Compare and contrast

LET’S GO TO THE TAPE–in this case, two YouTube videos. The first is a news report on the anti-Japan demonstrations in Wuhan, China, on the 18th, one of three consecutive days that disturbances occurred. It appeared on JNN TV, a commercial network operated by the Tokyo Broadcasting System.

You’ll be able to tell what’s going on without a translation, but here’s some supplementary information:

1. During the scene of Prime Minister Kan speaking in the Diet, the announcer said he called on the people of both nations to remain calm. Why did he bother? The only people who weren’t calm weren’t given the message.

2. The screen shots of notes on the Internet show announcements of the start of the demonstration and calls to participate.

3. One of the Chinese interviewed said there were cheers whenever the sound of breaking glass was heard.

Now here’s some video of the anti-China demonstration in Tokyo on 16 October. The Japanese title says that it took almost an hour for all 3,200 of the participants to get under way. There are some elements common to both:

1. Japanese flags are in both videos.

2. The demonstrations in China are said to be indirectly caused by citizen anger and frustration at their own government that has no legitimate outlet. Meanwhile, the first woman speaking over the bullhorn in Tokyo includes a call for an end to the Kan administration as part of her speech.

With delicious irony, one of the signs in the Tokyo demonstration congratulates China on its first Nobel prize in anything.

Actions speak louder than words, do they not?

UPDATE:
JNN had the video of the Chinese demonstrations removed from YouTube, so it’s no longer available here. It showed broken glass and a trashed shop interior.

More chilling, however, is this propaganda video from China with still photographs of the demonstration. There is no narration, so therefore no language barrier. The broken glass at the store is still visible at the end. Note the stirring patriotic music.

The Ito-Yokado outlet had to be evacuated of both employees and customers when the demonstration started. The Japanese marchers shown above went to the Chinese embassy in Tokyo. It did not have to be evacuated.

The Japanese video also shows how police treated their demonstrators. Here’s how the Chinese police treat Chinese demonstrators.

Memo to JNN: Yeah, you had the copyright and you took it down. Do you think what is happening in China is your news exclusively? Welcome to the Internet age. Consider yourselves disintermediated.

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