Before returning a book I had checked out about Japanese society, I read a passage about the problem of an aging population. In case you haven't heard, this is a pretty big deal here. It's so big that they offer a course on the effects and are willing to give credit to sociology students like me. Okay, it's a lot bigger than that.
The thing that struck me about the passage, though, was that it was published probably in the early 1980's. The passage stated that approximately 10% of the population of this island nation was over 65, the official "old person" minimum age. It talked about how so many older people would live with their children due to a lack of sufficient pension pay. Their children who were in positions where they could still legally be employed were forced into supporting aging parents, along with their own families. (Forced retirement goes into effect at age 65 here.)
These three generation homes are becoming more and more rare as the years go on. The percentage of the population over 65 years old is now well over double that which was stated at the time of publishing of the book I was reading. They predict that it will be 40% before too much longer. Maybe another 20-30 years? Pretty much, the pyramid that once made up the ages of the Japanese population is on its way to being inverted. Those unable to work will no longer be the minority, supported by the younger generation. People are having fewer kids, so expected one's child to support one in older age, like The Japanese Today claims was the case nearly 30 years ago, is no longer a viable option. With the drop, pensions that were unable to support the aged when they only made up approximately 10% of the population have no hope of supporting the growing aging population. Add that to the economic situation that prevents so many young people from finding steady jobs, and I think it's safe to say that we have some problems on our hands.
Even without even mentioning all the phantoms collecting pension (who are probably dead and just not registered as such), there's a lot of things to think about when touching on this subject. There is nothing simple about it.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Big Picture
No more of this personal stuff. Instead, let's take one thing and examine it.
Going to classes and listening to lectures about things without having the ability to get into a discussion is not what I want to be doing with my time. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to take a few more classes with foreign lecturers and smaller numbers.
One thing about taking 14 classes this term is that it certainly gives you a lot to think about. Seeing how it all connects revitalizes my desire to learn. I want to know more. (Like, I would really like to know when my books will arrive. Tomorrow, maybe?)
Horror as a body genre.
Why do people watch horror, and why should it be pleasurable?
I am a horror fan. But if asked what I like about the genre, could I really pin it down? Could I really defend my infatuation to a nonbeliever?
If fear and terror are in anticipation of the moment, and horror is the repulsion that comes as a response, then what really happens during that moment? Is that where the ecstasy comes in?
I feel that it's the overall experience that brings me back to the horror section at the movie rental shop. You know it's coming. You just don't know when. When you see it, you are repulsed, yet intrigued. Perhaps you laugh at the characters on screen, running over and over in your mind how you would have known exactly what to do, had you been the person running from zombies, hiding from an axe murderer, or whatever else. You see the human error and can think up alternatives, much like how in hindsight everything is much clearer.
But just how much of that is true? When actually faced with the same kind of situations we see from the comfort of the other side of the glass, how many of us actually step up and act the way we so lightly say we would? How many of us do 'the right thing'?
Let's think of crime for a bit.
Living in this city in particular where public transportation is a given in daily life, witnessing inappropriate behavior is not uncommon. There is reason as to why there has been such a recent surge in the proper manner campaign for the subways. But more of a problem than that is the problem of chikan.
I didn't realize this until it was pointed out by a friend relatively recently, but the sexual harassment, molestation, even, is only identified as such when an assailant's hand enters a garment. If the hand doesn't make it into panties, it's not chikan.
Now. That just seems strange to me.
Unwanted anything is sexual harassment in my mind. But, if we just ignore what my personal convictions are for now, there's more to this issue. Sitting on a train and seeing someone move suspiciously close to a high school girl in a school issued skirt as she looks uncomfortable, glares at the man and tries to move away, isn't there something you could be doing? Isn't there a slot somewhere between this and when the claim of chikan is considered relevant wherein you could step in with an, "excuse me, but what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Fantasy, and the world of perfection in films gives us an opportunity to play the holier than thou card. Maybe that's the true appeal to absurd situations presented in neat packages. Horror films give us opportunities that the majority of us will never find ourselves in. In this, there is safety. We can play out alternate sequences of events without the awful taste in our mouth left to make us feel bad about what we should have done. We can maintain our innocence while witnessing the grotesque.
Going to classes and listening to lectures about things without having the ability to get into a discussion is not what I want to be doing with my time. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to take a few more classes with foreign lecturers and smaller numbers.
