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INTEREST: Sony Apologizes for Keyakizaka46 Idol Group's Nazi-Like Costumes

Don't apologize. You'll only encourage the whiny little snowflakes, and they'll continue to be offended by everything. Put your foot down and tell them to get over themselves.

Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization, asked Akimoto and Sony on October 31 to apologize for the apparently Nazi-themed costumes. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, called the costumes a "deeply offensive presentation" and said “Watching young teens on the stage and in the audience dancing in Nazi-style uniforms causes great distress to the victims of the Nazi genocide.”

I'm not blaming the girls who dressed up in these outfits, because honestly? There definitely was no ill intent. I'm blaming the fact there's little to no understanding the history behind these outfits and the like. If Japan's political situation was better (such as not erasing and revising history in general), and allowed for more schools to properly teach this stuff, I doubt this would commonly happen.

What do you think? Was Sony's apology appropriate? Was the strong international reaction to the costumes unjustified? Tell us in the forum.

Don't apologize. You'll only encourage the whiny little snowflakes, and they'll continue to be offended by everything. Put your foot down and tell them to get over themselves.

Since this time there is a clear case of referring to social media response, if readers don't at least find the costumes questionable then there is a good chance such readers are ignorant on the effects of iconography.

Don't apologize. You'll only encourage the whiny little snowflakes, and they'll continue to be offended by everything. Put your foot down and tell them to get over themselves.

For the record, I'm not defending the situation by any means, but honestly... This is unfortunately not surprising, given Japan's history (and lack of proper education for the younger generation) involving World War II and the like. Plus, in the past, up until around the late 90s or so, Japan prominently displayed Nazi imagery in a number of their games, kids anime, and the like, and it wasn't always presented in a negative manner.

Even shows like Doraemon had a Nazi themed episode (complete with the, I believe, eyecatcher showing Doraemon in a nazi style outfit, complete with Nazi solute, if I recall correctly) called "Dictator Switch". To my knowledge, this has been adapted at least twice: Once in the 79 series, and another in the 2005 series. Though the latter is more toned down in nature, the original one wasn't as such.

I'm not blaming the girls who dressed up in these outfits, because honestly? There definitely was no ill intent. I'm blaming the fact there's little to no understanding the history behind these outfits and the like. If Japan's political situation was better (such as not erasing and revising history in general), and allowed for more schools to properly teach this stuff, I doubt this would commonly happen.

Don't apologize. You'll only encourage the whiny little snowflakes, and they'll continue to be offended by everything. Put your foot down and tell them to get over themselves.