The other day, just before leaving for work, I was watching one of the national morning shows. They had a segment on how many Japanese wear clothing adorned with English wording, and how the wearers have no idea what it means.
They poked fun at one boy who was wearing a T-shirt stating he was an "awesome dude," and at women wearing T-shirts saying "love life" and "youth." The reporters and panel giggled as they made fun of the unsuspecting targets of their guerrilla reporting.
Straight after the segment, the show went to the weatherman, who went on to give the day's forecast to the music of Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." As clear as the weather, you heard the lyrics "Life's a piece of sh— when you look at it." I wonder if I was the only one in Japan giggling.
I hope the producers of the show have a good hard look at themselves before they take cheap shots at the average punter on the street next time.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.