Quote by GodGundam101)Americans have
no right to complain about China's human rights record or boycotting the games
when America's human rights record in the last eight years are as bad as
China's
It truly amazes me that in such an interconnected world there are still so many
people so extremely ignorant about politics, culture, and society of countries
outside of their own. I cannot see how any informed and objective observer can possibly equate human rights
conditions in the United States to those of China.
In the United States, measures were implemented after 2001 in order to
streamline existing means for preventing acts of domestic terrorism. Although
these measures have been met with quite the brouhaha, the hysterical hyperbole
is -- for the most part -- misplaced, as they have had little or no real
immediate impact upon the civil liberties of most Americans. The United States
remains a liberal democracy which respects the rule of law.
On the other hand, there is no rule of law in China, and conditions there are
neither liberal nor democratic. The government can be extremely repressive, and
it utilizes one of the most sophisticated censorship mechanisms in deployment in
conjunction with state-controlled media in order to maintain internal stability
and control what information is available and how that information ought to be
interpreted. As a result, the average Chinese citizen cannot be faulted with
being bewildered by the anti-China protests that have been occurring since the
average Chinese citizen simply does not know the full extent of what has been
going on in Tibet or Xinjiang province, let alone the connection between the
Chinese government and the situation in Sudan.
In short, you cannot be more wrong with your statement; there is in fact a vast
-- and obvious -- gulf between the governments of the United States and the PRC
when it comes to protection of human rights.
Quote by GodGundam102) Why do people
keep bringing politics into the Olympics? The Olympics are a sporting event and
should be about global unity and athletes coming together to compete in front
the eyes of the world.
Because the Olympics have always been a political event. Some wars are fought on
the field of battle. Some others are fought in conference rooms. And some are
fought in the guise of a sporting event. In all three forms, national honor is
at stake, and particularly for the host country. Historical examples abounded;
1936 was a showcase for Nazi Germany to demonstrate the supposed superiority of
National Socialism, the games during the Cold War were little more than a
thinly-veiled contest between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the
1972 games were used by Black September in order to further the cause of
Palestinian nationalism.
For China, the Olympics are a matter of political prestige. In many ways, the
Chinese government sees the selection of its capital as the host city for the
2008 Olympics as an indication of its growing influence in the world. To the
Chinese government, the Olympics are most certainly not a mere sporting event;
rather, it is political theater where it can showcase to the world that it has
become a first-tier world power. The plans for the torch relay are testament to
this, as the Chinese organizing committee purposefully set up the longest and
most elaborate torch relay in history for the Beijing Olympics in order to
demonstrate to both international and domestic audiences the position Beijing
sees for itself in the international system.
Quote by EternalParadoxThe
problems in China will not be solved by China-bashing slogans.
As for shoujoboy, there is indeed a problem when protesters unconsciously and
automatically use a blanket "they" when referring to China.
"They" are all communists, "they" pirate goods,
"they" jail their own people. It does reflect an ingrained prejudice
that all Chinese people are the same as the government. You will notice that
those who have studied China and understand its dynamics never use the blanket
"they" but make a clear distinction between the actions of the
government and of the people.
You are right in pointing out this distinction. The overwhelming majority of the
Chinese citizenry subscribe fully to the nationalistic agenda propagated by the
Beijing government. The Chinese people are glad that their country was selected
to host the Olympics and are proud of how fare their country has come, and as
such they become defensive and understandably upset when faced with such
vigorous protest.
While the average Chinese is not marching off to Tibet to shoot at or beat
Tibetan monks, he is blissfully unaware of the scale and scope of the unrest.
Most importantly, he is unaware of why the unrest is occurring because the only
information he has regarding the situation is that given to him by the
government. As such, his natural reaction is to act with indignation at those
casting dispersions upon his country, therefore contributing to animosity
between China -- as an entity -- and the West.
Quote by XRW175P6MQ4I don't think
protesters realize how large china's army. They could probably whip just about
any other country by running them out of
ammunition.
