Forum - View topicNEWS: Two in Thai Maid Cafe Arrested,
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| camstore Posts: 2 |
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| I agree, Thai police seem to be very corrupt. Now as a New Zealander and an otaku I have to say that I too have toyed with the idea of setting up a maid cafe here in Auckland.
Coming from a business managers midset, how could any owner of a manga, anime or even maid cafe store even have "obscene" manga out on the shelves for underage kids to pick up and read. In my mind, that set the business up for failure right from the word go. They shouldve looked into how one was run in Japan first to see how to do it. |
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| HeeroTX Posts: 518 Location: Austin, TX |
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Nah, they were giving you funny looks because "Japan" is "Nippon" in Japanese. Plus, were you wearing the girly loli-garb? If not, the triple desu might seem out of place... I'm just saying...
I don't see how it is "worse" than Hooters or Chippendales (for the other side). I know we've had the discussion before, but let's be honest, it's not like the employers are ACTUALLY enslaving the women, they're paying them a salary to play a role for a few hours and the women know what they are doing and why. I don't see how wanting to be treated like "upper class" and preferring to receive such treatment from attractive members of the opposite sex is automatically demeaning to members of that sex. Would it be less demeaning if it was a man at a "butler cafe". Are all rich people who have a house staff automatically demeaning to their staff? As for the cafe itself. It is entirely possible that this was some kind of strong-arm tactic by the locals, especially considering that the same thing happened here in the US: http://www.dallasobserver.com/ |
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| fourpoint Posts: 1 |
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| Even if Akiba sold copyrights material but they also sold pirate copy of DVD/VCD anime and manga that don't have official distributer in Thailand. And they did not rate that material for specific customer's age !
I saw the news on TV during police arresting, they playing Elfen lied DVD to show for every customer in that shop! Even if Elfen Lied Animation should have rate around 15-17++(I think it should be Rate Mature if compare with ESRB). But they show that Movie to every customer without any age restrict!(include primary and secondary school's customer?) I don't think that Akiba is the white or black shop. But it gray color. However It should not have any gray shop or Early adulthood material shop near any Education district(It very close to one university,one primary-secondary school and two high schools). One thing you should know, Akiba closing did not relate with their Maid's cafe or manga shop, But the owner of building don't want any gray shop open among their building. Thailand don't have any Rating law for publishing. They have only porn material law(real porn distribution in public is prohibit). So they can sold any grey material to any age customer ! NOTE: Gray color for me is the material that rated for Adolescence-Early Adulthood(age 15-17++) but not against porn law(such as Elfen lied anime) P.S. Only underage Otaku suffer from this case(almost under 17), but for Anime/Manga/figure mania still have many other location for anime/manga/figure meeting/shopping in Thailand. It not the crisis for Anime/manga/figure mania like someone said. |
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| KnightBaron Posts: 1 |
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| I'm Thai people and I visit that shop quite often. From my point of view, Akiba isn't a maid cafe at all. It's just a manga shop with and little coffee shop with waitress wearing maid costume. The didn't greet customers with "Okaerinasai Gokujin-sama" or whatever equivalent in Thai language.
The problem is all the items they sold and got arrested with is ordinary licensed product that already screened by publisher and can be found in every manga shop or even shops nearby at siam-square. It's just that one of the local newspaper published the news about their shop and their shop has to be closed! Man, where is justice in thailand. The trial doesn't even start yet and a paper flew to the shop said that it need to be closed in 30 days because it is found that they sold porn stuff! (which is doesn't true at all. They may sold some licensed ecchi but no porn at all.) By the way, sorry about my bad english though. |
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| genman Posts: 37 |
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| I visited the "cafe" with my wife back in January. It wasn't really a Cafe, just a couple of tables (maybe 4) set off to the side that served tea and snacks inside of an anime and manga store.
We had thought of staying, but the ambiance really wasn't there. They weren't selling ero anime or manga, at least from my look at the shelves. There were many bootleg videos and merchandise, from the looks of things, but probably many if not all Mom&Pop stores sold bootlegs. Anyway, most of the customers looked like teenagers. |
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| Zac ANN Executive Editor  Posts: 4298 Location: Death Star Cocktail Lounge |
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Who said it was "worse"? Nobody did. You're arguing against something nobody said.
