CAT5

This is super nice. Who needs kinoko teikoku anyways?

fuck you @Carmelzors, I just gone done writing this big-ass post to see you've already posted. Imma post it anyways, and then read what you've got to say afterwards, so know this post was written without having read yours first! Ya know, It's funny because I think that @Pho, @WhirlingBlack, and @hiroki 's points about outside opinions have been proven - not directly through their arguments, but by simple virtue of them openly engaging in this conversation. Even if I don't agree with their outlooks, by sharing our separate arguments - I think this discourse has allowed all parties to become more aware of our different points of contention, and opened our perspectives a bit. I think this is part of what they were getting at all along, and as evidenced by emmny's post (which ppl from all sides of the debate have liked), there has been some extent of mutual understanding reached. So while I still stand by my words and feel like the opinions of outsiders should not eclipse the opinions of the oppressed in question, I can certainly appreciate the prospective value of those outside opinions. This is a LOADED topic, and one that can get emotional and touchy quick. My posts have definitely been fraught with anger and frustration, but I'm glad that we could hold such a heated discussion without getting too catty about it. It's been unexpectedly cathartic for me, and there is a certain beauty to being able to discuss these things with people from literally all over the planet, all with different backgrounds and ideologies. So I apologize if I made anyone feel as if their opinion is unwanted, but in less angry terms than I stated earlier, I do think that when engaging with a topic this dense, we all have to humble ourselves to each other and respect the different perspectives at play - difficult as it can be. So with that in mind, rest assured that I've no hard feelings towards @Carmelzors, @WhirlingBlack, @Pho, or @hiroki. If anything, it's a good thing you guys are taking part in this conversation, because there are many who are too scared to, can't be bothered to, or simply refuse take part in it, and many others who don't even recognize it as an actual discussion. Also, bless @emmnyfor his post. I think he succinctly communicated what I had trouble trying to articulate in the last few posts. If I were to try and sum up what it feels like to be black in America, I'd describe it as follows. It's like a catch22 of sorts. I wasn't born into world thinking "i am black, this is my identity. this is who i am". I still don't think that either. I'm just a human being with thoughts, hopes, dreams, fears..with an identity, same as anyone else. But unfortunately, we've been thrust into this silly racial game. Nobody asked to play this game. Black people didn't wake up one day say "you know what? let's create some racial tension for shits and giggles!" I like how @Pho described race as an "arbitrary identity factor" - and it is. Race is literally a man-made concept. So all of this racial strife...this "game" is complete and utter, divisive bullshit. But the problem is that for black Americans, this game is unavoidable. Imagine being trapped inside of a video game, but knowing that a world exists outside of that video game, and that you're not the one controlling the game. Even if you try to ignore the fact that you're in the game and go about living your life, you're still in the game at the end of the day. So what do you do? When you try to speak out to the controllers of the game - when you point out all of the racism and injustice - it only serves to antagonize and further perpetuate the game. This is basically what being black in America feels like. Forced to play a game you don't want to. Even if you try to ignore it, the system still sees you as "black". I don't like calling myself black. I don't get off from doing that. It does literally nothing for me. I just want to be a normal human being like everybody else. "white privilege" comes into play when you realize that for the most part, white people can enter and exit this metaphorical game at will. The system recognizes them as individuals. Me on the other hand, no matter what I do and no matter who I choose to be, I'm still appended to this bullshit idea of "black". And if you want to make matters even worse, there are many black AND white in people in America who don't even realize they're in this crappy, antagonistic racial game. They're perfectly content being soulless sprites, living as they're programmed to. But that's a whole 'nother can of worms... I'm rambling at this point, but I do enjoy discussing this. Maybe we should just make a seperate thread? aha.

