Depressing Headlines & Cultural Trends
A friend just sent me this news story ("Shoppers Ignore Dying Stab Victim"): http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/04/1183351250746.html
What an awful and inhumane thing to happen, yet, the reason the article was sent to me was because it was not about Japan. I think I would unfortunately be less surprised if it were. My friend felt the same.
Before you start to consider what I am saying as completely racist (read the article and you'll understand why), let me just add that my grounds for such a comment are merely the fact that the form of passitivity displayed by onlookers in this story exists - a lot - here in Japan, and it's a concept I've struggled a lot with. I'll give you an example from a recent news story from Japan. Within the last several months, a woman was raped on the bullet train in front of other people. Nobody called the police. Nobody called the conductor. Nobody helped her at all. They were merely passive; a trait which is far too strong here. And to add insult to injury, it turns out the perpetraitor (the rapist) had done this to other women before! All the other passengers had to do was push the emergency button (like a blue safety light) and this monster would have been apprehended. But they froze (god forbid there were pictures taken...).
This is a topic that gets me really fired up and is fuel for a good discussion (or maybe we should stop talking about it before I get too frusterated)? I know not all Japanese people would just stand by and watch someone get raped or die, but I don't think it's impossible for this to happen. I am embarrassed by the fact that this obviously happens in my country as well (see link), but it's just more common or probable here. I know this is not merely my personal jaded or bitter opinion because it is a discussion that our forienger community has had on multiple occassions (and that we are collectively shocked by). I just thought I would open it up to a wider circle.
While I was out at dinner with two female coworkers a while ago, these women asked me if I had ever been touched on the train to/from school (the Sanyo train line is famous for it). I told them I hadn't experienced froderism in Japan (even though I personally know two women who have been felt up on packed Sanyo trains, near my house - that is why we have women-only train cars for rush hour here), and they wanted to know what I would do if it did ever happen. I told them I would respond by yelling "PERVERT!" (in Japanese). I have heard this is the best thing to do; nobody wants to be shamed as the pervert (which is ironic because they prey on girls knowing they probably won't say anything, when just one word can halt the harassment). Both women looked at me with a look of awe splashed across their faces. "Wow. You are very strong. Very brave." The thing is, I don't consider that an act of bravery (merely protection), I am not that strong, and, conversely, I don't think the passive Japanese women are weak. I am just struggling to understand the submission. Sigh...
Alright, back to reading the news. Something a bit more upbeat would help....
What an awful and inhumane thing to happen, yet, the reason the article was sent to me was because it was not about Japan. I think I would unfortunately be less surprised if it were. My friend felt the same.
Before you start to consider what I am saying as completely racist (read the article and you'll understand why), let me just add that my grounds for such a comment are merely the fact that the form of passitivity displayed by onlookers in this story exists - a lot - here in Japan, and it's a concept I've struggled a lot with. I'll give you an example from a recent news story from Japan. Within the last several months, a woman was raped on the bullet train in front of other people. Nobody called the police. Nobody called the conductor. Nobody helped her at all. They were merely passive; a trait which is far too strong here. And to add insult to injury, it turns out the perpetraitor (the rapist) had done this to other women before! All the other passengers had to do was push the emergency button (like a blue safety light) and this monster would have been apprehended. But they froze (god forbid there were pictures taken...).
This is a topic that gets me really fired up and is fuel for a good discussion (or maybe we should stop talking about it before I get too frusterated)? I know not all Japanese people would just stand by and watch someone get raped or die, but I don't think it's impossible for this to happen. I am embarrassed by the fact that this obviously happens in my country as well (see link), but it's just more common or probable here. I know this is not merely my personal jaded or bitter opinion because it is a discussion that our forienger community has had on multiple occassions (and that we are collectively shocked by). I just thought I would open it up to a wider circle.
While I was out at dinner with two female coworkers a while ago, these women asked me if I had ever been touched on the train to/from school (the Sanyo train line is famous for it). I told them I hadn't experienced froderism in Japan (even though I personally know two women who have been felt up on packed Sanyo trains, near my house - that is why we have women-only train cars for rush hour here), and they wanted to know what I would do if it did ever happen. I told them I would respond by yelling "PERVERT!" (in Japanese). I have heard this is the best thing to do; nobody wants to be shamed as the pervert (which is ironic because they prey on girls knowing they probably won't say anything, when just one word can halt the harassment). Both women looked at me with a look of awe splashed across their faces. "Wow. You are very strong. Very brave." The thing is, I don't consider that an act of bravery (merely protection), I am not that strong, and, conversely, I don't think the passive Japanese women are weak. I am just struggling to understand the submission. Sigh...
Alright, back to reading the news. Something a bit more upbeat would help....
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 2:10 PM
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