THE RABBIT & THE RESURRECTION

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Easter, Good Friday, YUJI DIALOGUES

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Yuji: Hey, what’s the Easter Bunny got to do with Jesus Christ?

Dane: You got me. I have no idea.

Yuji: But you’re a Christian, aren’t you?

Dane: No. Only culturally. I grew up in a Christian culture but I never joined any Church.

Yuji: So, you’re Christian like most Japanese are Buddhist.

Dane: That’s right. So stop asking me stuff about Christianity.

Yuji: You know more about it than I do. So what do you know about Easter?

Dane: I’ll try. But I warn you, it won’t be the gospel.

Yuji: You mean only what you learned on Wikipedia?

Dane: Something like that. Your question was, “What is Easter.” Easter is Resurrection Day, the day Jesus came back to life.

Yuji: Oh, just like reincarnation in Buddhism?

Dane: I’m not sure. What is the Buddhist idea of reincarnation?

Yuji: Reincarnation is when a person dies and his spirit comes back to life in another body.

Dane: Resurrection is different. Jesus came back in the same body.

Yuji: Like a zombie?

Dane: No, not like a zombie! Zombies are the living dead. Jesus came back spirit and all.

Yuji: We’re getting off track. Can you keep it simple?

Dane: Okay, let me try again. You know da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper, don’t you?

Yuji: Yes. Who doesn’t?

Dane: Well, that was on a Thursday. His twelve disciples, main followers, were all there. One of them told the Roman police Jesus would be at the dinner.

Yuji: Why did the police want him?

Dane: Forget about it. That’s another story.

Yuji: OK. So they’re all having dinner and the police come. Then what happens?

Dane: They take him to prison and torture him, then they make him carry a heavy wooden cross to the top of a hill. They nail him to it and let him bleed to death. That was on a Friday. It’s now called Good Friday.

Yuji: Good Friday? What’s good about killing God. Besides, if he was a God, how could he be killed?

Dane: Not a God. Jesus was the son of God. The point is, Jesus was a real person, like you or me. On that day his human body died and his spirit joined God in Heaven.

Yuji: And that’s why they call it Good Friday?

Dane: Right. But the story didn’t end when he died.

Yuji: Oh, yeah. He came back on Easter.

Dane: Kind of. On Saturday they put his body in a cave and blocked it shut with a huge boulder until they could prepare his funeral.

Yuji: Oh, and when they come back to bury him, they find him trying to dig his way out of the cave?

Dane: Not exactly. The boulder had been moved and the cave was empty. Jesus’ body was gone.

Yuji: So someone came in and stole the body.

Dane: No, if anyone tried to move the stone, there would’ve been marks on the ground. There was no sign of anything outside the entrance.

Yuji: It sounds like a real mystery!

Dane: Yes. It is a mystery, and that mystery is an important part of the Christian belief.

Yuji: So Jesus never died. He could be anywhere!

Dane: No, 40 days later, he died. This time his followers saw him ascend to Heaven. They call that Ascension Day.

Yuji: What was he doing for those 40 days?

Dane: That’s another part of the mystery; they don’t really know.

Yuji: Did he make any repeat appearances after Ascension Day?

Dane: Well, actually yes, he did. Ten days after that he visited his followers again, but this time as a spirit only.

Yuji: He was a ghost?

Dane: No, more like an angel. He came to give them a pep talk, then went back up to Heaven and has never been seen on Earth since.

Yuji: What do they call that day, Holy Halloween?

Dane: No, it’s called the Holy Pentecost.

Yuji: That sounds like a warehouse store, like Costco.

Dane: It means the fiftieth day after Easter. Penta means five in ancient Greek. You know, like the five-sided Pentagon building in Washington.

Yuji: OK. But what about the name Easter? Does that have anything to do with the east?

Dane: No. In fact, Easter has nothing to do with Christianity. It’s the name of the German goddess of fertility.

Yuji: If this is such a Holy day for the Christians, why do they name it after a pagan goddess, one related to sex no less?

Dane: Ahh, there’s another mystery! Easter used to be the old Teutonic Spring festival. The Christians just replaced it with their own Resurrection Day.

Yuji: And they didn’t bother to change the name? That’s weird.

Dane: They changed the names of other pagan holidays.

Yuji: What holidays?

Dane: The Roman Saturnalia and Lupercalia became Christmas and Valentines Day and the Celtic Samhain was changed to Halloween. But they didn’t bother to rename Easter.

Yuji: Does that have anything to do with the Easter Bunny?

Dane: As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, it does.

Yuji: So, we’re back to square one: What is the connection between the Easter Bunny and Jesus Christ?

Dane: The goddess had a pet rabbit.

Yuji: That’s it? No way!

Dane: Really. What happens when you put a male and a female rabbit together?

Yuji: You get a litter of baby rabbits.