One thing about taking 14 classes this term is that it certainly gives you a lot to think about. Seeing how it all connects revitalizes my desire to learn. I want to know more. (Like, I would really like to know when my books will arrive. Tomorrow, maybe?)
Horror as a body genre.
Why do people watch horror, and why should it be pleasurable?
I am a horror fan. But if asked what I like about the genre, could I really pin it down? Could I really defend my infatuation to a nonbeliever?
If fear and terror are in anticipation of the moment, and horror is the repulsion that comes as a response, then what really happens during that moment? Is that where the ecstasy comes in?
I feel that it's the overall experience that brings me back to the horror section at the movie rental shop. You know it's coming. You just don't know when. When you see it, you are repulsed, yet intrigued. Perhaps you laugh at the characters on screen, running over and over in your mind how you would have known exactly what to do, had you been the person running from zombies, hiding from an axe murderer, or whatever else. You see the human error and can think up alternatives, much like how in hindsight everything is much clearer.
But just how much of that is true? When actually faced with the same kind of situations we see from the comfort of the other side of the glass, how many of us actually step up and act the way we so lightly say we would? How many of us do 'the right thing'?
Let's think of crime for a bit.
Living in this city in particular where public transportation is a given in daily life, witnessing inappropriate behavior is not uncommon. There is reason as to why there has been such a recent surge in the proper manner campaign for the subways. But more of a problem than that is the problem of chikan.
I didn't realize this until it was pointed out by a friend relatively recently, but the sexual harassment, molestation, even, is only identified as such when an assailant's hand enters a garment. If the hand doesn't make it into panties, it's not chikan.
Now. That just seems strange to me.
Unwanted anything is sexual harassment in my mind. But, if we just ignore what my personal convictions are for now, there's more to this issue. Sitting on a train and seeing someone move suspiciously close to a high school girl in a school issued skirt as she looks uncomfortable, glares at the man and tries to move away, isn't there something you could be doing? Isn't there a slot somewhere between this and when the claim of chikan is considered relevant wherein you could step in with an, "excuse me, but what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Fantasy, and the world of perfection in films gives us an opportunity to play the holier than thou card. Maybe that's the true appeal to absurd situations presented in neat packages. Horror films give us opportunities that the majority of us will never find ourselves in. In this, there is safety. We can play out alternate sequences of events without the awful taste in our mouth left to make us feel bad about what we should have done. We can maintain our innocence while witnessing the grotesque.
Perspective
It's a little funny to see on this same page an entry from October of 2009 wherein I claimed that the sudden rise in minimum GPA for extending the scholarship would make my future so uncertain. It turns out that the GPA requirements weren't nearly as unachievable as I had first imagined. Well, that is assuming that my university only uses grades from the last two years, the two years that you are actually placed in your department of study. I'm pretty sure that that's how things work here. Way too much of this is incredibly vague.
Just as you think you've grasped something, it takes a step back. You just gotta keep up and overtake it, right?
mm...
Just as you think you've grasped something, it takes a step back. You just gotta keep up and overtake it, right?
mm...
Monday, December 6, 2010
Directions
In the last few weeks, I feel like I may have found some direction for my life.
Heavy stuff.
There are five major options that have reared their heads in my direction.
1. Grad School - Japan
2. Grad School - US
3. Generic Job Hunting - Japan
4. Generic Job Hunting - US
5. US Foreign Service
Let's take a look at these individually, shall we?
1. Grad School - Japan
Until recently, this seemed like the natural progression of my aimless adventures in Japanland. I never gave much thought beyond getting to Japan before actually coming here, and so the idea of thinking about anything beyond that just confused and frightened me for the longest time. Whenever faced with the question, "so, what are you going to do after you graduate?" I would make a face and say I hadn't thought about it too much, yet. A lie, yes, but ultimately much easier than going into the details of my actual thought processes. With a recent series of changes in the ministry of education and all else, simply going on to Grad School doesn't seem so solid anymore. So why should I focus so much on this, when I could be spending my energy on...
2. Grad School - US
Maybe I need to face facts. Getting a higher degree in Japan and then hoping to put it to use back in the States is considerably more idealist than an equivalent degree from an American school. Even if I were to go pretty far in my studies here, could I really put that to use here? How about in the States? Somewhere else? Not so likely. But with the vast differences in styles between undergrad programs in the two countries, how prepared can I really call myself for a graduate program in the United States?
