He does deserve death, but the fact that that is what he WANTS means that he shouldn't get it. He committed that attack in the hopes he would be killed by police or the justice system because he was unable to take his own life, which this was stated by the guy after the event.
Death is what he wants, thus it is not what he should get. The bastard should rot in prison for the rest of his life. #crime
Hey Brian, how often does the Japanese judicial system dole out death penalties? What are there criteria that one has to meet to be considered for the death penalty? Whatever it is, he's likely already met it in spades. #crime
@Kyosuke_Nanbu: If he's apologizing, then he isn't a sociopath. If he isn't a sociopath, then he feels guilt. You think releasing him from his guilt is a better punishment than leaving him in a small concrete room to dwell on it for the rest of his life? #crime
@Kyosuke_Nanbu: kill him? sounds stress releaving, don't you think?
Killing him quickly: too easy for that scum
Letting him live: too expensive
Letting him rot and go insane: better and cheap (1mx1m concrete room and that's it) #crime
@Phydeaux: I assume you meant should be ashamed there, and yes, exactly. Why take a life, especially if they are clearly feeling guilt, as Koztah said he isn't a sociopath and clearly won't do it again if he believes that. Why would we make it 8 victims? #crime
@Trolly: Well, no, because I mean we shouldn't be ashamed to dole out the "life imprisonment". In America especially for DAs it has a sort of stigma, as if they don't pursue the death penalty that they're somehow not "tough on crime". #crime
@Phydeaux: This guy may deserve the death penalty for what he has done but are we, as a humane society going to grant him that wish? Sure he may want to die, but who are we to take another life? I do feel that suicide is the most cowardly thing you can do, it causes more shame, confusion and sorrow for friends and family then it offers tranquility for the killer. he wants to end his life so that he can appease his conscious, but it won't make a difference he'll be dead. he won't find peace, he'll be buried in the ground or incenerated. the people who lost their love ones will have to continue with the sorrow of losing someone they love for no reason at all. it's not like the killers family will be at anymore peace...don't you think they've tried moving on from this by now? it's been a year.
whatever they decide to do to this guy, i'm sure it'll be decided upon rightly and justly. I just don't think you guys are being fair by clamoring for or against he death. either way nothing is accomplished. those 7 aren't coming back, their families are still going to miss them and the killer's family is still going to wonder what happened to their son. #crime
@vdiddy210: Dude, read my other posts in this thread. I am wholeheartedly AGAINST the death penalty, absolutely FOR life imprisonment for murder. #crime
@Phydeaux: I mostly agree with you. But.. I still feel the death penalty could be used as an example to ward off other would be crimes.
I most strongly feel this way against people who molest children. I think they should be burned alive as an example to any other sick minded bastard out there.
I honestly do not believe that someone who practically destroys the rest of a young one's life, the chance to be forgiven. #crime
@Tremolo-mayan: Hooray, another pet legal argument of mine!
The penalties for crimes against children have reason and yet so have the numbers for perps. It's not a deterrent and we keep raising the bar on what we consider a child in this day and age.
Then there's the argument that whether it's a completely conscious decision to prey on children or if someone is born with the attraction as a sort of mental sickness. i.e., does someone choose a sexual orientation? If so, can they be faulted the same as someone who becomes a serial murderer, who was decidedly not born with their problem?
My point is, in this country, we don't take enough time to plot and communicate with the people in order to find ways to prevent crime, and when we do, we kill those programs because they cost so much. And we don't take mental health seriously in this country. And we let tweenagers run rampant without parental supervision and pretty much let them raise themselves. We simultaneously let them grow up too fast while stripping them of character building responsibilities and rewards that were the norm decades ago.
So I still don't think killing people outright solves anything. If anything it just gives immature people more reason to lie in order to off the people they don't like. #crime
@Trolly: This man made very foolish choices, now he must live with the same pain he inflicted upon these poor, helpless civilians. People can say things, and act differently, or convince themselves through lies of webs of lies and deceit. Many commenters here are underestimating the danger of such a cruel individual, and even sympathizing and feeling sorry for his plight, when he obviously deserves no less than the worst punishment imaginable. It's only fair retribution this way. If you disagree, then you're simply showing too much mercy.
There's no such thing.
It's like too much money.
It's like a girl too pretty.
It's like too much class.
Being too lucky.
A car too fast.
There's an old Franklin saying, "Love thy neighbor, yet don't pull down your hedge." Show mercy, show forgiveness, while still showing authority, still showing justice.
Worst punishment imaginable? Then I'll imagine "life imprisonment with no parole". I'll file anything that keeps him from breathing as "unfathomable". #crime
@Phydeaux: Yep, again man I agree with you for the most part. You raise all good points. I've taken a couple psychology courses at my college, and I do realize that it's not always the offender's "fault", but I am definitely bias in this case, simply because that child for the rest of his/her life will be totally insecure, untrusting, possibly unsure of their sexuality leading to even more devastation, and just a totally full life of hell unless they're lucky enough to save themselves through more intense reflection and struggle than any normal person could ever imagine going through.
But you're right, we should try to understand these people to be able to stop it from happening, and I'm in no way defending those idiotic sexed up hannah montanniacs. I'm just talking about a normal bleeding child lol. It's parents, culture and Disney to blame for the ridiculous clothing of some young kids these days.
I of course cite the Jonas Brothers South Park episode in that case. #crime
I used to be against the death penalty, but I got forced into a debate in 11th grade and had to research and defend the death penalty, even though I was against it personally. After a lot of research, I learned that there are thousands of deaths related to killers (not including their original victims) that were not given the death penalty - either killing correctional officers, or once they're finally released, almost every time they WILL kill again. Once a killer, always a killer... I won the debate and changed a lot of minds after I started reading a 500-line victim list of people killed by convicted murderers in the last year.
@saber003: But death is an easy punishment. Then again, keeping them alive is expensive. The solution is to turn every prison into a factory making things like street signs, license plates and other miscellaneous crap the government needs. 12 hour workdays, no pay.
Separate the criminals by tiers. You put all the "death row" inmates together. Rapists together. Assault/battery/robbery together. Non-violent together. You put child molesters in with the "death row" inmates.
@Koztah: At least in America, it's way cheaper to lock a criminal for life than to kill them. The legal process alone accounts for a ridiculous portion of the cost:
@saber003: You won using an appeal to emotion? The person you debated sucked at it then. the response I would have used would have been a list of people executed who were later proved innocent.
We shouldn't let murderious nutcases go, but we also have to be concerned with killing innocents. the system isn't perfect, nor can it ever be. #crime
@Koztah: A lot of prisons do have factories. they make a pittance an hour though, which has to be used to buy things from the prison like snackfood, etc.
Helps keep the peace, and generates revanue.
I say bring back chain gangs for non-violent crimes, and throw the animials into solitary for life. #crime
I don't think death is a good punisment. Not even for someone who has committed massive crimes like genocide and so on.
The Hammurabi's law is outdated. You can't punish a killer by killing him. There's a problem with the principle of that... It hinders the credibility of the justice system if you sentence a killer to death 'cause then you'd basically be punishing him with the same crime that he's convicted of.
And it's not justice that people don't have the right to kill, but the law does. If killing is a crime then you can't make an exception about it. And death can't be a punishment dealt by the justice system since killing is illegal. Otherwise you're just kind of making the law seem empty and meaningless - contradictory. #crime
@Outi: But if that isn't a proper punishment then what would be? If you see a virus on your computer that is deleting your files left and right what do you do? Delete it (more complex than that though). I know that people are more than just files on a computer and have lives but I honestly think that when someone deprives another of life for no explainable reason then the punishment should fit the crime. If an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind then what happens if one man takes 7 eyes and wounds 15 others? If he was so reckless to end people's lives on such terms then he must not appreciate life himself.
While I admit you have a point I think the main difference between the public killing and the law killing is when the public does in the form of murder it is seen in an unjust manner. If the law sentences someone to death for their crimes it is to remove the problem. Which may sound cruel but without the death penalty people can murder and then go into a prison system and continue to kill. Now the tolls have gathered.
