Flaming Monkey Butt

monkeyroids
Originally uploaded by granimal.

The picture kind of speaks for itself, I think, and given the similarities in appearance between the little monkey and a certain "leader of the free world," this brings me to the consideration of a question Kate and I have been getting from many of our American friends: what do the Japanese make of America right now. Not speaking Japanese, I can't really say for certain (since I have no way of knowing how representative the English language press is).

What is interesting to consider in Japan is the divide between the pacifists and those wanting the country to take a more active role on the global stage. Obviously the pacifists -- particularly in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki regions, I've been told -- are anti-Bush and against the current Japanese Prime Minister who considers Bush a personal friend. I was also told that sixty per cent of the populace support the current Prime Minister.

From an objective point of view, this is an interesting time we're living in, as the post-war, liberal ideologies that seemed to be the mainstay of democracies (since I've been around anyway) come under attack from turn-of-the-millenium, conservative ideologies. Of course, personally, I find it frightening, but it's an issue affecting all of the democracies, not just America.