# debito (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover debito. Page: Feed: --- ## [Dal granchio blu alla cimice asiatica: l’Italia scopre l’economia delle invasioni climatiche](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/ambiente/dal-granchio-blu-alla-cimice-asiatica-litalia-scopre-leconomia-delle-invasioni-climatiche/) _2026-08-21 · Paolo Bozzacchi · The Watcher Post_ Dal granchio blu alle invasioni biologiche, nuove emergenze ambientali stanno trasformando pesca, agricoltura e industria italiana. L'articolo Dal granchio blu alla cimice asiatica: l’Italia scopre l’economia delle invasioni climatiche proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Il mattone che non conosce crisi: le seconde case di lusso raddoppiano in dieci anni](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/economia/il-mattone-che-non-conosce-crisi-le-seconde-case-di-lusso-raddoppiano-in-dieci-anni/) _2026-08-20 · Redazione · The Watcher Post_ Il mercato delle seconde case di lusso in Italia raddoppia in dieci anni: quasi 6.000 compravendite sopra il milione di euro. Da Cortina a Portofino, fino ai laghi e alla Costa Smeralda, cresce la domanda estera e l'offerta resta scarsa. L'articolo Il mattone che non conosce crisi: le seconde case di lusso raddoppiano in dieci anni proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Iran: Trump ora vuole “strangolarlo” economicamente, mentre debito Usa tocca livelli record](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/news/iran-trump-ora-vuole-strangolarlo-economicamente-mentre-debito-usa-tocca-livelli-record/) _2026-08-20 · Giampiero Gramaglia · The Watcher Post_ Gli Stati Uniti superano i 40 mila miliardi di dollari di debito pubblico, mentre Trump annuncia una nuova guerra economica contro l’Iran. Tra sanzioni, mercati e tensioni con Cina e Russia, cresce l’allarme sui conti americani. L'articolo Iran: Trump ora vuole “strangolarlo” economicamente, mentre debito Usa tocca livelli record proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Starlink contro gli operatori telco americani: una lezione per l’Europa?](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/top-news/starlink-contro-gli-operatori-telco-americani-una-lezione-per-leuropa/) _2026-08-19 · Redazione · The Watcher Post_ La prima trimestrale di SpaceX da quando la società in borsa conferma la sua strategia: diventare un operatore mobile negli Stati Uniti. L'articolo Starlink contro gli operatori telco americani: una lezione per l’Europa? proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Iran, si alza la retorica di guerra, Trump ‘si annette’ Hormuz, Teheran mette Europa nel mirino](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/esteri/iran-si-alza-la-retorica-di-guerra-trump-si-annette-hormuz-teheran-mette-europa-nel-mirino/) _2026-08-19 · Giampiero Gramaglia · The Watcher Post_ Usa e Iran alzano la retorica di guerra e, secondo il Financial Times, Teheran si prepara a colpire obiettivi nell'Europa sud-orientale. L'articolo Iran, si alza la retorica di guerra, Trump ‘si annette’ Hormuz, Teheran mette Europa nel mirino proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Le prime settimane di Andy Burnham](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/esteri/le-prime-settimane-di-andy-burnham/) _2026-08-19 · Gianni Pittella · The Watcher Post_ I sondaggi iniziali segnalano un recupero dei laburisti e il superamento del partito di Farage. Questo segnala più di un rimbalzo tecnico. L'articolo Le prime settimane di Andy Burnham proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Non solo IA: la Top5 delle IPO è la foto dell’economia post-Covid](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/news/non-solo-ia-la-top5-delle-ipo-e-la-foto-delleconomia-post-covid/) _2026-08-19 · Paolo Bozzacchi · The Watcher Post_ Le 5 aziende che hanno raccolto più capitale in Borsa (IPO) di sempre: ecco le imprese che stanno facendo la storia economica del XXI Secolo. L'articolo Non solo IA: la Top5 delle IPO è la foto dell’economia post-Covid proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Iran: chiusa la finestra negoziale, Trump è nel pantano e minaccia l’Oman](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/usa/iran-chiusa-la-finestra-negoziale-trump-e-nel-pantano-e-minaccia-loman/) _2026-08-18 · Giampiero Gramaglia · The Watcher Post_ In che modo la stampa americana sta osservando i contatti negoziali tra USA e Iran. L'articolo Iran: chiusa la finestra negoziale, Trump è nel pantano e minaccia l’Oman proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Miliardari italiani raddoppiati in 10 anni. Come cambia il loro profilo](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/news/miliardari-italiani-raddoppiati-in-10-anni-come-cambia-il-loro-profilo/) _2026-08-18 · Paolo Bozzacchi · The Watcher Post_ Erano 43 nel 2016. Sono diventati 90 nel 2026. In soli dieci anni il numero dei miliardari italiani è aumentato del 109%. L'articolo Miliardari italiani raddoppiati in 10 anni. Come cambia il loro profilo proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Ucraina, Zelensky mostra le carte; MO, Netanyahu punta i