Monday, August 24, 2009

Some People Think Out Loud, While Taro Aso…

If you believe Asahi Shinbun (and there’s no reason not to), at a Sunday night talkfest with a group of students:
Student: Isn’t it because young people don’t have enough money to get married that people don’t married and that leads to fewer children?

Aso: It’s better not to get married if you don’t have money; I think so too. You better not do such a thing thoughtlessly. It wasn’t like I was someone who didn’t have money. But I married late. Can you be respected when you’re not earning any money? That’s pretty difficult.
…But admit it though, we do have to agree with our Prime Minister—Money must have been the least of his problems in getting married.

Incidentally, in a new, “non-”campaign pamphlet—sorry, unavailable on the LDP website— the LDP is accusing the Japan Teachers’ Union for (among other things) promoting promiscuity. Now you’d think that with the disastrously low birth rates, the Aso administration would be thanking Nikkyoso for pushing unprotected teenage sex. But what do I know?

ADD: My bad. Here’s the pamphlet. Wait, there’s more!

2 comments:

Mark said...

I love Aso. I'm really going to be sad when he gets the boot.

Jun Okumura said...

Mark: I haven’t responded to the rest of your comment. And I’ve forgotten where it is! Could you point me to it, so I can think it through?

And you’re right. There is something memorable about Aso’s gaffes. Some of them are actually jokes taken out of context (not that public figures shouldn’t be careful, as even the extremely self-aware Obama has had to learn). But others are otherworldly.