Yakuza
If you have ever seen the Harry Potter movies, or read the books, you may know about an evil character known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or Voldemort. The premise behind this character is that he is so horrible, so evil, that even uttering his name can bring misfortune (and should be avoided!).
While this seems a little dramatic, I just experienced something that makes me wonder if J.K. Rowling ever spent time in Japan or did research on this culture when composing the storyline. I know she sampled from Norse mythology when writing her stories (an obvious example being the half-wolf character, Fenrir), but the reaction I received when asking about a certain sector of the Japanese community this afternoon could be compared to nothing less than what I perceived Voldemert would elicit. The word was Yakuza.
I have heard you can spot a member of the Yakuza-the Japanese version of the mafia-by their blue tattoos and the sunglasses they wear. I have been told the Yakuza's legacy goes as far as 400 years back (although I think the group is an amalgamation of different organized crime groups from throughout Japanese history), and - as I discovered - members are still highly feared (possibly revered?) in modern society. Things are getting better now, but some traditional bathhouses and even gyms, for example, will not let you use their services if you have tattoos because of the stigma behind them.
So during the afternoon last week, I was just standing with two colleagues, not talking about anything specific. Then somehow the topic changed, although I am not sure how or why, and I said the word 'Yakuza'. The conversation stopped right then and there. Both of the women I was speaking to hushed me, and one sat down. Then they looked nervously around, which made ME a little nervous.. wondering WHY. Ummmm, do we WORK with the mafia?
When I questioned the reaction (partially out of sheer curiousity and shock), my colleague warned me never say that word out loud again. She said they are not nice people and might hurt me if they hear me say their name. So I apologized (earnestly - I didn't know!) and went back to my desk. I explained to another lady I work with what had just happened and asked - a little confused - if we are not supposed to talk about 'them'. Do we ignore them? What do you call them? Will they really hurt you for saying their name? She seemed less concerned with the topic and taught me another, more polite name to use for this club, but it was still in a whispered tone.
If you don't hear from me for a few weeks, maybe I was not supposed to write about them either. Ok, maybe not funny, but what an interesting reaction. See the Voldemort connection?!
While this seems a little dramatic, I just experienced something that makes me wonder if J.K. Rowling ever spent time in Japan or did research on this culture when composing the storyline. I know she sampled from Norse mythology when writing her stories (an obvious example being the half-wolf character, Fenrir), but the reaction I received when asking about a certain sector of the Japanese community this afternoon could be compared to nothing less than what I perceived Voldemert would elicit. The word was Yakuza.
I have heard you can spot a member of the Yakuza-the Japanese version of the mafia-by their blue tattoos and the sunglasses they wear. I have been told the Yakuza's legacy goes as far as 400 years back (although I think the group is an amalgamation of different organized crime groups from throughout Japanese history), and - as I discovered - members are still highly feared (possibly revered?) in modern society. Things are getting better now, but some traditional bathhouses and even gyms, for example, will not let you use their services if you have tattoos because of the stigma behind them.
So during the afternoon last week, I was just standing with two colleagues, not talking about anything specific. Then somehow the topic changed, although I am not sure how or why, and I said the word 'Yakuza'. The conversation stopped right then and there. Both of the women I was speaking to hushed me, and one sat down. Then they looked nervously around, which made ME a little nervous.. wondering WHY. Ummmm, do we WORK with the mafia?
When I questioned the reaction (partially out of sheer curiousity and shock), my colleague warned me never say that word out loud again. She said they are not nice people and might hurt me if they hear me say their name. So I apologized (earnestly - I didn't know!) and went back to my desk. I explained to another lady I work with what had just happened and asked - a little confused - if we are not supposed to talk about 'them'. Do we ignore them? What do you call them? Will they really hurt you for saying their name? She seemed less concerned with the topic and taught me another, more polite name to use for this club, but it was still in a whispered tone.
If you don't hear from me for a few weeks, maybe I was not supposed to write about them either. Ok, maybe not funny, but what an interesting reaction. See the Voldemort connection?!
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 12:10 AM
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