piedi; Iran, stallo](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/esteri/ucraina-zelensky-mostra-le-carte-mo-netanyahu-punta-i-piedi-iran-stallo/) _2026-08-17 · Giampiero Gramaglia · The Watcher Post_ Il punto sui conflitti più insidiosi. Come sta evolvendo la situazione tra Ucraina, Medio Oriente e Iran. L'articolo Ucraina, Zelensky mostra le carte; MO, Netanyahu punta i piedi; Iran, stallo proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [Your 24/7 AI Media Buyer (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/qUFDeq1XnrpZ) _2026-08-17 · **Sponsored**_ Finds placement, geo, and funnel leaks and proposes fixes you approve ## [Perché il debito pubblico italiano è sempre più cool per gli investitori internazionali](https://www.thewatcherpost.it/news/perche-il-debito-pubblico-italiano-e-sempre-piu-cool-per-gli-investitori-internazionali/) _2026-08-17 · Paolo Bozzacchi · The Watcher Post_ Oggi il debito pubblico di Roma sta diventando sempre più una presenza stabile nei portafogli degli investitori internazionali. L'articolo Perché il debito pubblico italiano è sempre più cool per gli investitori internazionali proviene da The Watcher Post . ## [SUMMER TANGENT: What is your favorite “Sodai Gomi no Hi” find, or story?](https://www.debito.org/?p=17760) _2026-08-11 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Following up from yesterday's blog entry on "Big Garbage Day", let me ask Readers: What's the favorite thing you've found in the Gomi? I'll start: Tatami mats. Took them back to my one-room apartment and instantly felt like I had leveled up in life. During my first few months of my first year in Sapporo in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. Good thing I was only aged 22 and it was a bachelor pad.… ## [Debito’s SNA VM column 77: “Big Garbage Day and The Purge”, a light, relaxed summer slice-of-life in Japan essay on how long-term lifestyles for NJ Residents are doomed (Aug 9, 2026)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17755) _2026-08-09 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Intro: “Dave! Dave! Get over here! I’ve found it! The Holy Grail of ‘Big Garbage Day’!” It was Joe ringing Dave’s keitai first thing in the morning. It wasn’t the first time. It was that regular time of the year in certain parts of Japan that for some foreign residents was better than Christmas: Sodai Gomi no Hi. That day was quite a celebration during Japan’s Bubble Era of the late 1980s-early… ## [Aly Rustom on the unequal treatment of being Gaijin Carded for phone service at Rakuten Mobile. Anyone else?](https://www.debito.org/?p=17750) _2026-07-18 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Rustom: On July 5, 2026 my wife, and I went to change my carrier to Rakuten mobile. A week earlier in my wife had already changed to RM and the process was taking too long so I couldn’t get my carrier changed on the same day as well. Therefore, we elected to go on the 5 of July. All went well and smooth until the staff member directly asked me for my Zairyu card. I remembered last week that he… ## [Debito’s SNA VM Column 76: “The Semiquincentennial vs. The Bicentennial” (July 4, 2026). After my hometown fifth-grade class opened a 50-year time capsule last month, a reflection how America has made a hash of its 250th Birthday, but foreigners brought a better party instead.](https://www.debito.org/?p=17724) _2026-07-05 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ This column is about living history, where I returned to my hometown of Geneva NY to unseal a time capsule we created in 1976 in fifth grade, and unlocked a lot of memories of the Bicentennial. I take this occasion to compare it to the current Semiquincentennial. Excerpt from the middle: ============================ "I’m fortunate to have experienced two commemorative years for America: the… ## [DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, JUNE 2026](https://www.debito.org/?p=17740) _2026-06-30 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ I write Debito.org SNA "Visible Minorities" columns once a month (SNA website here) and send Debito.org Newsletters to subscribers sporadically. After sending, I archive them here, and below, Debito.org Readers have been adding recent issues and articles that concern them regardless of the content of the post over the past several years. It’s been a good way to allow Readers to be heard and… ## [Debito’s Shingetsu News Agency Visible Minorities column 75: “Japan’s Foreigners and the Four Worst Words”, on how Japan’s recent public policies making NJ Resident lives more miserable is what happens when NJ continuously self-disenfranchise (May 28, 2026)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17715) _2026-05-28 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ I recently received this question from a reporter: "Sanseito, which has promised to put 'Japanese First,' made a strong showing in the 2025 Upper House election. Some wonder why those who voted for the party were not aware that the slogan could promote discrimination and anti-foreigner sentiment. I would very much appreciate it if you give us your take on this." My answer was: "After