Dane: Exactly! And that’s why the goddess of fertility chose a bunny rabbit as her pet.

Yuji: And all of that is why the Christian holidays are called Good Friday and Easter?

Dane: You got it.

Yuji: Well! It looks like I’m not the only one who is confused!

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JAPAN’S GIRLS’ DAY

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YUJI DIALOGUES

Hako iri musume - Girl in a Glass Box

Dane:  Yuji, I hear you have another traditional holiday coming up soon.

Yuji:  Traditional holiday?  Oh, I guess you’re talking about Girl’s Day on March 3rd.

Dane:  Not Girl’s Day; the Doll Festival.

Yuji:  They’re the same thing.  Actually, it’s called Hina Matsuri.

Dane:  Is this another holiday you celebrate by doing nothing?

Yuji:  No, I have to work on March 3rd.

Dane:  You mean only girls celebrate Girls’ Day?

Yuji:  No.  I mean it’s not a national holiday, nobody gets a day off.

Dane:  Well there must be something to it.

Yuji:  Not in my family, there are no girls in our family.

Dane:  So, what do families with girls do?

Yuji:  My girlfriend says she eats chirashizushi, hand-made sushi rolls.

Dane:  That’s all?  That doesn’t sound very festive.

Yuji:  Well, my grandmother said their family had a huge display of dolls.

Dane:  What kind of dolls?

Yuji:  The empress Hina-sama, the Emperor, three female attendants, five court musicians, two state ministers, and three drunken samurai; plus a lot of accessories.

Dane:  Wow!  That’s quite a crowd.  How can you display that many dolls in your living room?

Yuji:  They put up a seven layer stand that takes up most of the room.  And then there are large dolls in separate glass boxes, too!

Dane:  Sounds pretty ostentatious.  Are these doll sets expensive?

Yuji:  Let me check on line.  OK, here’s a typical set at a discount site.  Let’s see…it goes for 120,000 yen

Dane:  You’re kidding!  That’s about $1,200.

Yuji:  That’s a cheapy.  Here’s just one Hina doll by a famous artisan for $2,500.

Dane:  Who would buy such a thing?

Yuji:  Usually people buy one for their grand-daughters.

Dane:  Why would anyone spend that much for something you can display for only one week – and gets packed in the attic after a few years?

Yuji:  I can see two good reasons.  One is just to show off.

Dane:  And the other reason?

Yuji:  Well, it started in the Heian Era about 1,000 years ago when rich people wanted to imitate the royal family. So it must be important for people who really admire the emperor.

Dane:  Is the royal family still so popular?

Yuji:  Well, I guess most Japanese respect them, but they aren’t trend setters anymore.

Dane:  But even if you love the royals and have the money, are Japanese houses big enough for such a huge display?

Yuji:  No.  My grandmother had the full set when she was a girl, but she got a miniature set for my mother.  And now my girlfriend says she had only two dolls, the Empress and Emperor.

Dane:  So the tradition’s dying out, I guess.

Yuji:  Yes, girls today are more interested in iPhone displays.

Ohina-sama

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Minister of the Left

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Court musician

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MORE PHOTOS AT SMUGMUG

蝋燭のにほふ雛の雨夜かな

Rousoku no niou

hina no amayo kana?

— 18th Century Haiku by Shirao Kaya

Wafting wax and soot

Is this evening shower

Marking Hina’s reign?

— Translation by Monde Dane

RELATED POST: JAPANESE GIRLS – 3/11/09

OBAMA’S BOW: A JAPANESE PERSPECTIVE

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Hold your Head Up Argent & the Zombies, YUJI DIALOGUES

Dane: What did you think of Obama’s visit to Japan last week. Yuji?
Yuji: He was very nice. I like the way he speaks. Easy to understand.
Dane: Did you notice anything special about his behavior?
Yuji: Special? No.
Dane: Didn’t you see him with the emperor?
Yuji: Oh yeah, you mean the way he bowed?
Dane: Yeah, wasn’t it strange?
Yuji: He did overdo it a little.
Dane: Anything else?
Yuji: Yeah, he shook hands while giving a deep 60-degree bow.
Dane: That looked pretty awkward, didn’t it?
Yuji: He looked like he was reaching for a lost sock in the clothes dryer.
Dane: How should he have done it?
Yuji: He should have bowed at about a 30-degree angle.
Dane: And not shake hands at the same time.
Yuji: Oh, we bow and shake hands all the time.
Dane: So, that was OK?
Yuji: No. At 15 or 30 degrees it’s OK, but not more than that.
Dane: So the only problem was he bowed too deeply.
Yuji: Yeah. The deep bow is for ceremonies or serious apologies.
Dane: But he was meeting the emperor!
Yuji: Even our prime minister doesn’t bow that deeply when he greets the emperor.
Dane: How would he greet the emperor with respect.
Yuji: To show special respect he would bow 45-degrees and then shake hands.
Dane: So Obama had it all wrong.
Yuji: No. His form was good.
Dane: Except he should have kept both hands at his side, right?
Yuji: I read somewhere that American businessmen are taught how to bow before coming here.
Dane: That’s right. Even when they come for a short visit they usually get a one-hour orientation on the proper way to bow and exchange name cards.
Yuji: Isn’t there  anybody at the White House who could have taught the president the basics?
Dane: There sure is.  The Chief of Protocol, a woman named Capricia Marshall who was appointed by Hillary.
Yuji: Aha! Maybe Hillary sabotaged him.
Dane: I never thought of that!
Yuji: Actually, he wasn’t all that bad. Some Japanese are even worse at bowing.
Dane: Maybe so, but not high ranking government officials.
Yuji: Even them. I saw a picture of Foreign Minister Okada bowing to the Chinese foreign minister. He looked like a drunken man falling over.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (R) shakes hands with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in Shanghai September 28, 2009. REUTERS/Aly Song (CHINA)

