What do you think of the Socialist Party of Canada?
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Greetings from Japan
Hello everyone.
I'm a Canadian now living in Japan, where I have worked in education and now work for myself. I've identified with various "leftist" lines of thinking for close to 20 years - probably since as early as I was capable of thinking about such things with anything approaching understanding (I'm in my 30s now). I have long believed in an ideal future where humanity works together as a network of communities to improve life for everyone, through the sharing of resources, knowledge, art and more, and through the cooperative preservation of the planet and its life.
I am opposed to concepts like nationalism, Capitalism, militarism, greed-fueled competitiveness and governance of the many by the few. Although I was once merely a "socialist" of some sort, I am now firmly an Anarchist. We don't need individuals in suits telling us what to do. In fact, such things are harmful to everyone. I think that local governance with the goal of self, community and human betterment is the only way we can head into the future without the risk of mutual destruction hanging over our heads.
Since the introduction FAQ suggested it, and since many of you may be curious about the situation in Japan, I'll write a brief bit about my perceptions of leftism over here. In general, it's limited to a very small percent of the population. The Japanese Communist Party is perhaps the biggest public face of leftism, but I am unconvinced that they represent true communism and not just a desire to create a dictatorship of some sort in Japan. There's also the "Komeito" party based off a sect of Buddhism. They carry a questionable reputation among more conservative Japanese due to their religious ties, but those of them I've spoken with seem to believe in a lot of left-leaning concepts like fairness, cooperation and peaceful coexistence. That said, they don't seem to be very realistic thinkers because they firmly believe that all Japanese share their goals, even though everyone keeps voting for Abe's destructive regime.
An interesting note about said regime: Abe is the special advisor of a Shinto sect of some 50,000-ish elite members that still believe in the divinity of the Emperor, and desire to bring Japan back to its pre-war Imperialistic "glory." 60% of the National Diet's Upper and Lower House members are part of this sect, as are 17/19 members of the cabinet (as well as Abe, of course). They recently won a majority government and are now on track to modify the constitution to allow Japan to deploy its military overseas, and to become a stronger belligerent power in the East. The Emperor himself just gave a speech indicating his wish to retire because of his age and his disgust with what the Abe administration is doing. Whether or not Abe will let him step down remains to be seen. For a guy who apparently worships the Emperor, Abe doesn't give a lot of thought to the things the man says.
Anyhow, that's my introduction. Feel free to ask any questions about Japan or myself if you're interested. This thread or a private message are both fine with me. I look forward to reading your thoughts on this forum and participating in intelligent discussions into the future!
What do you think of the Socialist Party of Canada?
How did you end up in Japan?
As a come-from-away (to use the term from my home province, haha) what has your ability to engage practically with Japanese struggles been like?
Do you reckon you'll return to Canada at some point?
The life we have conferred upon these objects confronts us as something hostile and alien.
Formerly Virgin Molotov Cocktail (11/10/2004 - 21/08/2013)
What has been your experience with the "Uyoku dantai"(nationalists) do they have a big presence?
I've been in japan myself for half a year as an exchange student, during my time i went to the Yasukuni jinja out of curiosity.
I was amazed by how popular it was among regular people despite it's notoriety is nationalism and imperialism popular in japan?
