Sunday, January 6, 2013

12/8 反原発高円寺演説会:山本太郎さん演説

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvKDjaLb_f4

Hey! So its been awhile since I've written so I've decided to stop being lazy and try to start writing again. I happened to cross by this video in my Japanese studies and I thought it was a very good speech by Yamamoto Taro. He's a Japanese actor that ran for office in an effort to progress the anti-nuclear movement happening in Japan right now. In his speech he says a lot of things that ring true not only in Japan but in the US and probably a lot of other countries as well. He talks about the media and how it can be a dangerous and scary thing. One might wonder how this can be true when all the media does is enlighten the people about what's going on in the world and in their communities...or that's what its suppose to do anyway. 

Taro states many times in his speech that the media, like everything else is corrupt. It's corrupted by money. Information that is shown on TV and other media networks aren't always the truth but manipulated by investors, corporations and people running the network. In the case of Japan, a lot of news networks lied to the Japanese people about how bad the 3/11 nuclear disaster was and put a lot of lives in jeopardy. It's scary because even now the media could be lying to these people about how safe the food is and other health risks associated with the nuclear disaster. This is not only in Japan though! We all know that here in America as well the news and media lies about what actually is going on with various issues. I don't want to sound like a conspiracist but its obvious that everything isn't really transparent when it comes to politics, government, money and cooperations. Another line in his speech that really struck me was when he said that we the people are the 99%, and 99% of the population being sacrificed for the 1% is just not possible, illogical even. We have to fight to unveil the truth and protect life. Protect the lives of our families and loved ones.

Taro also says something that I really liked in his speech. He said that a country that can't protect its children can't move forward because the children are the future of the country. In context with Taro, he was talking about protecting Japanese children from radiation, and other harmful effects that nuclear reactors and energy in general. I just found this especially touching because here in America we aren't doing a good job of protecting our children either. With the incident in Connecticut and how little babies, no more than six are gunned down in their own school...a place that's suppose to be safe...its just unacceptable and shouldn't be able to happen.

Anyway, I just thought that this speech not only connected with the anti-nuclear movement in Japan but with other issues as well in America and perhaps in other countries as well.             

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