- the protagonist of Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk
The Japanese government has hit another low in its
reaction to the triple disaster that struck northeast Japan this year. The news
today is that Prime Minister Noda is backing a plan to spend money on building
a panda facility at Sendai Zoo in order to cheer the local children after their
ordeals this year. (Noda
to lobby China for Sendai panda deal).
Some might think this is a nice idea, but really, we
have to wonder about priorities here. I feel sorry for the thousands of people
overseas who donated so generously to disaster relief because the Japanese government
is ignoring its responsibility for giving the proper assistance to victims in
the form of practical, material support for such things as heaters, housing,
relocation expenses, or guaranteed income through a period of resettlement.
Instead, it is wasting money on meaningless boosterism and giveaways to local construction
firms to build panda shelters at zoos, or to “decontaminate” buildings with
spray washers. In the most egregious case, money intended for disaster relief
has been funneled to security costs for the
Japanese whaling expedition to Antarctica. By some stretch of logic, the
money is supposed to provide jobs and stimulus spending to “whaling communities”
on the northeast coast.
In many ways, however, the obsession with pandas is
perfectly fitting for Japan. The news today called to my mind the above line
from the film Fight Club. I wouldn't wish the violence on the creature, but I feel the same way about a people that has
lost the will, and perhaps the ability, to save itself. This forlorn, listless animal with a failing survival instinct is the perfect symbol for the occasion.
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