Dane: The foreign minister? You’re kidding! But in Obama’s case, the faux pas was with your emperor!  Weren’t you offended?
Yuji: Not offended, just amused. It was kind of cute, actually.
Dane: Well a lot of Americans are madder than hell about it.
Yuji: Why?
Dane: They say he made America look weak. – our president bowing to the power of the emperor.
Yuji: You’ve got to be ‘re kidding me! The emperor doesn’t have any power.
Dane: Not now maybe, but in George Washington’s day no president would bow to a monarch.
Yuji: George Washington? Forget about it! This is the 21^st century.
Dane: In today’s America only an Obama loving liberal would say that!

Advice from Argent

HEALTH CARE DEBATE EXPLAINED TO THE JAPANESE

Tags

GREED, Health Care Reform, Obama, OBAMA-CARE, view from Japan, YUJI DIALOGUES

Dane: So Yuji, what’s with this yuai thing Hatoyama keeps talking about?

Yuji: Who knows? I ‘m not interested in Japanese politics. It’s boring.

Dane: Usually I’d agree with you, but this time it looks like it’s getting interesting.

Yuji: Yeah, maybe so. I might have an answer for you in a week or so. Right now I’m really interested in what’s going on in your country.

Dane: Oh, you mean Ichiro!

Yuji: Ichiro? Forget-about-it! I know all I need to know about the Mariner slugger. What I don’t understand is this crazy stuff about health care. What‘s going on with that?

Dane: Obama is trying to improve it.

Yuji: What’s wrong with it?

Dane: It’s one of the worst of all the advanced countries. W.H.O. ranked the U.S. No. 37.

Yuji: I thought America had the best medical treatment in the world.

Dane: They do. The rich get the best treatment in the world, the insured get decent service, but the poor and uninsured are lucky to get any treatment.

Yuji: So what’s wrong with the system?

Dane: It’s pretty confusing.

Yuji: Make it simple for me. What is health care reform?

Dane: Very simply, it’s a plan to make medical care available to all Americans.

Yuji: What kind of health insurance do Americans have now?

Dane: Private insurance companies, mostly through their work place.

Yuji: What’s wrong with that?

Dane: If they lose their job, they lose their insurance and they can’t get health care.

Yuji: Can’t they buy it on their own?

Dane: Yes, if they’re rich enough.

Yuji: But people who have insurance are OK, aren’t they?

Dane: No. The insurance companies charge a lot and they cut payments.

Yuji: What do you mean, cut payments?

Dane: They have something called “pre-existing conditions”.

Yuji: What’s that?

Dane: They won’t pay for anything you had before.

Yuji: What are you talking about?

Dane: For example; If you had a serious cough when you were a kid, and now you get pneumonia they refuse to pay for your treatment.

Yuji: How do they know you had it before?

Dane: They have lots of investigators who look everywhere for that information.

Yuji: If they don’t find anything they pay, don’t they?

Dane: It depends. They only pay what they think it should cost, not what the hospital actually charges.

Yuji: Who pays the rest?

Dane: The patient. And… they can stop payment any time they think your treatment is getting too expensive.

Yuji: What happens if you can’t pay?

Dane: You die. And that’s the situation for people who have insurance!

Yuji: How many people don’t have it?

Dane: Forty-seven million.

Yuji: 47,000,000? Since when?

Dane: Since forever. Several presidents since Teddy Roosevelt have been trying to make a law guaranteeing medical coverage for everyone.

Yuji: Since World War Two?

Dane: Not that Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt, in 1912.

Yuji: Good God, that’s a hundred years! So what’s the problem?

Dane: Every time they try to make a new law, congress kills it.

Yuji: What kind of monsters would be against health care?

Dane: The insurance and medical industries, the Republican party and the Rednecks.

Yuji: Who are the Rednecks?

