Fuji TV has been subjected to yet another wave of rabid right-wing criticism after it dared to air a show containing a parody of Bhutan’s royal family.
The variety show segment in question, which probably neither needs nor deserves any explanation:
This rapidly provoked tens of thousands of mostly outraged posts online, concentrated on that great sump of the Japanese Internet, 2ch. However, as yet there is no response from Bhutan whatsoever.
Although the Japanese media has only a very rudimentary culture of political satire and attitudes towards Japan’s royal family – and by extension those of other nations – still tend to be little more than slavish reverence, the real reason behind the outrage is probably rather more partisan.
Japan’s excessively vocal and Korea-obsessed Internet right is convinced that the Japanese media, and Fuji TV in particular, is deliberately conspiring to artificially create the impression of a “Korea boom,” which they believe is engineered by a an insidious combination of ethnic Koreans, pro-Korean left-wing Japanese in the mass media, and Korean media conglomerates with stakes in Japanese companies.
Their evidence for this ranges from convincing examples of otherwise inexplicable Korea-boosterism to doubtful xenophobic fantasies, but the effects are in no doubt – numerous anti-Fuji TV protests against the station and their sponsors, and even heckling of Fuji TV cameras in public have been seen recently, and there is now an eager crowd of frenzied right-wingers desperate to leap on any perceived misstep.
It is likely this rabid desire to bash a supposed Korean cat’s paw, rather than any actual respect for an insignificant third-world mountain monarch, which drives their outrage to such a shrill pitch:
“Fuji again!”
“This is just shameful!”
“I can’t believe it – to think they would mock the royal family of another nation.”
“Some things you just don’t do, Fuji!”
“How crude can you get.”
“Who cares about this?”
“Fuji TV are just disgusting.”
“Hurry up and start bashing their sponsors again!”
“What’s wrong with this, even if it is Uji TV? [“uji” = “maggot”] If they can’t parody them how can they parody Bush or someone?”
“What’s insulting about it anyway? They are just mimicking him.”
“And the net right goes crazy it…”
“You can’t make fun of a king!”
“Would you people please stop saying you shouldn’t mock royals. Some royals are hated by their people, and unlike Japan’s figurehead monarch, Bhutan’s has real power. People who say criticism of their royals is an insult against their nation are just hypocrites or people looking for an excuse to bash Fuji.”
“Mocking a president is fine, but you can’t make fun of a king! It’s like mocking the Imperial family.”
“Mocking Asian royal families like those of Bhutan or Thailand is no good! Their people all really love them. Although Anglo-Saxons seem to like mocking their royals for some reason.”
“How would the net right react to them mocking the British royal family?”
“It has nothing to do with them, it’s an issue!”
“If they mock the Kims I’ll forgive them this.”
“Apologise, you filthy Korean maggots!”
“This really has nothing to do with Bhutan now, does it?”
“Why would you insult a head of state like this? It’s the same as making fun of a country.”
“So go and protest against The Simpsons, you idiot.”
“Can’t we do something about these right-wing nutters going on about this rubbish?”
“What would the Bhutanese think of this if they saw it?”
dumb news…
All US presidents
and Kim Jong il and probably many others
were made fun of plenty of times…
why make this a big deal?
apparently, the idea of “monarch” as symbol of a state is alien to many.
yes, it’s the royal families not the butterfly.
Lolol, the differences between America and Japan: In America, mock the higher-ups all you want…
In Japan, mock the higher-ups, regardless of country, and get bashed…?
JAPAN what are we going to do with you. The Monarchy is dead its a joke to even have one any more. When will people learn its not good to have them around even if its just for show. They are the worst part of human society right there with Theocrats.
Mocking about royalty…………but they are parasites………….just look over Spain, taxes and many other excuses are there to give money to a bunch of idiots that claim to rule “nothing” and do nothing for the people, and is not the only country.
All stupid monarchy and other kind of viral stupid people with money, power, greed and sober pride, need to be mocked at least.