While that may be true, it is ultimately irrelevant. What makes China
particularly influential in the world is not the size of its military, but the
size of its population Edit: and its ability to
produce and consume. Because China believes that it now deserves to be
considered a world power and is therefore using the Olympics as a means of
demonstrating its new status, it will see any disruption of its careful
choreography as a personal insult. A number of EU heads of state are considering
boycotting the opening and/or closing ceremonies, which will certainly
communicate disapproval for China's domestic and foreign policies.
It must be noted though that President Bush, however, may not be at liberty to
do participate with the boycott, however, because economic support from China
will be critical in order for the United States to weather the current economic
situation with minimal difficulty. His absence would do much to embarrass the
Chinese government and possibly help to make it reconsider its policies, but at
the same time it could cause a real backlash in trade relations between the two
countries. In this particular situation, the potential long-term benefits of
such a move may be far outweighed by the potential short-term costs, especially
given that this is an election year with a very heated contest.
Quote by Bubbachibi18It was the best
Magazine I've ever read...really the best.
A few years ago,
I had a subscription to Newtype USA, and -- aside from the fact that I never
received two of the issues I paid for -- I found it largely disappointing.
Besides having features that were consistently out of date by the time of
publication, the balance between content and fluff was, as shoujoboy noted,
skewed heavily towards the fluff.
Of particular irritation to me was the fact that I could get a single issue of
the Japanese version of Newtype -- which had considerably more content and was
far more timely in its reporting -- for far less than the price of a single
issue of Newtype USA. Furthermore, the extras included with the Japanese
magazine were far, far superior to those provided with its stateside
incarnation. In place of a preview DVD with single episodes of shows I couldn't
care less about, there were really nice extras. Some issues came with nice shitajiki, and one that stands out in my mind
came with a 1:144 scale model kit of an Impulse Gundam from GSD.
In short, Newtype was essentially little more than a absurdly overpriced glossy
picture book issued in monthly installments. With more timely news or more
impressive extras, it may have been worth getting. As such, it was easy for me
to decide not to renew my subscription after the year was up.
The Minitokyo community offers a place where people of disparate backgrounds and
from diverse locations are brought together by common interests. Here in the
forums, members have an opportunity to be able to bring their individual
experiences into conversations and discussions on issues pertaining to those
common interests, and therefore individual threads should take advantage of the
diversity here and work to create dialogues that are of benefit to the entire
community.
To this effect, a number of guidelines have been established in order to help
keep participating in the forums both fun and productive.
Overarching Principle
Topics in the forum should be actual discussions, and not just a set of
disconnected responses to a poll.
Creating New Threads
+The Search box is your friend!
Before creating a new thread, do some searches to make sure that an active
thread does not already exist for a particular topic. As many topics have been
discussed before in the forums, it is highly likely that a thread already exists
on any particular topic.
+Old and decrepit threads
If a thread has not had any new posts in over four weeks, it can be considered
inactive and a new thread can be opened on the same topic.
+Favorites and versus threads
As these threads seldom generate meaningful discussion and are often duplicates
of existing threads, please refrain from creating threads asking for favorite
characters, series, or games as well as threads comparing individual characters,
series, or games.
+Miscellany
Quizzes, games, and other fun little topics that aren't quite actual discussions
should graze peacefully in the Spam Lounge.
+Farewells
Please do not create new threads to announce absences, whether they be
short-term, long-term, or permanent, and do not create threads when you return
from an absence either. Instead, you can just post an away message on your
userpage stating your reasons and how long you expect to be away.
+Advertising **NEW**
Threads and posts should not be made advertising submissions, threads, groups,
or otherwise. Such advertisements should only be made in userpages and
guestbooks.
Participating in Threads
+Tolerance
When you are in a community with so many people from such diverse backgrounds,
it is inevitable that you will see perspectives expressed that will be different
from your own. Remember that there is more than one way to view any particular
issue, and that everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
+Offensive comments
Please try to act in as civil a manner as possible in the threads, and try to
treat your fellow members with respect. Also note that we do have among us a
number of younger members, so please exercise tact while interacting in the
forums.
