Forum - View topicNEWS: Miyazaki Acknowledges Missing Oscars Due to Iraq War
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Lothar
 Posts: 67 |
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Miyazaki is anti-war, not anti-American people. He didn't want to visit a country under the jurisdiction of a government that had just commenced a war of aggression. It was his way of sending a subtle message, albeit too subtle, that he doesn't approve of war, including this one.
Please, Americans on this forum, don't take it personally. There's no reason to be offended. |
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Reinhard Von Lohengram
 Posts: 30 |
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Man, imagine if everybody boycotted anime, and Miyazaki, for the Japanese atrocities committed in China, Manchuria, Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma, the Philippines and Indonesia in WW2, to name a few.
Oh, wait. Most Japanophiles, and Japanese, don't acknowledge them. Nevermind. |
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Lothar
Posts: 67 |
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Japan is under a new government, a new pacifist constitution, and it's been over 60 years since those atrocities were committed. Miyazaki was boycotting the government that was currently waging war in Iraq in that same year.
Why didn't you consider the brittleness of your analogy before you posted it? |
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Mohawk52
 Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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Mohawk52
Posts: 8202 Location: England, UK |
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(Error,Double post, Please delete)
Last edited by Mohawk52 on Sat Jul 25, 2009 3:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Reinhard Von Lohengram
Posts: 30 |
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Brittleness? In saying that most Japanophiles and Japanese gloss over the crimes of the past?
If anything, you just proved me right. "Stop! It was in the past, they're not mean like that anymore! Just let me watch my cartoons!" So, he was boycotting a government? Interesting, since the Academy Awards are a government function. And, I'm also assuming that Ponyo will be pulled from release in America, as I can't imagine he'd want any currency from America ending up in his studio's pocket. |
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Brass2TheMax
Posts: 65 |
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This'll be my final say. First, let's review what we know (no trolls please, this is just fact not opinion) so we can try to understand why he made such a decision:
- We know Miyazaki decided not to attend the Academy Awards. - We know Miyazaki's political stance and what he thinks of war from his own work. - We know America invaded Iraq on a whim, violating the U.N. Charter. - We know the Academy Awards are in America. - We didn't know at the time if Iraq really had weapons hidden somewhere or not. - We didn't know if Iraq would retaliate by bombing the US back at something important... Maybe, like, the Academy Awards? As many of us did at the time, Miyazaki watched in disbelief as one of the strongest nations in the world basically told the United Nations to STFU and invade a country that did nothing to provoke them (and that was totally known to everyone at the time). And like myself, Miyazaki knows not to blame the people of the country, but the people who were running the country at the time. He stated back when he declined to attend the awards that he appreciated all of his fans and regretted not being able to make it due to personal reasons. He didn't say what those reasons were, but he made it bleedingly obvious that it wasn't because of the American people. We know today it was because he felt saddened because of America's reputation with the world at the time, and didn't want to be there. How hard is that to understand? You people are trying to judge this man based on his emotions and not wanting to visit your country. You're saying this was a right or wrong decision, and that's unfair. Miyazaki shouldn't be forced to shell out the cash to go to a country he's not feeling all that happy about if he doesn't want to. He politely said he was sorry he wasn't able to come, kept his reason rather vague, and that was that. He's only human, some of you have to remember that. His fame doesn't negate human emotion. And 9/11 was a pretty damn emotional time, I don't think anyone can argue that. Besides, how was anyone to know at the time that Iraq had no weapons for sure? The Academy Awards is pretty prestigious, so maybe Miyazaki thought it wouldn't be impossible to be a target for a bombing? It's usually got a ton of media coverage, and would definitely strike a blow to the world if it had been bombed. Sure, there might have been better targets, but it was not an impossibility from what we knew at the time. Maybe he just didn't want to die. Is that so wrong? Fearing for one's life, even if it is only a small chance? Hell, given the options, I would have stayed home too. |
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jsyxx
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Uh oh the local wannabe conservatives have been e-raged. Other than Anime News Network posters opinions, I think also the opinions of the women and children who experienced the "shock and awe" bombings to save us from things the Bush administration made up would also be important. But oh wait, a lot of them are dead so they can't have opinions. Sorry forgot.
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Ryo Hazuki
Posts: 363 Location: Finland |
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This isn't anything unique compared to Aki Kaurismäki's reaction, although he might not be as well known as Miyazaki. Straight from wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lights_in_the_Dusk He also boycotted New York Film Festival because his friend, an Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was refused visa to attend it. |
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KabaKabaFruit
 Posts: 1873 Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba |
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I never really understood this argument. Why would Miyazaki or anyone else would be fearing that Iraq had the potential to bomb the U.S., especially the Oscars, when the trajectory of such weapons would have to cross all the way from one hemisphere to another? Would any missile for that matter had been capable of making that distance? And wouldn't the U.S.A's current missile defense system had been capable of shooting down these kinds of missiles? |
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Kyogissun
 Posts: 676 |
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WOW... Just... WOW guys...
Five pages of back and forth about this? It's always interesting to see topics like this, they're like experiments for gauging the mindset or mob behavior of the forum. Especially considering maybe a page and a half is actually worth reading. |
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Lemoncookies23
Posts: 355 |
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What a childish thing to do. He didn't want to come to America because it's government, not it's 300 million people, decided to "bomb Iraq?"
If I become a famous cartoon director and am invited for an award in Japan, I'm gonna say, "No, that country bombed Pearl Harbor, sorry." |
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jsyxx
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Yeah, because no one in America voted for Bush after he bombed Iraq so the American public had no part in supporting his war. Oh wait... Last edited by jsyxx on Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Lemoncookies23
Posts: 355 |
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By all accounts he lost both the first and the second election, but was elected anyway due to the courts. Where have you been? |
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jsyxx
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Are you kidding me?  There was only a recount in the first election. He won the second one after the Iraq war with a clean majority. Most voting Americans supported this war up untill 2006. I really hope you're not American, because your lack of basic knowledge of this country is extremely embarrassing.
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