Friday, September 21, 2012
Why do many people use violence to express themselves?
Massive protests are going on worldwide. Anti-US protests have been spreading mainly across Islamic countries for more than a week because of that You Tube video. Anti-Japan protests have broken out all over China. Sadly, some of these protests have turned violent. I totally don't understand why some people readily use violence to express their protests. Some rioters even appear to enjoy vandalism and venting their anger, which always makes me feel uncomfortable. Regardless of what reasons one may have, no one has the right do destroy another's property or harm others. Nobody is allowed to rationalize these behaviors. I think that these actions violate the law in many countries.
The other day, there were many photos relating to anti-Japan protests in China on Twitter. To be honest, some of them really shocked me. In Changsha, a Japanese department store, 平和堂/heiwado, was totally destroyed by a riot. It's been reported that many protesters broke into the store and rampaged. They broke everything down and stole the store's products. In Tsingtao/Qingdao, a Japanese supermarket, Ieon/Jasco has suffered major damage. Some Japanese factories like Panasonic were set on fire. Countless Japanese cars have been destroyed throughout China. I do know that a large part of Chinese people frown on that violence. As a matter of fact, on the Internet, I've heard them say that they don't support such protests. However, in China, a small percentage of the population can become a huge number, and there are likely to be people who try to use the protests and frustrated people. On top of that, some people held high many photos of Mao Zedong/Tes-tung and banners with slogans not relating to anti-Japan issues. These things have made me feel the protests could turn into something I don't want to imagine.
Recent many events, both in Japan and China, make me feel that despite economic growth, these two counties haven't changed in the past 100 years (I don't intend to discuss it here, so please don't ask the details). I do hope that the situation won't become worse, although it's been reported that the tension between the two is already very high.
Japanese people don't pay much attention to the anti-US protests mainly because they are preoccupied with the tension between Japan and China. However, the situation is becoming very serious. I really hope that it won't result in something I don't want to imagine.
