"This is what invokes some people’s scars so it should be banned for use."
One week back, the Australian gold medal favourite Jack Robinson posted a photograph of his quiver of Arakawas for the Olympics, the four sleek rides each emblazoned with the Japanese Imperial flag aka the Rising Sun.
The Japanese Imperial Flag was proudly flown by the Japanese military during its failed attempt to own the Pacific and sits alongside other controversial flags such as the Soviet Hammer and Sickle, the Nazi Swastika and the US’s own Confederate Flag.
Jack Robinson, a kid from Margaret River, is unlikely to’ve been blessed with an interest or even schooling in mid-twentieth century history, and was merely paying tribute to his idol, the great Andy Irons, whose Rising Sun trunks kept Billabong staff in bonuses for half a decade in the early 2000s.
There was a little pushback on the post, not much, and I was surprised, therefore, when it was deleted.
Now, it can be revealed that it was a protest from Team South Korea that led to the bottom of Jackie’s boards being painted over in red, although you are still able to see the faint outline of the rays of the original design.
“I saw his post, thinking that board can’t be used because Olympics is a pure sports event,” South Korea’s team manager told Reuters. Eventually the South Korean Olympic team visited Australian counterpart not to see that board during the Games.
Team manager Song said although he was aware of its links to Andy Irons it’s important surfers got to know a little about the Rising Sun flag’s links to Japan’s dark history.
“I do want to tell people that even if this design is chosen out of personal views, it can be embarrassing. This isn’t about South Korea protesting but this is what invokes some people’s scars so it should be banned for use despite freedom of expression.”
Imperial Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945 was marked by atrocities that left deep scars on the Korean people and their collective memory.
Rape, tortures, massacres, women and girls forced into sexual slavery, etc etc and etc.
Eighty years later and we’re all best pals, Jap Empire, the German Reich, which is great don’t you think?
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I feel graped everytime I see the pic of Gabes fly away. Reminds of the grown Smurf serenading us with his ball sack resplendent in profile for all 150 million of us to swoon too.
Don’t the sell masking tape in Tahiti? What a fucking half-arsed attempt at spray painting.
Naval flag has the circle offset.
Never understood a Hawaiian rocking the Japanese rising sun flag.
Not that it’s healthy to hold onto generational grudges but I remember my grandmother spewing I was going to Japan for a snowboard trip because they invaded Australia. Left over trauma from blacking out windows and heading in the backyard bomb shelter for false alarm bomb raids I guess.
Japanese locals now run the local government in Hawaii. Ingrained in local culture they were all farm immigrants back in the day and earned there place.
What flag is the most trauma-triggering for people that are alive today, i wonder…
Spoiler, its IS or US
The one exporting freedom and democracy
Guessing Andy Irons never went to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
Every night with AI was kinda like Pearl Harbor.
Would AI have sold out to compete in the Olympics on their terms only?
Does a cocaine shark shit in the ocean?
Subtle jab at Trev’s home school curriculum there Dez!
Oh I think Trevor did remarkably well in some regards, those related to sport. but believe he might’ve done his lil man a disservice by skipping the profound joy of learning history.
True story about Com’s dearly departed grandfather in the Pacific Theater—he enlisted later in the war and was trained to fly Corsairs for the Marine Air Corp. Finally, he’s sent out on his first mission shortly after hiroshima and nagasaki on the afternoon of August 15, 1945. 20 minutes after takeoff, his carrier radios him to tell him to return to the carrier. Emperor Hirohito had announced that the Empire of Japan had unconditionally surrendered.
At the time, he was pissed he didn’t get to see any combat. Later in life, he told me that he was grateful that he didn’t have to face real combat—not because of the risk of death, injury, or becoming a POW, but because he didn’t ultimately have to carry the burden of killing other men on his conscience for the rest of his life.
When I was in high school my step grandmother died. Her family sent my mom a box of his things. Had a flag, some medals, and a photo of him and a buddy with shit eating grins holding a severed Japanese head.
A precious keepsake!
My grandfather saw combat against the Japanese in Solomon Islands. He was originally in a tank but tanks were shit in PNG (too muddy) so they got reformed into a landing craft company. The US was chasing the Japs all the way home and the Marines told the Aussie HQ there were no Japs left on Bougainville. My grandfather went there in the landing craft to mop up. Turned out there were still 10,000 Japanese still on the Island.
Pops never once spoke about combat and we didn’t even learn about the battle until just before he died. 23 of his mates died there on that beach. Even late in life if ever the Japanese were on TV (for any reason) he’d mutter under his breath “The bluuuuddddddy japs!!!!”