Dane: Low income, white, radical Christians, mostly in the countryside.

Yuji: Most of the people I saw protesting on TV sure looked like Rednecks.

Dane: Yes, those are the Town Hall Meeting mobs.

Yuji: What’s a Town Hall Meeting.

Dane: During the summer, congressmen go to their home districts and meet the people at town halls. This year they’re explaining Health Care Reform.

Yuji: Why would poor people be against it?

Dane: What do you think?

Yuji: Cost? They don’t want to pay more taxes.

Dane: Yes, that’s one reason.

Yuji: But if they’re poor they don’t pay much tax anyway. I can maybe understand why the rich people would be against it; but these guys?

Dane: Yeah, that’s the crazy part.

Yuji: And what are all those slogans?

“Down with Big Government”?

Dane: They don’t like big government. But they do support a large military.

Yuji: “Don’t Mess With My Health Care”?

Dane: They don’t trust the government to do a good job. Quality will go down.

Yuji: Pictures of Obama dressed like Hitler or Stalin?

Dane: Obama is trying to take away their freedom with health care reform.

Yuji: “Stop Socialism”? What’s wrong with socialism?

Dane: In America socialism and communism are the two great anti-Christian evils – like Islamic Jihad.

Yuji: What’s Health Care Reform got to do with socialism?

Dane: They agree that government police, firefighters and military are all democratic institutions, but for some reason they believe government health care is socialist.

Yuji: “We Won’t Support Slackers”?

Dane: Hard working taxpayers (whites) would have to pay for lazy welfare people (blacks).

Yuji: “Terrorist in the White House”?

Dane: Barack Hussein Obama is a Muslim.

Yuji: Pictures of Kim Jong Il?

Dane: First government health care, then something else, and then one day America will be just like North Korea.

Yuji: “You lie!”?

Dane: That’s what a redneck congressman yelled out in congress when Obama said there would be no health care for illegal aliens. Heckling the president in congress is a big taboo.

Yuji: “Obama Baby Killer”?

Dane: They say Christians would be taxed to pay for abortions.

Yuji: “Death Panels”?

Dane: Obama wants insurance to pay to consult with the doctor when a patient is near death.

Yuji: So, what’s wrong with that?

Dane: They say he wants to decide who can live and who must die.

Yuji: But that’s all crazy talk! Except for maybe the government not doing a very good job.

Dane: Exactly!

Yuji: How many Americans are against reform?

Dane: Probably about half. 45.6% of voters chose McCain.

Yuji: Do you think Obama can get it into law?

Dane: Not unless he stops trying to reason with madmen.

Yuji: Are your boys OK? Do they have medical insurance?

Dane: No, but they have a good ambulance system that guarantees them affordable health care.

Yuji: Ambulance? What kind of ambulance?

Dane: A 747 Jumbo jet that will fly them straight to Japan if they ever get sick.

© Dane Degenhardt, Monde Dane, 2009

WHAT IF THE FOURTH HAD NEVER BEEN

Tags

America's Song, Bono, Independence Day, Will I. Am, YUJI DIALOGUES

Yuji Happy Birthday!

Dane My birthday isn’t for a month yet.  I’m growing old fast enough as it is, you don’t have to hurry it any.

Yuji No.  I mean Happy Birthday America.  Today is Independence Day.

Dane Oh that?  I had been ignoring it for so many years, I had forgotten about it.

Yuji Ignoring your nation’s birthday?  Why would you want to do that?

Dane In a word?  Bush!

Yuji Oh yeah. But you should be happy now. No more Bush. And… you’ve got Obama!

Dane Yeah, mister “Hope and Change”. So far, there hasn’t been enough change and I’m starting to run low on hope.

Yuji Well, what do you think it would be like if McCain had won?

Dane Worse, I suppose. He might have started another war, this time in Iran.

Yuji Well McCain didn’t win, so you should relax and enjoy the Fourth of July.

Dane It’s hard to do the fireworks and flag waving when we’re still mixed up in two hopeless wars.

Yuji What has Independence Day got to do with war? I thought it was all about Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.

Dane Exactly! And that document, as noble as it is, was actually a declaration of war.

Yuji What are you saying? You think the Revolutionary War was a mistake?

Dane It might have been.

Yuji You’ve got to be kidding! Americans had to fight for their freedom.

Dane We didn’t really have to.

Yuji What are you talking about?Have you ever thought what it would be like now if they hadn’t fought?

Dane Yes, I have, actually. And I figure it would be just like Canada.

Yuji No! It would BE Canada!

Dane Right. And that wouldn’t be so bad. I don’t hear the Canadians complaining.

Yuji But America wouldn’t have been the birthplace of democracy.

Dane No, but it would still be a democracy, like England, Canada and so many other countries are today.

Yuji Maybe. But I’m sure American history would have been a lot different.

Dane It sure would have!We probably wouldn’t have had a civil war.