Questions and Concerns
If you feel that a particular post or thread goes contrary to the Minitokyo
Policy, FAQ, or the guidelines outlined here, please use the Report link or the
Support Inquiry form to notify the staff. Please be as detailed as possible; the
more detailed you are, the better we will be able to help you.
Sincerely,
shinsengumi, your friendly local forum moderator
Do not resubmit deleted gallery items. Note that the FAQ clearly says the
following: This should be common sense, but as
a reminder, do not resubmit or repost anything deleted by a moderator.
This is a really ancient thread that has been revived quite a number of times
already. Given that there is a more recently-created thread on pretty much the
same subject, why not use it instead?
No need to resurrect an ancient thread. Besides, this thread is quite similar to
another created by the same member on the same day: which
anime do u wanna be in?
Since the original request for recommendations was inactive for nearly four
months and because there are other active threads that you may use to post
recommendations in, such as Suggest me
new anime , there is no real reason to keep posting here.
Quote: Minitokyo is an
international community. As such, Minitokyo uses English as its official
language of communication in all public areas of the community. As a member, you
must use English in these areas, which include the galleries, the forums, and
the reviews. You may use a different language in private communications, such as
personal messages to other members, or communication within
groups.
I disagree with you in your assertion that a fine line separates rebels from
terrorists. When it comes to the designation of violent opposition groups, the
selection of labels is a game of semantics; what term gets used often depends on
both objective and subjective criteria. A rebel, for example, is a member of any
violent opposition group. Rebels may be termed insurgents by the government they
oppose, while they may call themselves freedom fighters. A terrorist, however,
is not an entirely different breed, as a terrorist is also a rebel, though one
who uses coercive violence against civilian
targets in an attempt to achieve his goal. In other words, the two are
not mutually exclusive, as you assert; terrorists are in fact a specific type of
rebel.
Quote: A rebel fights for a
specific cause most commonly against the government or someone in power. A
terrorist does not have specific cause and their main purpose may be to obtain
wealth or power, or simply to make a statement by violence purposedly towards
the government.
Contrary to your assertion, all terrorist groups have very specific goals,
as I cannot think of any designated terrorist organization that does not have
political motives that drive their actions. At times, their activities may
involve the accumulation of resources, but doing so is always secondary to their
larger aims.
Quote: A rebel usually have the
support of the people and so he fights for the people but uses
"justified" violence against only to those in power. A terrorist
fights against those in power and those they govern. Commonly, terrorist attacks
target the common people.
Rebels, including terrorists,
often have the support of a segment of the population which provides them with
material support. Rebels use violence as a means to achieve their goals, but
there is nothing justified about this violence -- by definition, their actions
are illegal given their opposition to the regime in power. As I noted earlier,
terrorists distinguish themselves from other flavors of rebels by using violence
against civilians in order to force the hand of the government.
Quote: A rebel group is always
organized and fights only their designated enemy and leaves those not concerned
alone. A terrorist group aims for chaos and so attacks those that cannot fight
and as much as possible will avoid direct confrontation with the
military.
You've pigeon-holed your designations. Rebel
groups -- terrorist groups included -- are not necessarily well-organized. Some
have a complex structure, while others are extremely diffuse in organization,
where individual members or individual cells have great autonomy in planning and
executing attacks and may only be connected to the larger organization by
ideology. Who rebel groups target and what actions they take are all determined
by their resources and ideology and are always intended for realization of their
ultimate goals. Rebel groups often tend to avoid direct confrontation with the
military because of the vast disparities in capability, and therefore groups
resort to methods such as guerrilla warfare or terrorism in order to
compensate.
In short, the labels of rebel and terrorist are not mutually exclusive. All
rebels are opposition groups who use violence as a means of achieving their
goals. Terrorism is a specific tactics that rebel groups may use, and those who
choose to use it are given the additional label of terrorist.
