Howdy, Linh. This latest posting with Mr. Jefferson really touched my soul. It made me realize that in many ways we - your circle of readers - are kindred spirits. Maybe it's a stretch, but maybe "Postcards From the End" is our Shakespeare & Co. bookshop, and you are our Sylvia Beach? Anyway, thanks Uncle.
As I understand it, the Japanese birthrate is not even replacement-level, just like is true of western Europeans and the British and their befuddled descendants, the Americans. There is little desire for the austerities of parenthood - that Tesla costs big bucks (even if you freeze to death in it while trapped in a snowstorm). The Japanese and Europeans have yielded the globe to the terrible fecundity of their biological rivals, but that is Nature at work. The Jews, as always, will batten onto whatever industrious peoples are left, so look out, Asia!
I feel that low birthrates in western countries and Japan are a result of social engineering.
Until the eighties,one job was usually enough for a family,a few holidays,and save some to buy a house eventually.Now,with both parents working,its hard to just stay afloat.Feminism was/is a big help,too.I know a couple here,45 years together,of which they spent about 30 years arguing about `Gender Equality/Justice`.
I saw a scene from a German asylum office,with a young African man,whose application to stay had been denied.The German social worker told him`There is a way you can stay,if you become a father here`.That reminded me of a 1941 book by one Theodore N. Kaufman "Germany Must Perish!",which advocated just that.JFK had it right:"All of our problems are manmade".
An interesting interview. I can compare his impression of Japan to that of my wife’s nephew, a 40-ish Taiwanese man who lives and works in Tokyo. At his request, we started having weekly Skype calls every Saturday morning (early morning for me, late evening for him) so he could maintain his English proficiency. We've been doing this faithfully now for almost a year and a half.
He asked me to send him an item of interest so we would have something to talk about. I was concerned that we might not find much to discuss, but as it has turned out, the calls usually last at least a couple of hours and are very wide-ranging. For a long time, his ambition was to live and work in Japan, and for a number of years he has been working as an engineer at a Japanese branch of a Taiwanese firm. The office is a mixture of Japanese and Taiwanese, and is a bit of a hybrid office culture. He still really likes living in Japan, but finds the Japanese in the corporate environment very insular. For that reason, he says he would rather work at a multinational firm than a Japanese one. He and his wife recently bought an apartment, so he obviously intends to make it his home.
I agree with Mr. Jefferson’s observation about the similarities between the Covid crisis and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. I can highly recommend the book “Inventing the AIDS Virus” by Dr. Peter Duesberg for anyone interested. The parallels with Covid are pretty incredible. Dr. Duesberg strongly argues that HIV is a benign virus that does not cause AIDS, and that in fact AIDS is just a name used for a grab-bag of other medical conditions. Reading his book, it is easy to see the parallels with the way the public got steamrolled on Covid.
Dr. Duesberg is labeled a proponent of “AIDS denialism” by Wikipedia. The more attentive will likely have noticed that “denialism” is a term commonly used to slime someone for standing tall against some preferred narrative.
I went looking for this book and found it was out of print, but there are free PDF versions to be had if you do an internet search. Dr. Duesberg still labors in obscurity at UC Berkeley, unknown to the vast majority of the public.
Singing alone at a karaoke parlor is pretty amazing--it is something I always thought of as a social activity. The idea brings to mind Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone”.
What he brings to light, Linh, is the infectiousness of the "American way of social collapse." Japan might still be a viable country if it hadn't adapted American ways of doing things after the Occupation. The US brought "democracy" to these " misguided backward people" and look at them now --- a full fledged nuclear meltdown and the destruction of their culture. At least Vietnam seems to have taken it all in stride, worse for wear but with the national character somewhat intact. Anyway, life goes on, steadily downhill until we reach Hell.
Thank you for a very good interview, that was informative and reaffirming. I would not have minded had it been longer.
I've had the opportunity for limited travel to Japan and China, with Hong Kong as a starting point. I definitely enjoyed the trips and the exposure.
I am, however, very curious about South Korea. I would imagine that the language is crucial for one considering the possibility of expatriation. My uncles, both military, married or had a longterm relationship with a Korean woman.
Howdy, Linh. This latest posting with Mr. Jefferson really touched my soul. It made me realize that in many ways we - your circle of readers - are kindred spirits. Maybe it's a stretch, but maybe "Postcards From the End" is our Shakespeare & Co. bookshop, and you are our Sylvia Beach? Anyway, thanks Uncle.