3. Generic Job Hunting - Japan
As a Junior in an undergraduate course at a Japanese university, I see most of my peers carrying new smart phones to match their suits, always running off to some job seminar or conference or another. I kind of promised myself that I wouldn't let myself fall into that trap, but with the change of system for continuing school, I shook myself into registering for a couple of job hunting websites. But even if I were to enter a Japanese company, what sort of role could I possibly fulfill? Would I be a token foreigner? The default English-checker? Would I fall immediately into the mold of Ex-pats living in Japan, constantly complaining about the lack of equal rights? (Which is a subject I don't even want to start on right now. It leads in far too many other directions.)
4. Generic Job Hunting - US
Classmates from high school in the US are all graduating soon, if they haven't graduated yet. The job market is terrible. Okay, yes, the same can be said for Japan. Okay, yes, I suppose my resume would maybe peak some interest, but the beautiful part about companies back there is the fact that applying for a job isn't limited to a short time frame, a common gripe about job hunting in Japan. I don't feel so much pressure to land a job right now if I were to try to find a job outside of Japan.
5. US Foreign Service
A couple of weeks ago, a friend suggested that I check out the government postings for jobs, something my mother has told me to do since I was sixteen years old. Upon looking at the foreign service's section at the state department's career section, I got that familiar, yet oh-so-long-forgotten feeling in my chest, moving up toward my throat. This is what I want. This is what will inspire me to study.
And so it's begun. I'll be spending a lot of time in the library from here out.
Heavy stuff.
There are five major options that have reared their heads in my direction.
1. Grad School - Japan
2. Grad School - US
3. Generic Job Hunting - Japan
4. Generic Job Hunting - US
5. US Foreign Service
Let's take a look at these individually, shall we?
1. Grad School - Japan
Until recently, this seemed like the natural progression of my aimless adventures in Japanland. I never gave much thought beyond getting to Japan before actually coming here, and so the idea of thinking about anything beyond that just confused and frightened me for the longest time. Whenever faced with the question, "so, what are you going to do after you graduate?" I would make a face and say I hadn't thought about it too much, yet. A lie, yes, but ultimately much easier than going into the details of my actual thought processes. With a recent series of changes in the ministry of education and all else, simply going on to Grad School doesn't seem so solid anymore. So why should I focus so much on this, when I could be spending my energy on...
2. Grad School - US
Maybe I need to face facts. Getting a higher degree in Japan and then hoping to put it to use back in the States is considerably more idealist than an equivalent degree from an American school. Even if I were to go pretty far in my studies here, could I really put that to use here? How about in the States? Somewhere else? Not so likely. But with the vast differences in styles between undergrad programs in the two countries, how prepared can I really call myself for a graduate program in the United States?
3. Generic Job Hunting - Japan
As a Junior in an undergraduate course at a Japanese university, I see most of my peers carrying new smart phones to match their suits, always running off to some job seminar or conference or another. I kind of promised myself that I wouldn't let myself fall into that trap, but with the change of system for continuing school, I shook myself into registering for a couple of job hunting websites. But even if I were to enter a Japanese company, what sort of role could I possibly fulfill? Would I be a token foreigner? The default English-checker? Would I fall immediately into the mold of Ex-pats living in Japan, constantly complaining about the lack of equal rights? (Which is a subject I don't even want to start on right now. It leads in far too many other directions.)
4. Generic Job Hunting - US
Classmates from high school in the US are all graduating soon, if they haven't graduated yet. The job market is terrible. Okay, yes, the same can be said for Japan. Okay, yes, I suppose my resume would maybe peak some interest, but the beautiful part about companies back there is the fact that applying for a job isn't limited to a short time frame, a common gripe about job hunting in Japan. I don't feel so much pressure to land a job right now if I were to try to find a job outside of Japan.
5. US Foreign Service
A couple of weeks ago, a friend suggested that I check out the government postings for jobs, something my mother has told me to do since I was sixteen years old. Upon looking at the foreign service's section at the state department's career section, I got that familiar, yet oh-so-long-forgotten feeling in my chest, moving up toward my throat. This is what I want. This is what will inspire me to study.
And so it's begun. I'll be spending a lot of time in the library from here out.
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