Will Harry Potter die? I would think that the answer is obvious: he most surely
will die, eventually. A better question
to ask is whether he will die during the course
of the seventh book. It would be unfair for me to answer, given that I've
already read said book, but I find it curious as to why people are so interested
in his fate. To me, the more interesting question is that of Severus Snape's
loyalty and motivations. He is, without a doubt, the most complex character in
the series and is either the greatest opportunist or the most selfless hero. Why
not wonder instead, therefore, if Severus Snape will die?
A few comments.
It truly amazes me that in such an interconnected world there are still so many people so extremely ignorant about politics, culture, and society of countries outside of their own. I cannot see how any informed and objective observer can possibly equate human rights conditions in the United States to those of China.
In the United States, measures were implemented after 2001 in order to streamline existing means for preventing acts of domestic terrorism. Although these measures have been met with quite the brouhaha, the hysterical hyperbole is -- for the most part -- misplaced, as they have had little or no real immediate impact upon the civil liberties of most Americans. The United States remains a liberal democracy which respects the rule of law.
On the other hand, there is no rule of law in China, and conditions there are neither liberal nor democratic. The government can be extremely repressive, and it utilizes one of the most sophisticated censorship mechanisms in deployment in conjunction with state-controlled media in order to maintain internal stability and control what information is available and how that information ought to be interpreted. As a result, the average Chinese citizen cannot be faulted with being bewildered by the anti-China protests that have been occurring since the average Chinese citizen simply does not know the full extent of what has been going on in Tibet or Xinjiang province, let alone the connection between the Chinese government and the situation in Sudan.
In short, you cannot be more wrong with your statement; there is in fact a vast -- and obvious -- gulf between the governments of the United States and the PRC when it comes to protection of human rights.
Because the Olympics have always been a political event. Some wars are fought on the field of battle. Some others are fought in conference rooms. And some are fought in the guise of a sporting event. In all three forms, national honor is at stake, and particularly for the host country. Historical examples abounded; 1936 was a showcase for Nazi Germany to demonstrate the supposed superiority of National Socialism, the games during the Cold War were little more than a thinly-veiled contest between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the 1972 games were used by Black September in order to further the cause of Palestinian nationalism.
For China, the Olympics are a matter of political prestige. In many ways, the Chinese government sees the selection of its capital as the host city for the 2008 Olympics as an indication of its growing influence in the world. To the Chinese government, the Olympics are most certainly not a mere sporting event; rather, it is political theater where it can showcase to the world that it has become a first-tier world power. The plans for the torch relay are testament to this, as the Chinese organizing committee purposefully set up the longest and most elaborate torch relay in history for the Beijing Olympics in order to demonstrate to both international and domestic audiences the position Beijing sees for itself in the international system.
You are right in pointing out this distinction. The overwhelming majority of the Chinese citizenry subscribe fully to the nationalistic agenda propagated by the Beijing government. The Chinese people are glad that their country was selected to host the Olympics and are proud of how fare their country has come, and as such they become defensive and understandably upset when faced with such vigorous protest.
While the average Chinese is not marching off to Tibet to shoot at or beat Tibetan monks, he is blissfully unaware of the scale and scope of the unrest. Most importantly, he is unaware of why the unrest is occurring because the only information he has regarding the situation is that given to him by the government. As such, his natural reaction is to act with indignation at those casting dispersions upon his country, therefore contributing to animosity between China -- as an entity -- and the West.
While that may be true, it is ultimately irrelevant. What makes China particularly influential in the world is not the size of its military, but the size of its population Edit: and its ability to produce and consume. Because China believes that it now deserves to be considered a world power and is therefore using the Olympics as a means of demonstrating its new status, it will see any disruption of its careful choreography as a personal insult. A number of EU heads of state are considering boycotting the opening and/or closing ceremonies, which will certainly communicate disapproval for China's domestic and foreign policies.
