Where is the PROOF that the Dr. Rev General Ikeda...

1) saw an incident of racism with children playing with a ball in Chicago
2) said anything about it?

Where is the proof? Is it recorded?
Or is it another outright fabrication by Ikeda and his public relations hacks?

Ikeda is an expert in race relations in Chicago in the 1970's?

This is sheer unadulterated SGI bullshit and propaganda.
They want to portray Ikeda like Caesar...who shows up somewhere and says..."I came I saw I conquered" then they build a statue to the Great Man.

Its vulgar, vile idolatry, the same as practiced by petty dictators around the world.
Who else, other than petty dictators, get their acolytes to build statues of them?

At least the pigeons will have somewhere to sit/shit, on Ikeda's head.

As has been said since the beginning of this thread, Ikeda is an Egomaniac.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2011 07:01AM by The Anticult.

@The AntiCult, well you asked for witnesses. I am not sure I can provide them but the sculptor's website talks about the piece. It is not of Ikeda. It's about the incident he witnessed. Here is the info from the sculptor Margot McMahon's website.

"The sculpture "Peace and Justice" symbolizes the 50 year passionate effort for Peace and Justice that have been the hallmark of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) in promoting racial equality. The sculpture responds to an incident observed by Daisaku Ikeda fifty years ago when an African American child was denied the opportunity to play ball with white children in Lincoln Park. The boys who posed for this sculpture are African American and Caucasian, who live and play together on one block and attend school together. They have grown up knowing a more peaceful and just world in no small part due to the efforts to promote justice by SGI."

It's slimy things like this that make me ashamed to ever having been part of SGI. These days I simply do not mention any previous affilation. Anyone who thinks that Ikeda's observation makes him great probably also deserves a statue. Let's call it a monument to ignorance. How in the world have either Ikeda or SGI made the world more just or peaceful, especially to African Americans, or Asians, or even the Japanese? Again, my problem is with SGI clinging to any flimsy event or comment. To what end? Why are they so desperate? It's that desperate clinging that invalidates any claim to actual Buddhism. What in the world was I thinking when I tried to get people to join? Of course I love the chanting, but there was no way to avoid SGI affiliation and promote the Gohonzon too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2011 12:09PM by doubtful.

Doubtful, slimy is the word for it. I experience a similar disgust for my long membership of SGI when I hear about this stuff.

When I saw the posts about this latest statue, I thought 'how can the existing members not see the vulgar (and undeserved) idolatry that is just the same sort of thing that petty political dictators demand' - to paraphrase Anticult. But then I remember that this sort of thing completely washed over me when I was an active member of this cult. That is how successful the brainwashing and mind control is in the SGI!

I'm actually finding it difficult to chant or practice Buddhism at the moment as these actions remind me of the SGI. I'm hoping that with time I can detach myself enough to practice independently without the feelings of revulsion interfering.

ah, so its not a direct statue of Ikeda, but of some kids, with some notes about SGI and Ikeda? Thought it was another statue of Ikeda.

But who is going to believe that in the 1960's that Ikeda was hanging around the park and saw some kids refuse to play with other kids based on race?
It just sounds completely concocted and fabricated for media relations.

So race relations in Chicago and the US are better due to the SGI and Ikeda? That makes no sense at all. What has SGI ever done in the US about race relations?
If anything, it just displays how tone-deaf Ikeda and SGI are to the US.

but if you think about it, this is coming from the same SGI propagandists who try to link Ikeda with Martin Luther King, like they did with their traveling exhibit.
MLK is of course a cultural hero to many, and Ikeda wants to link himself to King, without realizing how ridiculous it looks to people.
Its very flimsy propaganda.

Someone should take a video camera, and go into Lincoln Park in Chicago, and ask random people playing ball or walking around what the 2 most important things that Daisaku Ikeda did for race relations in Chicago.

Think of the blank stares.
Who? Ikeda who? Never heard of him.
You would not find one single non-SGI person in that park that has ever even heard of Daisaku Ikeda.

Show them a photo of him.
Nothing.

Ask them in what way Daisaku Ikeda worked for "justice".
There is nothing there.


Then ask them what Martin Luther King did.

What a complete fraud. People in SGI have been brainwashed, almost like they are in some type of wacky cult or something!

Hilarious discussion ensues when racial equality and SGI get linked together. Too funny!

I recall in the early 70's hearing all sorts of talk about how NSA and SGI were "fighting so hard for racial equality". In fact, one Japanese member commented to me how the awful it was that we "Americans" just had so many "racial problems" in our country.

I asked him what he thought of the "Burraku" people in Japan and how he felt about non-Japanese being forbidden from owning property nor being eligible for Japanese citizenship. That basically shut him up.

If Ikea wants to set a great example of how SGI is "fighting so hard" for racial equality, perhaps they can start in their own backyard where discrimination is rife against the NiSei and especially the "war babies" from returned GI's in the 60's. As I mentioned also about the Burraku and the Japanese government's ShoHon and ToHon practices of observing the purity of the race.

Equality indeed!

Wakatta1

@Simplify

Quote
simplify
Doubtful, slimy is the word for it. I experience a similar disgust for my long membership of SGI when I hear about this stuff.

When I saw the posts about this latest statue, I thought 'how can the existing members not see the vulgar (and undeserved) idolatry that is just the same sort of thing that petty political dictators demand' - to paraphrase Anticult. But then I remember that this sort of thing completely washed over me when I was an active member of this cult. That is how successful the brainwashing and mind control is in the SGI!

I'm actually finding it difficult to chant or practice Buddhism at the moment as these actions remind me of the SGI. I'm hoping that with time I can detach myself enough to practice independently without the feelings of revulsion interfering.

