Ninjas - by request of Miriam

I thought I'd do a quick post on Ninjas.

Now, ninjas. They are perceived as awesome...am I right? I seem to remember loving the Teenage Mutant *Ninja* Turtles...or whatever they are called now. And being a person with stealth, agility, awesome jumping skills, and being loved by millions of children...who wouldn't leap at the chance of being one?

Well...let me think of just one film...'The Last Samurai' - the ninjas attacked the Samurai base, and they pretty much all died at Tom Cruise's hand. They weren't cool in that film...they were evil trying to kill the Samurai leader.

See? I just don't know where my opinion lies anymore.

I guess ninjas are just stereotyped as cool...even though historically, they were quite devious people in battles and espionage. They would disguise, not just in black, but as different people like priests and entertainers -- very devious indeed. You just wouldn't know who to trust!

However, as this 'ninja' word has developed over the years...it lost its true history, and was replaced with people who wear black and can do karate. This is almost spitting in the face of proper ninjas who would train and study for years to become qualified to serve their country. They were seen as having superhuman powers, by being able to 'shapeshift' and splitting into multiple bodies - this illusion shows how great they were at their position.

So even though the people with headbands who can do karate are loved by millions, why are the people who perform illusions and do stunning acrobatics for their work forgotten?

I can't say I've studied Japanese culture in regards to ninjas, maybe they were evil...I can't say. But from my current stance, the word 'ninjas' should not be used so lightly...as it used to be a term people would have to earn.

Hope you enjoyed my post - Miriam requested it.