This debate is always tough to make a decision on. In my honest opinion if nobody killed anyone then who would care about the punishment. So what is the point anyhow. #crime
The death penalty is not punishment, rehabilitation, justice or anything. It is simply a way to attempt to remove problems from society. That doesn't work, it's never been proven to even stop any crime, why is it even there?
Let me ask you this, would you rather remove all the pimples from your face as they come, or try to attempt the pours from never clogging so you never have a problem.
Society is a huge face of some teenage kid, and he's going about his pimple problem all wrong. He picks at them, burst them, and squeezes them to try to get rid of them. If he would just use some medicine (figurative), let them slowly regress, and become normal pours again, he would have much less of a problem, and leave no scars on his face.
So instead of scaring our face and not fixing the root problem of this ugly acne infected face, hows about we cleanse the pours to stop the pimples from coming up period. #crime
@AD.Munck: So what you're basically saying is that the only way to stop someone who's killed another person is to kill him off? That the only way to make sure this person who killed 7 won't kill any more is to just end his life?
Really? You can't think of any other way to stop him from doing that again? And you think that he'll kill more people once/if he gets out of prison, for sure?
Are you serious?
How about keeping him in lock-up and letting him out when he's - say - pushing 70?
Also, I don't wanna hear anything about the taxpayers' money here. In a debate like this someone always throws in the tax money argument... Which is ridiculous 'cause usually the person who gives that comment hasn't really thought about A) how much tax income the state gets per year B) what kind of percent of that money is used on maintaining prisons C) how much money does it cost to maintain a single criminal.
How big a portion of a tax payer's money goes to keeping this guy in prison? How big a portion of Japan's yearly tax income is spent to keep this one person in prison?
I can tell you it's not much. In fact it's nearly nothing. And this man's life, even though he did what he did is surely worth more than "nearly nothing".
To him, his life is all he has. And you have to understand that as well.
In real life there is no such thing as evil people. Sure, people do awful, unforgivable things. But it's not as black and white as good and evil and life and death.
That'd be just plain ignorance talking.
The bottom line in what I'm trying to say is that nobody has the right to decide wether or not somebody lives or dies. This man took that right into his own hands and that's why he's in prison. That's his punishment. He's been put into quarantene outside the society because he's not fit to live within the society.
But the law, that's supposed to set an example of how the society is supposed to work, can't make the decision that this man's life can be erased. It's jut justice. It's hypocrisy. #crime
@Outi: "In real life there is no such thing as evil people. Sure, people do awful, unforgivable things. But it's not as black and white as good and evil and life and death.
That'd be just plain ignorance talking."
@Outi:
Although I shouldn't be, I didn't expect this to turn into a discussion of the death penalty so quickly.
Let me just say this:
I was there. Across the street. I saw it all. I heard it all. The crash, the truck, the stabbing, the people, the aftermath....
I never really understood PTSD until then. (Thankfully I suppose.)
One of my questions for the concierge when we got back to the hotel hours later was "Do you have the death penalty?" I had never been really been supportive of its use until then.
Also, I would say, I'm not as supportive now as I was then, but at some level, shouldn't the punishment fit the crime? That's the underlying premise. It's not necessarily the deterrence of crime, but the balancing of justice (scales, etc). If you take a life, why should you keep yours? It's not just that the law has the authority to kill (and people don't), its that they are balancing the crime against the victim. (In some law codes this actually was the responsibility of a closest relative, Judiac - 'Avenger of Blood'.)
I'm all for trying to treat the root cause of the problem, as it is a better solution, but to lock someone up and throw away the key presents two issues to me.
1. The criminal still has life, and the victims do not. He can eat, sleep, and probably read and exercise. All of which are aspects of life I really enjoy. Why can he decide that the victims' lives can be erased when his will not be?
2. If your intent is to have him be as miserable as possible in prison for the rest of his life, it sounds like you wish upon him the intent of 'hell'. Hell doesn't exist, but the idea of locking someone up so they can be in torment for as long as possible is the premise. (Interestingly the connotation of word for 'torment' in the original language was related to that of a jailer.)
All that being said. I would say that I cannot judge Kato. I have neither the ability nor the desire to truly determine what he deserves. I cannot tell in his heart if he is truly repentant. I cannot decide if he deserves to die; ('Judge not, lest ye be judged'.) And ultimately I don't have to. Japan's government has the authority, and the law of Japan allows for the death penalty. I'm not going to get upset if he is put to death. I saw his crimes, but I also know, for me, that if it is the wrong decision, there is someone who can correct it. #crime
@Outi: Well I must admit that you make good points. I am very understanding in this whole thing. To be honest I am a debater. I like to take the opposite side in most discussions only to get more information on the subject. I personally have to agree with most things you said. When I look at issues like this and how people defend them it seems to me that most people have very few facts straight. But you have your opinions laid out well.
I am a big believer in pro choice. But on this subject I think it isn't something that can be clear cut like that. I have been close to people and had them taken away by murder and it is not something that you can explain. The idea that someone robbed someone you know of their life astounds you and it makes a deep change in your outlook. I would say that it is mostly revenge acting out. And while revenge is a big cause of murder not everyone acts on it. I would have to say that if I wanted the person that comited the crime to be killed for punishment I am as guilty as he. But not in the sense that I comitted the act but I had wanted the same result. Before I was in that situation I had always been on the fence about the subject. Afterward I was wanting him to be executed. But now I feel that people should be given a bit more time to reflect on their deeds.
I say that with caution though. I think there are always special conditions to decisions like this. If someone gets wrongly accused and charged for murder then get the death penalty there is no way to take that back after they flip the switch. It happens often. But in the case of serial murderers and rapists, cannibals and kidnappers, I think the death penalty should be withheld for those select. Not as an act of punishment but as a form of relief. the people that perform those acts are clinically insane and it would not do any good to keep them in a cage until the commit suicide. Release is not an option for those people.
It is a subject that people can spend days on end discussing but sadly it is a lengthy process to change and not enough people are willing to put the time forth.
But the problem with that approach is when you take something as vast as death and categorize it into types then take the situations that constitute murder and accident and other profiles it becomes blurry. Something as complex as murder is not clean cut every time. In fact it very rarely is. Some people consider neglect murder. Some say that certain circumstances such as self defense and fear or insanity can make murder OK. But asking for murder to be stopped all together is a big task.
People have been killing since it all began. It would be a great world if it all stopped but assuming that it can actually happen is somewhat vain. If you were to ask all of humanity to come together as one and understand that murder gets us nowhere and the fact that it is a pointless act, while it is a hopeful accomplishment, it is near impossible. People comit more crime than ever and it starts small. From speeding and littering to piracy and theft. While it is the perfect answer to the problem there is no work to show proof.
Like in school when your math teacher made you show your work. It wasn't to make you do more work. It was to show you knew how to get to the end result. Anyone can go copy the answers but if you just have a question and an answer with no knowledge of how to traverse that gap, have you learned anything? #crime
@Duin: You know it's funny 'cause I could say the exact same thing about your comment lol
But you know we can go on about this forever and the last one to post their comment on the irony of the previous poster's comment has the right to feel that, "I'm better" #crime
@morandir: If you take a life, and taking a life is wrong, then what is the person taking his life for taking a life?
If a person takes the life of another person, should the punishment to be taking their life? What have we accomplished? What has been done? Instead of one person dead, we have two people dead.
Make that persons life worth something, and worth the lives of the people he killed. Don't just simply write him off as a life for a life. Make his life improve the lives of others, let his life foster more life, but taking a life as a solution to taking a life is a absurd cycle that leaves only death. #crime
@AD.Munck: Yes, but the goal is to stop all crime. We will NEVER reach this goal, but we can always strive to get closer. If I were to discuss all the different ways we can go about deterrent crime, this would turn into a huge political discussion about social classes and economics, so I wont get into that.
Let me just say it like this. If somebody were to, in cold blood, and the most vicious way murder my littlest brother, I would wish him death. I may even be tempted to stoop to his level and kill him, and the hate and rage I get from even thinking about is immense. But it's all empty. My brother is dead, and now he is dead, wheres the justice? Where's the opportunities my brother had, the chances he had, everything. It's all gone, and now so is the man. It's nothing but a pointless emptiness. Now, lets say this man isn't just killed, but instead is rehabilitated, and his whole life is devoted to helping the lives of others. At least now, my brothers life was not taken in vain, at least his death made something, it meant something. There is meaning, and while I will still never probably forgive this man, I can know my brothers death wasn't just some pointless occurrence that ended with "one less criminal in the world".