No duh. I'm not going to decry the waitresses themselves - they're trying to make a buck and likely get paid pretty well for their trouble. The tips must be insane, too.
The reason some people might find it offensive is the notion that these women are totally subservient to their "masters", which is counter to the pervasive notion that men and women are equal and neither side should be treated like that. It plays right in to the misogynistic power fantasy a lot of people have - I'm the master, you're the slave. Some people might do it for the "I want to be treated like I'm upper class" angle but you have to realize, in a society with largely progressive attitudes towards women's liberation (like, say, America) it's going to be seen as a sexist fantasy. No, a butler cafe wouldn't be any less offensive to someone with a truly progressive gender outlook. It's not like some people are up in arms and totally outraged at the concept, just a little unsettled. You can't leap all over anyone who might have a bit of a problem with it just because you refuse to see their side. Be a little tolerant of other viewpoints; you seem upset at the notion that anyone would have a problem with it.
This really has nothing to do with anything at all, I don't know why you even took your argument here. |
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ikillchicken Subscriber Posts: 2517 Location: Vancouver - Go Canucks Go! |
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Now you're doing the exact same thing as him though. Youre going off on a whole bunch of stuff he never said by assuming that he's intolerant and is jumping on anyone who disagrees with him. |
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| Zac ANN Executive Editor Posts: 4298 Location: Death Star Cocktail Lounge |
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| I deleted the asinine derail. Feel free to take this thread back on topic or I'll be happy to lock it up. | ||||||||
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| HeeroTX Posts: 518 Location: Austin, TX |
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Were going to get back to the matter of "implication" and I apologize for any misinterpretation. I would reference this statement: It plays right in to the misogynistic power fantasy a lot of people have - I'm the master, you're the slave. Some people might do it for the "I want to be treated like I'm upper class" angle but you have to realize, in a society with largely progressive attitudes towards women's liberation (like, say, America) it's going to be seen as a sexist fantasy. As IMPLYING that it is worse (since Hooters is an American chain/institution and maid cafes are seen as more Asian) Saying maid cafes promote a "master/slave" relationship (that I don't THINK is a knock laid against Hooters) also implies that it is worse as a form of pseudo-slavery, whereas Hooters is just flat sexist.
#1, I think we all know that the "maids" are NOT "totally subservient" to the customers, they give customers a fantasy to pretend for a short time, but they are capable of keeping themselves from being truly "degraded". There is a HUGE difference from "fantasy fulfillment" as a job and actual "slavery". #2, Let's cut to the heart of it right now. If I started a maid cafe populated with nothing but seriously ugly women, and forced them to actually become literal slaves and you started a cafe which was basically EXACTLY like Hooters (they don't call you "master" or dote on you more than any normal waitress but they wear skimpy "maid" outfits and are considered at least reasonably "hot"), which cafe do you think would make more money? I have no evidence or study to back it up, but I will bet you 5 to 1 right now that the latter will be MUCH more successful. The maid thing is a "shtick", and from most of the reviews I've read of the places it's seen more as theater than social commentary.
Because you are basically saying that it is demeaning for someone to do this "part time" but somehow, it isn't demeaning to do it "full time". A TRUE butler that behaves subservient to his employer because that person is very rich and pays his salary is somehow NOT some sort of gender mysogyny, but if a guy treats you that way for an hour FOR THE EXACT SAME REASON, so how it's somewhat offensive. Either the whole notion of serving someone (for ANY reason including "pay") is ridiculous and outmoded, or else "because it pays the bills" is a valid notion that should NOT be confused with slavery (forced servitude). It bothers me that people push the notion that maid cafes are all about "power" like it's some rape precursor, rather than the truth that for many of the patrons it's about looking at girls in cute, frilly outfits. In several cases, guys have said they're just as embarassed about being called "master" in the cafes as the girls are saying it. Whereas for the butler cafes, the girls dig it, but NOT for gender roles, but for illusions of "royalty" (most girls at one point in their life want to be a princess). EDIT: Sorry if this line of discussion is considered "off-topic", if it is lemme know and I'll stop, if I get a response from Zac rebutting then I'll assume it's fair game. (unless in PM, then I'll just argue with him away from the rest of you losers)  |
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