(cache) Tashiro Masashi

Last update Dec 21, 2001

The reason we vote to Masashi Tashiro for Person of the Year.

TIME's "Person of The Year", this is loved as things of every year-end and It's plan that the person who got most polls from wide readers covered TIME's cover. Last year, The President George Bush junior covered.

This year, we met the tragedy at 911. got sadness and anger.

Of course, The tragedy is biggest matter in this year, and we must not forget the tragedy, and can not. but yet, we should nominate Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush to Person of the Year? We don't think so.

I'm one of persons voted to "Masashi Tashiro". My opinion is not everybody's opinion. However, there are some persons not a little who voted in same idea. My purpose is appealing against peace.

"Masashi Tashiro" is a foolish man. He is comedian in Japan who was arrested by peep, banished from the entertainment world, and wade to come back but arrested by peep again.

But this is message from us.

We voted for against getting Osama bin Laden rankings first. Because I think to make this trivial man first ranking will be an anti thesis of this war in operation by US.

I oppose to war. I wish as many people as possible to receive the real intention with which this vote was loaded if you please.

Masashi Tashiro's profile.


	Name	/ Masashi Tashiro
	Date of Birth	/ Aug 31, 1956
	Blood Type	/ A
	Height, Weight	/ 172cm, 65kg

Give your voice! to marcy_poy@yahoo.com

Voter's voice.

Minoru Nakayama - Thursday, 12/20/01, 11:05:16pm (#1198 of 1200)

"Masashi Tashiro? Who the hell is this guy?", you may say.

I confess honestly that I voted to him, shortly after I'd read a message on a BBS, "2ch", huge but Japanese-language local, that invited Tashiro as TIME-POY2001.

Did I expect Tashiro to win the crown of TIME-POY2001? No, absolutely not. TIME will not and should not choose such a local trivial person as its worldwide symbol of the year.

Then why did I actually vote? Well, that's too difficult to explain in a line along with some analytical reasoning process. My decision process was, say, much more Zen-Buddhism-like. When someone says, "That's the matter especially supremely important", the other responds, "Did you eat yet?"

Tashiro, the great man only famous locally in far-east islands, devotes his life to Love and Peep.

Suzuki Utamaro - Thursday, 12/20/01, 2:33:17pm (#1175 of 1200)

"Masashi Tashiro" is definitely the "Person of the Year" among the internet community in Japan.

He is a ex-celebrity fallen from grace due to his scandalous behaviour, which was widely reported by the Japanese Mass Media.

His downfall and subsequent expulsion from entertainment business was sympathised by many, who identified his human weakness and unfortunate circumstance to that of their own. With massive layoffs currently conducted by companies while unemployment is at record highs in Japan, there are other things people are more concerned about than the 911 tragedy.

So called "2channel bulletine boards" is the gathering place for those unfortunate Japanese known as "Chu-bo",who have very litle hopes for the future with economy in extreme recession. Perhaps "2channel" is the only place they can speak their mind and express their own frustration without the restriction of the strict code of conduct bestowed upon them by the rigid Japanese society.

Therefore, the downfall of once a hero Masashi Tashiro may have hit closer to the heart of Chu-bo's, than say the heros such as NY firefighters who are so far remove from them, and therefore very hard to identify with.

For example, more people died in the 1995 Kobe earthquake than on 911, which also was a tragedy of massive proportion, but the attention paid by non-Japanese mass media to that event was minimal compared to the tragedy of 911. The amount of donation was nothing compared to the donation collected for those who lost their loved ones on 911...

The "Person of the year" as far as a voter is concerned just depends on his/her circumstance and not necessarily a person involved in the most widely reported event by the mass media.

To some people President Bush is a hero, but there are also some who look upon Usama Bin laden as a hero too. It is just a matter of opinion and which side you happen to be on.

I hope the "person of the year" will be chosen fairly, reflecting the opinion the voters.

(From CNN.com / COMMUNITY)