There are a multitude of ways we can get closer to achieving that. And while we aim for this perfect world that we will never have, that should never stop us from attempting to make it. #crime
@(Zombie) D Mitsuki, Gotta have guts kid!: I agree with you on that. I think this system would work better if American prisons went back to the labor based punishment. Right now, most prisoners just wake up and eat follow the rules and go to sleep. If things were more productive than stamping out license plates and such, it would make more of a change in the world. Rather than doing those things these should do menial labor that helps the earth. Like sorting recycling or performing labor on energy efficient products or solar panels. Something that would lower cost for everyday people in life or help out those of us that had kept a clean record. Just a thought. #crime
The fact that he actually admits the gravity of his crime and is clearly in remorse is SUBSTANTIAL. I'd say that's the most important aspect of a criminal's rehabilitation.
There are many other animals out there that I personally believe truly deserve to be erased form society, a fine example being the Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs.
Google "3 guys 1 hammer" and prepare to lose all faith in humanity (and some nations' legal systems). #crime
@JC_Denton: I hate that video. Makes me lose all faith in humanity. Murdering little shits. I wish I could say I believe in hell and they'll get what's coming to them. I can't believe that one of them only got 9 years. #crime
@JC_Denton: If he genuinely feels that way, then I agree that there is a chance for rehabilitation. I think that ultimately he will never be able to pay for the crime in life or death.
Living with remorse is a far harsher punishment than being killed for it. #crime
@JC_Denton: I didn't have the guts to watch the video, plus I'm at work, but I looked them up on wikipedia. It is worse than the most morally despicable acts that I thought individuals were capable of. Sickening. #crime
@JC_Denton: I disagree. No one really and truly deserves the death penalty in my opinion. In fact, this article is a good example of why. This man did something unspeakable, killing 7 and wounding 8 more. Had someone recounted the killings to you a day or two ago, prior to this story of repentance going public, I'd imagine you'd have been clamoring for the death penalty as well. What's different about now versus then?
He's had time to reflect, accept, and change... and everyone can change. Everyone. However, our penal system (USA, I won't speak for other countries) is set up very, very poorly for any true rehabilitation. It is society's burden to bear their incarceration costs until such time as they can serve a fair sentence because their crime is a reflection of society on them (especially so in the young).
The problem, as I see it, is that the sheer amount of societal problems these days has led to a crime-rate that is too high. This has lead to prison overcrowding and the revolving door effect, because the system is not working how it was intended.
Instead of these people who act violently getting the help and time they need to repent and change, they're being thrown into a vicious cycle of violence. So then, what? They've fucked up in life and we're actively failing them, so they need to be put down like animals? I'll hold myself to a higher standard than that, even if the rest of the world falls into such moral corruption as would allow it.
@Lumice: If saw was real and Jigsaw was a couple of bored teenagers.
That video makes me angry. It gives me pure genuine rage. Not even just at the idiots who did it, but at everything. It makes you want to change something, it makes you want to DO something.
Humans are quick to seperate themselves from animals, but look at the atrocities only we can commit. If we aren't animals, we are far worse. #crime
@(Zombie) D Mitsuki, Gotta have guts kid!: Saw? Jigsaw? I don't know what you're talking about..who is Saw and Jigsaw? I still don't have a very clear picture of the video, and I don't want to watch it, a description should suffice. #crime
@Lumice: I've never seen the video, but what he's talking about is 2 Ukrainian teens bludgeoning people to death over the course of a couple months, typically with a hammer. They had a third friend who occasionally helped rob people before the murders began and also pawned possessions they stole. The video is them murdering a man over the course of 45 minutes or so by beating his face in with a hammer then stabbing him with a screw driver a few times. They had a tendency to tape their animal mutilations and other sickening behaviours. Just look up Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs, as was indicated in the first comment. #crime
Coward. Death is too good for him and an easy way out. Let him live everyday with the regret of his actions and his personal freedoms severely curtailed in jail. #crime
@ByteStorm: I don't believe in the death penalty. I don't think there is anything after we die so death would be an easy way out. Lock him up and throw away the key. And the Japanese prisons don't sound all that great.
@ByteStorm: What if he believes in the magic murder unicorn that gives you candy when you die for killing people.
Yeah, sounds absurd, but anything can happen when you die. We can control what happens here though, so lets keep him in the realm of the living, so we know what is happening to him for the actions he took. #crime
No really, I'm genuinely curious, because there have been a number of articles that aren't game-related at all. In fact, some are just casual emails between staffers about movies or kids or other everyday stuff. And I quite like it.
There's always the good ol' "If it doesn't interest you, don't read it!" argument, but surely you were aware of that. You just wanted to stir up a bit of excitement, you sly dog you! #crime
@Manuel Calavera, Reaper Supreme:
Wrong. This is actually related to both games and japan (the two themes of this blog!), as Akihabara is in Japan (gasp!) and is a major center for otaku (WTF!) activities like video games (O-M-G!).
Consider this a follow up, pretty sure Kotaku has posted news on this before. #crime
@dajungki: It's supposedly a game blog, yes, and I really wish those note things would be done away with. I don't watch the news to see the anchors chatter about nonsense and make retarded 4chan references.
@Kicken: Except... It's just a killing that happened to occur in Akihabara? The district itself is well known for video games, yes, but it's not like it has a direct connection to vidya gaems. He didn't actually kill a bunch of dudes because Ninja Gaiden came out. I took a shit after playing Ballad of Gay Tony earlier, want me to write an article about it?
@Jehuty: I remember when it actually happened, so I'm not unfamiliar with the circumstances, dipshit. "In light of the tragic circumstances"? It happened a year ago and this is about one sentence in a letter he wrote to some guy. You have to admit this isn't newsworthy to begin with, let alone on a "game" blog. #crime
@Manuel Calavera, Reaper Supreme: Considering this article was written by the Senior Contributing Editor, I get the feeling that not all articles have to be explicitly videogame-based. And like I said earlier, if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. Akin to changing the channel, only easier.
While I don't think your criticism is irrational, we have to remember that Kotaku is free. As readers we have the freedom to read what we want, and in turn the editors have the freedom to report on what they want. I'm sure Kotaku staff are open to constructive criticism but I'm thinking they'll probably tell you the same thing--if you don't like it, don't read it. It's a free country. #crime
@Manuel Calavera, Reaper Supreme: I think you're misleading yourself into thinking "blog article" and "news article" are the same thing. I'm pretty sure any and all bloggers are entitled to write whatever the hell they want to write about. Why, you could start your own blog, and complain about how all the other blogs aren't writing about what you like!
There's always follow-ups. Even in the news.
Edit:
"God damn it! I know it's going to be sunny today! I've heard about it since last week in the 7 day forecast!"
MrBangBam promoted this comment
Edited by FeatherNET - Live in Canada at 11/09/09 8:24 AM
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@dajungki: It's probably more because he's in Japan and they're making a big deal out of it. And yeah, I clicked the article because I thought it might be something substantial, at the very least. I was wrong, obviously. I don't click on the Day/Night Notes, I don't click on something if I see AJ's name is on it beforehand, and I don't click on articles about some dumb new character revealed in FFXIII. I just think this is a waste of PRECIOUS internet space. #crime
In reference to the picture of the Asian maid, I don't find very many Asian woman attractive. Of course, Asian woman don't find me attractive either so I guess we're even. #akihabara
@roscoe: I don't ever remember being racist, I just don't find Asian women very attractive. And to be fair, racist individuals tend to be the first ones who accuse others of being racist. I've got my eye on you...
@NeVeRMoRe666: I don't know if you actually read Harpo's comment completely. He didn't say that he doesn't like how black people look, he simply stated that he's not sexually attracted to black women. To create racial tension where none exist, make a person a racist. It's a matter of personal taste, not race. #akihabara
@luckyguy183: It goes deeper than that though. I mean, sure taste is subjective but so is race. When you actively make a decision on whether or not to date someone, and you based that decision to exclude someone based on their physical appearance, and in this case, on their race, then that, to me, is racist. You could claim "taste" all you want, but at the end of the day, that "taste" has to have evolved from somewhere.
