Bullet Point Post: Burakumin

Burakumin may count as an ethnicity in Japan, a social group, a legacy, or it may be invisible. I don't know much about the subject, but I've noticed a few articles lately...

This article says that Burakumin discrimination still exists and the law was recently changed to protect them.

This article is about a minister that is concerned about Burakumin discrimination, and other forms of prejudice, BUT:

He is also mentioned to have written pamphlets about the LDS and Jehovah Witness faiths. This article seems to confirm that those pamphlets are works of religious discrimination, which is ironic considering the religious prejudice which singled out the Burakumin caste in the first place, not to mention he is supposed to be against discrimination period.

I have an axe to grind about people who complain about axe grinding while grinding their own axes. But Burakumin are downplayed as a mere underclass in this article. For the record, I don't think I agree with the author.

Fusuo note collected some links where a guy in the New York Times talked about how a Burakumin may have been blocked from being prime minister, and another guy berated the Times guy.

Finally, it all reminds me somehow of of the invented differences between the Tutsi and Hutu groups.

As always, I'd love to hear from people that know more than my self on this subject.