It must be noted though that President Bush, however, may not be at liberty to do participate with the boycott, however, because economic support from China will be critical in order for the United States to weather the current economic situation with minimal difficulty. His absence would do much to embarrass the Chinese government and possibly help to make it reconsider its policies, but at the same time it could cause a real backlash in trade relations between the two countries. In this particular situation, the potential long-term benefits of such a move may be far outweighed by the potential short-term costs, especially given that this is an election year with a very heated contest.
Looks like you may have accidentally double-posted. . .
A few years ago, I had a subscription to Newtype USA, and -- aside from the fact that I never received two of the issues I paid for -- I found it largely disappointing. Besides having features that were consistently out of date by the time of publication, the balance between content and fluff was, as shoujoboy noted, skewed heavily towards the fluff.
Of particular irritation to me was the fact that I could get a single issue of the Japanese version of Newtype -- which had considerably more content and was far more timely in its reporting -- for far less than the price of a single issue of Newtype USA. Furthermore, the extras included with the Japanese magazine were far, far superior to those provided with its stateside incarnation. In place of a preview DVD with single episodes of shows I couldn't care less about, there were really nice extras. Some issues came with nice shitajiki, and one that stands out in my mind came with a 1:144 scale model kit of an Impulse Gundam from GSD.
In short, Newtype was essentially little more than a absurdly overpriced glossy picture book issued in monthly installments. With more timely news or more impressive extras, it may have been worth getting. As such, it was easy for me to decide not to renew my subscription after the year was up.
Do you need to make three copies of the same thread?
Do you need to make three copies of the same thread?
Welcome to the Minitokyo Forums!
The Minitokyo community offers a place where people of disparate backgrounds and from diverse locations are brought together by common interests. Here in the forums, members have an opportunity to be able to bring their individual experiences into conversations and discussions on issues pertaining to those common interests, and therefore individual threads should take advantage of the diversity here and work to create dialogues that are of benefit to the entire community.
To this effect, a number of guidelines have been established in order to help keep participating in the forums both fun and productive.
Overarching Principle
Topics in the forum should be actual discussions, and not just a set of disconnected responses to a poll.
Creating New Threads
+The Search box is your friend!
Before creating a new thread, do some searches to make sure that an active thread does not already exist for a particular topic. As many topics have been discussed before in the forums, it is highly likely that a thread already exists on any particular topic.
+Old and decrepit threads
If a thread has not had any new posts in over four weeks, it can be considered inactive and a new thread can be opened on the same topic.
+Favorites and versus threads
As these threads seldom generate meaningful discussion and are often duplicates of existing threads, please refrain from creating threads asking for favorite characters, series, or games as well as threads comparing individual characters, series, or games.
+Miscellany
Quizzes, games, and other fun little topics that aren't quite actual discussions should graze peacefully in the Spam Lounge.
+Farewells
Please do not create new threads to announce absences, whether they be short-term, long-term, or permanent, and do not create threads when you return from an absence either. Instead, you can just post an away message on your userpage stating your reasons and how long you expect to be away.
+Advertising **NEW**
Threads and posts should not be made advertising submissions, threads, groups, or otherwise. Such advertisements should only be made in userpages and guestbooks.
Participating in Threads
+Tolerance
When you are in a community with so many people from such diverse backgrounds, it is inevitable that you will see perspectives expressed that will be different from your own. Remember that there is more than one way to view any particular issue, and that everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
+Offensive comments
Please try to act in as civil a manner as possible in the threads, and try to treat your fellow members with respect. Also note that we do have among us a number of younger members, so please exercise tact while interacting in the forums.
Questions and Concerns
If you feel that a particular post or thread goes contrary to the Minitokyo Policy, FAQ, or the guidelines outlined here, please use the Report link or the Support Inquiry form to notify the staff. Please be as detailed as possible; the more detailed you are, the better we will be able to help you.
Sincerely,
shinsengumi, your friendly local forum moderator
Userguide to Minitoyko 3: credits, browsing, groups and more
http://support.minitokyo.net/faq/1/
As always, please consult the Policy and FAQ if you have any questions.