In any case, I don't think you meant to be racist per se, I think you're just shallow. #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666: I don't mean to sound like a jerk but;
racâ‹…ism
  /ˈreɪsɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [rey-siz-uhm]
–noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
What has been expressed is simply a preference and has nothing to do with believing oneself to be better than someone of another race, nor shown any 'hatred or intolerance' towards others.
Such an ugly topic, let's all just hug instead :D
-B
P.S. now if someone made a blanket statement that "all Asian women were ugly", then I would agree with you.
@NeVeRMoRe666: I respect your opinion and appreciate your civil reply, but I politely disagree with your reasoning. Race is not subjective in any sense. When someone says that they are African-American or Japanese or whatever, they either are, or they're not. Now whether or not someone IDENTIFIES with a certain race or culture, that is subjective.
I'm married to a woman 7 years younger than me with blonde hair and fake breasts. Does this mean that I hate anyone who's not 7 years younger than me, with blonde hair and fake breasts? No. It simply means that I prefer young blondes with huge tits. I admit that I'm shallow but I'm most certainly not racist. I apologize to everyone who took my comment the wrong way. It was simply a void attempt at a lame joke.
@NeVeRMoRe666: Well, we all have something called TASTES in partners. For example, when I say I don't like asians, I mean I simply don't find the basic traits in an asian woman attractive for me.
As in, racist in a harmless, well-meaning way? If you think about THAT, I'd say almost every single person is a racist, if that would be the definiton. #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666: Physical attraction does not hold any political correctness, it doesn't need to. Those fluids and synapses in your brain don't really pay attention to cultural PC bull.
Now if I said I don't find black people attractive because of their culture and butchering of the English language. I would be considered racist and not worth anyones time. (This is an example..) #akihabara
@Baka Roboto Inu: I'm glad that you bring that up because I have issues with point "2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination."
"According to your idea, I'm a racist if I wouldn't wanna sleep with an African woman?"
To me, this is a doctrine of discrimination. If you are actively making a judgement about excluding a person based solely on their race, then you have to examine the why? What is it that turns you off about that person or their race? Is their ethnic features not good enough for you? What inherent beliefs do you really have? It's okay to say you don't like a particular person because they have this or that (shallow as it maybe) but to say you don't find Asian's attractive implies a system that includes race as a determinant.
Preferring one race over another is a different matter altogether,but excluding one race based on "preference" is the issue at hand. When you make a value judgement about anyone based on their looks in terms of your preference, you are evaluating their worth in relations to you- implying a standard of attractiveness nevertheless implies a hierarchy. When you link those looks to their ethnic features, then it becomes an issue of race- racism comes about when you generalize it as a part of your policy.
@fffuubox: Let me clear this up for you. When you decide not to date someone based on the appearance of their race, you are actively making a judgement on the physical features of their race. Let me bring this up again: "According to your idea, I'm a racist if I wouldn't wanna sleep with an African woman?"
Now examine what he had just said- why would you not want to sleep with her? Is it because she's black? What if she had a perfect personality? What then? He is making a blanket decision based entirely on race- a preference no less, but a racist one at that.
If you still don't think my point holds any water, consider this:
What is it about their appearance that you don't like? #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666: At least how I see it when you are talking about a physical attractiveness of a STRANGER. You kind of see them as an object at face value. What I mean at a biological level what you like and don't like are not in your minds control. Christ look at advertising in the media as a example.
Once you put the social aspect and meet people, a lot of that physical crap gets pushed aside, hell some of the sexiest people I know at face value are not the prettiest people ever.. so take it for what it is. #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666: Please take your time with this post, because I wanna make myself perfectly clear.
Well, I think I speak for the most of us when I say it's not discussing politics that get me sexually aroused, at least not as a first and fore-most factor xD. I can appreciate looks, and looks is the primary thing that gets me sexually aroused. I think it's the same for most people. And black women simply don't get me aroused as often as white women. OF COURSE there's hundreds of black ladies I'd love to be with ( this is really awkward... ), but there's something about their looks that don't get me as hot...
Again, don't get me wrong, they can be as pretty or prettIER than white women. But, judging from experience, I more often take a liking to white women.
If I take a (sexual) liking to what a woman looks like and a (sexual) disliking to what a woman looks like, is that still being racist, the bad way? Not trying to generalize, but most black women share the same traits that I don't like as much.
All people are EQUAL, but UNIQUE. I am -NOT- judging people by principle, I'm just stating a fact; I usually don't get attracted to black women. Usually.
Am I making myself clear? I apologize if I came off as a racist piece of shit. It was not my intention. I just need you to understand that we all have likes and dislikes. I'm pretty sure you do, too. #akihabara
@MrBrau: But that's exactly my point. When you look at someone and judge them based on their looks, wouldn't you call that shallow?When you look at someone and decide that you find them unattractive because they are XXX race, would you still call it being shallow? Or is it something else altogether? #akihabara
@Harpo: Of course, I apologize if I came off as harsh. I don't think you or anyone else here meant to be racist, I'm just trying to drive discussion at this point.
A few points I would like to bring up in your post: When you say you don't like a certain trait, which one and why? (Hypothetical-Don't answer-I'm applying it to everyone not just you-like you said, everyone has preferences). I think the answer you or anyone else answers with reveals a lot about you and how you conceptualize race and looks and the like. More importantly, I think this, in itself, would be valuable in examining the motivations that drive one's preferences. As I'm sure, most people would rather not discuss such things in public, less they become labeled as racist. Now, I'm not saying you are but it is specifically because the way Luckyguy worded his post that this had come up. I seriously doubt he would be comfortable listing the traits he doesn't like in Asian women.
"But, judging from experience, I more often take a liking to white women. I don't really think there is anything wrong in having preferences for one over the other, or liking a specific "race" but I do think there is something wrong in excluding an entire race based upon their physical features. For one, it's generalizing looks into categories (small eyes, big teeth?), stereotyping might be a better word than racism, I suppose. And for another, it's still a value judgement based on looks. Perfering one, not liking one, and liking one may all seem like different sides of the same coin, but they're really not- they imply different things about you.
Anyway, I would very much like to take the heat out of this and just talk or go to sleep. I don't think anyone here is racist, rather, I think we're all just a little racist.
@NeVeRMoRe666: Wait, weren't you talking racism? Being shallow is not racism.
and no, it is not shallow to not find a specific race attractive at face value with no personal attachment to that person... Its like saying people who like the color purple are shallow. Being attracted to something (sexually or otherwise) at a core level is strictly instinct.. nothing more.. People you or I see around us when evaluated for physical reasons aren't really even looked at as people.. just objects..
It is honestly very simple, and from what I understand this little discussion is about face value looks, so we might be derailing this into the woods a bit. #akihabara
@Odin: Maybe, but I don't think the distinction between the two is that clear-cut. If you don't find someone attractive, then you find them...? #akihabara
@luckyguy183: Aaaah....now you make me feel bad for baggin on you. Although, I had only really took issue with Harpo's statement and not yours. If it helps, I'm only still typing because I'm procrastinating on a ton of work and now I'm jealous of your fake breasts.
In any case, to clarify: when I said race is subjective I meant that making a decision on whether one likes or dislikes a trait is subjective and in linking that trait to race and then generalizing it makes it racist. Or something like that, I forgot and I'm getting tired.
It doesn't really matter anyway, no harm was done .
@NeVeRMoRe666: You are RETARDED!
You think when a woman see's a man in a bar that she isnt looking at his face, skin, hair, body?
When a man see's a woman you dont think hes checking her eyes, ass, breasts, hair, skin out?
Its not racism, good fuck..you have issues man..
Im sorry, here on planet earth...ppl look at the physical first and foremost and for some thats all that matters to them, is that racist? NO, its called being shallow or just knowing what you want in a mate.
In reference to the picture of the Asian maid, I don't find very many Asian woman attractive.
Sorry Luckyguy, I'm using this as an example. My post maybe more explicit, but it's not that different. When you say that you don't find someone attractive, that conveys how you feel about the subject matter, when you generalize it as applying to everyone or their entire race, you stereotype. See where I'm coming from?
