on an intercontinental flight, believe it or not Mike, being a young 21 year old man, I havnt managed to fiddle my way up a career ladder for the juicy wages of top brass.

Suffice to say we take it in turns, this time was hers.

If I had the money Ide go to Japan every time, I want to go this time, but I cant.

I appriciate the help (though poorly considored) Mike, but again, you need to practice on the actually being helpful part and less on the sarcy/smug/other various attitude ridden commentaries.

When is she supposed to come?

17th.

She's got it in her head that the plot hasnt been foiled and convinced herself somehow the terrorists are waiting conveniently for the day she is due to leave to attack, conveniently just at the same time she is arriving, most likely conveniently her plane pulling up slap bang next to the terrorist target flight, you know, the ones they generally like to blow up in mid-air rather then on the tarmac.

Her aunts and mother are also doing a good job of feeding her paranoia and anxiety.


Update: she said she'd come if I come down to heathrow, I guess I could do it if she really wanted, I suppouse if shes really that worried about dying in the first ever attack on Japanese nationals on a flight from Japan, but I dont see how this helps, if she does get blown up in mid-air theres not alot me going to heathrow will do.

I reckon she's more worried about there being an attack at heathrow, which is more reasonable, and even then she seems more worried about getting anxious and not being able to understand english or the whole alien situation of a foreign airport in chaos.

I've tried telling her every reason why she will be safe (I did mention she had more chance of crashing due to engine failure then bombs) but that probably didnt help :S.

I dunno, I've always thought of her as an intelligent person, if a dunce like me can come to the conclusion its safe to fly as any time, then I dunno, I just expected her to relise that to and not let stuff bother her...

I'm an anxious flyer, every engine sound change caused my heart to just shrivel and die and my mind to sink into a deep unfathomable depression of expectant death with no way to escape it, and I am not exhagirating my description of how I felt, but I still got on the planes and flew there, and I never once actually expected to die to a bomb.

Man, the whole situation is messed up, and people wonder why some say the terrorists are winning.

They dont even need to bring down a plane, just the fear of it causes rational people to wig out and society to live in fear....


Edit: I apologise for the "Japanese have no will of their own" comment, my justification is that these morons have interfered with an otherwise possible happy meet up, I havnt seen her in months, and because some morons who want their 47 or whatever virgins, I might very well have to wait for another un-known amount of months before we can meet up again.

 

[ArmandV]

I don't get how going to Heathrow would be any "safer" than flying directly to where you are. It seems the flights the were considered at targets originated out of Heathrow. Still, with the alert, it is as safe as anywhere.

As for Japanese nationals "not" being killed by Islamic terrorists, it seems to me that there were some who were killed at the World Trade Center. A lot of foreign countries has business offices at the WTC. Anyone know for sure?

Edit (I found this):

According to Japan's Foreign Ministry, roughly 100 Japanese nationals, including dozens of tourists, were unaccounted for. There were 31 Japanese companies with offices in the Trade Center towers, and at least 22 workers were among the missing.

 

[MajideSaiaku]

What I meant Armand was that they have never been directly targetted, I assumed some died in the WTC because plenty of nationals were there, for example, while an American bound flight that was targetted could well have had Japanese nationals on board, I've never heard of a single flight to or from Japan being bombed out the sky.

The Islamic nutjobs are too busy fighting their holy war against the west for now.

 

[DoctorP]

I see one obvious solution. Use the money for her ticket to pay for you to go instead. That way you aren't out any money, and she doesn't have to fly!

 

[DoctorP]

Thats not the point, the apparent terrorist threat was against America bound flights, since she would be going nowhere near the states I assume she was never going to be a potential target.

That doesn't mean that the next threat couldn't be against a non-US bound flight. Terrorist are not rational. It would probably be easier now to bomb a non US flight than a US bound flight.

 

[ArmandV]

I see one obvious solution. Use the money for her ticket to pay for you to go instead. That way you aren't out any money, and she doesn't have to fly!

Sounds like a winning solution to me.

 

[Mike Cash]

Sounds like a winning solution to me.

While logical, it is totally emasculating.

 

[ArmandV]

While logical, it is totally emasculating.

It all depends upon how badly the masculine needs to see the feminine.

 

[DoctorP]

You have to admit Mike, it is not all that uncommon for the Japanese girl to pay for most everything...so buying a plane ticket for him because she is afraid to fly herself is not at all a stretch

 

[Mike Cash]

You have to admit Mike, it is not all that uncommon for the Japanese girl to pay for most everything...so buying a plane ticket for him because she is afraid to fly herself is not at all a stretch

Alright, I'll edit myself to take that into account.

While logical and not uncommon, it is totally emasculating.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Why not use your own money to go to her in Japan and use the money she would have spent on the ticket to have a really good time?

 

[ArmandV]

Why not use your own money to go to her in Japan and use the money she would have spent on the ticket to have a really good time?

Because, as he said:

"The only problem is I cant **** out ﾂ≫??000 a go everytime I fancy going on an intercontinental flight, believe it or not Mike, being a young 21 year old man, I havnt managed to fiddle my way up a career ladder for the juicy wages of top brass."

 

[Mike Cash]

Because, as he said:
"The only problem is I cant **** out ﾂ≫??000 a go everytime I fancy going on an intercontinental flight, believe it or not Mike, being a young 21 year old man, I havnt managed to fiddle my way up a career ladder for the juicy wages of top brass."

I can't afford it either. Couldn't afford it when I was 21, and can't afford it now when I'm 41. I can list all my intercontinental comings and goings, and it doesn't amount to much:

1984: U.S. to Japan (Navy)
1986 Japan to U.S. (Navy)
1988 U.S. to Japan
1994 Japan to U.S. to Japan
1997 Japan to U.S.
1999 U.S. to Japan

There, that's the whole of it. You can see why I have never bothered to look into "frequent flyer" programs.

There comes a point in these globe-spanning relationships when one realizes that a choice must be made either to erase the distance or to erase the relationship.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Because, as he said:
"The only problem is I cant **** out ﾂ≫??000 a go everytime I fancy going on an intercontinental flight, believe it or not Mike, being a young 21 year old man, I havnt managed to fiddle my way up a career ladder for the juicy wages of top brass."

I see. I can't see his posts, so I can only guess as to the conversation.

 

[MajideSaiaku]

That doesn't mean that the next threat couldn't be against a non-US bound flight. Terrorist are not rational. It would probably be easier now to bomb a non US flight than a US bound flight.

Chances are she wouldnt get the money back for the flight at such short notice based on current events.

I'm basically continuing to you know, convince her its safe enough as any time.
If she doesnt want to come still I guess it will mean having to plan another time (though I fail to see how months down the line will be any safer then now *shrugs*) and have talks about the relationship, but meh, another hurdle to jump and file under the memory folder "hard times", yet another ****-up to (hopefully) laugh about years down the line. ☝

There comes a point in these globe-spanning relationships when one realizes that a choice must be made either to erase the distance or to erase the relationship.

Thats some grade A wisdom there, your right of course.

I see. I can't see his posts, so I can only guess as to the conversation.

You have me blocked!?. :erm:

Charming... ☝