Sony Kowtowing to North Korea

[wolves_wanderer]

boyse7en said:

I just asked my Japanese tennis partner (for context, he is Japanese by birth, of Japanese parents (and presumably grandparents etc) and moved to the UK with his parents at the age of about five and has lived here ever since) what he thought of Sony actions with regard to withdrawing the film from release, and whether he thought Sony was "kowtowing to North Korean demands" on this.

He didn't bat an eyelid at the use of the term 'kowtowing'.

Careful, Pork911 will accuse you of making it up

[98elise]

PZR said:

98elise said:

....yet there is no mention of this baggage anywhere on the internet other than on this thread. It might be worth you editing the wikipedia entry just to clarify for the rest of the English speaking world.

Here's a straight question for you: Should you happen to find yourself (theoretically, indulge me here...) in Japan, at Sony Corp. HQ, would you be quite comfortable in telling the execs there that they are 'kowtowing' (literally, in the full implication of the term) to the hackers/PRK? Well, would you? If you got a very un-PC punch in the face, would you point at Wikipedia and say it's not your fault?

Given the history between the two countries, I very much doubt that any self-respecting Japanese citizen would be happy with the thought that they might have to act out the ritual of 'dogeza' to the PRK. Especially lately. I don't think you'll see any Sony Corp execs doing it any time soon. The Japanese equivalent of the PH PC-exterminating massive would chase you out of town at the suggestion.

I'm sorry, but anecdotes from people who have "sailed around there" or colonialist plantation orphans in Malaysia with 'servants' (LOL) are just not relevant. I'm talking about Japanese sensibilities and prejudices, based on centuries of conflict, that are simmering at just under boiling point at the moment.

Unlike others who are conspicuous by their absence or who have called in sick with a lame excuse, I've been here trying to answer questions thrown at me. In return I get painted as an "adenoidal buck-toothed idiot" and - just as bizarrely - some kind of racist.

Really, WTF?

As you can probably guess from my previous comments, I have Japanese family (some born and raised there, some here). None of them have an issue with Kowtow in this respect, so I would be happy to use the word in Japanese company.

Its good you are now explaining why. Previously you you just said everyone else was ignorant but wouldn't explain why you felt so strongly about the word.

[iphonedyou]

98elise said:

As you can probably guess from my previous comments, I have Japanese family (some born and raised there, some here). None of them have an issue with Kowtow in this respect, so I would be happy to use the word in Japanese company.

Its good you are now explaining why. Previously you you just said everyone else was ignorant but wouldn't explain why you felt so strongly about the word.

So essentially, PZR is entirely wrong. But won't just admit he was wrong and move on, preferring to persist with the notion that there's inherent baggage, and random italics, associated with the word.

Odd.

[Chlamydia]

PZR said:

The Japanese equivalent (and not wholly equivalent) is 'dogeza'. Please ask him if Sony are - or should - be acting out 'dogeza' to the PRK over this.

But that wasn't the word that was used, the word that was used was 'kowtow'. My boss's wife is Japanese, I'll ask her tomorrow to see what, if anything, she finds offensive about the word 'kowtow'. I suspect I'll just get a "wtf?" look from her but I'll make sure I explain to her afterwards that someone on the internet says she should be offended.

[PorkInsider]

boyse7en said:

I just asked my Japanese tennis partner (for context, he is Japanese by birth, of Japanese parents (and presumably grandparents etc) and moved to the UK with his parents at the age of about five and has lived here ever since) what he thought of Sony actions with regard to withdrawing the film from release, and whether he thought Sony was "kowtowing to North Korean demands" on this.

He didn't bat an eyelid at the use of the term 'kowtowing'.

But maybe that's an unfair example?

After all, your tennis partner might not be completely stark raving fking mental.

[WinstonWolf]

Looks like South Korea are being told to kowtow to the hackers. My money is on them telling the hackers to do one...

[anonymous-user]

wolves_wanderer said:

boyse7en said:

I just asked my Japanese tennis partner (for context, he is Japanese by birth, of Japanese parents (and presumably grandparents etc) and moved to the UK with his parents at the age of about five and has lived here ever since) what he thought of Sony actions with regard to withdrawing the film from release, and whether he thought Sony was "kowtowing to North Korean demands" on this.

He didn't bat an eyelid at the use of the term 'kowtowing'.

Careful, Pork911 will accuse you of making it up

Hmm, pork911...

Pork? I'm offended on behalf of my muslim friends and colleagues.
911? I'm offended on behalf of my american friends and family.