P.S. Me too, although I should get back to real work.... #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666: Well, what do you think I don't like in black women?
Lemme tell you.
It's the skin color, really. I just prefer the ladies with a peachy milk skin...that's my only really...one thing that makes me prefer white women with that kind of skin. Of course, there's lots of girls that ruin their skin with too much sun, smoking and the like. That's disgusting and harmful. But in the end, it's the milky skin some girls have...it's what attracts me a lot. And dark skin color is, to me, the opposite of that. It can look AWESOME sometimes...but mostly, I prefer the pale, white, untouched skin. Black women don't have that, unless they suffer from vitiligo. I also like brunettes and blondes more...
If you thought I was preferring other things, I find that's a little irrelevant. Anyone can have small eyes and big teeth. #akihabara
@Fociz: First and foremost, figure things out before you post. The discussion here isn't simply limited to the prima facie urges one gets in the bar, nor the qualities one is attracted to. But rather, when those qualities are tied to race.
Do you stay away from the black girls at the bar? Do you give that little Pankistani girl the time of day? If not solely because you don't like the qualities that they are born with, would that be considered racist?
So far, you've brought nothing to the table and all you've managed to do is embarrass yourself. Take some time to chill out and then try again. #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666:
I find them. Not finding someone attractive is not the same as thinking that they are ugly. I don't find men attractive and yet I wouldn't say all men are ugly.
Attractiveness is a matter of taste anyway. I don't find obese women, certain hairstyles or disproportionate breasts attractive. That might make me a bit shallow but I'm not discriminative towards people that have those features just because I'm not personally attracted to them.
Racism is an issue of discrimination. Attraction is an issue of personal feelings. Generally you can't help if you're attracted to someone's looks or not, they either do it for you or they don't. The key point is whether you use that personal feeling to demean, hate or attack them for the way they look. That's when it turns from a matter of taste to a matter of racism. #akihabara
@Odin: Hmm...yeah. Those are all completely valid points. Maybe racism wasn't the best word to use on the outset, but perhaps stereotyping or even discrimination would have been more apt. I think the issue with the post is that when he had said that he doesn't find many Asian women attractive, he not only pinpointed a feature that was supposedly indicative of the entire race, but also one/or many he viewed as negative. While there may not have been anything malicious in his post, I do feel as if there was something a bit short-sighted about it. #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666: You've got to be one of the most lastingly put-together respondees on an issue fraught with consequences beyond the console I've read here in some time. I hope whatever work you had to get done got done, but if it didn't, know that you still spent your time well. #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666:
I think what you're searching for isn't sterotyping, racism or even discrimination. I think it's generalisation. The key thing that sets that apart is it doesn't bear negative connotations. It's not an unfair generalisation to say that most asian people share similar physical traits. Sure it doesn't mean they all look the same but generally they have an appearance that makes them recognisably asian.
(DISCLAIMER: Just to note I'm only using asian as an example because it's at the heart of the subject matter. I shouldn't have to add this but I feel like I should just in case.)
Generalisation only becomes stereotyping/racist/discriminatory when it becomes an unfair representation. As human beings we tend to categorise things a lot and find it easier if we can group things together. Hence generalisation. It's not a bad thing by itself but it can be used wrongly and that's when it turns into something nastier. #akihabara
@Odin: w00t! I can get used to this 'sucking up to' deal. Shit! =D
Now I went off-topic, but I really think you summed it all up nicely there. It's sad that discussions like this can get sensitive and offend some people, but then again, I can see why. It's still important for us to be able to talk about topics like these. I really think so. #akihabara
@Harpo: The mind of men is keen to make connections, to archive, to sort by group specifications. This is mostly due to physical appearance and characteristics. See grouping of species, i.e mammals, reptiles, etc.
The initial post (luckyguy) can both be viewed rascist or non-rascist. Rascism can be defined but each person applies it differently, therefore it's subjective. The only thing ordinary men and woman are guilty of is being too shallow to look past the rascism, but that's different story alltogether.
Shallowness is what leaves you with a young blonde with jugs, wether that's good or bad, once again, personal preference. In the end society and culture are arbitrary in itself so your way of dealing with it as such, is not to be judged unless it contains a message of hate or is destructive in nature.
recap, whether you're into black booty, white boobs or those delightful asian moaning sounds, that's your choice and damned what anyone thinks about it.
( I ended with a stereotypical remark.. doesn't that just piss you off) #akihabara
@NeVeRMoRe666: No harm done, brother. Please don't feel bad. The whole reason I love Kotaku is the ability to share opinions and ideas with other people. Opinions are not clubs that you beat each other with. They're simply personal expressions of the culmination of our feelings and experiences. If we respect them as such, it's entirely possible to have meaningful and civil discussions involving controversial subjects. And I don't ever have a problem apologizing if any of my statements are wrongly perceived. Statesmanship seems to be a lost art these days. Maybe we can bring it back. #akihabara
@luckyguy183:
I'm just adding my comment so this sequence of replies can be yet another boring entry on the Guinness Book of stupid crap no one cares.
Anyways, no, the original luckyguy183 comment wasn't racist.
It could be viewed as generalization, because every time you summarize a group of people with a certain attribute, it's generalization. But it really isn't offending someone based on his/her skin color, so no racism.
It's also an unnecessary, ignorant comment no one should care about, but instead it's the one that got most attention. #akihabara
@Bokusatsu_Tenshi: I appreciate that you saw no racist intent in my original comment, but I'm curious what led you to conclude that my comment was ignorant? I agree that the statement was unnecessary, but one could argue that all of the comments on this site are unnecessary. The news being reported is not at all dependant on the comments of the readers. I do feel bad that instead of realizing that the original statement was made in jest (it's intent was to poke fun at myself), people assumed that it was a complete representation of my beliefs. It was not. #akihabara
11/09/09
Death is what he wants, thus it is not what he should get. The bastard should rot in prison for the rest of his life. #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
11/09/09
He's not even human in my eyes, just a rabid animal that needs to be put down before he kills someone else. #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
Killing him quickly: too easy for that scum
Letting him live: too expensive
Letting him rot and go insane: better and cheap (1mx1m concrete room and that's it) #crime
11/09/09
No person has the right to take the life of another. Why justify his power trip by dishing out the same punishment for his crime?
Humanity shouldn't be ashamed of life imprisonment.
Even moreso, justifying torture...?
Worse than killing people straight out, in my book. #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
11/09/09
whatever they decide to do to this guy, i'm sure it'll be decided upon rightly and justly. I just don't think you guys are being fair by clamoring for or against he death. either way nothing is accomplished. those 7 aren't coming back, their families are still going to miss them and the killer's family is still going to wonder what happened to their son. #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
I most strongly feel this way against people who molest children. I think they should be burned alive as an example to any other sick minded bastard out there.
I honestly do not believe that someone who practically destroys the rest of a young one's life, the chance to be forgiven. #crime
11/09/09
The penalties for crimes against children have reason and yet so have the numbers for perps. It's not a deterrent and we keep raising the bar on what we consider a child in this day and age.
Then there's the argument that whether it's a completely conscious decision to prey on children or if someone is born with the attraction as a sort of mental sickness. i.e., does someone choose a sexual orientation? If so, can they be faulted the same as someone who becomes a serial murderer, who was decidedly not born with their problem?
My point is, in this country, we don't take enough time to plot and communicate with the people in order to find ways to prevent crime, and when we do, we kill those programs because they cost so much. And we don't take mental health seriously in this country. And we let tweenagers run rampant without parental supervision and pretty much let them raise themselves. We simultaneously let them grow up too fast while stripping them of character building responsibilities and rewards that were the norm decades ago.
So I still don't think killing people outright solves anything. If anything it just gives immature people more reason to lie in order to off the people they don't like. #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
11/09/09
11/09/09
Someone has to keep the bloodlusters compromising! #crime
11/09/09
There's no such thing.
It's like too much money.
It's like a girl too pretty.
It's like too much class.
Being too lucky.
A car too fast.
There's an old Franklin saying, "Love thy neighbor, yet don't pull down your hedge." Show mercy, show forgiveness, while still showing authority, still showing justice.
