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By Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers

I live in Japan. I am an American.

My mom is Japanese and my dad is a USA hillbilly. He was a career US Marine. Fought in Korea in 1st Marines division and trained lots of guys to go be killed in Vietnam.

I do not believe that the current USA police forces have “Institutional Racism.”

Many mayors of cities have black mayors. Many of those mayors appointed black chiefs of police. I do not, for one second, believe that these fine police chiefs would tolerate “Institutional Racism” amongst their staff.

If anyone would not tolerate “Institutional Racism” amongst their staff, it would be those black police chiefs.

As an aside, I don’t believe there is such thing as a society. “Society” is an abstract. I believe that the world is filled with individuals who form into groups. Individuals, hopefully, do not ascribe to “Group Think” hence I believe that “Institutional Racism” is a canard.

Institutional racism would require that every individual would ascribe to that theory. I do not believe that in today’s USA that this is true.

Of course, there are certain individuals who practice a hatred for a certain race or religious group, but I believe that is an exception to the rule, rather than the rule.

A good example of “Institutional Racism” would be the treatment the Americans of Japanese descent received during World War II; to be confined in Concentration Camps in the USA.

I think, and hope, that we are way past that.

When I was a boy, my father was a US Marine. He would retire as a career US marine gunnery sergeant.

We lived, when I was a child, on the marine bases. I had Black friends, White friends, Latino friends and a very few half-Japanese friends.

In 1965 or so, we moved to the US Marine base in the South. I don’t remember what state we lived in. Maybe it was Georgia, or Tennessee, or?

At that place, I had a best friend named Luther. We used to catch fireflies in the summer. He was such a great guy.

I was surprised to see, so many years later in a photo, that Luther was black.

So he wasblack? Who cares? He was my best friend.

Now, I live in Japan. I like it here. There is little to no crime and 5-year-old children can ride the trains and subways by themselves and nothing ever happens to them.

Three years ago, the TV commentator, Stephen Colbert made a comment that, “Trump was Putin’s Cock-holster.” I was shocked that such a homophobic comment could be made. I was even more shocked when some of my old friends seemed to cheer this comment on.

Why was I shocked? I was a lead singer of a sort of legendary punk band in Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Punks were supposed to be totally inclusive (or so I thought). But no! Because Mr. Colbert was ragging on Trump, it seemed to be OK amongst my former friends.

I protested and told them what I have just told you.

They attacked me and railed on what I was saying. I told them that, “I live in Japan. Japan has had gays and transvestites in society for more than 400 years. Even those beautiful women you see in Kabuki are all men.”

They retorted, “Oh? So I suppose you are now going to tell us ‘I have black friends.’”

I replied, “Well, I do have two black friends and I have two white friends too. I live in Japan.”

The Japanese all believe that Japan is the best place to live (I am American and I agree). I have been all over the world and found that everyone thinks their country is the best place to live.

I guess that is the way it should be.

Maybe the USA is the best place to live. I don’t know. I like Japan.

But I do know this “Institutional Racism” amongst the police in the USA is, well, not true.

Go ask the Marines.

Article edited by: Matt Bigelow

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