Letters to the editor

The panty police nab one of their own
BY HANK HYENA
(02/03/00)

Daily incidents of "chikan" (men fondling women, notoriously on crowded trains) can be seen on the daily commute to work. Usually the Japanese woman sits passively, pretends she is asleep, and begins shaking while 20 or so people witness the incident. Once a friend of mine stomped on a drunk salaryman's foot, loudly told him to stop molesting the young woman and told him he was a disgrace to society. The woman ran after my friend to thank her. My friend replied, "Next time, do it yourself."

After three years of living in Japan, I, too, was a victim of the infamous panty lovers. I had four pairs of panties and two bras stolen from my second story veranda. I immediately reported the incident to the local police with no luck. No doubt the panties are now being sold in a back alley somewhere in Shibuya.

Certainly it is great that a cop was condemned for taking photos of a girl's crotch. But I have no sympathy for women who don't speak up or wear skirts so short that you can see their underwear when they are walking up a flight of stairs. Wise up, Japanese gals.

-- Stephanie Gorman

Is this child pornography?
BY JAMES R. KINCAID
(01/31/00)

In December 1998, when my twins were one month old, my husband and I snapped pictures of our babies in Christmas outfits. We also decided to shoot some pictures of them naked, thinking a precious picture of their naked bottoms might make a cute Christmas picture to send out. When I went to pick up the pictures from the photo lab, the owners shoved the negatives at me, saying they refused to print them and insinuated that I was a child pornographer. Shocked nearly beyond function, I managed to protest, saying "But these are our twins. They're just naked pictures of newborn babies." They told me we lived in a sick world and that I should leave.

I thought I had entered the Twilight Zone. I drove home in a stunned stupor, told my husband the story and then began a crying spell that lasted for days. As a new mother, full of extra hormones, I was unable to gain perspective. I started to feel as if I had done something terribly wrong. I called a friend for comfort, who in turn called several friends of hers in law enforcement, including a superior court judge. They all told her they were horrified for me, but that I was lucky I wasn't arrested. We took the negatives to another lab and told them the story. Fortunately, the manager at this lab thought the whole matter absurd and gladly printed the pictures for us.

As I read about the cases reported in Kincaid's story, I feel a deep sadness for the unfairly accused. Pedophilia is the worst thing one can be accused of. Their scars no doubt run deep.

-- Catherine Saulino

• View blog reactions