The following comment was strategically posted to my site late last night. I have to apologize for continuing with what seems like a hissy fit between to grown human beings, but I found the comment to be a bit irrational and I wanted to share it with everyone as to shine a little on the true demeanor of this self-proclaimed Cosmopolitonian. It was posted to my site in response (over three days later) to the defense of my original post "Racism in Japan" which was used as a launch pad by this person to criticize white westerners (specifically Americans) feelings of being discriminated against in Japan.
Original comment by Abiola (whew I spelled it right!):
"Abiola Lapite (if that is in fact his real name)"
Yes, it is indeed my real name, and of bona fide Nigerian (Yoruba) origin, as anyone who can be bothered to do a little spadework will verify.
I note that you then go on to (intentionally?) misspell it not once but several times in the course of your response, as if to flaunt your own prejudices for all the world to see. What exactly do you think you've achieved by so doing, shown yourself to be some sort of paragon of fairmindedness? "I'm not a bigot, but I'll act like one if I feel myself slighted" - wonderful message.
"from people whom have usually never spent a significant amount of time here in Japan and that almost always without a doubt compare the problems of Japan with those of the US."
Don't assume, or you make an "ass" of yourself. I've actually spent a significant amount of time in Japan, and probably speak the language better than you do. ã¯ã„ã€æ—¥æœ¬èªžã¯åˆ†ã‹ã‚Šã¾ã™ã‚ˆã€‚ I've also lived in Africa, Europe and the US, and in fact my post covers all the West, though your own Americacentricism blinds you to that. Talk about a pot calling a kettle black!
"As Aboile’s post specifically singles out my comments I can only believe that he is referring to me"
What paranoia and self importance! Why do you think you're so important that I should devote such attention to you? I took your post as a starting point for a remark, nothing more.
In short, I think you ought to learn to read with better comprehension before reacting like a spoilt child to remarks which describe far wider phenomena than your own little world circumscribes. Misspelling strange foreign names does nothing to make you look like an enlightened person either, nor does assuming that you have some special purchase into insight about Japan that others do not. All your little "response" tells me is that you aren't worth reading on a regular basis. ã•よãªã‚‰ã€‚
The goofy characters were originally in Japanese and they were an attempt to qualify Abiola's level of Japanese with the use of name calling.
Not that this comment fails to speak for itself, but I decided to write a response and here it is:
Abiola:
I will apologize to you for one thing, and one thing only. That is spelling your name wrong. It was not done intentionally though I can see while one my think that after re-reading my post and it was most certainly not out of bigotry as you claim. Whether you choose to believe that will remain doubtful in my mind. It was done more out of lack of good editing than anything else. As you've shown in this e-mail even you are capable of letting your emotions get in the way. Just for your information you will notice that it has been corrected. The reason I questioned if that was your real name is because your about page is nearly blank which makes it hard to know where content is really coming from and often people use fake names for annonimtiy. It had nothing to do with your nationality or race.
In your e-mail to me, you make underlying insinuations that I am a bigot because I spelled your name wrong (purposely?) Is that what bigots do? Maybe you are in fact the paranoid one Abiola, not all whites have a hidden hate for Nigerians. In fact, I had no idea that you were Nigerian, French, American, black, white yellow, purple or any other color for that matter. I sense a bit of inferiority complex in your statements though.
You wrote,"I've actually spent a significant amount of time in Japan, and probably speak the language better than you do, I've also lived in Africa, Europe and the US, and in fact my post covers all the West, though your own Americacentricism blinds you to that" I'll ask if I may Abiola, who is assuming that they have special insight into Japan as well as the whole WESTERN HEMISPHERE. It is widely understood by long term residents of Japan that, the thinking and reasoning of a person shifts completely as time goes by here and that one's interpretation of events and acts by people become easier to translate.
As for being blinded by my Americacentricism, I thought I made it pretty clear in my post that America is not the center of the world. I will admit though that a lot of Americans of all national origins think that way.
I take great responsibility for what I write. I often ponder subjects for several days before I actually post it. So, the fact that I have taken defense to what I saw as a blatent use of my content to represent ignorant white Americans is well within reason. I have made posts on your site since this subject came about and not once have I resorted to juvenille name calling nor wild accusations. For you to post a comment like this on my web site is quite descriptive of what you represent. I don't mind continuing correspondence with you as I think we could both learn a lot from each other, but please try to be more rational in the future. Next time I would reccomend either sending me an e-mail or making such comments as the one above, on your own blog.
There ya go folks, another (and hopfully the last) chapter in the cat fight between Hamamatsuhakujin and "The Foreign Dispatcher" whom probably have more in common then they realize.
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