Yuji Does that mean you’d still have slavery?

Dane No, in fact the Brits outlawed slavery in 1833. So British America would have freed the slaves 30 years earlier than the USA did.

Yuji What about the west? British America might not have gotten all that land from France and Mexico.

Dane They probably would have taken most of it from France in the Napoleonic Wars. And that feisty old Victoria might very well have swallowed up everything as far south as Panama.

Yuji Then who’d you get to produce all your stuff at slave wages?

Dane The Venezuelans?

Yuji Anyway, Victoria would have sent all you Americans – and Mexicans – off to fight in her endless wars across the British Empire.

Dane Oh yeah, I hadn’t thought about that! But you’re right, we would have been drafted to fight in India and God knows where.

Yuji So if you had not fought the Revolutionary War you would have had to fight in a whole lot more wars around the world.

Dane If you look at it that way, I guess the Revolution was worth it after all.

Yuji So now you should feel better about celebrating Independence Day.

Dane Yeah, I guess so. But there is one other thing.

Yuji What’s that?

Dane If we were a Commonwealth nation we wouldn’t have to listen to all those corny patriotic songs!

Yuji Forget about it! You’re absolutely hopeless!

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IRAN’S ELECTION: THE ABSURDITY OF HOPE

Tags

Ahmadinejad, IRAN, Iran Elections, Mousavi, Obama, YUJI DIALOGUES

CLICK IMAGE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE TIMES OF LONDON

Dane: What’s happening in Iran?

Yuji: They had an election for the nation’s president.

Dane: Who won?

Yuji: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Dane: How do you pronounce that?

Yuji: ach-ma-dina-jad

Dane: So how many votes did this guy get?

Yuji: He won 63% of the vote, enough for another 4-year term.

Dane: What kind of politician is he?

Yuji: He’s a conservative, right-wing, hardliner.

Dane: So what does he support?

Yuji: He supports traditional values, helping the poor, nuclear power development and a strong stand against Israel and the West.

Dane: He sounds a little like George Bush – except for the part about helping the poor.

Yuji: In many ways he is the Iranian George Bush; he encourages patriotism, never listens to other countries, and says he’s on a mission for God.

Dane: Is he popular?

Yuji: He’s very popular with a lot of people in Iran and all over the Islamic world but he’s very unpopular in the West.

Dane: What kind of people support him?

Yuji: A lot of them could be compared to the right-wing Christians and rednecks who supported Bush.

Dane: What big powers are behind him?

Yuji: Where Bush had the big corporations, Ahmadinejad has the support of Iran’s all powerful religious leaders.

Dane: Who’s the other candidate?

Yuji: His challenger, Mir-Hossein Mousavi who ran as a moderate-liberal.

Dane: What did he promise?

Yuji: His campaign promised to improve the economy and to end some of the stricter traditional systems like the religious police who enforce traditional moral laws.

Dane: That sounds good. Anything else?

Yuji: He promised to give women more rights, to allow private TV networks and to ease restrictions on Internet use.

Dane: How popular is he?

Yuji: He’s very popular with women, young people and the educated middle-class, especially in urban areas.

Dane: How long has the Islamic government been in power?

Yuji: It has been 30 years since the Islamic revolution overthrew the American backed government of Shah Pahlavi.

Dane: It’s about time for some change, I’d say.

Yuji: Mousavi promised some relief from the strict Islamic system and some hope that Iran could join the modern world.

Dane: Hope and Change versus Traditional Values and Patriotism – that sounds familiar.

Yuji: But there are two things that make this election very different from the US presidential election.

Dane: What’s the main difference?

Yuji: One is that the constitution gives the most power to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Dane: Supreme Leader? That sounds scary!

Yuji: Actually, I heard that his title in Farsi is just Leader , but the English translation comes out as Supreme Leader so we can distinguish him from all the other ayatollahs.

Dane: Well, whatever the title, who is he?

Yuji: In the Iran’s Shia branch of Islam the ayatollah we call the Supreme Leader is something like the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church, but in this case he’s also the top political leader.

Dane: So, Mousavi would need the Ayatollah’s blessings to get any changes made.

Yuji: Exactly! And the other thing that makes Mousavi’s promise of hope and change seem more like wishful thinking is his past record.

Dane: Well in his photos he looks like a kind old uncle.

Yuji: Yes, he was educated as an architect and is an accomplished artist.

Dane: That sounds a lot better than the other guy.

Yuji: Yeah, but he was also prime minister from 1981 to 1989.

Dane: You mean he wasn’t a reformist then?

Yuji: He refused to end the war with Iraq, ordered strict government controls over society and the economy and worked closely with the religious leaders.

Dane: That sure doesn’t sound like much of a reformer!

Yuji: Whatever he is, he and his supporters claim that the election was rigged, that Ahmadinejad’s government controlled the voting.