He had some mementos from the Army and I think he even had a Katana but he threw out a lot of shit later in life. I don’t know where it ended up.
When he was in his 90s I dated a Korean and then a Japanese girl. He never said anything bad about them. I think he liked both of them. But his enmity for the Japanese died hard.
How many wars have the USA started (and innocent civillians killed as a result). Time to ban the good ol stars & bars?
come on now—we’ve finished way, way more wars than we’ve started
https://uploads.disquscdn.c… South Koreans can’t have beef with Jah.
the racism in Japan to the Koreans is on a par with…..Australia and it’s Koori first nations people….
Is the Jewish state flag , now the new swastika of 2000s ..asking for a friend not on FB.
that would be the MAGA hat
Time for your shower
And this is where it’s important to study history!
well replied, Dekka
Land of the RobinSon!
Most badass trunks ever faaack AI!
I was stationed in Okinawa late 80’s the local gangs on their 1100cc’s flying the Rising Sun, engines screaming, chased by the police, also badass
Are you a fighting man? Marine?
Air Force linguist, spying not shooting for me sir!
How cunning.
Early 80s echo Beach were rad.
I believe bikes over 500cc were never sold in Japan. Only “round eye” were allowed to have liter bikes. A sort of payback those death machines.
I thought Kanoa and Connor complained because it was cultural appropriation
Kanoa’s new boardies https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Official flag of Cronulla!
Theyd all perform better with squid games rules!!
based on this logic, all flags should be banned, as every country in the world have committed some offense included in the list of atrocities, except maybe Switzerland.
Rising Flag, Nazi swastika, particularly vile with atrocities still in living memory.
Yes and now we can add the Israeli flag to that list.
Don’t forget to ban any Palestinian flags as well, for their hideous slaughter of over 1200 people in Israel on 7 October, when the Hamas people decided to start a war with the State of Israel and the IDF, a war they knew they would lose and during which thousands of their people would die.
A lot of those 1200 were actually killed by IDF going in guns blazing without caring who they shot.
not arguing the point, just saying not many countries without a stain in their collective undies
Phillip K Dick’s Man in the High Castle does a fabulous job of imagining life under the Japanese Empire and the German Reich. West Coast, Japan, East Coast, Nazis. If reading ain’t y’thing, Prime got it as a TV series.
Cheers Dez, just finished The Boys, needed something new to watch!
haven’t seen Man in the High Castle yet, but will watch. no time to read novels these days, just too busy, but read heaps on WW2 when I was traveling a lot, especially when I was living in Japan.
You ever read Clavells books on Japan?
Japanese were brutal.
Some of my wife’s family were captured and imprisoned by them in the Philippines, others hid in the jungles and were constantly on the move to avoid the soldiers. her Grandmothers stories are harrowing.
Check out a guy named Chick Parsons.
Suggest you read some of the “Flashman” books by James MacDonald Fraser. In particular Flashman and the Dragon. The Chinese would wrap you in like a wire corset so that your skin would poke out between the gaps, then they would slice individual pieces off you with a razor. It’s where “death by 1000 cuts” comes from.
I’ve read bit of it.
when I lived throughout Asia I read a lot of Asian history, fictional and non-fiction.
ah Switzerland probably prolonged WW II for 2 years by providing financial assistance and munitions to Adolf and his mob……very sad story where the Suisse accepted Nazi Gold and stripped Jews of their wealth……just sayin!
ban their flag too, then.
Looks too much like an ambulance anyway.
Ambulance flags were specifically designed to be the inverse of the swiss flag, to imply neutrality.
Banks in general have no moral compass. They bet on whoever they think will win a war.
Owned a few Toyotas and Subaru or two. Also had a VW but never considered a Kia or a Hyundai..
Yeah, wouldn’t touch a Korean or Chinese car or Russian or British or American. But them Japanese, ooweee, Lexus forevs.
I thought you were an Audi guy!
Gotta be a mechanic a fool or wealthy to own those
I bought a GWM, you know, because Sally.
Did you get a best shed to park it in?
Go German. Simply amazing.
Toyota Landcruiser the only car you’ll find on a mine site in Australia. Has to be white though. Otherwise too hot in the sun.
Kia has 100k mile warranty tho
Ha yeah never bought a car with less than 200k on the clock…
That’s the break in period for a Toyota
How did the south Korean team go in tahiti ? I must have missed their heats
Better than expected, Filipe was head coach…