Worst punishment imaginable? Then I'll imagine "life imprisonment with no parole". I'll file anything that keeps him from breathing as "unfathomable". #crime
11/10/09
But you're right, we should try to understand these people to be able to stop it from happening, and I'm in no way defending those idiotic sexed up hannah montanniacs. I'm just talking about a normal bleeding child lol. It's parents, culture and Disney to blame for the ridiculous clothing of some young kids these days.
I of course cite the Jonas Brothers South Park episode in that case. #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
Separate the criminals by tiers. You put all the "death row" inmates together. Rapists together. Assault/battery/robbery together. Non-violent together. You put child molesters in with the "death row" inmates.
Problem solves itself. #crime
11/09/09
[www.deathpenaltyinfo.org]
Noah #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
We shouldn't let murderious nutcases go, but we also have to be concerned with killing innocents. the system isn't perfect, nor can it ever be. #crime
11/09/09
Helps keep the peace, and generates revanue.
I say bring back chain gangs for non-violent crimes, and throw the animials into solitary for life. #crime
11/09/09
The Hammurabi's law is outdated. You can't punish a killer by killing him. There's a problem with the principle of that... It hinders the credibility of the justice system if you sentence a killer to death 'cause then you'd basically be punishing him with the same crime that he's convicted of.
And it's not justice that people don't have the right to kill, but the law does. If killing is a crime then you can't make an exception about it. And death can't be a punishment dealt by the justice system since killing is illegal. Otherwise you're just kind of making the law seem empty and meaningless - contradictory. #crime
11/09/09
While I admit you have a point I think the main difference between the public killing and the law killing is when the public does in the form of murder it is seen in an unjust manner. If the law sentences someone to death for their crimes it is to remove the problem. Which may sound cruel but without the death penalty people can murder and then go into a prison system and continue to kill. Now the tolls have gathered.
This debate is always tough to make a decision on. In my honest opinion if nobody killed anyone then who would care about the punishment. So what is the point anyhow. #crime
11/09/09
The death penalty is not punishment, rehabilitation, justice or anything. It is simply a way to attempt to remove problems from society. That doesn't work, it's never been proven to even stop any crime, why is it even there?
Let me ask you this, would you rather remove all the pimples from your face as they come, or try to attempt the pours from never clogging so you never have a problem.
Society is a huge face of some teenage kid, and he's going about his pimple problem all wrong. He picks at them, burst them, and squeezes them to try to get rid of them. If he would just use some medicine (figurative), let them slowly regress, and become normal pours again, he would have much less of a problem, and leave no scars on his face.
So instead of scaring our face and not fixing the root problem of this ugly acne infected face, hows about we cleanse the pours to stop the pimples from coming up period. #crime
11/09/09
Really? You can't think of any other way to stop him from doing that again? And you think that he'll kill more people once/if he gets out of prison, for sure?
Are you serious?
How about keeping him in lock-up and letting him out when he's - say - pushing 70?
Also, I don't wanna hear anything about the taxpayers' money here. In a debate like this someone always throws in the tax money argument... Which is ridiculous 'cause usually the person who gives that comment hasn't really thought about A) how much tax income the state gets per year B) what kind of percent of that money is used on maintaining prisons C) how much money does it cost to maintain a single criminal.
How big a portion of a tax payer's money goes to keeping this guy in prison? How big a portion of Japan's yearly tax income is spent to keep this one person in prison?
I can tell you it's not much. In fact it's nearly nothing. And this man's life, even though he did what he did is surely worth more than "nearly nothing".
To him, his life is all he has. And you have to understand that as well.
In real life there is no such thing as evil people. Sure, people do awful, unforgivable things. But it's not as black and white as good and evil and life and death.
That'd be just plain ignorance talking.
The bottom line in what I'm trying to say is that nobody has the right to decide wether or not somebody lives or dies. This man took that right into his own hands and that's why he's in prison. That's his punishment. He's been put into quarantene outside the society because he's not fit to live within the society.
But the law, that's supposed to set an example of how the society is supposed to work, can't make the decision that this man's life can be erased. It's jut justice. It's hypocrisy. #crime
11/09/09
That'd be just plain ignorance talking."
The irony of that statement is delicious. #crime
11/09/09
Although I shouldn't be, I didn't expect this to turn into a discussion of the death penalty so quickly.
Let me just say this:
I was there. Across the street. I saw it all. I heard it all. The crash, the truck, the stabbing, the people, the aftermath....
I never really understood PTSD until then. (Thankfully I suppose.)
One of my questions for the concierge when we got back to the hotel hours later was "Do you have the death penalty?" I had never been really been supportive of its use until then.
Also, I would say, I'm not as supportive now as I was then, but at some level, shouldn't the punishment fit the crime? That's the underlying premise. It's not necessarily the deterrence of crime, but the balancing of justice (scales, etc). If you take a life, why should you keep yours? It's not just that the law has the authority to kill (and people don't), its that they are balancing the crime against the victim. (In some law codes this actually was the responsibility of a closest relative, Judiac - 'Avenger of Blood'.)
I'm all for trying to treat the root cause of the problem, as it is a better solution, but to lock someone up and throw away the key presents two issues to me.
1. The criminal still has life, and the victims do not. He can eat, sleep, and probably read and exercise. All of which are aspects of life I really enjoy. Why can he decide that the victims' lives can be erased when his will not be?
2. If your intent is to have him be as miserable as possible in prison for the rest of his life, it sounds like you wish upon him the intent of 'hell'. Hell doesn't exist, but the idea of locking someone up so they can be in torment for as long as possible is the premise. (Interestingly the connotation of word for 'torment' in the original language was related to that of a jailer.)
All that being said. I would say that I cannot judge Kato. I have neither the ability nor the desire to truly determine what he deserves. I cannot tell in his heart if he is truly repentant. I cannot decide if he deserves to die; ('Judge not, lest ye be judged'.) And ultimately I don't have to. Japan's government has the authority, and the law of Japan allows for the death penalty. I'm not going to get upset if he is put to death. I saw his crimes, but I also know, for me, that if it is the wrong decision, there is someone who can correct it. #crime
11/09/09
I am a big believer in pro choice. But on this subject I think it isn't something that can be clear cut like that. I have been close to people and had them taken away by murder and it is not something that you can explain. The idea that someone robbed someone you know of their life astounds you and it makes a deep change in your outlook. I would say that it is mostly revenge acting out. And while revenge is a big cause of murder not everyone acts on it. I would have to say that if I wanted the person that comited the crime to be killed for punishment I am as guilty as he. But not in the sense that I comitted the act but I had wanted the same result. Before I was in that situation I had always been on the fence about the subject. Afterward I was wanting him to be executed. But now I feel that people should be given a bit more time to reflect on their deeds.
I say that with caution though. I think there are always special conditions to decisions like this. If someone gets wrongly accused and charged for murder then get the death penalty there is no way to take that back after they flip the switch. It happens often. But in the case of serial murderers and rapists, cannibals and kidnappers, I think the death penalty should be withheld for those select. Not as an act of punishment but as a form of relief. the people that perform those acts are clinically insane and it would not do any good to keep them in a cage until the commit suicide. Release is not an option for those people.
It is a subject that people can spend days on end discussing but sadly it is a lengthy process to change and not enough people are willing to put the time forth.
@(Zombie) D Mitsuki, Gotta have guts kid!: I agree with you 100% on this. It is a perfect metaphor.
But the problem with that approach is when you take something as vast as death and categorize it into types then take the situations that constitute murder and accident and other profiles it becomes blurry. Something as complex as murder is not clean cut every time. In fact it very rarely is. Some people consider neglect murder. Some say that certain circumstances such as self defense and fear or insanity can make murder OK. But asking for murder to be stopped all together is a big task.
People have been killing since it all began. It would be a great world if it all stopped but assuming that it can actually happen is somewhat vain. If you were to ask all of humanity to come together as one and understand that murder gets us nowhere and the fact that it is a pointless act, while it is a hopeful accomplishment, it is near impossible. People comit more crime than ever and it starts small. From speeding and littering to piracy and theft. While it is the perfect answer to the problem there is no work to show proof.