Dane: Just like Florida in 2000.

Yuji: But these guys refuse to accept the results.

Dane: Watching the mass demonstrations on TV it’s easy to believe that another revolution could be in the making.

Yuji: Well, we’d like to believe that the demonstrators could reverse

the election results.

Dane: Do you think Obama will help them?

Yuji: There is pressure on the Obama administration to show some sign of support for the demonstrators.

Dane: But even if Obama follows his own pretty words about power to the people, do you really think Ahmadinejad will step down?

Yuji: No. Instead, relations between Washington and Tehran will get worse.

Dane: That will probably end the chance of getting any agreements for a long while.

Yuji: That’s right. And if Obama ignores them and continues business as usual, he’ll be attacked by liberals in the West for not following his own words.

Dane: And how will Bin Laden take advantage of the situation?

Yuji: He’ll probably accuse America of being a treacherous ally.

Dane: Really? How could he turn the Iranian election into anti-US propaganda?

Yuji: He’ll tell the Muslim world something like:“Eisenhower set up the Shah in Iran and then Carter abandoned him to the revolution in 1979.”

Dane: Oh yeah, and; “Reagan armed the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan against the Soviets and then abandoned them to poverty.”

Yuji: Then, Bin Laden will say;“Papa Bush called the Shia people to arms against Saddam Hussein in 1991, and then abandoned them to be slaughtered.”

Dane: And he’ll remind us how;

“Baby Bush called for democracy in Palestine and then rejected the election of Hamas.”

Yuji: So he can just add, “And now Obama gives the people of Islam words of encouragement in Cairo and abandons them in Tehran.

Dane: His conclusion?

Yuji: “If you need a true friend, look to Al Qaeda, not to America.”

Dane: That’s so ironic. America is made out to be the bad guy and they didn’t even do anything — this time.

Yuji: Yeah. since America’s always promoting democracy, it is pretty ironic that this time it was a democratic electionthat has put the U.S. in a no-win situation.

Dane: Well, who knows, something good might come out of it after all.

Yuji: Yeah. I guess there’s always room for hope.

MEMORIAL DAY – America’s Day of the Dead

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All's Quiet on the Western Front, Apocalypse Now, Avril Lavign - When You're Gone, Christopher Snider, Day of the Dead, Hamburger Hill, John Clem, Memorial Day, movies, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Trace Adkins - 'Til the Last Shot's Fired. The Doors - The End, War casualties, YUJI DIALOGUES

Yuji: Did you hear Mari’s gone to New York for a week?

Dane: Really? She picked a bad time to go.

Yuji: Yeah,she might come back with the swine flu.

Dane: The swine flu? Forget about it!

Yuji: Well, why is it a bad time to go?

Dane: It’s the Memorial Day three-day weekend. A lot of stores and stuff are closed.

Yuji: Memorial Day? What do they remember?

Dane: All the Americans who died in wars.

Yuji: Must be a lot – America has been in a lot of wars.

Dane: Yes, I’ll say! Ten major wars in the last 240 years.

Yuji: That adds up to one for every generation.

Dane: And quite a few smaller ones in between.

Yuji: So, how many soldiers have died so far?

Dane: 1,358,053 as of last Wednesday.

Yuji: And the count goes on. They’re still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dane: Yes. More than one death every day this month.

Yuji: I wonder who the last poor soul was.

Dane: I checked. The last named death was a 25-year old named Roslyn Shulte.

Yuji: Roslyn? A woman?

Dane: Yes, she was an Air Force lieutenant from St. Louis.

Yuji:What a waste! A girl and so young.

Dane: Well most of them have been men younger than that. The most common age is 20, but Christopher Snider, the first American to die in the Revolution, was only 12!

Yuji: Twelve? That’s too young to be in the Army, isn’t it?

Dane: He wasn’t a soldier, he was an innocent bystander who was shot by a Loyalist. The Boston Massacre happened when people were demonstrating against his death.

Yuji: I see. I didn’t think a twelve-year-old could join the Army.

Dane: It’s happened. John Clem became a sergeant in the Union Army in 1864 when he was just twelve. But at least he survived the war.

Yuji: How old do you have to be to join the Army?

Dane: Nowadays the minimum age is eighteen. But you can join at 17 if your parents say it’s OK. I was drafted for Vietnam just after I turned 19.

Yuji: Thank God you made it back alive!

Dane: Yeah, but some of my friends didn’t. Did any of your family die in the war?

Yuji: One of my great uncles died in the Philippines. What about you?

Dane: My wife’s uncle died in Manchuria and her grandmother died in a US air raid in Tokyo. Her father was a soldier in China and my Dad was a pilot in Europe and Korea. Both of them made it back alive.

Yuji: I guessed so. Otherwise neither of you would be here today! Anyway, what do you do on Memorial Day?

