Welcome to this week’s blog post, as Excalibur struggles against health and social problems to bring you the latest information on post-3/11 Japan.
The world has been riveted to the scenes taking place in Turkey, with free thinkers everywhere sending their moral or financial support to the people of Istanbul against –
Who?
What shall we call them?
The police? An oppressive government? The forces of Global Capitalism? The Evil Empire? “Them”?
I leave it to your own ideological inclination to name them, but whatever you call them, let me draw your attention to the differences ands similarities between events in Istanbul and Tokyo.
Sunday June 2nd saw a massive anti-nuclear demonstration (pictured above) outside the government offices in Nagatacho, central Tokyo, which included a speech by Nobel laureate and anti-nuclear campaigner Kenzaburo Oe. Although there were no violent clashes with police, the event suffered from a media blackout, as Japan’s mainstream media failed once again to report it.
Nuclear foes march in Tokyo
An article here attempts to explain why Japan’s politicians are so contemptuous of their own people.
Link: Abe as a politician
Research here has discovered that thyroid cancer rates in children are going up, even though medical authorities allege 3/11 is not to blame.
Link: Increase in thyroid cancer
In “3/11:The Fallout”, Patrick Fox examines the nature of Revolutionary Art. What do “they” have? Police, lawyers, armies, water cannons, guns, gold reserves, unlimited funds. What do we have? Fists. Sticks. Molotov cocktails. Words. Images. Ideas. Paintings.
Graffiti.
This article here showcases Mr. 281, the Japanese version of Banksy, who is being pursued by both the police, and the Japanese right-wing nationalist hate groups.
Link: Japan's Banksy
(To represent the other side of what 281 is doing, you should read this engrossing comment below from Sam Gilman, which I have taken the liberty of stealing from the JT forums).
"It’s different for those of us who live here. The reconstruction effort matters. Some of us live or have family in Tohoku, and these people have been suffering from the efforts of anti-nuclear activists like this 281 person. Debris has needed to be disposed of safely to allow proper rebuilding. However, many places have been refusing to take the debris for incineration because, in spite of it not being radioactive (via independent testing), they believe it is radioactive because anti-nuclear activists (based on no evidence) told them it was.
Children evacuated from the area are being bullied at their new schools for being radioactive because, even though these children are under no threat and pose no threat to others, anti-nuclear activists like this 281 person and the author (Jon Mitchell) have been wildly exaggerating the dangers of the releases that happened. Health investigators to the area report widespread fear and fear responses – depression, alcoholism, and severe child behavioral problems in people who are not actually at risk of developing radiation-relation illnesses. Why are they so scared? Because anti-nuclear activists like this 281 person spread fear, and tell them lots of people are going to die. It’s good business for him. He’s famous now. It goes on: farmers trying to sell produce that has been tested and tested and tested and is safe, are struggling to regain their livelihoods because anti-nuclear opportunists like this 281 person thrive, build careers on, spreading unwarranted and unscientific fear. Children in areas which are safe from radioactivity are getting fat and storing up future health problems because their parents are scared to put them outside. Why are they scared? Yep, it’s those anti-nuclear activists."
Does any of this make you angry? Does any of this make you care? If you want to do something to help, please consider buying a copy of “3/11: The Fallout”, which can be found here.
Link to 3/11: The Fallout
The money will go directly to the suffering families and children of northern Japan.
