Heroes of the East

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Heroes of the East

Film discussion and banter


    Japan crises echo pop culture disaster narratives

    Brian T
    Brian T


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2011-02-16

    Japan crises echo pop culture disaster narratives Empty Japan crises echo pop culture disaster narratives

    Post  Brian T Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:38 pm

    Thought this piece in the L.A. Times was interesting:

    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-japan-apocalypse-20110328,0,5704065.story
    Practically all world cultures have produced creation and destruction myths, stories and imagery that herald new beginnings or prophesy imminent doom. But few rival Japan for the sheer profusion and specificity of such narratives.

    The apocalyptic streak in post-World War II Japanese pop culture has two primary sources: the country's precarious geography, perched at the intersection of shifting tectonic plates; and the Allied bombing raids that devastated Japanese cities, culminating in the horrors of the atomic attacks of August 1945.

    In subsequent decades, a resonant motif has been the idea of scientific experimentation run amok and science "being used secretly and being involved with government and industrial cabals," Solomon said. That theme has gained traction this month as Japanese have expressed fears about the country's disaster preparedness and voiced doubts over government assurances that the radiation leaking from the crippled power plant is not life-threatening.


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