It is actually pretty transparent. Self promotion is at the core of it. Membership lagging and funding dropping? Why not a statue commissioning and dedication ceremony? Press releases flying all over, and even the membership gets a warm & fuzzy feeling that they are a part of the struggle for social justice. There was a time with NSA when there were prudent and fair-minded people who would raise their voices against things that were so circumstantially contrived, but I'm sure they were swept away long ago when the "great gohonzon xerox campaign" began.

Truly a pity.

Does anyone know whether Tiger Woods has had any past link-ups with NSA/SGI? I suspect not since as much publicity hunger that SGI has, I would have heard about it by now.

Wakatta1

Wakatta, I believe that Tiger Woods explored Theravada Buddhism, going to a Thai temple with his mother.

And you're right, the Japanese are in no position to throw stones at the United States for its racial issues. In Japan, there are three groups that suffer from heavy discrimination: the Burukumin, who are Japanese, but the descendents of members of the "eta," or untouchable caste, descendants of Koreans who were brought to Japan as slave labor during World War II, and the mixed-race children of Japanese women and American military men. Indeed, has SGI ever had anything to say about that? Somehow, I doubt it. For all that SGI bills itself as a world peace organization, the SGI-backed Komeito party voted to support the Persian Gulf War, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq -- to get other things that it wanted from the more powerful Liberal Democratic Party.

SGI is just all about power and money...period.

From page 45 of this thread:

---------------------Beginning of Quote-----------------------------------------------------

there was talk around the time of the Persian Gulf War. At that time, Komeito opposed the PKO (UN sponsored Peace Keeping Operations) bill. (The bill would have the Japanese government fund Desert Storm.) The LDP planned to send 9 billion dollars from the emergency fund of the fiscal year's budget to support the Persian Gulf War, and the measure had to be completed by March, the end of the fiscal year. At that time the opposition parties held a majority in the Upper House, and there would not have been time for passage of the measure if it had been voted down in the Upper House and sent back. Therefore, the LDP looked to Komeito;It was decided to kill a small insect (the tax audits) in order to let a large insect (aid for the Persian Gulf War) survive. It was precisely at that time that the National Tax Administration began auditing the Soka Gakkai."

It's significant that SGI describes itself as "A WORLD PEACE ORGANIZATION." Members are urged to constantly chant, and work for world peace! If I'm reading this correctly, Watanabe is saying that the Komeito Party agreed to vote to send funds to support the Persian Gulf War -- if the Liberal Democratic Party would stop the audits on SGI's financial irregularities. ;The Komeito was also willing to vote to send members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force to support Coalition forces in Iraq -- again, in order to please their LDP partners. About 2,000 Japanese Soka Gakkai members petitioned the Komeito not to do this -- given SGI's stance on World Peace. The Komeito promptly ignored them.
--------------------End of Quote-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2011 03:52AM by tsukimoto.

And of course SGI can find a open-hands on city council...Chicago-style...who will take SGI's money.
Ikeda's people found a nice "friendly" city that does business the Ikeda-SGI way.
With cash.


[www.slate.com]
Why Is Chicago So Corrupt?

"The Chicago Sun-Times reports that in the last three decades, at least 79 local elected officials have been convicted of a crime, including three governors, one mayor, and a whopping 27 aldermen from the Windy City. What makes Chicago so corrupt?"


[www.nbcchicago.com]
"Cook County a "Dark Pool of Political Corruption"

A study by the University of Illinois at Chicago says the nation's second largest county has been a "dark pool of political corruption" for more than a century.


Nearly 150 employees, politicians and contractors in the nation's second-largest county have been convicted on corruption charges since 1957, according to a report released Thursday by the university and the Better Government Association (.pdf)

The 33-page study gives a history of corruption, starting from 1869 when county commissioners were jailed for rigging a bid to paint City Hall. It also details hiring scandals, including some under Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. Stroger hasn't been charged with any crime.

In the last 36 years, 31 sitting or former Chicago alderman have been convicted of corruption or other crimes. The last was Ike Carothers (29th), who earlier this month plead guilty to charges he accepted gifts in exchange for his votes on zoning issues."

@Wakatta1 who wrote, "If Ikea wants to set a great example of how SGI is 'fighting so hard' for racial equality, perhaps they can start in their own backyard where discrimination is rife against the NiSei and especially the "war babies" from returned GI's in the 60's. As I mentioned also about the Burraku and the Japanese government's ShoHon and ToHon practices of observing the purity of the race." Thank you for reminding us of that. Most of us outside of Japan would not have any idea of the level of hypocrisy and slimy-ness involved. @tsukimoto, who wrote, "In Japan, there are three groups that suffer from heavy discrimination: the Burukumin, who are Japanese, but the descendents of members of the "eta," or untouchable caste, descendants of Koreans who were brought to Japan as slave labor during World War II, and the mixed-race children of Japanese women and American military men. Indeed, has SGI ever had anything to say about that? I wonder how many statues or sculptures there are commemorating Ikeda's observations on the treatment of the children of any of the aforementioned "undesirables"? I used to let the members off the hook pretty easily but I am starting to wonder why I have. I participated in and the promoted the denigration of Buddhism, pitching it as a "get-stuff" philosophy; stood by and watched many equate Ikeda with Gandhi and King; invoke Ikeda's honorary doctorates; sang "Forever Sensei" with tears and passion; and resented guests (especially friends or acquaintances) who were turned off, not on by our presentations at discussion meetings. What in the world was I thinking? When I get together with current members, I do my best to avoid the subject of SGI, especially its veneration of Ikeda, since they are entitled to come to their own conclusions. I still think nothing beats the actual practice of chanting daimoku but I have a hard time drawing a line between the daimoku and the kids playing ball in Lincoln Park.