Japan is a polite society regardless if they hate you or not, but I guess over-generalized stereotypes are being applied to those issues/problems that you are discussing here.

For example, one of my old professors handles the JET program which sends Americans (primarily recent grads out of college) to teach English over in Japan. However, the requirements are very strict, and it is really hard to get accepted into this program. I am sure that these people do have Japan in their best interest, and probably know and realize that some of the recent grads they sent over, may or might have caused some problems for companies (ie Dokomo). This in turn may have led these corporations to act a certain way towards "foreigners" - by asking for all sorts of IDs etc. I'm sure they aren't being totally like "dickheads" (excuse my language), but I'm sure they are taking extra precautions (well in the cases mentioned so far... extra extra precautions).

I mean I guess you can parallel that to here in the US. Look at all the "precautions" America is taking to protect our country (yeah right). One is by by stereotyping all people who look like "terrorists" or look like they came from Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan or any Middle-Eastern country. Take for example one of my friends who is from Bangladesh, is Muslim (has the traditional long beard and all), who kind of resembles Osama (it's a long standing joke amongst friends), who gets pulled over in the airport (or at other major American checkpoints for terrorists), gets arrested, treated like a criminal, when all he is doing is going to see his wife or coming back from seeing his wife. This has happened so many times, and he's the only one who gets pulled over by the cops or feds or whatever, and is searched and handcuffed. Now, you guys are going to tell me that's not racial profiling?!

Oh, and don't forget the background checks that the FBI/CIA is doing on everyone who lives in the US. Our pure, civil "right to freedom" is totally being violated... ya know what... don't let me get started on that issue... lol

I think this is a more worse-cased scenario than the cellphone story (which is outlandish also), however, at least many of us don't have to go through stuff like that. And I'm glad Madpierrot that you finally got a cellphone! sorry you had to go through all that trouble though.

If i offended Mikecash (who is the republican in this forum) I'm sorry, but living in New York totally opens your eyes to everything out there. And for that matter... i guess im all out Democratic & join the many people who want to impeach Bush lol. (but this is not time for my political views of our president to be published here lol)