Like in school when your math teacher made you show your work. It wasn't to make you do more work. It was to show you knew how to get to the end result. Anyone can go copy the answers but if you just have a question and an answer with no knowledge of how to traverse that gap, have you learned anything? #crime
11/09/09
But you know we can go on about this forever and the last one to post their comment on the irony of the previous poster's comment has the right to feel that, "I'm better" #crime
11/09/09
I wish not to partake in your senseless argument with others. It would serve no purpose. I just couldn't resist pointing out that delicious morsel.
You don't have to be combative and attack anyone who replies to you. #crime
11/09/09
If a person takes the life of another person, should the punishment to be taking their life? What have we accomplished? What has been done? Instead of one person dead, we have two people dead.
Make that persons life worth something, and worth the lives of the people he killed. Don't just simply write him off as a life for a life. Make his life improve the lives of others, let his life foster more life, but taking a life as a solution to taking a life is a absurd cycle that leaves only death. #crime
11/09/09
Let me just say it like this. If somebody were to, in cold blood, and the most vicious way murder my littlest brother, I would wish him death. I may even be tempted to stoop to his level and kill him, and the hate and rage I get from even thinking about is immense. But it's all empty. My brother is dead, and now he is dead, wheres the justice? Where's the opportunities my brother had, the chances he had, everything. It's all gone, and now so is the man. It's nothing but a pointless emptiness. Now, lets say this man isn't just killed, but instead is rehabilitated, and his whole life is devoted to helping the lives of others. At least now, my brothers life was not taken in vain, at least his death made something, it meant something. There is meaning, and while I will still never probably forgive this man, I can know my brothers death wasn't just some pointless occurrence that ended with "one less criminal in the world".
There are a multitude of ways we can get closer to achieving that. And while we aim for this perfect world that we will never have, that should never stop us from attempting to make it. #crime
11/10/09
11/09/09
There are many other animals out there that I personally believe truly deserve to be erased form society, a fine example being the Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs.
Google "3 guys 1 hammer" and prepare to lose all faith in humanity (and some nations' legal systems). #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
Living with remorse is a far harsher punishment than being killed for it. #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
He's had time to reflect, accept, and change... and everyone can change. Everyone. However, our penal system (USA, I won't speak for other countries) is set up very, very poorly for any true rehabilitation. It is society's burden to bear their incarceration costs until such time as they can serve a fair sentence because their crime is a reflection of society on them (especially so in the young).
The problem, as I see it, is that the sheer amount of societal problems these days has led to a crime-rate that is too high. This has lead to prison overcrowding and the revolving door effect, because the system is not working how it was intended.
Instead of these people who act violently getting the help and time they need to repent and change, they're being thrown into a vicious cycle of violence. So then, what? They've fucked up in life and we're actively failing them, so they need to be put down like animals? I'll hold myself to a higher standard than that, even if the rest of the world falls into such moral corruption as would allow it.
11/09/09
11/09/09
That video makes me angry. It gives me pure genuine rage. Not even just at the idiots who did it, but at everything. It makes you want to change something, it makes you want to DO something.
Humans are quick to seperate themselves from animals, but look at the atrocities only we can commit. If we aren't animals, we are far worse. #crime
11/09/09
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[www.techzonez.com] #crime
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11/09/09
Yeah, sounds absurd, but anything can happen when you die. We can control what happens here though, so lets keep him in the realm of the living, so we know what is happening to him for the actions he took. #crime
11/09/09
11/09/09
No really, I'm genuinely curious, because there have been a number of articles that aren't game-related at all. In fact, some are just casual emails between staffers about movies or kids or other everyday stuff. And I quite like it.
There's always the good ol' "If it doesn't interest you, don't read it!" argument, but surely you were aware of that. You just wanted to stir up a bit of excitement, you sly dog you! #crime
11/09/09
Wrong. This is actually related to both games and japan (the two themes of this blog!), as Akihabara is in Japan (gasp!) and is a major center for otaku (WTF!) activities like video games (O-M-G!).
Consider this a follow up, pretty sure Kotaku has posted news on this before. #crime
11/09/09
@Kicken: Except... It's just a killing that happened to occur in Akihabara? The district itself is well known for video games, yes, but it's not like it has a direct connection to vidya gaems. He didn't actually kill a bunch of dudes because Ninja Gaiden came out. I took a shit after playing Ballad of Gay Tony earlier, want me to write an article about it?
@Jehuty: I remember when it actually happened, so I'm not unfamiliar with the circumstances, dipshit. "In light of the tragic circumstances"? It happened a year ago and this is about one sentence in a letter he wrote to some guy. You have to admit this isn't newsworthy to begin with, let alone on a "game" blog. #crime
11/09/09
While I don't think your criticism is irrational, we have to remember that Kotaku is free. As readers we have the freedom to read what we want, and in turn the editors have the freedom to report on what they want. I'm sure Kotaku staff are open to constructive criticism but I'm thinking they'll probably tell you the same thing--if you don't like it, don't read it. It's a free country. #crime
11/09/09
There's always follow-ups. Even in the news.
Edit:
"God damn it! I know it's going to be sunny today! I've heard about it since last week in the 7 day forecast!"
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toaster - bathtub full of water... over and done with. #crime
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10/23/09
It's like Costco! #akihabara
10/22/09
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10/23/09
*scowls menacingly in your direction* #akihabara
10/23/09
According to your idea, I'm a racist if I wouldn't wanna sleep with an African woman?
What about white women who likes black guys? Are they racist, too? #akihabara
10/23/09
I don't like how black people look, is that cool with you? #akihabara
10/23/09
10/23/09
In any case, I don't think you meant to be racist per se, I think you're just shallow. #akihabara
10/23/09
10/23/09
racâ‹…ism
  /ˈreɪsɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [rey-siz-uhm]
–noun
1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
What has been expressed is simply a preference and has nothing to do with believing oneself to be better than someone of another race, nor shown any 'hatred or intolerance' towards others.
Such an ugly topic, let's all just hug instead :D
-B
P.S. now if someone made a blanket statement that "all Asian women were ugly", then I would agree with you.
10/23/09
10/23/09
I'm married to a woman 7 years younger than me with blonde hair and fake breasts. Does this mean that I hate anyone who's not 7 years younger than me, with blonde hair and fake breasts? No. It simply means that I prefer young blondes with huge tits. I admit that I'm shallow but I'm most certainly not racist. I apologize to everyone who took my comment the wrong way. It was simply a void attempt at a lame joke.
*hangs head in shame* #akihabara
10/23/09
As in, racist in a harmless, well-meaning way? If you think about THAT, I'd say almost every single person is a racist, if that would be the definiton. #akihabara
10/23/09
Now if I said I don't find black people attractive because of their culture and butchering of the English language. I would be considered racist and not worth anyones time. (This is an example..) #akihabara
10/23/09
"According to your idea, I'm a racist if I wouldn't wanna sleep with an African woman?"
To me, this is a doctrine of discrimination. If you are actively making a judgement about excluding a person based solely on their race, then you have to examine the why? What is it that turns you off about that person or their race? Is their ethnic features not good enough for you? What inherent beliefs do you really have? It's okay to say you don't like a particular person because they have this or that (shallow as it maybe) but to say you don't find Asian's attractive implies a system that includes race as a determinant.
Preferring one race over another is a different matter altogether,but excluding one race based on "preference" is the issue at hand. When you make a value judgement about anyone based on their looks in terms of your preference, you are evaluating their worth in relations to you- implying a standard of attractiveness nevertheless implies a hierarchy. When you link those looks to their ethnic features, then it becomes an issue of race- racism comes about when you generalize it as a part of your policy.
10/23/09
Now examine what he had just said- why would you not want to sleep with her? Is it because she's black? What if she had a perfect personality? What then? He is making a blanket decision based entirely on race- a preference no less, but a racist one at that.
If you still don't think my point holds any water, consider this:
What is it about their appearance that you don't like? #akihabara
10/23/09
Once you put the social aspect and meet people, a lot of that physical crap gets pushed aside, hell some of the sexiest people I know at face value are not the prettiest people ever.. so take it for what it is. #akihabara
10/23/09
Well, I think I speak for the most of us when I say it's not discussing politics that get me sexually aroused, at least not as a first and fore-most factor xD. I can appreciate looks, and looks is the primary thing that gets me sexually aroused. I think it's the same for most people. And black women simply don't get me aroused as often as white women. OF COURSE there's hundreds of black ladies I'd love to be with ( this is really awkward... ), but there's something about their looks that don't get me as hot...
