JAPAN'S CANDID CAMERA
Last week, my brother sent me these clips from a Candid Camera-style show from Japan. Initially, I had a good chuckle and didn't think much of them. (The clips don't have subtitles, but quite frankly, I don't think you need them to appreciate.)
But with each passing day, I have become increasingly obsessed with the legal ramifications presented by these clips. I've spent countless moments wondering about Japan's tort liability and whether their legal system provides for claims for intentional infliction of emotional distress and privacy invasions, not to mention punitive damages.
After watching these clips, you'll see that this show preys upon unsuspecting citizens suddenly thrust out into public in humiliating (but hilarious) situations -- often nude -- and, in two segments, possibly in the middle of a bowel movement.
My head swims with questions.
How many of the taped participants sign the release to appear on national television? How much money do the consenting participants get, if any?
And does the release ensure that the production company won't release an "unrated" DVD version where their jewels and junk are available for high-definition viewing en masse?
Also, judging by these clips, the odds are decent that eventually somebody will break her neck, suffer a heart attack, or be propelled into water without knowing how to swim. With a massage chair flipping people backwards onto snow or accelerating down a hill, how does this show protect itself against the possibility of serious or life-threatening injuries?
Finally, let's say someone is horribly embarrassed from being thrust into public naked, in front of her co-worker, and refuses to sign the release. Keep in mind that she didn't do anything to bring this upon herself. Can she bring a lawsuit in Japan? Can she get punitive damages? Does the Japanese legal system minimize the damages caused by such pranks?
I wonder whether the real cultural difference lies in the fact that Japanese adults are more frequently nude in front of each other because of the onsen or public baths.
The biggest question I ponder: Could this show happen in the United States?
I can't imagine it. Any network's lawyers would kill the idea immediately before the first day of taping. Even Fox.
This isn't like Fear Factor, American Idol, Flavor of Love, etc. (where participants sign up to be denigrated in advance) or Punk'd (where celebrities are the victims).
And unlike the arrested criminals in Cops or the adulterous suspects on Cheaters who are taped and humiliated on national television, these unwitting victims didn't bring the humiliation upon themselves and aren't as hard up for cash.
Most of all, this show involves scenarios far more outrageous than anything I've seen on Candid Camera, Wedding Crashers, Oblivious or The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, which, to my knowledge, never involved nudity or deuce-dropping.
As for me? Sure, I'd probably sign a release for a free t-shirt. (Oriental Guys Gone Wild, here I come!) But that's because I have little shame.
On the other hand, most people I know would refuse, rebuke, retaliate, retort with revenge, and/or request thousands in compensation after pinching a loaf in a porta-potty elevated by hydraulic lifts in public view. Just ask Chuck Berry's former female customers who successfully sued for over a million dollars, even though their footage never aired.
In conclusion, Japanese television is awesome.
Labels: Japanese television
