Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Famous director Beat Takeshi has been caught up in a controversy involving gay marriage recently, as he allegedly compared it to bestiality while on a talk show.
Gay rights campaigners in Japan hit out Thursday at Takeshi “Beat” Kitano after the award-winning actor-director compared same-sex marriage with bestiality.
Kitano, whose yakuza gangster films are popular around the world, enraged activists with his comments on a popular current affairs show as guests were being asked for their opinions on Barack Obama’s stance on gay marriage.
“Obama supports gay marriage. You would support a marriage to an animal eventually, then,” Kitano said after being shown footage of people celebrating the U.S. president’s comments.
Gays and lesbians do not usually encounter outright hostility in Japan, but there are few rights built into law for same-sex couples and there is little public debate on gay marriage.
I love Beat Takeshi’s work as a director, actor, and comedian, but he comes off as out of touch here.
As far as what he says, I do agree that what he intended was misinterpreted, as the writer for Japan Today either doesn’t appear to know what bestiality actually is or doesn’t have quality reading comprehension, because Beat Takeshi was not directly comparing homosexuality to bestiality, he was questioning what lengths people will extend the definition of marriage to.
Of course, that doesn’t make what he said any better.
Honestly, he comes off exactly as I would expect an old Japanese guy would. Perhaps he was trying to make a joke or something, given his background, but it doesn’t come off as such. The sad part is that I think he believes he was actually expressing a level of tolerance/restraint with his argument against gay marriage.
I mean, just take a look at the subsequent statement in which he defends himself:
On Monday, Kitano said: “I was only talking about people who love their pets so much that they may think of marrying them.”
“There is no way I look at gay people the same as animals, let alone implying sexual relations with animals,” Kitano said, in comments relayed to AFP by one of his staff.
Right, like I said, Beat Takeshi wasn’t talking about sex with animals, he was talking about the extension of the definition of marriage. The statement he gave ends there though, as he thinks that’s all he has to address.
As such, he believes the extension of marriage argument is actually valid reasoning, which might be equally pathetic.
Gay marriage is an issue with quite a bit of depth, so I won’t go all HAM on you guys, but the analogy he used is illogical in itself. Humans can consent to each other, so gay people can consent to each other. On the other hand, an animal could not do so, nor could an inanimate object, or anything else. It’s the same reason one isn’t allowed to have sex with minors under the age of consent … hence the consent part. Bleh.
While unfortunately expected, it’s disappointing to see such an outstanding director like Beat Takeshi reveal himself to be such a bigoted dick.
Each to their own. He can say anything he wants, an opinion is an opinion.
I don’t support gay/lesbian marriage because I don’t believe in “normal” marriage either. If 2 persons want to be together you don’t need a legal paper or a priest that says so, that doesn’t make any difference, and should be the least of your worries.
BS….
For instance, if I have a child, only me or my partner can be a “legal guardian:” doctor’s visits, hospitalization, school commitments, etc become a hell of a lot more complicated.Then there’s the things associated with home-ownership, insurance coverage, health benefits…
It’s has nothing to do with the ceremonial aspects of marriage, but what you are legally entitled to as a married couple (spouses)…that is the issue. You can’t bestow these benefits on one part of the population and deny them from the other.
It would be like allowing British people a 2 week track to getting a green card in the US, but forcing Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans to settle for a work permit.
Well, at least in my country Spain, you can sign up for cohabitation status and have the same legal benefits of a married couple.
My parents never married and we never had any problem.
Agreed.
I think as long as the government is going to be involved in marriage, then gays should be allowed to marry.
But ultimately, I’d rather see the government stay out of marriage completely.
If two people want to get “married”, it should just be a private contract between them. The government shouldn’t be the one issuing a “license”.
As far as the legal issues involved, those would simply be spelled out in the contract – just like any other legally binding contract.
I mean, even now, we have people getting married officially but then drafting a separate private agreement (pre-nup) to cancel out things that are implied by default in the government license. So, really, what is the point?