Dane: We’re suppose to honor the fallen soldiers, but for most Americans it’s just another long weekend. Do you have a Memorial Day?

Yuji: No, because we lost the war. But some of us try to honor the people who died in the China and Pacific Wars.

Dane: How many died?

Yuji: 1.2 million soldiers and 580,000 civilians!

Dane: Including Hiroshima and Nagasaki? I thought more Japanese civilians died. That’s not as bad as some countries. The Germans lost over 7 million people total – not counting the Holocaust.

Yuji: I guess the Germans suffered the most, but then they started it, didn’t they.

Dane: No, the Soviets had the highest casualties – about 23 million!

Yuji: Jesus! And I read somewhere that 20 million Chinese died. What about America?

Dane: Not so bad, actually. We lost about 417,000 soldiers, and only 1,700 civilians.

Yuji: Maybe if everyone remembered how many people have already died in wars, they wouldn’t start new wars.

Dane: Definitely! That’s what Memorial Day really should be all about.

[Note: War casualty figures taken from Wikipedia]

“Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set my spirit free
Let me lay down my gun
Sweet mother Mary I’m so tired
But I can’t come home ’til
the last shot’s fired”

Trace Adkins – ‘Til the Last Shot’s Fired

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Trace sings the sentiments so many Americans feel today; hopes for peace, despair for life lost, faith in the promise of heaven and in the dedication of the soldier. His solid, soulful voice evokes pride and comfort — too much comfort for me.  I cannot feel comfortable about violent death; I do not accept it as inevitable or useful; but only as pointless slaughter.

Certainly the death of our best youth must serve a purpose, but whose? Who does it benefit? The dead soldier? You? Me? The vague collective entity we like to call the American people? The politicos? The military brass? The war profiteers? The enemy? God?

Most conscientious Americans want very much to believe that the soldiers’ sacrifice was not made in vain, that it was for the noblest cause and that it will contribute to eventual victory of our nation over its enemies. Only this can bring us comfort; comfort that encourages feelings of honor, pride and certainty in the rightness of our war.  The flags and anthems raised for the fallen soldiers then set the stage for yet more unjust death.

Better we deny ourselves the self-serving comfort, the self delusions, the patriot pandering. How much better it would be if their sacrifice were seen for what it is, the ugly, horrific, waste of mankind; only then will their deaths be not in vain, but will serve the greatest purpose of all, the end of the cycle of death, the end of war.

To this end, and at risk of incurring much righteous wrath, I ask you to forgo the flag draped eulogies and appeals for glory and  instead focus your memorial thoughts on the horror of war and the reality of death. Honor is for the living — there is nothing for the dead but eternity.

I believe we all owe it to the men and woman who died in the name of our professed national interest to witness their sacrifice without comfort.  They may not all be heroes, but they are all dead. Many of those who lived may suffer even more.  Hollywood sometimes tries to recreate the horror, but as you watch keep in mind that even its most graphic attempts never quite succeed.

HAMBURGER HILL [Click image to view closing scene]

Omaha Beach from Saving Private Ryan

The End – The Doors from Apocalypse Now Intro

The End – The Doors – full concert version

Scenes from The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line – When You’re Gone – Avril Lavign

RELATED POST:  WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT WAR?

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?

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Children's Day, Constitution Day, Golden Week, Greenery Day, Hirohito, japanese emperor, Tenno Heika, YUJI DIALOGUES

Dane: Tomorrow’s the 29th. I hear we’ve got the day off.

Yuji: Yes, it’s a national holiday.

Dane: What holiday is it?

Yuji: Uh, I don’t know.

Dane: Well, I’m sure the Japanese aren’t celebrating Obama’s 100th day in office. So, can anybody tell me what holiday April 29th is?

Reiko: It’s Greenery Day.

Dane: But I heard May 4th is Greenery Day.

Fumio: That’s right. Starting last year they changed the 29th from Greenery Day to Showa Day and moved Greenery Day to the 4th.

Dane: So, what does Showa Day celebrate?

Daisuke: It’s the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, the Showa Emperor.

Fumio: It used to be, but not anymore. Now it celebrates the Showa Era of Peace.

昭和時代

SHOWA ERA: 12/25/1926 – 1/7/1989

Dane: That’s so Japanese. Conservative patriots like Daisuke can celebrate the war emperor and liberals like Fumio can celebrate peace — both on the same day!

Reiko: And next week we all celebrate Golden Week . Every day from the 3rd to the 6th is a holiday!

Dane: What’s the 3rd?

Reiko: I thinks it’s, uh, National Founding Day.

Fumio: No, that’s in February. May 3rd is Constitution Day.

Dane: And the 4th is Greenery Day, so what’s the 5th?

Daisuke: It’s Children’s Day.

Dane: How do you celebrate that?

Daisuke: We fly koinobori fish wind socks for every boy in the family.

Dane: Only for the boys?