several… ## [Debito’s SNA column 74: “Life under a mad king”. Subtitle: Everyone is learning what happens when the world’s most powerful man goes crazy (April 7, 2026)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17697) _2026-04-11 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Intro: The world is living under a rogue regime -- or rather, a rogue individual -- who is wielding unprecedented power. Think about it: Donald Trump is Commander-in-Chief over the world’s mightiest military in history, and deployed it worldwide far beyond the empires of yore (Roman, Persian, Ottoman, British, Russian, Chinese...). He also has his finger on the button of the second-largest (if not… ## [“Internationalisation in Name Only: What Japan’s ALT System Reveals About Structural Limits in Education Reform”. Book summary of “More Than an Assistant”, by Nathaniel Reed (Amazon KDP, Global Classroom Author, 2026)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17699) _2026-04-10 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Summary: For decades, Japan has presented itself as an increasingly international society, and its education system has been one of the most visible sites of that effort. Tens of thousands of non-Japanese educators have been recruited into public schools to support English language learning, often framed as part of a broader commitment to global engagement. On paper, this appears progressive. In… ## [Japan Times, “What you need to know about Japan’s new joint custody system: Advocates say that the changes will allow both parents to remain involved in the raising of their children”, March 24, 2026. On landmark legislation that came into effect on April 1, about 25 years too late for our generation of parents](https://www.debito.org/?p=17708) _2026-04-01 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Intro: Joint custody for divorced parents will be allowed from April 1 in Japan — one of the few jurisdictions in the world where custody has been granted to only one parent — in one of the biggest reforms to the country’s family law in decades. For the first time ever, revisions to the Civil Code and related laws will allow parents to choose between sole custody or joint custody following a… ## [Chovy's Blog: Agentic Coding (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/XwwZrVSnP3Dn) _2026-04-01 · **Sponsored**_ Personal posts on agentic coding, moshcode CLI, and security findings. ## [Debito’s Shingetsu News Agency col 73, “Revolution is Due in America” (March 1, 2026). Democracies happen because of a Middle Class, but you have to keep it fed and watered. America is no longer doing that.](https://www.debito.org/?p=17691) _2026-03-01 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Conclusion: Despite its 250th anniversary, American democracy has always been a bit creaky, with norms instead of laws that a chief executive could exploit. Countries that used the American model for their Nation-State wound up with autocratic executives. America didn’t because it got lucky. And because of that it never learned the outcomes of populism like France did. “It couldn’t happen here”… ## [DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, POST-ELECTION FEBRUARY 2026](https://www.debito.org/?p=17688) _2026-02-09 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ I write Debito.org SNA "Visible Minorities" columns once a month (SNA website here) and send Debito.org Newsletters to subscribers sporadically. After sending, I archive them here, and below, Debito.org Readers have been adding recent issues and articles that concern them regardless of the content of the post over the past several years. It’s been a good way to allow Readers to be heard and… ## [My Shingetsu News Agency Visible Minorities column 72: “Confronting AI in Higher Education” (Jan 27, 2026), with decent primary source data on the harm being done to universities — by enabling students in the Social Sciences to cheat.](https://www.debito.org/?p=17684) _2026-01-30 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Excerpt: I teach Political Science, and have an express zero-tolerance policy towards the use of AI in students’ submitted assignments. Two semesters ago, my policy was to give zeros on assignments in the first instance and Fs in the course for repeat offenders. But last semester, this became untenable as AI reached the event horizon. AI went from something students were still discovering to being… ## [DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, JANUARY 2026](https://www.debito.org/?p=17666) _2026-01-01 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ I write Debito.org SNA "Visible Minorities" columns once a month (SNA website here) and send Debito.org Newsletters to subscribers sporadically. After sending, I archive them here, and below, Debito.org Readers have been adding recent issues and articles that concern them regardless of the content of the post over the past several years. It’s been a good way to allow Readers to be heard and… ## [Mainichi & Asahi: 40% of Japan’s local govts received complaints about their policies designed to help NJ Residents. This fits a history of coordinated