As I understand it, the Japanese birthrate is not even replacement-level, just like is true of western Europeans and the British and their befuddled descendants, the Americans. There is little desire for the austerities of parenthood - that Tesla costs big bucks (even if you freeze to death in it while trapped in a snowstorm). The Japanese and Europeans have yielded the globe to the terrible fecundity of their biological rivals, but that is Nature at work. The Jews, as always, will batten onto whatever industrious peoples are left, so look out, Asia!
I feel that low birthrates in western countries and Japan are a result of social engineering.
Until the eighties,one job was usually enough for a family,a few holidays,and save some to buy a house eventually.Now,with both parents working,its hard to just stay afloat.Feminism was/is a big help,too.I know a couple here,45 years together,of which they spent about 30 years arguing about `Gender Equality/Justice`.
I saw a scene from a German asylum office,with a young African man,whose application to stay had been denied.The German social worker told him`There is a way you can stay,if you become a father here`.That reminded me of a 1941 book by one Theodore N. Kaufman "Germany Must Perish!",which advocated just that.JFK had it right:"All of our problems are manmade".
Best wishes to Mr. Jefferson!
An interesting interview. I can compare his impression of Japan to that of my wife’s nephew, a 40-ish Taiwanese man who lives and works in Tokyo. At his request, we started having weekly Skype calls every Saturday morning (early morning for me, late evening for him) so he could maintain his English proficiency. We've been doing this faithfully now for almost a year and a half.
He asked me to send him an item of interest so we would have something to talk about. I was concerned that we might not find much to discuss, but as it has turned out, the calls usually last at least a couple of hours and are very wide-ranging. For a long time, his ambition was to live and work in Japan, and for a number of years he has been working as an engineer at a Japanese branch of a Taiwanese firm. The office is a mixture of Japanese and Taiwanese, and is a bit of a hybrid office culture. He still really likes living in Japan, but finds the Japanese in the corporate environment very insular. For that reason, he says he would rather work at a multinational firm than a Japanese one. He and his wife recently bought an apartment, so he obviously intends to make it his home.
I agree with Mr. Jefferson’s observation about the similarities between the Covid crisis and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. I can highly recommend the book “Inventing the AIDS Virus” by Dr. Peter Duesberg for anyone interested. The parallels with Covid are pretty incredible. Dr. Duesberg strongly argues that HIV is a benign virus that does not cause AIDS, and that in fact AIDS is just a name used for a grab-bag of other medical conditions. Reading his book, it is easy to see the parallels with the way the public got steamrolled on Covid.
Dr. Duesberg is labeled a proponent of “AIDS denialism” by Wikipedia. The more attentive will likely have noticed that “denialism” is a term commonly used to slime someone for standing tall against some preferred narrative.
I went looking for this book and found it was out of print, but there are free PDF versions to be had if you do an internet search. Dr. Duesberg still labors in obscurity at UC Berkeley, unknown to the vast majority of the public.
Singing alone at a karaoke parlor is pretty amazing--it is something I always thought of as a social activity. The idea brings to mind Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone”.
Professor Duesberg is an acknowledged genius who understands HIV/AIDS better than most of his peers.
What he brings to light, Linh, is the infectiousness of the "American way of social collapse." Japan might still be a viable country if it hadn't adapted American ways of doing things after the Occupation. The US brought "democracy" to these " misguided backward people" and look at them now --- a full fledged nuclear meltdown and the destruction of their culture. At least Vietnam seems to have taken it all in stride, worse for wear but with the national character somewhat intact. Anyway, life goes on, steadily downhill until we reach Hell.
What a wonderful interview! Mr. Jefferson is a lovely man. I love the quote about gardens. Peace, P
Thank you! 🙏🏾🤩🐶
Another fellow American smart enough to jump a sinking ship. Bless him 🙏
Nice interview with the Kamakura Gardener.
Thank you, Linh! 🙏🏾🤩🐶
Hello Linh,
Thank you for a very good interview, that was informative and reaffirming. I would not have minded had it been longer.
I've had the opportunity for limited travel to Japan and China, with Hong Kong as a starting point. I definitely enjoyed the trips and the exposure.
I am, however, very curious about South Korea. I would imagine that the language is crucial for one considering the possibility of expatriation. My uncles, both military, married or had a longterm relationship with a Korean woman.