CNN RapeLay Controversy Sparks Angry Response

[Biosophilogical]

That's cheating! You aren't allowed to bring facts into an issue just to win your case, there should be a law against that, so that people can go
"Ha, that is against the law", and then the other person can go
"Ha, bringing in laws (facts) is against the law!",and the other can go
"But that's a fact, which is against the ... what were we figting about again?"
"Dunno, wanna grab a coffee and leave the gaming community alone for a while, at least until we realise that pokemon teaches witch-craft?"
"Sure"

I may have rambled a bit ... but yeah, seriously, that guy, bringing facts into his argument, is top-stuff, good on him, though admittedly I like my idea better.

 

[incal11]

Wait, are you saying I don't agree that censorship isn't the best thing? Because I've said several times that I'm not a huge fan of censorship.

I'm not implying that, I felt that you might be interested by the link I provided.

 

[boholikeu]

Still kinda surprised at all the praise Nogami's letter is getting. Yes, the quotes in the escapist article are pretty good, but the rest of the letter is just as biased and counter-factual as anything CNN said.

I mean, did anyone actually read the original sources? The people that are praising him here are just as bad as the ignorant masses that were misled by the original CNN segment. I bet if the escapist included the part where Nogami quoted the Bible people wouldn't be so quick to congratulate him...

I may have rambled a bit ... but yeah, seriously, that guy, bringing facts into his argument, is top-stuff, good on him, though admittedly I like my idea better.

Check the rest of his letter. It isn't so... factual.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Okay, why is everyone assuming that I'm of the opinion of things I haven't said or in fact stated I disagreed with?

I never mentioned your opinions?

And what we watch as children does have an effect not only on an individual but on the culture as well.

Ok then, what did you watch as a child and what effect did it have on your development?

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

hehe CNN got burned... score 1 for japan for the way they do things... and i would guess -1 for CNN because they made us westerners look like overly paranoid sociopaths...

 

[Kiriona]

Well, the guy definitely has some valid points. Our rating system and how it's enforced is one big FAIL. From personal experience, I've only been asked for ID a total of twice, and both times were AFTER I'd turned 18.

Honestly, I'm kind of in the middle here... for one thing, being a girl, I don't like the idea of being exploited to that kind of extreme.
However, it's better that a fictional girl in a video game gets raped, rather than a living breathing person. Who knows, if the stats he gave are true, then it might even help curb the crime rates.

Either way, I'm not taking it personally. If someone tries to rape me, I'm going to gouge his eyes out anyway, so I'm not really bothered by this.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

I mean, did anyone actually read the original sources? The people that are praising him here are just as bad as the ignorant masses that were misled by the original CNN segment. I bet if the escapist included the part where Nogami quoted the Bible people wouldn't be so quick to congratulate him...

Actually...That was my favorite part.

So what if he quoted the bible? It's just make this whole thing even sweeter.

 

[Velocirapture07]

How would playing a rape game make me a worse person, I have played rapelay out of curiosity and it didn't arouse me, but even if I loved to fantasize about rape (or even worse, raping children), that would still not make me a bad person, a sane person is perfectly capable separating his/her fantasies from ethical thinking and actions in the real world.

Fantasizing and roleplaying is one thing because fantasies are with only yourself and your mind and roleplaying is actually consensual anyways.
The problem with making games like RapeLay is that it encourages, condones, and/or justifies rape too much. I feel that sensible people SHOULD be offended by this; it shows that we still look down upon rape. If we become numb to it because of repeated appearances in video games and such, then we'll care less about the incident.

What you say about seperating fantasies from ethical thinking does make sense. However, one must consider the implications of it. What if someone decides to take advantage of that fantasy and make it real? That's where the fear lies.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. There's just something that doesn't seem right about bearpelt's statement. In my experience it is extremely hard to separate thoughts and fantasies from everyday actions. They will always affect us, perhaps in small ways, but they always come to the fore eventually.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote of slavery that "the man must be a prodigy who can maintain his manners and morals undepraved by such circumstances." In NO way am I comparing RapeLay to slavery in the states, but I do think the statement has some connections to what can happen in a society where such things become the norm.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Oh this puts a massive smile on my face, I need this after a bad day.