Do not resubmit deleted gallery items. Note that the FAQ clearly says the following: This should be common sense, but as a reminder, do not resubmit or repost anything deleted by a moderator.
No need to resurrect a thread that's been dead for over a year, even if you think that this is a great series.
Again, please do not resurrect inactive threads, particularly those that have been inactive for nearly a year.
Please don't resurrect old thread unless you have something new and noteworthy to contribute.
. . . this thread was inactive for nearly a year. Fresh new discussions are preferred over thread necromancy ^_^
This thread went inactive two years ago. Closed.
What would happen if anime was banned?
Why not sit down and pen proper reviews? Those are always welcome ^_^
This is a really ancient thread that has been revived quite a number of times already. Given that there is a more recently-created thread on pretty much the same subject, why not use it instead?
P.A.D. (Post-Anime Depression)
No need to resurrect an ancient thread. Besides, this thread is quite similar to another created by the same member on the same day: which anime do u wanna be in?
merged: 08-10-2007 ~ 09:18am
Also, If you can be any anime charater, who would you be?
For all intents and purposes, this is pretty much the same as Have you ever fallen in love with an Anime Character?
Since the original request for recommendations was inactive for nearly four months and because there are other active threads that you may use to post recommendations in, such as Suggest me new anime , there is no real reason to keep posting here.
. . . this thread has been inactive for 19 weeks. There really isn't a good reason to resurrect it, is there? Necromancy is a bad thing!
There's no need to resurrect a thread that's been inactive for over two months. Please see the relevant sections of the Policy and Forum Guidelines.
Hallo! Just a friendly reminder, however. . .
I disagree with you in your assertion that a fine line separates rebels from terrorists. When it comes to the designation of violent opposition groups, the selection of labels is a game of semantics; what term gets used often depends on both objective and subjective criteria. A rebel, for example, is a member of any violent opposition group. Rebels may be termed insurgents by the government they oppose, while they may call themselves freedom fighters. A terrorist, however, is not an entirely different breed, as a terrorist is also a rebel, though one who uses coercive violence against civilian targets in an attempt to achieve his goal. In other words, the two are not mutually exclusive, as you assert; terrorists are in fact a specific type of rebel.
Contrary to your assertion, all terrorist groups have very specific goals, as I cannot think of any designated terrorist organization that does not have political motives that drive their actions. At times, their activities may involve the accumulation of resources, but doing so is always secondary to their larger aims.
Rebels, including terrorists, often have the support of a segment of the population which provides them with material support. Rebels use violence as a means to achieve their goals, but there is nothing justified about this violence -- by definition, their actions are illegal given their opposition to the regime in power. As I noted earlier, terrorists distinguish themselves from other flavors of rebels by using violence against civilians in order to force the hand of the government.
You've pigeon-holed your designations. Rebel groups -- terrorist groups included -- are not necessarily well-organized. Some have a complex structure, while others are extremely diffuse in organization, where individual members or individual cells have great autonomy in planning and executing attacks and may only be connected to the larger organization by ideology. Who rebel groups target and what actions they take are all determined by their resources and ideology and are always intended for realization of their ultimate goals. Rebel groups often tend to avoid direct confrontation with the military because of the vast disparities in capability, and therefore groups resort to methods such as guerrilla warfare or terrorism in order to compensate.
In short, the labels of rebel and terrorist are not mutually exclusive. All rebels are opposition groups who use violence as a means of achieving their goals. Terrorism is a specific tactics that rebel groups may use, and those who choose to use it are given the additional label of terrorist.
Will Harry Potter die? I would think that the answer is obvious: he most surely will die, eventually. A better question to ask is whether he will die during the course of the seventh book. It would be unfair for me to answer, given that I've already read said book, but I find it curious as to why people are so interested in his fate. To me, the more interesting question is that of Severus Snape's loyalty and motivations. He is, without a doubt, the most complex character in the series and is either the greatest opportunist or the most selfless hero. Why not wonder instead, therefore, if Severus Snape will die?