The latest #BlackEye for The Japan Times is up and atcha! This time around we respond to the alarming increase in racist SNS content aimed at the presence of people of African descent living here in Japan, some of which flirts threateningly with Hate Speech, if not crosses that poorly defined line.
I refuse to provide links to this flagrant fear mongering but dozens of you made sure it was on my radar and I thank you for your vigilance and support! Til now I’ve paid it little to no mind, much the way I ignored blackface in Japan – until it made itself un-ignorable.
This too has become un-ignorable and in need of a response, and some of you have done so in video and posts all over the japanosphere. I applaud you. Well done!!
Here’s an excerpt from my contribution to this effort:
The way I see it, the only way Japan could have avoided the danger that myself and like-minded people represent — the perils that invariably accompany transition — is if they had kept this island nation isolated. Maybe pull a Trump card and build a wall. But that would not have been in the country’s best interest. Nor is behaving as if the nation is in fact isolated, homogenous, or even capable of stemming the tide of foreign influence on the culture and customs here.
Those days are over. The people here, both Japanese and foreign, who embrace this truth will position themselves to succeed in the years to come. Those that don’t, well, they will likely erect or support the erection of obstacles to progress, or spew hate on video, as backward thinkers everywhere tend to do.
Meanwhile, the world is going to keep coming here, some with embossed invitations due to Japanese necessity, some with adventurous sensibilities and disposable cash, some seeking opportunities to prosper, and some running for their lives from desperate situations seeking refuge.
Here’s a link to the rest of my new column adding my voice to the voices calling these people out:
Are Black People Dangerous to Japan?
Share if you dig it!
Love,
Baye