Random Rant/Who gives a shit?

I was reading a recent entry on a blog that I have recently found (click here for the whole thing), and this sentence came up:

Another writer mistakenly believing that just because the name in Korean is "East Sea" that it thus has legitimacy as the English name. Does no one see how ridiculous that line of reasoning is? Nobody's trying to change the name in Korean from 동해 (East Sea) to 일본해 (Japan Sea), they're just objecting to forcing the name change in English.

It's a valid point. Here's an example:


These are flip-flops. But they have other names. In Australia, they're called thongs. In New Zealand, they're called Jandals.

Here's an except from Wikipedia:

Thongs were inspired by the traditional woven soled zōri or "Japanese Sandals", (hence "jandals"). Woven Japanese zōri had been used as beach wear in New Zealand in the 1930s

The modern design was purportedly invented in Auckland, New Zealand by Morris Yock in the 50's and patented in 1957.

Where are all the New Zealanders telling the Australians that they're wrong, and they, nay, the whole world has to change?

Sure, thongs/jandals is very different to the whole Korea/Japan hate-hate relationship. But still, the point is that (any groups of) people have different views/perspectives/outlooks on things, but at the end of the day, it's still the same shit. If it's referred to as "Sea of Japan", people will associate it with Japan, and could possibly see it as Japan's. If it's called "East Sea", won't people look at a map and think "it's east of Korea, so is Korea indirectly saying that it's theirs"?

It's like the Dokdo/Takeshima/Liancourt Rocks thing. In my opinion, it should be called "Liancourt Rocks" because (said in a very "teacher-esqe" voice) Liancourt, you can play with it, because Japan and Korea can't share. They can't have it until they learn to share.

Does the water give a fuck if it's called "East Sea" or "Sea of Japan"?

I'm reminded of a line from an Austin Powers movie:

Got an issue? Here's a tissue.

Could Korea and Japan make a huge tissue to soak up the water, so that they're not bickering about a damn sea name? But then again, they'd probably bicker about it being "East Sea Bed" and "Sea Bed of Japan".