efforts from Far-Right internet trolls nationwide to stymie conscientious public policy. Hence being the “Good Gaijin” will not help you assimilate in this political climate.](https://www.debito.org/?p=17668) _2025-12-22 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ I post these two articles because they offer evidence that becoming a part of Japanese society isn't just a matter of being "Good Gaijin", e.g., contributing and behaving until "your outward appearance causes no particular problems". These are good things to do, of course, but they are not a panacea, because the Netto Uyoku (Far-Right Internet Xenophobes and Trolls) in Japan are so well organized… ## [My SNA Visible Minorities column 71: “Karen Hill Anton’s Willful Ignorance of History” (Dec 1, 2025), on how a self-declared spokesperson on behalf of Japan’s Visible Minorities is hurting them by deliberately ignoring info counter to her narrative](https://www.debito.org/?p=17655) _2025-12-15 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ If you've never heard of author and memoirist Karen Hill Anton, her accomplishments are impressive. After five decades of living in Japan, Anton has been hired for diversity training consultancies at corporations such as Shinsei Bank, Corning Japan, Eli Lilly, and Citigroup. A Freeman Foundation Fellow and Plenary Speaker at JALT 2022, Anton has also been a member of the Jun Ashida Educational… ## [Japan commentator Karen Hill Anton writes on “What Racism is — and isn’t — in Japan” (her Substack, Nov 12, 2025). I critique, as it’s under-researched and willfully ignorant of the historical record. UPDATE: Karen responds on her Substack to say anyone is “free to disagree” with her, then deletes all of our correspondence from her Substack (which I archive as screen captures here)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17614) _2025-11-16 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Karen Hill Anton, a memoirist, writer, and longtime columnist and commentator on Japan I respect a great deal (and have met in person), recently wrote something on her Substack that I take great issue with. It's not only poorly researched. It misrepresents history, distorts the science, and even winds up disrespecting the activists who invested so much of their lives into this issue. For example,… ## [My SNA Visible Minorities column 70: “Takaichi’s PM Election Changes My Projections”, on how I have to recant my previous column because this new LDP party leader and probable PM is bad news (Oct 8, 2025).](https://www.debito.org/?p=17605) _2025-10-05 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Excerpt: PM Ishiba has since resigned his post and the LDP has had new elections for party leader. Stump speeches between successor candidates fell for the anti-foreigner hype and launched a foreigner-bashing olympics. Eventually the extremist candidate won, despite her weird past policy positions, overtly racist statements, and lying about, of all things, foreigners assaulting deer in a park. Say… ## [DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, SEPTEMBER 2025](https://www.debito.org/?p=17603) _2025-09-26 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ I write Debito.org SNA "Visible Minorities" columns once a month (SNA website here) and send Debito.org Newsletters to subscribers sporadically. After sending, I archive them here, and below, Debito.org Readers have been adding recent issues and articles that concern them regardless of the content of the post over the past several years. It’s been a good way to allow Readers to be heard and… ## [My SNA Visible Minorities col 69: “Japan’s Rightward Swing is Overblown” (Aug 24, 2025), on how the emergence of Sanseito shouldn’t be ignored but it doesn’t deserve the media hype, as its ideas are neither new nor well-planned](https://www.debito.org/?p=17596) _2025-08-25 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Excerpt: By the time I completed my column last month, Japan had held its July 20, 2025, Upper House elections. They deserve comment in this space, but not for the reasons you might expect. The major takeaway was that the ruling conservative parties (the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito) lost seats, while opposition parties on the right, left, and center generally gained. Notably, for the… ## [Code Faster with Clear Tutorials (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/wy8Up2LaCPIn) _2025-08-25 · **Sponsored**_ Short, step-by-step coding videos you can follow along ## [Some Q&A with a reporter about Japan’s xenophobia, before the July elections. Do my claims still hold water?](https://www.debito.org/?p=17593) _2025-08-13 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ More than a month ago a reporter asked me some questions about the state of Japan in the run-up to the July 20 Elections. With permission, I gave some pretty thorough answers. They didn't end up getting used, so I'll publish them here. Since my next SNA column will probably develop the thoughts of my answer to Question 4 below, I'm open to your feedback. Thanks. 