Again, don't get me wrong, they can be as pretty or prettIER than white women. But, judging from experience, I more often take a liking to white women.
If I take a (sexual) liking to what a woman looks like and a (sexual) disliking to what a woman looks like, is that still being racist, the bad way? Not trying to generalize, but most black women share the same traits that I don't like as much.
All people are EQUAL, but UNIQUE. I am -NOT- judging people by principle, I'm just stating a fact; I usually don't get attracted to black women. Usually.
Am I making myself clear? I apologize if I came off as a racist piece of shit. It was not my intention. I just need you to understand that we all have likes and dislikes. I'm pretty sure you do, too. #akihabara
10/23/09
10/23/09
I think after reading all these comments I can sum this up in two sentences -
Taste: Not finding certain physical characteristics of a race sexually attractive to you personally.
Racism: Saying that all asian/black people are ugly. #akihabara
10/23/09
A few points I would like to bring up in your post: When you say you don't like a certain trait, which one and why? (Hypothetical-Don't answer-I'm applying it to everyone not just you-like you said, everyone has preferences). I think the answer you or anyone else answers with reveals a lot about you and how you conceptualize race and looks and the like. More importantly, I think this, in itself, would be valuable in examining the motivations that drive one's preferences. As I'm sure, most people would rather not discuss such things in public, less they become labeled as racist. Now, I'm not saying you are but it is specifically because the way Luckyguy worded his post that this had come up. I seriously doubt he would be comfortable listing the traits he doesn't like in Asian women.
"But, judging from experience, I more often take a liking to white women. I don't really think there is anything wrong in having preferences for one over the other, or liking a specific "race" but I do think there is something wrong in excluding an entire race based upon their physical features. For one, it's generalizing looks into categories (small eyes, big teeth?), stereotyping might be a better word than racism, I suppose. And for another, it's still a value judgement based on looks. Perfering one, not liking one, and liking one may all seem like different sides of the same coin, but they're really not- they imply different things about you.
Anyway, I would very much like to take the heat out of this and just talk or go to sleep. I don't think anyone here is racist, rather, I think we're all just a little racist.
:) #akihabara
10/23/09
and no, it is not shallow to not find a specific race attractive at face value with no personal attachment to that person... Its like saying people who like the color purple are shallow. Being attracted to something (sexually or otherwise) at a core level is strictly instinct.. nothing more.. People you or I see around us when evaluated for physical reasons aren't really even looked at as people.. just objects..
It is honestly very simple, and from what I understand this little discussion is about face value looks, so we might be derailing this into the woods a bit. #akihabara
10/23/09
"Now if I said I don't find black people attractive because of their culture and butchering of the English language. I would be considered racist
"I don't find asians attractive because they have slanty eyes and huge teeth"
/not racist right? #akihabara
10/23/09
10/23/09
Plus you are stereotyping...
btw I am enjoying this conversation don't get me wrong :P
10/23/09
In any case, to clarify: when I said race is subjective I meant that making a decision on whether one likes or dislikes a trait is subjective and in linking that trait to race and then generalizing it makes it racist. Or something like that, I forgot and I'm getting tired.
It doesn't really matter anyway, no harm was done .
10/23/09
You think when a woman see's a man in a bar that she isnt looking at his face, skin, hair, body?
When a man see's a woman you dont think hes checking her eyes, ass, breasts, hair, skin out?
Its not racism, good fuck..you have issues man..
Im sorry, here on planet earth...ppl look at the physical first and foremost and for some thats all that matters to them, is that racist? NO, its called being shallow or just knowing what you want in a mate.
Racism../rolls eyes.
Get a grip. #akihabara
10/23/09
In reference to the picture of the Asian maid, I don't find very many Asian woman attractive.
Sorry Luckyguy, I'm using this as an example. My post maybe more explicit, but it's not that different. When you say that you don't find someone attractive, that conveys how you feel about the subject matter, when you generalize it as applying to everyone or their entire race, you stereotype. See where I'm coming from?
P.S. Me too, although I should get back to real work.... #akihabara
10/23/09
Lemme tell you.
It's the skin color, really. I just prefer the ladies with a peachy milk skin...that's my only really...one thing that makes me prefer white women with that kind of skin. Of course, there's lots of girls that ruin their skin with too much sun, smoking and the like. That's disgusting and harmful. But in the end, it's the milky skin some girls have...it's what attracts me a lot. And dark skin color is, to me, the opposite of that. It can look AWESOME sometimes...but mostly, I prefer the pale, white, untouched skin. Black women don't have that, unless they suffer from vitiligo. I also like brunettes and blondes more...
If you thought I was preferring other things, I find that's a little irrelevant. Anyone can have small eyes and big teeth. #akihabara
10/23/09
Do you stay away from the black girls at the bar? Do you give that little Pankistani girl the time of day? If not solely because you don't like the qualities that they are born with, would that be considered racist?
So far, you've brought nothing to the table and all you've managed to do is embarrass yourself. Take some time to chill out and then try again. #akihabara
10/23/09
P.S. I really don't think this is the best area for either one of us to delve into... #akihabara
10/23/09
I find them. Not finding someone attractive is not the same as thinking that they are ugly. I don't find men attractive and yet I wouldn't say all men are ugly.
Attractiveness is a matter of taste anyway. I don't find obese women, certain hairstyles or disproportionate breasts attractive. That might make me a bit shallow but I'm not discriminative towards people that have those features just because I'm not personally attracted to them.
Racism is an issue of discrimination. Attraction is an issue of personal feelings. Generally you can't help if you're attracted to someone's looks or not, they either do it for you or they don't. The key point is whether you use that personal feeling to demean, hate or attack them for the way they look. That's when it turns from a matter of taste to a matter of racism. #akihabara
10/23/09
10/23/09
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, not that dark skin isn't lovely-looking.
And no, I'm not afraid if talking about this. I got nothing to hide. #akihabara
10/23/09
10/23/09
I think what you're searching for isn't sterotyping, racism or even discrimination. I think it's generalisation. The key thing that sets that apart is it doesn't bear negative connotations. It's not an unfair generalisation to say that most asian people share similar physical traits. Sure it doesn't mean they all look the same but generally they have an appearance that makes them recognisably asian.
(DISCLAIMER: Just to note I'm only using asian as an example because it's at the heart of the subject matter. I shouldn't have to add this but I feel like I should just in case.)
Generalisation only becomes stereotyping/racist/discriminatory when it becomes an unfair representation. As human beings we tend to categorise things a lot and find it easier if we can group things together. Hence generalisation. It's not a bad thing by itself but it can be used wrongly and that's when it turns into something nastier. #akihabara
10/23/09
10/23/09
Well I'm promoting this comment because it strokes my ego. Yesiree. _ #akihabara
10/23/09
Now I went off-topic, but I really think you summed it all up nicely there. It's sad that discussions like this can get sensitive and offend some people, but then again, I can see why. It's still important for us to be able to talk about topics like these. I really think so. #akihabara
10/23/09
The initial post (luckyguy) can both be viewed rascist or non-rascist. Rascism can be defined but each person applies it differently, therefore it's subjective. The only thing ordinary men and woman are guilty of is being too shallow to look past the rascism, but that's different story alltogether.
Shallowness is what leaves you with a young blonde with jugs, wether that's good or bad, once again, personal preference. In the end society and culture are arbitrary in itself so your way of dealing with it as such, is not to be judged unless it contains a message of hate or is destructive in nature.
recap, whether you're into black booty, white boobs or those delightful asian moaning sounds, that's your choice and damned what anyone thinks about it.
( I ended with a stereotypical remark.. doesn't that just piss you off) #akihabara
10/23/09
10/23/09
10/23/09
I'm just adding my comment so this sequence of replies can be yet another boring entry on the Guinness Book of stupid crap no one cares.
Anyways, no, the original luckyguy183 comment wasn't racist.
It could be viewed as generalization, because every time you summarize a group of people with a certain attribute, it's generalization. But it really isn't offending someone based on his/her skin color, so no racism.
It's also an unnecessary, ignorant comment no one should care about, but instead it's the one that got most attention. #akihabara
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