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posted by martyb on Monday March 09 2020, @08:01PM   Printer-friendly
from the You-say-tomato-they-say-promoting-child-exploitation dept.

What does it mean to "promote child exploitation"? When it's figurines that have been sold for years but now violate Amazon's statutes about promoting child exploitation which resulted in listings being removed. Chuck Gaffney has run a successful Amazon store for years selling anime-related products, up until recently when Amazon started cracking down on anything that could be perceived as "promoting child exploitation".

While it can be difficult for online retailers to represent themselves as selling genuine merchandise — meaning reputation means a lot — this type of behavior from the market owner is very discouraging. In response, the seller blames a "neopuritan crusade" against anime figures.

The characters at the center of this disagreement are: Hatsune Miku and Kaitō Tenshi Twin Angel.

It's a wonder that anything anime-related survives importation to the US from Japan.


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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by DannyB on Monday March 09 2020, @08:33PM (14 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 09 2020, @08:33PM (#968663) Journal

    It's a wonder that anything anime-related survives importation to the US from Japan.

    Google for: japan culture of groping

    I recently saw a video [youtube.com] about this. Women afraid to speak up because it is culturally accepted.

    From the video:
    * [in video store] "cartoon films showing young school girls as helpless groping victims have a large fan base."
    * "gropers are perceived as being completely normal"
    * "it goes so far that the victims fear the train will be stopped by their cries for help, and their fellow travelers will arrive late for work."

    Trump should visit Japan to do something about this groping.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @08:44PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @08:44PM (#968674)

    Even if they didn't invent it in Japan, what keeps them from adopting it?

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @09:13PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @09:13PM (#968691)

      Even if they didn't invent [a slap across the face] it in Japan, what keeps them from adopting it?

      Because social norms are not easily changed. Slapping someone in the face would disturb other people on the train, and the prospective slapper doesn't want to do that, however much the slapee deserves it.

      As a foreigner, riding the metro systems in Japan (especially in Tokyo) can be a bit eerie. Compared to metro systems in other parts of the world the riders are very quiet and emotionless. Nobody wants to bother other riders (excepting, obviously, the gropers who are taking advantage of this culture). Many trains have "Women-only" cars in an attempt to reduce groping. Some stairways have signs warning to be wary of upskirters...

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @11:46PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @11:46PM (#968753)

        Slapping someone in the face would disturb other people on the train

        Right back around to: if you're not going to help yourself, don't expect others to do it for you.

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @09:18PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @09:18PM (#968692)

      Even if they didn't invent it in Japan, what keeps them from adopting it?

      Might not be effective. In a book by Lisa [something I've forgotten], a Guardian correspondent in Japan, she describes an event related by a western friend of hers. The friend was in a packed metro car. No-one could move, but hands could. She found a hand where it shouldn't be, so she took hold of it and bit it very hard (western friend remember). The hand quickly withdrew, all in complete silence, no screams or grunts of pain.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @09:33PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 09 2020, @09:33PM (#968699)

        Might not be effective. In a book by Lisa [something I've forgotten], a Guardian correspondent in Japan, she describes an event related by a western friend of hers. The friend was in a packed metro car. No-one could move, but hands could. She found a hand where it shouldn't be, so she took hold of it and bit it very hard (western friend remember). The hand quickly withdrew, all in complete silence, no screams or grunts of pain.

        As much as we can believe hearsay of hearsay... the described violence seems to have been quite effective and as a bonus (at least as local cultural norms are concerned), probably nobody other than the groper on the train was bothered by it. I bet that hand was not going anywhere else for a while.

        It seems even gropers in Japan have the wherewithal to not make noises on the train that would make the people (at least the ones not being groped) around them uncomfortable.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Monday March 09 2020, @09:54PM (2 children)

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Monday March 09 2020, @09:54PM (#968712) Homepage

    And Italians are known for unsolicited butt-slapping, and Mexicans and Arabs known for unsolicited beheadings. Meanwhile, the streets in Japan are a gazillion times more clean and safe than those in Italy, Mexico, or Arabia.

    • (Score: 4, Informative) by Grishnakh on Tuesday March 10 2020, @01:14AM (1 child)

      by Grishnakh (2831) on Tuesday March 10 2020, @01:14AM (#968805)

      ... or America.

      • (Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Tuesday March 10 2020, @02:02PM

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 10 2020, @02:02PM (#969040) Journal

        I visited Toronto (on business) over a decade ago, but I would say it was like America, but cleaner and nicer. Smaller but superior food portions. Much nicer looking currency.

        --
        People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday March 09 2020, @10:00PM (2 children)

    by PinkyGigglebrain (4458) on Monday March 09 2020, @10:00PM (#968717)

    whats the relevance of a cultural issue in Japan to Amazon's American leaders decision to pull anime based figurines?

    --
    "Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday March 10 2020, @02:03PM (1 child)

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 10 2020, @02:03PM (#969041) Journal

      Well, gee, I suppose we should also allow importation of products manufactured by child slave labor. It's just a local cultural issue. Just like slavery in the US South.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2020, @05:19PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2020, @05:19PM (#969177)

        Leave my smartphone alone. I need it to virtue signal on Twitter.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2020, @04:24AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 10 2020, @04:24AM (#968906)

    Yeah it is considered normal in France but that doesn't make the news.

    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday March 10 2020, @02:05PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 10 2020, @02:05PM (#969042) Journal

      Things are normal in France that are not acceptable elsewhere.

      Speaking French is also considered normal in France.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday March 10 2020, @03:45PM

      by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday March 10 2020, @03:45PM (#969103) Journal

      Well, I live in France and over the last year or two I can recall several people who have been in court charged with groping or sexually assaulting women. Perhaps it is seen as 'acceptable' in certain places, or perhaps between certain cultures, but it is far from being 'acceptable' throughout France. In one case, the brother of the girl subsequently took matters into his own hands and assaulted the groper. No action appeared to be taken against him but, of course, I have no knowledge of what might have happened behind the scenes.