 

[Kelethor]

Ahem...if I may, become a douche bag for just a moment *Pops collar, wears a ball cap backwards, a puts sunglasses on during the day*

BAM CNN, you just got Served, *****!

Now, in all seriousness, I think that Mr.Nogami brought a very good argument to the table, and that CNN is eating a big slice of humble pie.

 

[boholikeu]

I mean, did anyone actually read the original sources? The people that are praising him here are just as bad as the ignorant masses that were misled by the original CNN segment. I bet if the escapist included the part where Nogami quoted the Bible people wouldn't be so quick to congratulate him...

Actually...That was my favorite part.

So what if he quoted the bible? It's just make this whole thing even sweeter.

Is it sweet how he assumes that just because someone is from the West they are Christian? That's no less a stereotype than saying all Japanese people are deranged because hentai exists (which the CNN article/expert doesn't say, for the record. It actually says Japan just has different cultural views about sex, which surprise is the exact same thing Nogami was trying to argue with his Bible quote).

 

[smut]

Fox News never apologized for its Mass Effect = porno for kids, or Modern Warfare 2 airport level turns 8 year old into terrorists so CNN won't apologize either.

 

[Locke_Cole]

Is it sweet how he assumes that just because someone is from the West they are Christian? That's no less a stereotype than saying all Japanese people are deranged because hentai exists (which the CNN article/expert doesn't say, for the record. It actually says Japan just has different cultural views about sex, which surprise is the exact same thing Nogami was trying to argue with his Bible quote).

Man, you're right, he was totally off the mark by assuming people from the USA were Christian.
See: http://www.gallup.com/poll/117409/easter-smaller-percentage-americans-christian.aspx

 

[boholikeu]

Man, you're right, he was totally off the mark by assuming people from the USA were Christian.
See: http://www.gallup.com/poll/117409/easter-smaller-percentage-americans-christian.aspx

I don't see a statistic that says 100% of Americans are Christian. Even if 80% of Americans are Christian, that doesn't make it any less of a stereotype to assume all of them are.

Imagine if someone brought up a Buddhist text in an argument with a Japanese person and said "I'm sure this is a book you have at your bedside". They'd look like a jerk and probably be labeled racist. It's no different when the roles are reversed.

 

[Locke_Cole]

Man, you're right, he was totally off the mark by assuming people from the USA were Christian.
See: http://www.gallup.com/poll/117409/easter-smaller-percentage-americans-christian.aspx

I don't see a statistic that says 100% of Americans are Christian. Even if 80% of Americans are Christian, that doesn't make it any less of a stereotype to assume all of them are.

Imagine if someone brought up a Buddhist text in an argument with a Japanese person and said "I'm sure this is a book you have at your bedside". They'd look like a jerk and probably be labeled racist. It's no different when the roles are reversed.

For one, you can't be a racist for assuming someone's religion...it's not a race. Two, if something is 80% true the stereotype is decidedly deserved. Something doesn't need to be 100% correct for you to mention anything about a country or you wouldn't be able to describe anyone at all.

Edit: In your previous post you say "It actually says Japan just has different cultural views about sex" which would be a stereotype by your standards. Not 100% of people view sex differently so it's a stereotype to say they do.

 

[boholikeu]

For one, you can't be a racist for assuming someone's religion...it's not a race. Two, if something is 80% true the stereotype is decidedly deserved. Something doesn't need to be 100% correct for you to mention anything about a country or you wouldn't be able to describe anyone at all.

If you assume someone's religion based on their race, then yes, it is racist. I supposed your right that making generalizations about people from the West isn't racist since "Western" isn't technically a race (though it is seen as one by many people here in Japan, similar to how "Asian" is used in America). Anyway, at the very least, it is ignorant, and instantly defeats your argument if the other person doesn't fit your assumption.

