Arudou Debito

[keatonatron]

While reading one of these other threads I heard about Arudou Debito for the first time. I looked him up on Wikipedia, and I must say... he really sounds like a moron.

First of all, his name is just dumb. And wouldn't it actually be read Yuudou Debito? 有 never uses the kun-yomi when by itself (i.e. no okurigana), but even if it did it would be read as あり.

His reasons for becoming a citizen and the plain fact that he renounced American citizenship to become a Japanese citizen are equally retarded.

He really sounds like one of those "I'm more Japanese than you" nerds that we all hate so much :@

HE'S ONE BIG SHAM ALL THE WAY DOWN TO HIS NAME AND I JUST DON'T LIKE IT.

[hyperconjugated]

Japan, serious business.

[Mike Cash]

Actually, his family name was Sugiwara (wife's maiden name) but he never used it in a public manner. And they got divorced recently anyway. The "Arudou" thing was just a rendition of "Aldwinckle", his original family name.

I have for years been a fly in his ointment, though I have somewhat mellowed toward him of late. I don't disagree with his goals, just with the way he goes about things. Most particularly the Tama-chan idiocy of a few years ago.

[keatonatron]

Ahahahaaaaaaa, and 出人 is デービッド squished into kanji.

Living, walking, breathing proof that foreigners should NOT choose kanji for their names unless they already have kanji specified since birth. (i.e. if you aren't Korean or Chinese, just don't do it)

[coco]

Mike Cash wrote:
Actually, his family name was Sugiwara (wife's maiden name) but he never used it in a public manner. And they got divorced recently anyway.

菅原(すがわら)さん, では? 離婚したんですか。なるほど。

[two_heads_talking]

keatonatron wrote:
Ahahahaaaaaaa, and 出人 is デービッド squished into kanji.

Living, walking, breathing proof that foreigners should NOT choose kanji for their names unless they already have kanji specified since birth. (i.e. if you aren't Korean or Chinese, just don't do it)

I wonder how much all this is word play to him? While it might make no sense to us, or even offend our senses, it seems he actually put alot of thought (warrented or unwarrented) behind his silly name.

I am not completely familiar with him, but he does sound like someone seeking fame by acting the fool. shoot some people want to keep their 15 mins of fame going and going and going.

[Yudan Taiteki]

keat: According to Debito, you have to pick kanji if you become a citizen.

[two_heads_talking]

my friend did not have to pick kanji when he became a citizen. so, I wonder how credible Debito is.

[keatonatron]

Yudan Taiteki wrote:
keat: According to Debito, you have to pick kanji if you become a citizen.

When changing citizenship, I'm all for choosing a real Japanese name and using it as your own. Trying to make up a new one will just create a headache for everybody. (including me when I read about you on wikipedia)

[Shirasagi]

Here's what Japanese Wikipedia has to say:

告示における氏名赴Lに外国文字（アルファベット・ハングル等）は用いられず、すべて日本語（漢字・平仮名・片仮名）に置き換えて赴Lされる。過去においては、当該告示には帰化前の氏名に加え帰化後の日本名（帰化前に日本的通称名を複数使用していた者についてはそれら全て）が括弧付きで原則併記されていたが、1995年（平成7年）3月以降は帰化前の氏名だけが記載されるようになっている。外国人が帰化する際は、日本人風の姓名(いわゆる日本名)を持たなければならないと誤解する者が居るが、現在はそのような制約は無い。単に、瑞ｿ書類の名前欄に、日本の常用漢字・平仮名・片仮名のいずれかで、氏名を赴Lできればそれでよい。かつては、日本名を持たないと瑞ｿが受理されない事もあった。中国系ならば、単に日本の常用漢字に置き換えれば殆ど問題なく赴Lできるが、非漢字文化圏の者は、本名と関連性が無い日本名を持つ事も多かった。ただし現在でも、日本風の苗字があったほうが、印章を作る際に都合が良いので、勧められる事はある。その場合、本名の音読を漢字に当てて赴Lすることが多い。

To be fair, Aldwinckle writes:

Choose a name in kanji (with legal Japanese readings) and/or kana, and that's it.

Aldwinckle naturalized in 2000, so he was not required to have a his name written in kanji, let alone Japanesized. Take that for what it's worth.

[Yudan Taiteki]

It's a little hard to discuss Debito without running into the forum rule against discussing politics, but I always find all the virtiol aimed at him a bit disturbing. I think that if you are a citizen of a country, even a naturalized one, you have every right (and possibly even a responsibility) to fight for equal rights under the law. It doesn't matter why somebody chooses to become a citizen; a country should not have a policy of making naturalized foreigners into second-class citizens.

[two_heads_talking]

that it true and fair Chris. but some people take equal rights to mean they should get more rights than the common man. and when that happens, they deserve what they get for their tomfoolery.

[clay]

From what little I know of him (from watching a video interview) he just strikes me as someone wanting to stir things up and damn the consequences. Most kindergarteners learn life's most important lesson: Life's not fair...

[Yudan Taiteki]

Most kindergarteners learn life's most important lesson: Life's not fair...

Is that what you would have told the African-Americans in the 60s in the Civil Rights movement?

[tanuki]

And from this point this thread can only go downhill.