Daisuke: Yes, traditionally it’s Boys’ Day.

Reiko: Girls’ Day is on March 3rd, but it’s not a national holiday.

Dane: This is all very confusing. I’m afraid to ask about the 6th.

Fumio: Oh, the 6th is an alternate day off since Constitution Day is on a Sunday this year.

Dane:  OK.  I suppose it doesn’t really matter what you call it, as long as we get some days off.  But it seems like a lot.  How many national holidays do you have every year, anyway?

Yuji:  15 regular national holidays plus another 4 or more days off during New Year and the summer Obon festival.

Dane:  You’re kidding! Americans have only 9 national holidays.

Yuji:  We like to take our vacations at the same time, so we have more holidays and fewer personal vacation days.

Dane:  So I guess it’s impossible to go anywhere during New Year’s week, Golden Week and Obon week.

Yuji:  Normally, yes.  But this year with the economy so bad here and the swine flu overseas, it looks like most  everyone’s staying home.

EASTER FOR THE JAPANESE

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YUJI DIALOGUES

Japan Vintage Art Blog

Yuji:  Do you have cherry blossom parties in America?

Dane:  No, we welcome spring with Easter, the day Christians believe Jesus came back to life.

Yuji: Back to life? How did he die?

Dane: The Romans killed him after a Jewish court said he was guilty of pretending to be the son of God.

Yuji:  But I thought Jesus was a God.

Dane:  No he isn’t a God. The Christians believe he is the Son of God, but the Jews don’t think so.

Yuji:  So the Jews and Christians were enemies.

Dane:  Well, not then. In fact, Jesus was a Jew.  But he taught some new ideas and he wanted to reform the religion. The old priests didn’t like that.

Yuji:  Like Prime Minister Koizumi trying to reform the government?

Dane:  Something like that.  But they didn’t crucify Koizumi.

Yuji: Crucify?

Dane: Nail him to a cross.

Yuji:  That’s terrible.  They killed Jesus with the Christian symbol!

Dane:  No, Christianity didn’t become a religion until after he died, came back to life for 40 days and went to heaven.  They use the cross as a symbol because that’s how he died.

Yuji:  I’m confused.  When did Jesus die?

Dane:  On the Friday after the first full moon of spring. Easter is the following Sunday. The date changes every year. It’s based on the old lunar calendar. This year it’s on April 12th.

Yuji:  I see, like the old Japanese calendar. But why do they call it Easter?

Dane:  Good question.  Easter or Eostre was the name of the old Nordic Goddess of Sunlight and Fertitlity.

Yuji:  Sun Goddess?  Just like our Amaterasu.  But what’s fertility?

Dane:  The ability to make babies. So isn’t it odd that the English kept the name of the old goddess for their holiest Christian day.

Yuji:  Well, sunlight and sex are good themes for a spring festival. It sounds very romantic.

Dane:  No, Easter is not romantic – Valentines’ Day is. Easter is more serious, but it’s a fun day too.

Yuji:  What kind of fun?

Dane: The Easter Bunny comes.

Yuji:  What’s the Easter Bunny?

Dane:  A rabbit who brings goodies to kids; decorated eggs and chocolate eggs, chickens and bunnies.

Yuji:  Why eggs, chickens and rabbits?

Dane:  They are all symbols of rebirth. In fact, the Goddess Eostre had a pet rabbit for the same reason. Anyway, families color and decorate hard boiled eggs on Saturday. When the Easter Bunny comes, he hides them and adds the chocolate candies for the kids to find on Easter morning.

Yuji:  For breakfast?

Dane:  No. The kids have fun hunting for them outside, if the weather is good.  Churches and other places have community Easter Egg hunts too.  Even the President has one at the White House for kids who are lucky enough to get an invitation.

Yuji:  That sounds great for little kids, but what do adults do for Easter fun?

Dane:  We have picnics, if the weather is good.  And then there’s the Easter Parade?

Yuji:  Like the Thanksgiving parade?

Dane:  Not exactly.  It became famous in New York over a hundred years ago.  People get dressed up in their fanciest new spring clothes and walk along 5th Avenue.

Yuji:  That’s all?  You can see that in Harajuku every Sunday.

Dane:  Well, it’s little more than that.  The highlight back then was the women’s gorgeous hats.  Today people wear crazy home-made hats to show off in the parade.

Yuji:  OK. But Japanese don’t care much for hats.  Food is our big thing. So, after the parade do you have a special Easter dinner?

Dane:  Yes, but there’s no real traditional menu like with Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Yuji: Well, Easter sounds like fun, but I’m not a Christian, I don’t like eggs and I’m not crazy about chocolate.  So, I think I prefer our Hanami parties; beautiful blossoms, delicious food and strong sake.

Dane:  Yeah, I can fully appreciate that.

. Text © Dane Degenhardt, Monde Dane, 2009

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