Saturday, August 10, 2013

Dust still under the carpet

Dear Japanese Government, 

I am very disappointed. Not that I wasn't aware of your ways to carry on and rule a country, but you're running out of excuses. Yes, I am talking about the nuclear crisis and the way this shebang is being handled. I mean, two years and a half later the accident, situation has improved by a hair. Do you care about the problem at all? Obviously you don't enough, otherwise it would be noticed. Do you realize its impact? To the environment, to the people, to the other countries…what goes around comes around. 

You have been feeding your people and the worldwide media with half information, things are under control, then they aren't, then they are, then not….you decided to handle everything on your own, despite all offers from outside. You decided, in the face of all the evidences of negligence and incompetence by the nuke plant owner company, to leave them in charge. Did they offer you how much? Did they fool you big time? It looks like they did, indeed. Why are these people, after two years of nothingness, still warming up their chairs? Can't you just call someone more competent and put them in charge, instead?

I fear it is a matter of pride for you not to seek for external help, it is honor…we are not in the era of samurai anymore, hello? Those values have expired, times change, and adaptation to chance is what we should pursue. In times of globalization, nations cooperate for the common wellbeing. A help request, in this case, doesn't symbolize the loss of honor, the unfulfilled duty, it just means that the problem is too big for you to DIY. And it is in the interest of other countries, too, to keep it contained. Besides, if we were in the samurai era, your pride would have already seen you and the asses of all those you are covering dead, since the moral code would have forced you to suicide. You are neither surrendering, nor quitting, instead you are somehow playing blind and deef. Or, alternatively, you're helping the cover-up. Why? I mean, those a-holes are only worried about themselves...I fear I know the answer to this question….


And don't come and compare your country with mine…I know that Italy is sinking, worse than Japan. But for one thing, the Italian government sports a quality you can only dream of: they don't need to cover anything. They still live out of the poor people's lives, they still do all their activities, but they do everything en plain air. If they get , ehm, caught, they still walk out untouched, because "il fatto non sussiste". See, in my country is people who are blind and deaf. In your country, it's the government to cover its mouth and ears….

I was thinking, have you been cautious in eating your food, drinking your water, swimming in the ocean, soaking in the onsen? For the last two years, I have. I still do. I still check the label of all veggies and fruits I buy, as much as I can, although by now it would not make any sense….in two years who knows where the leakage has taken all the radioactivity to….the whole ecosystem is f***ed up. So, unless your food comes from Europe every day, you've been little concerned about yourself really (and your people, next). For the awareness about the environment, well, I can simply leave it to history, here…

Instead, you worry about the economic loss. But at the same time you're still building more infrastructure. This country has too much of it already. It doesn't need more. And keep in mind that more infrastructure means more maintenance over time. Where did the hell all those projects for the reconstruction of Tohoku region go? What was it, let me see…..whaling? Uh.

Who am I to criticize, you'd say, do I have any experience in taking care of a whole country, you'd ask. No. I cannot even imagine how much is needed to do that, I can just image it is not a piece of cake, and I don't want to be in your shoes. Definitely I don't. But I think I speak for many.

Now, let's get back to the pride part…you are so stubborn, you still want to show the world that you can do it alone, that you will eventually resurface from the ashes, like you have done several times in the past. Stop playing the victim role, stop eulogizing and praising yourself, we already know how great a nation Japan is. We do know. I am serious. Actually, I can tell you that Japan has got many lovers around the globe, for your thousands years old traditions, for your cultural heritage. Not only in modern times you are slowly erasing all that, but you are doing nothing to make your country be remembered. 

How can you claim that the crisis is over, how can you stand for international relationships with other leaders, how can you enforce politics (democracy, transparency) and hope everyone will trust you, how can you promote tourism? Show first that problems are getting solved for real, and then you can show the phoenix is back. 

You could say, why don't you leave then if you don't like the situation? Why are you complaining? Yes, point taken. It's. Not. That. Simple. And same thing is in your case, it's not that simple. But the real question here is one, for you, it's about the image of yourself you are giving. Isn't image everything in Japanese culture? Or is it more along the lines of, the outside is more important than what's inside? I leave you with this parallel situation: you're giving a present to a child. It is beautifully wrapped and it's got a big ribbon on it. A very piece of art. Nice. Nice, indeed. The kid then opens the present to find out it's an empty box. Do you think that child is still impressed by the packaging? 

Throw away all those old heavy carpets, and clean up the place. I am tired of all this dust, I really am. 

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