 

[Locke_Cole]

For one, you can't be a racist for assuming someone's religion...it's not a race. Two, if something is 80% true the stereotype is decidedly deserved. Something doesn't need to be 100% correct for you to mention anything about a country or you wouldn't be able to describe anyone at all.

If you assume someone's religion based on their race, then yes, it is racist. I supposed your right that making generalizations about people from the West isn't racist since "Western" isn't technically a race (though it is seen as one by many people here in Japan, similar to how "Asian" is used in America). Anyway, at the very least, it is ignorant, and instantly defeats your argument if the other person doesn't fit your assumption.

Again, you can't make any statement at all if there isn't some form of allowance for being less than 100%. Try making a statement about a country that is 100% correct. It's impossible, as such concessions have to be made. 80% is a vast majority and as such saying Americans are Christian is for all intents and purposes is true. It isn't ignorant to say so, it is ignorant to believe that any statements could be made with 100% correctness.

 

[boholikeu]

Again, you can't make any statement at all if there isn't some form of allowance for being less than 100%. Try making a statement about a country that is 100% correct. It's impossible, as such concessions have to be made. 80% is a vast majority and as such saying Americans are Christian is for all intents and purposes is true. It isn't ignorant to say so, it is ignorant to believe that any statements could be made with 100% correctness.

Fair enough. Let's make assumptions about people's religion based on their race. Nogami is still wrong then because the writer of the article he's responding to is of Korean heritage and therefore a fellow Buddhist.

 

[Locke_Cole]

Again, you can't make any statement at all if there isn't some form of allowance for being less than 100%. Try making a statement about a country that is 100% correct. It's impossible, as such concessions have to be made. 80% is a vast majority and as such saying Americans are Christian is for all intents and purposes is true. It isn't ignorant to say so, it is ignorant to believe that any statements could be made with 100% correctness.

Fair enough. Let's make assumptions about people's religion based on their race. Nogami is still wrong then because the writer of the article he's responding to is of Korean heritage and therefore Buddhist.

Sigh, really? Since when is the USA a race? I didn't mention race at all in my previous post. Stop grasping at straws here...He made a statement about the USA because the writer is a US citizen and the company she works for is a US company. Again, you can't make any statements about a country unless you generalize a bit. Countries are made up of tons of different people with different thoughts and different values, often in most cases they share similar ones. In this case it just happens that 80% of people in the US are Christian and those stats are higher than stats you'll find about most others topics. The only one mentioning race is you.

 

[boholikeu]

Sigh, really? Since when is the USA a race? I didn't mention race at all in my previous post. Stop grasping at straws here...He made a statement about the USA because the writer is a US citizen and the company she works for is a US company. Again, you can't make any statements about a country unless you generalize a bit. Countries are made up of tons of different people with different thoughts and different values, often in most cases they share similar ones. In this case it just happens that 80% of people in the US are Christian and those stats are higher than stats you'll find about most others topics. The only one mentioning race is you.

Hm, true. Now that I look at my posts you're right. Sorry, I got so caught up in it, but living here in Japan for so long has warped my ideas of nationality/race a bit I suppose. Here if you are white you are automatically American, so race is pretty much synonymous with nationality here (even if it's not true).

In any case, his quotation of the Bible still rubs me the wrong way. Like I said before, if you make an assumption like that in an argument and your assumption turns out to be wrong, you've instantly lost the argument. I'm sure most people in America, regardless of their religion, would find RapeLay distasteful. Trying to pin it all on "that book at my bedside" just strikes me as a wild misinterpretation of a culture he doesn't really understand (which is the exact same thing the accuses CNN of doing). It goes both ways, after all. Heck, I even agree with him that the US media should focus on their own problems rather than coming here and criticizing Japan's, but that doesn't make his letter any less biased and misleading than CNN's coverage of the issue.