Just spell out in a private contract what you’re agreeing to and if either one of you can’t agree on that, then you shouldn’t be getting ‘married’. Simple as that.
And as others have said, marriage really is a joke anyways. It’s not any kind of real commitment at all (at least as far as the relationship goes).
“I promise to spend the rest of my life with you…. until I decide not to and ask for a divorce.” Wow – what a sacred institution.
The problem is Prenup Agreements do not deal with child custody or child support. The judge will make a final decision on that. That sucks because the law will always side with the woman.
No, as long as the government recognizes marriage and gives it benefits, equality IS necessary.
The world you want is where governments get out of marriage entirely and make it a personal choice, which is my preference.
Nice article. Would you ever consider writing an article purely on homosexuality?
Probably not.
I may express my political/social views through current events in Asia, but the site’s intention is not to be my soapbox as a standalone.
:o
Fair enough. Your perspective will be highly appreciated though in my opinion :)
It’ll come out eventually, I’m sure.
I wish people would stop acting like marriage is this “sacred” bond that people have. Marriage is not sacred if you can literally take back the vows you told your spouse through divorce.
For better or for worse, my ass.
marriage is considered as a sacred bond in most Asian Countries.we shouldn’t forget that the director involve is a Japanese that was asked about his opinion in AMerica’s view about gay marriage.so, it is basically an asian view about western ideology.Asian countries have more close family ties mentality so marriage is important aspect of the relationship. From a country that has no divorce law as of moment,marriage is view as a lifetime commitment because there are no other options,they have to work it out.
ironically i think the only Asian country left who really thinks marriage is sacred is Korea. Some might still have an illusion that marriage is sacred and magical and should be honored for a lifetime, but realistically a majority of Asians nowadays seem to have no qualms in getting a divorce once the relationship goes sour.
well,the system certainly works to almost all of the people i know! closer family ties means both parents provide a good environment for their children right?I want to have what they have too in the future.from my observation it works because there were no yours and mine mentality here,they practice the “ours”ideology.what parents own is also their child’s property and vice versa.it is a big cobweb structure and sometimes chaotic.
That’s odd, because in 2005 the divorce rates in Korea were almost 50%. The rate has since dropped, but 37% is nothing to sneeze at. That’s a lot of marriages.
Oddly enough, the divorce rate in Korea seems to fluctuate with the economy. The crappier the economy is, the more divorces there are. And vice versa.
@ohforshow-i’m in asian country but i’m not living in korea (~_~),,,we don’t have divorce here,and no,this is not a secluded place either since we are indulging in technologies and equal rights of women and all the other stuff a free country enjoys.I must admit there were cases of illegal separation due to adultery and other stuff,what place on earth that doesn’t right? but it is in our culture and upbringing to maintain a relationship.
that’s for agns as well
Not really, cheating is quite frequent, just like most everywhere else.
i thought we passed up that sex is different from a relationship,they do it,you know,and then move on.
Idk, I think if people can marry the Eiffel tower and their favorite game character, then two guys/girls should be able to get married too. =.=;
These are pretty strong words. There are too much politics, religion or tradition/ cultural norms tied up in this issue so people feel emotional about this.
What we feel may not be what others feel, necessarily in the same way.
(That photo of him is creepy. “Do you like what you see?” No bitch.) Anyway, this marriage thing is beginning to blow off WAY out of proportion, especially when dealing about the presidential election. I’m happy for people that are married because they LOVE each other, but marriage has been a joke (especially in the US) for a long time now. You got people marrying each other just for their own interest. It’s just sad.
(Being general) You must be one bitter bitch to be worrying about someone’s love life and what they want to do with it. Idk, I just think it should no way be in any govt business. Marriage seems like a contract, but a lot of people doesn’t follow it.
What I meant by government business is telling people who should or should not marry. They might as well tell me what type of guy I should have a one night stand with.
Some politicians probably would like to do that.
As much of a supporter for gay marriage as I am, it’s always fun to mess with the overzealous type of supporters.