I want him banned. He clearly chose that username to insult people, the fact it's a nickname for a popular car used by many people all over the internet means nothing.

[McClure]

OpulentBob said:

wolves_wanderer said:

boyse7en said:

I just asked my Japanese tennis partner (for context, he is Japanese by birth, of Japanese parents (and presumably grandparents etc) and moved to the UK with his parents at the age of about five and has lived here ever since) what he thought of Sony actions with regard to withdrawing the film from release, and whether he thought Sony was "kowtowing to North Korean demands" on this.

He didn't bat an eyelid at the use of the term 'kowtowing'.

Careful, Pork911 will accuse you of making it up

Hmm, pork911...

Pork? I'm offended on behalf of my muslim friends and colleagues.
911? I'm offended on behalf of my american friends and family.

I want him banned. He clearly chose that username to insult people, the fact it's a nickname for a popular car used by many people all over the internet means nothing.

Pork911?! Are you kidding me?! That's quite clearly abusive to American police workers! Dial 911 for pork? Because they're pigs? Is that it?! How bloody insensitive!

[anonymous-user]

McClure said:

OpulentBob said:

wolves_wanderer said:

boyse7en said:

I just asked my Japanese tennis partner (for context, he is Japanese by birth, of Japanese parents (and presumably grandparents etc) and moved to the UK with his parents at the age of about five and has lived here ever since) what he thought of Sony actions with regard to withdrawing the film from release, and whether he thought Sony was "kowtowing to North Korean demands" on this.

He didn't bat an eyelid at the use of the term 'kowtowing'.

Careful, Pork911 will accuse you of making it up

Hmm, pork911...

Pork? I'm offended on behalf of my muslim friends and colleagues.
911? I'm offended on behalf of my american friends and family.

I want him banned. He clearly chose that username to insult people, the fact it's a nickname for a popular car used by many people all over the internet means nothing.

Pork911?! Are you kidding me?! That's quite clearly abusive to American police workers! Dial 911 for pork? Because they're pigs? Is that it?! How bloody insensitive!

So what we've sleuthed is that Pork911 thinks that it's simply great that 2 NYPD officers were shot in their car a couple of nights ago?



Because that's about the same level of logic fail as shown at the start of this thread.

[Office_Monkey]

Zoobeef said:

So it's not offensive? You're just saying we might be winding someone up and they'll get a little scared?

Do Japanese not call each other Japs? Not usually, no.

Should I stop calling my fellow country men Brits? Entirely up to you.

The phrase "kowtowing" isn't really offensive to me either. Although only being half Japanese maybe I don't get it? Also doubt that a thread on a motoring forum would cause WW3 either, regardless of terminology

[WinstonWolf]

Dr Evil has got the situation nicely weighed up...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embed...

[Halb]

Fishtigua said:

Anyone watching Jimmy Kimmel? Very funny and true.
https://twitter.com/jimmykimmel/status/54531102144...

The Daily Show had a good version of this as well.

[Martin4x4]

North Korea being removed from Internet?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/22/north-kor...

[BigMacDaddy]

And so bang on cue:

Linky

Just heard some American chap on the radio saying that he will definitely see the film in order to make a statement against the demands of whoever hacked Sony and made the threats. So after much hype and a back-story worthy of it's own average conspiracy/action film, The Interview will see the light of day after all. Whodathunkit?

[anonymous-user]

Marketing genius.

Some might even say it's a ploy to make Kim Jong Fun more acceptable/familiar to the west, gearing up for their own Berlin Wall moment. Or I might have made that up.

[jmorgan]

Well played then. No kowtowing going on, master stroke perhaps? Well, just a clever one.

[Halb]

Den of Geek article.
UPDATE: The Interview getting December release after all

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-interview/3344...

[rolex]

It's on Youtube movies now in the USA. You can watch it in the UK if you download the free Hola unblocker. The movie costs $5.99 to rent.

[dudleybloke]

rolex said:

It's on Youtube movies now in the USA. You can watch it in the UK if you download the free Hola unblocker. The movie costs $5.99 to rent.

Its already found its way onto the pirate sites.

Bingle Jollocks.

[Justices]

Sony.. either got stuffed and made some slick decisions to maximise the free publicity. Or they were in on it!

I'll support the free world by watching it (via torrent download because I quite fancy Angelina Jolie and Sony were quite mean about her).


ETA: My god, perhaps the worst film I have ever seen and we are barely halfway through! No wonder they needed all the free marketing to get people interested. Franco an absolute disaster.

Edited by Justices on Thursday 25th December 09:15