"John W." wrote:

> > You believe that entertainment, and from a foreign source at that,
> > resulted in what we see? Wow.
>
> In part, yes.

Then they'd better bring over Sazae-san, and get Americans back into shape
after their exposure to Madonna, MTV, Eminem, naughty tentacle anime porn,
and bukkake. I don't know why American producers don't go for it. It gets
high ratings, it has enough content even for daily syndication to last for
years, it generally has a favorable message and happy endings, and I'm
sure it would appeal to many Americans, despite its obviously foreign
origins. It's not Pokemon or Oshin, but they could try.

> Don't read too much into what I said, though; I said
> influence, and I sincerely believe that's true. It does work that way,
> you know; the entertainment industry (of whatever country) is going to
> give audiences stuff that makes said industry more money, and the anime
> trend has been strong for quite some time now. You're probably not
> aware of it since you're not here, but there are even US-made
> anime-style shows.

I've seen American anime style in the US since the 80s (and Japanese
animation was also popular in the US the 60s), and its roots probably go
earlier than that.

> And I do believe this trend has influenced the
> broader spectrum somewhat. (I also believe our reality shows are
> influenced by Japanese shows; some stuff I've seen on Fear Factor, for
> example, is reminiscent of stuff on prime time Japanese shows.)

You are talking about a reaction. Yes, popular Japanese entertainment
influences American entertainment. But do unsavory aspects of Japanese
entertainment such as shows aimed at children featuring girls in short
skirts, actually create more pedophiles or cause more crime? Or do such
shows merely appeal to pedophiles who were already present?

> And the US has its own way of objectifying young women and girls
> > (actual humans, not drawings), because animation in the US is mainly
> > geared toward children, as through those countless websites and forms
> of
> > mainstream media such as movies or magazines. Do you also hold
> Japanese
> > animation responsible for cosmetics and adult fashion being aimed at
> or
> > becoming popular among increasingly younger girls (say late
> elementary
> > school age) in the US? I doubt the recent popularity of Japanese pop
> > culture has anything to do with the decades old trend of American
> girls to
> > wear short skirts or pants, revealing tops, or visible underwear, or
> the
> > way males notice or (mis)treat them.
> >
> You are correct. So?

So Japan is not to blame for such American ills, any more than American
entertainment is to blame for undesirable developments in Japanese
society.