4) Do you think that… ## [My SNA Visible Minorities 68: “Viewing Trump’s ‘DOGE reforms’ from the inside”, where I interview a civil servant in the US Government on how the bureaucrat purge is affecting them (July 21, 2025)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17585) _2025-07-24 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Intro: President Trump has been on a mission of sorts to reform the Executive Branch of the American Federal Government. To do so, for a while he appointed billionaire CEO Elon Musk and a number of shady computer experts to fire as many civil servants as possible under a pseudo-department called DOGE, for "Department of Government Efficiency". SNA talked with one civil servant, whom we will call… ## [DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, JULY 2025: ELECTION SPECIAL](https://www.debito.org/?p=17582) _2025-07-19 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Hi Blog. I write Debito.org SNA "Visible Minorities" columns once a month (SNA website here) and send Debito.org Newsletters to subscribers sporadically. After sending, I archive them here, and below, Debito.org Readers have been adding recent issues and articles that concern them regardless of the content of the post over the past several years. It’s been a good way to allow Readers to be heard… ## [My Shingetsu News Agency Visible Minorities column 67: “Int’l tourism has been good for Japan” (June 19, 2025), where I argue that short-sighted criticisms about Japan being “overtouristed” may spoil things, so don’t let the debate backfire into racialized policymaking](https://www.debito.org/?p=17578) _2025-06-20 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Excerpt: The rate of growth of Japan’s tourism from overseas has indeed been startling, tripling from under 10 million to over 30 million foreign visitors in about a decade. From that has sprung a lot of hoopla about Japan is becoming “overtouristed.” A quick Google will find much griping and sniping: overcrowding, traffic congestion, bad manners, garbage, luggage, noise, intrusive photography,… ## [My Shingetsu News Agency VM column 66: “How Trump survives scandals”, where I offer a theory for the longstanding question, “How the hell does he get away with all this?” (April 30, 2025)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17571) _2025-05-02 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Intro: The Trump Administration has just finished its first 100 days. It’s a good time to look back on what’s been done during a president’s “honeymoon period”, the high water mark of his political momentum; and b) it’s a bellwether for the pace and direction of the rest of the presidency. So far the report card is not good. Trump’s approval rating at this point in his presidency is the lowest of… ## [DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, APRIL 2025](https://www.debito.org/?p=17569) _2025-04-19 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Hi Blog. I put out Debito.org Newsletters once a month. After sending, I archive them here, and below, Debito.org Readers have been adding recent issues and articles that concern them regardless of the content of the post over the past several years. It’s been a good way to allow Readers to be heard and engaged. I still put out Debito.org Newsletters, but since I’m only posting once a month,… ## [My SNA Visible Minorities column 65: “Letter from Canada”, where a country weirdly threatened by its southern neighbor, including racist/secessionist merchandise from FBI Director Kash Patel, is somehow taking it all in stride (April 1, 2025, and it’s not an April Fools’ article)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17549) _2025-03-31 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Excerpt: According to the CBC, support for Canada becoming part of the US is highest in Alberta, at 15 percent surveyed, as opposed to nine percent nationwide. That’s why MAGAts target Alberta for annexation. They’ve worked with Canadian separatists for quite some time, with regular networking and megaphoning on social media. But they’ve also been involved in secession rehearsals. In 2022, a… ## [My latest SNA VM 64: “It can only end in violence” (Feb 26, 2025): On how ignoring the rule of law will mean somebody’s going to get hurt, and in a society that goes to extremes like America does, only extreme blowback is going to make the pendulum swing back.](https://www.debito.org/?p=17546) _2025-02-28 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Excerpt: \[Header\] WE LIVE IN EXTREME TIMES… The postwar order of interlocking trade that made the world generally rich and peaceful looks mortally wounded. All thanks to one man, believing his place is secure in the “Great Man theory” of world history, who doesn’t understand the concept of consequences for his actions because he has never faced any in his life. He invokes a turn-of-the-century… ## [HNY 2025: My SNA VM column 63: “Trump’s Weak Mandate” (Jan 20, 2025), on how 47’s victory was in fact a narrow one, and arguably not because people support his authoritarianism. More a worldwide election trend against incumbent parties. Don’t fall for 47’s ploy.](https://www.debito.org/?p=17529) _2025-01-20 