On June 23, 2004, I published an article titled “Yomiuri Shimbun is Quite Impressive!”. I received “rebuttal” emails from two site administrators whose sites were quoted in that article. Although these emails were originally sent as private messages, both administrators graciously permitted me to make them public, so I am reposting them here.
Both administrators seemed to be particularly concerned with the part of my comments that said, “Do these people subscribe to newspapers just to criticize them? Truly amazing!”
Sorry, that wasn’t entirely true. It’s not just for that.
Living in the countryside, I read the newspaper for obituaries and flyers.
Please read carefully. (^_-)-☆
— Hokuto, Administrator of The Troublesome Local Paper: Hokkaido Shimbun
Well, I do honestly subscribe for entertainment. Even with Asahi Shimbun, its factual reporting is as practical as any other paper. However, what interests me is their editorials and columns, which, from my perspective, are so ideologically driven that they exceed the boundaries of a commercial paper. (I think it’s similar to how Mr. Kusaka felt “What the heck is this?” about Yomiuri.) That’s why I subscribe regularly.
There was a time when I also subscribed to Sankei and Yomiuri, but their editorials and columns were too predictable and not entertaining at all… If I’m going to spend 4,000 yen a month, I’d rather get Asahi.
I also found your site to be quite intriguing. I’m looking forward to reading your “Petty Right-Winger” study. I assume “Petty Right-Winger” refers to 2channel users and the like, and I personally feel that the rapid growth of 2channel in recent years has made the net-based left-right debates much less interesting.
— Shintaro Kazeka, Administrator of Read Asahi Shimbun with Laughter
I apologize if my comment above came off as a mockery. I did consider deleting that part at one point, but since it’s already been published, I decided to include these “rebuttals”.
By the way, I was recently looking at the title of Yomiuri Shimbun at a station kiosk. The first part of their feature on the House of Councillors election read something like “Democratic Party’s Challenges Amid Falling Approval Rates” (I didn’t buy it, so this is from memory). The fact that they led with this as their first part and placed it prominently on the front page felt very much like Yomiuri, making me think, “Wow, they’re at it again!” Incidentally, on the same day, the local paper’s headline was “Rising Concerns in the LDP Due to Declining Cabinet Approval Ratings”.
Thanks to the influence of these two individuals (albeit in a reverse way for me), I’ve started finding enjoyment in reading Yomiuri. (^_^)
However, these days, I feel somewhat conflicted as it seems that I am increasingly surrounded by “right-leaning” friends. Those who run sites and express their opinions aren’t what I’d call “Petty Right-Wingers” but are a different type of people altogether. They reciprocate courtesy with courtesy, in other words, they’re just “ordinary people”.
Although I’ve only exchanged a few emails with Mr. Kazeka, the content was insightful and I feel it would be a waste not to do something with it; I hope to write an article based on this someday. Mr. Kazeka also told me, “I’m glad we could have this exchange. Let’s keep doing our best!” which really touched me.
I also received a compliment (or so I think) from Mr. Hokuto, saying, “You’ve got guts (!). (^○^)” (^_^)
It makes me think that even people who might have gotten into fistfights if met elsewhere — anarchists, Trotskyists, right-wingers, and left-wingers alike — are all actually just “ordinary people”.
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