I don't have an issue with third party input, but I do have an issue with the way that the input is given. No matter how valuable or sage the words you'd like to contribute are, if you're a third party, you NEED to approach the situation with a certain amount of tact and sensitivity. The way your post read to me was like "oh I don't care about the situation, but you guys should do watch what words you use". You can't seriously expect to be received well with such a crass and insincere tone can you? I felt the same way about @Carmelzors post on the previous page - it wasn't so much what he was saying, as much as it was his authoritative and didactic tone, as if he were an expert on the situation. I know neither you nor carmerlzors meant any harm by your words, but just as 3rd parties want people to be open to their opinions, you also have to be open enough to understand that oppressed people are far too downtrodden to want to hear "nitpicky" opinions or "know-it-all" solutions from people who aren't even affected by the issue in the first place. I'm not saying that outside opinions are invalid or not welcome, but that's like me trying to tell @Pho and @beni how to feel about Brexit when I have no idea what it's like living in England, or me telling @seurong and @saishuu what's the best direction for their government (post-presidential crisis) when I know nothing about Brazilian politics. Outsiders simply have no idea what it's like to actually be on the inside. Sure, you may have comparable experience and knowledge from elsewhere, but every situation is different. You guys see headlines, social media/online posts, and probably talk with a few people, but at best your knowledge is anecdotal. For people like @Zeus and I, when we log off - the injustice doesn't vanish. It's there - in our faces every fucking day. It's easy for people who exist outside of the oppression at hand to sit calmly and analyze each new situation from a neutral standpoint, examine each wayward opinion with "equal rational scrutiny", and nitpick about word choice, but for most black people, these recent killings have been like the icing on a shit-filled cake that we've been fed our entire lives. The injustice against blacks in America is so rich, so deep, so prevalent, and so consistent that at this point, whether you call these recent killings "murder" or not is irrelevant, because no matter what word you want to dress it in for semantics sake - it's all the same to black people at this point. The media does its best to take advantage of this and rile the masses into their bullshit, racially divisive propaganda, and while many ppl on both sides feed into the nonsense and effectively transform the actual issues into a never-ending reality tv show, the issues that plague black america are still very real. I know I'm not alone when I say that, sometimes, I have to ignore it all just to attempt to continue living a "normal" life - all the while knowing in the back of my head that the system is not for me. But no matter how much I try to explain this perspective to you guys, you will never completely grasp the picture. And that's perfectly ok. If you're an outsider or on the opposite side of oppression, you HAVE to honor and respect that gap. That's all I ask. If you're an outsider and you want to contribute something to the conversation, you must do so with grace and compassion. Or else why should your opinion even matter?

yassssssssssssss @beni

I understand that this is something that probably doesn't affect you, and perhaps an issue that you may not fully be able to grasp, but as someone that has experienced the effects of this, distinct racism both explicitly and implicitly for the entirety of their life, from my perspective, this comment reads as highly insensitive. And so with all due respect, you'll understand me when I say the last thing that THIS particular debate needs is nitpicky, tactless opinions from people who are, admittedly, unconcerned about the issue at hand. As for the choice of words - murder, homicide, manslaughter, premeditated/unintentional killing - whatever term you'd like to append to it - I'm sure that's a REALLY minor detail to all of the people who are affected by all of the senseless, and very preventable deaths. I doubt it makes a difference to the little girl who lost her father right in front of her eyes, or the little 15 year old boy on the news crying how he wants and misses his dad. I doubt it makes a difference to my sister, mother of three young boys, who actually has to worry about the fact that she is raising her sons in a country where it has been proven time and time again that they are not valued, simply because of their skin. Where she has to teach 3 young boys that even if you do everything "right", you can still be punished because of your skin, and that the punishment may just be fatal. How do you even do that? You know I got love for you, WB, and I'm certainly not trying to come at you sideways or anything - but for me, this is an issue that touches at home, so I wanted to let you know how I feel. I know all of this stuff seems like a fairy tale when you exist outside of the quagmire, but I was literally born into this, and it is very real for me. I would have talked to you about this privately, but since this is an extension of a public discussion (and this is an international forum with many ppl who may not quite grasp the situation), I wanted to put my perspective out there too!

yeah, for me, watching it so far has been oddly masochistic - torture, yet still pleasurable because it's berserk. :s I just started re:life btw, and it seems promising! Glad to see you guys giving it the thumbs-up!

*saku-sempai!* Ok, I don't wanna hijack the thread with my sob story, so to answer the OP's question: I don't really follow VK, but I've noticed quite a bit of buzz around bands like xaa-xaa, DADAROMA, DEZERT, and 黒百合と影 (kuroyuri to kage),so those may be worth trying out if you haven't already. From the bands you listed, I think the latter two might be most up your alley? Don't quote me on that tho! >.>

You're always welcome to join me in my lonely corner of J-indie bands that aren't typically associated with popular, gaijin perspective of J-rock!!!!! ....