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Excerpt: Donald Trump has been sworn in today as the 47th American president, returning to power in what is being built up in politics and media as popular legitimacy for his authoritarianism. Since November, his supporters have claimed that he was re-elected by “a massive margin” (Vivek Ramaswamy), giving him “an overwhelming mandate” (Spokesman Steven Cheung and House Majority Leader Steve… ## [DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, JANUARY 2025](https://www.debito.org/?p=17540) _2025-01-20 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ I put out Debito.org Newsletters once a month. After sending, I archive them here, and below, Debito.org Readers have been adding recent issues and articles that concern them regardless of the content of the post over the past several years. It’s been a good way to allow Readers to be heard and engaged. I still put out Debito.org Newsletters, but since I’m only posting once a month, there’s only… ## [Debito’s SNA Visible Minorities 62: “Electing the Joker” (Dec 10, 2024), on how a trend over the past decades to depict the “villain as hero” in popular culture has influenced politics downstream and made Trump more electable](https://www.debito.org/?p=17522) _2024-12-13 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Opening: I read an inspiring column in the New York Times, “The Supervillain is the Hero Now” (Nov 23), by cultural critic A.O. Scott. It surprisingly offered me a plausible theory as to why Trump got re-elected. Scott’s thesis was that popular culture and politics are linked, in that politics is downstream from culture. That is to say, metaphorically speaking, what condenses in the snowpack of a… ## [DEBITO.ORG READERS’ ISSUES OF CONCERN, DECEMBER 2024](https://www.debito.org/?p=17524) _2024-12-13 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Hi Blog. I put out Debito.org Newsletters once a month. After sending, I archive them here, and below, Debito.org Readers have been adding recent issues and articles that concern them regardless of the content of the post over the past several years. It's been a good way to allow Readers to be heard and engaged. I still put out Debito.org Newsletters, but since I'm only posting once a month,… ## [My SNA Visible Minorities 61: “An Obituary for Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori”: As Trump is set to take the US Presidency again, let us consider the damage wrought by mixing political machines with family ties (Nov 2, 2024)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17518) _2024-11-06 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Intro: Raise your glass. Another authoritarian is worm food. I’m trying not to make a habit of writing obituaries, but people who affected policymaking in Japan just keep dying. I’ve done ruminations on the deaths of Shinzo Abe, Shintaro Ishihara, Henry Scott-Stokes, and even on positive influences such as Ivan Hall and Chalmers Johnson. Now it’s Alberto Fujimori’s turn. Alberto Fujimori, who died… ## [Debito’s SNA VM 60: “MAGA’s roots in Japan” (Oct 3, 2024), where I argue the GOP’s targeting of non-citizens as “pet-eating illegals” in Springfield OH would be rather quaint in Japan. It’s straight out of the quarter-century-old playbook of the Far-Right “Netto Uyoku”](https://www.debito.org/?p=17507) _2024-10-03 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ It’s been called the “silly season” in American politics: The last weeks before the November election, when politicians sling whatever mud comes to mind and hope something sticks. Use the media to define your opponents before they define you. And if innocents get caught in the crossfire, oh well. Too bad. That’s politics. This season’s most insidious indictment of innocents are the false claims,… ## [BLOG BIZ: Devoting my waking hours to teaching these days, so please be patient with monthly updates](https://www.debito.org/?p=17509) _2024-09-23 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Hello Debito.org Readers. I am generally posting around once a month here. Not because of a lack of interest on my part, but because I am working full-time these days at the university level, teaching more credits than ever before on multiple campuses. All of my energies are currently being devoted to my hundreds of students. If I'm not preparing a lecture or giving one, I'm grading papers or… ## [My SNA Visible Minorities column 59: “Kamala Harris and Shorter US Elections”, on how the US, as the “arsenal of democracy” has to do something about its wasteful election system; could Harris have inadvertently provided a template? (Sept 2, 2024)](https://www.debito.org/?p=17498) _2024-08-31 · Debito Arudou, Ph.D. · debito.org_ Intro: I love elections. It’s not just that they are the quickest and most effective way for people to select their representatives. It’s also that elections are a fascinating reflection of how leaders are held accountable in a society, and how often the ruling elites feel they have to listen to the public. Put simply, without good elections, you don’t have a democracy. As a Political Science…