Ｗａｔｃｈｉｎｇ the news yesterday morning in Japan I saw a story that really irritated me. The son of a Japanese actor was caught with 0.3 grams of marijuana (dimes weigh 2.27 grams), and so the actor went on TV to address the public regarding the incident. First of all, I have probably had more marijuana stuck to the bottom of my shoes walking around any Northern California music festival than what that guy was caught with. But the main point I want to address is the actor's outrageous response to the scenario. He is more upset than any person should ever be for their kid essentially lighting a plant on fire, and inhaling the smoke. What this story makes me ponder is what makes human beings so special that we have to apologize for partaking in utilizing what nature has provided us?
In this video the man says stuff like "I thought it was a lie, I wanted it to be a lie ... Even though he's my son I think this is an unforgivable offense for any human being ... I want him to be reborn, and change his life." One thing my friend Ryan and I chatted about was that the man says, "He was just like any kid." My response to that is, "Of course he was!!."
According to the Redwood Times, eighty-three percent of my high school class had been high by eleventh grade, and thirty-six percent of the state's eleventh graders had. This news out of Japan is quite insulting to all of the good people who my life has been surrounded with that have partaken in getting high. I guarantee that at least our last three presidents have used marijuana, and Al Gore's son mas been caught with it multiple times, yet, Japan has this brainwashed opinion, which, as the video I have posted demonstrates, brings out a reaction that you'd only expect to see if one had confessed to massacring children!
I am not going to get into Japan's laws and the points of view in their society because it is too complicated to understand and relate to. A Japanese user of marijuana I know from San Diego said before he tried it he would have called the police immediately if he suspected someone had it, because he was never taught what it was.
Check out the video, those of you who don't speak Japanese can just fast forward to 2'15" (coincidence?) to see the emotional outburst.
Time for some irony:
-The place I live is called "Chiba"
-I just got a friend request on a Japanese social networking sight from a guy who must have saw I was from San Francisco because he said "I like weeds"
8 Reply to "When Did We Lose Touch?"
Anonymous on April 6, 2009 at 1:23 PM
we have such a duplicitous relationship with Japan. for all the things we love about it, there are just as many that we can't stand
Ren on April 6, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Yes indeed. Japan's interesting fascination with Reggae, and peculiar relationship with Jamaica is something I would like to look into some time.
Anonymous on April 6, 2009 at 9:19 PM
I don't know what Japan's laws are regarding marijuana, but I suspect it is considered against the law since this made the news. I only watched a few seconds of the video (from about 1:45 to when the photo of father and son is shown)but I didn't see anything I would call an emotional outburst. I was expecting to see some ranting and raving and extreme behavior, but what I saw was a father who was deeply embarrassed by his son's behavior. If "saving face" is still in the Japanese culture, I can understand why this man would be extremely embarrassed and sorrowful to the point of tears. We Americans have become used to some pretty horrific behavior, some drug-related and some not, and probably do not expect a tearful reaction to something we consider very minor. I, for one, do not consider this an inappropriate response for a parent to take when a child has severely disappointed him and the whole world now knows.
A. J.
Ren on April 6, 2009 at 11:26 PM
The more I think about it I realize that one of the things I see here is that Japanese men have a lot of pride, and to publicly cry about something is rare. My initial reaction to this man's deep shame is that, being a public icon, he is just reinforcing the ignorance as to what marijuana is in this nation. Perhaps as a California ambassador to Japan I feel a need to make a compromise on these two places' extreme differences. I just hate the idea that the Japanese public is being exposed to such extreme reactions to something that so many good people I know do.
Ryan Slater on April 7, 2009 at 5:15 AM
i took the same photo march 10th ... how about that? did you get any with the "giant" panda on the opposite side of that bridge?
[IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y172/evianonly/IMG_9672.jpg[/IMG]
Anonymous on April 7, 2009 at 5:16 AM
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y172/evianonly/IMG_9672.jpg
Ren on April 7, 2009 at 3:02 PM
Ryan> You commented on the wrong post! Thanks for sharing, though. I think I can see the place I took my picture from in your picture. As for the panda, I wouldn't describe it as anything short of "amazing".
Kamagra on May 17, 2011 at 10:57 AM
what is that??? OK I declared that thing the larger joint in the world, can someone call to the Guiness Record, by the way, how much ammount of weed I need to make one like that.
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