Like when they say “it’s what makes them happy” for an argument, I bring in the subject of Polygamy (or polyandry) and that’s when it gets REALLY complicated.
At first many want to say no for polygamy, but realize the logic they’ve just used.
Well, there’s the “moral” opposition, true.
But I think the real reason there’s a difference (if we’re talking about legality) between prohibiting polygamy and gay marriage is that you [legally] marry one spouse, not several.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s not contradictory, just a different argument.
For instance, two men buying a home together, raising a child, using health insurance, etc… is a no different than the status quo. However, a man with 9 wives….How do you go about legal definitions of guardianship? Is wife #2′s sons legally the children of wife #5? If wife #3 beats the children of wife #6, can she sue her? And I don’t even want to think about insurance and all that stuff….
I don’t care about polygamy either.
What’s the case against it?
People sure do waste a hell of alot of time trying to make everybody else into their own image.
Besides, this is why I think Artist, Directors, and Musicians shouldn’t talk about there religious views or political views. It takes away from there work. And its very distracting while watching there films or music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEbDmzsHx_0 He’s still win to me.
The way he said it was kind of weird but they misinterpreted nonetheless. People got to realize this mans 65 years old and what he said was more understandable than some of our very own 16-30 year olds.
Thank goodness for their censorship.
I didn’t say I won’t like his work anymore, I’m just saying he comes off like a prick here.
He was in a gay movie, that’s how I remember him hahaha
This gay marriage thing you can agree or not, but the disrespectful comments are totally uncalled for
How IS the gay scene in Japan anyway? Is it looked down on, is it accepted? I’m pretty sure its better than Korea.
This remind me of this funny time when my brother was stationed at Busan, he went to this place called penis park, I was like “….Say what now?” Then I looked it up, and it’s quite..interesting. Especially the folklore behind it all. “Hmm, that’s nice.”
http://www.vagobond.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/korea-237-400×300.jpg
What cracks me up is the veins.
O_o I hope it only shoots cannonballs.
Generally ignored but hardly endorsed. In other words, people will tolerate it, but just don’t try to make it mainstream.
Honestly, I’m not sure Korea would care that much if it wasn’t for the religious aspects of it. Primarily Christian in this case.
I can tell he misinterpreted, but making it as a joke wasn’t a good idea. He’s old anyways, who would be so worked up about ‘im?
I bet he had some wild times during his day. Don’t all/most guys do? Don’t tell me you guys don’t (¬‿¬) College, the lockerooms, your best friend from 3rd grade…
wat
Never got why most gay people want to get married so bad. I get the legal benefits, but beyond that there’s no advantage. Even straight people don’t want to get married. Over 50% of marriages end in divorce. If I was gay, I wouldn’t mind it. No messy divorce, no stress to get married. Well, if gay people want to get married, I say let them, with all the pros and cons that come with it. But really the federal government shouldn’t get involved. At the most, the states should decide it for themselves.
for a hetero couple, there’s almost no legal obstruction to jump over or fight for when they want to get married. but for a gay couple to wed, its as if you’re suddenly being deemed unfit and downgraded to 2nd class citizen just because some twats think that marriage is only between a man and a woman.
how do you feel if you went to a hospital and they told you they can’t treat you because you’re left handed?
Since the government is involved, it’s an equality issue.
If you let the states handle it, you’re saying they should be able to vote on slavery and segregation too.
The Government shouldn’t be involved anyways. I’m not against it, go ahead and let gay people get married. All governments should stay out of the marriage question. I don’t think it’s a state function, I think it’s a religious function. Governments should enforce contracts and grant divorces but otherwise have no say in marriage.
Right, but that doesn’t even appear to be a consideration right now, so as it stands, it’s an equality issue.
Marriage isn’t exactly sacred or all that great anyways, so that was more of my question about it. It’s really about whether marriage is a religious or government thing, and the answer is the former. If the government didn’t get involved at all this wouldnt be a problem. Getting married and being treated for something that could kill you are completely different. You won’t die if you don’t get married.
He looks like a beast himself.