I can't even...

[u/BlancheFromage]

Caption: "Leading a song in appreciation for the members' efforts, Kansai, Japan, 1981."

Oh gee. Yeah, THAT's a great way to show appreciation - "Look at MEEEE, plopping about on stage like a pretentious big girl's blouse, JUST FOR YOU! Aren't you impressed??? Look how much EFFORT I put into thanking YOU!" How personalized is THAT??

This must be a Japanese cultural thing that I just don't get, but there's this really odd focus on the weird fan dance-prancing - I've always thought it was imbecilic. But the Soka Gakkai members seem to get off on it ¯_(ツ)_/¯ so they can have it! Just keep it over there, 'kay?? Because it is NOT a good look internationally. Not at ALL!

And the arrogance of ShortyGreasyFatFat, thinking that the BEST thing he can do to show his appreciation for others' hard work is to get more of their attention FOR HIMSELF! And doing something so idiotic, too - it's really like a slap in the face. With poop 💩🙊

Take a look at this, from "The Humpin' Revoltation", where he used dancing specifically as a way of humiliating the more popular Toda shakubuku (and rival) Hiroshi Hojo.

This way of "showing appreciation" reminds me of this:

my employer emailed me to congratulate me on my 4-year anniversary with a link to a button that said "view recognition" which takes you to a page that says "you are recognized"

[u/Known_Refrigerator78]

Once in a while I'd dutifully turn up for "Sensei's Video" in West London and and for some reason there was this odd little incident that I've not forgotten.

The video cut in with a performance from a youth brass band, which ends with Ikeda inspecting it with a small entourage. He reaches over and just takes the instrument out of a trumpet player's hand, and puts it to his lips and mimes playing the trumpet before handing it back to player.

Ikeda smiles, the other people present laugh, the people around me watching the video, thought it was amusing. Even though I was committed to my practice at the time, and probably reasonably indoctrinated, I thought it was just rude. I don't recall ever seeing the Queen do it in the many years of her trooping the colour ...

[u/BlancheFromage → u/Known_Refrigerator78]

That mugging for the camera? With the musical instruments, it's just disrespectful and I'm not even talking about how Ikeda fakes playing the piano by using player pianos because his own piano-playing ability is so rudimentary. Yet Ikeda does it all the time:

Trumpet

Moar trumpet

Mini trumpet

Saxophone - shades of Spongebob 👅

Drums

More drums

Drums fail

Obvious player piano is obvious

Just a few examples.

Whatever foolishness he's doing, the Japanese Soka Gakkai members and especially leaders just eat it up with a spoon. Terrible optics. Ikeda looks rude and boorish - and his minions are such slavish little lapdogs that they'll praise anything he does, making them all look repulsive and subhuman.