ひさびさ
Got the new image of Malcolm X (マルコムXの(わたしにとって)新しい一面について)
We have talked about him, Malcolm X, for the last few days. This interview was very astonishing for me... How brilliant he was!!! Especially his way of talk is quite different from his image I had gotten in my life so far.
He has been represented as violent, rebellious and being filled with anger. However, when you watch this interview, it is quite remarkable that he was very cool hand, even philosophical and rational. And, it was the most surprising for me that... he was skinny (I mean he was not hunky...!!). So, where did the image of Malcolm X I had had come from??? Maybe people have emphasized the differences between him and King too much. But, actually they had a lot of similarities in their message and approach.
Additionally, his English is very understandable, I mean he didn't have strong accent. One of my Chinese friend agreed with me very much... maybe because he has been struggled with this problem too, native's strong accent.
Anyway, this interview is very interesting. Malcolm talked about the slavery he had experienced using his own history, based on his NAME. And, you'll notice how irreverent the interviewees were during his talking. Their comments against him were totally out of the mark.
先週の倫理の授業でマルコムXのインタビューを観たんだけどこれが超面白かったのだ!
インタビューの中で、マルコムは奴隷制がいかに自分たちの尊厳を奪ってきたかを自分の名字をもとに話している。(マルコムXという名前はもちろん出生名ではない。彼は自分のもともとの名前を知らない。なぜなら自分の保有主が小さい時に自分の名前を変えちゃったから。彼の父親も自分の名字を知らない。)
てゆーかさ、マルコムXって世界史で名前しか習わなくない?キング牧師のアプローチの方が後世評価されたからだと思うんだけど、だからってマルコムXを雑に扱うことないのに。キング牧師が平和的で、マルコムXが暴力的だと一概には言えない。2人ともメッセージ性や活動自体の強烈さ、凄まじさは同等だと思うよ。なんか、マルコムXはアウトローみたいな描かれ方をされがちだけども。インタビューを観たわたしのマルコムXの印象は、知的・聡明・そして痩せてる!! キング牧師の方が体格いいじゃん!!!とか思った笑 あと英語がすっごく聴き取りやすくて、一回で全て理解できるレベルだった。当時のアフリカン(黒人)ってきっついアクセントがあって何言ってるか分からないイメージが若干あったんだけど、違ったね。こういうイメージだって元はと言えば、奴隷、田舎者、無教養などのバイアスを持ったステレオタイプなんだ。どっちがモテるかって言うとマルコムXの方がモテそうとも思った笑
あとインタビュアーの質問と態度があからさまに彼をバカにしてた。
The Impact of the Subway Sarin Incident in Tokyo (地下鉄サリン事件について)
It has been quite intriguing for me to get to know about Sect/Cult in worldwide since I started studying Sociology. Especially this historical and dreadful terrorism in Japan has attracted me intensely for years and years. I believe looking at this incident in detail should provide us some clues to get out of contemporary plight in our society.
On Monday March 20, 1995, five members of the Aum cult implemented their horrendous plan to damage the center of Japan. The members got on each of the subway lines with plastic bags containing liquid poisonous chemicals, Sarin. They punctured these bags with the tips of umbrellas in the trains. Although some people noticed the strange liquid running out of the bags and the strong smell of them, many of the passengers didn’t have any idea it was deadly poison. As a result, the sarin sticking to the people’s shoes and clothes was spread not only in the trains but also in the stations. Many of the subway’s staff suffered heavy damage because they touched the sarin with their own hands. Shortly after the attack, the Tokyo subway put up posters and stickers in their trains and stations. They say “Please tell us if you find something or someone suspicious”. You can also hear the announcement of the same message in the trains now. Moreover, the Tokyo subway removed the trash cans in all the stations. These reactions also have been adopted by the JR lines since the September 11 attacks happened in 2001. These changes made the trains uncomfortable places for passengers.
The sensory security is the measure of how people feel about their security in daily life. This is studied by the government and the police especially after the occurrence of disasters or serious criminal incidents. The press said that the degree of the sensory security was suddenly dropped after the Aum’s attacks. In other words, the number of people thinking that crimes were on the rise in their society immediately increased. The day after the sarin attack, the police investigated the Aum’s head office in Yamanashi, and many devotees left the group. The result of this was that many people tended to suspect their new neighbors to be the ex-Aum’s members. In addition, the wanted members’ photos put up many public places stirred the people’s fear. This stream of events caused the Japanese people’s sense of security to fall drastically.
In addition, although the freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, it is considered that most of the Japanese people do not have any religion. As a result of this incident, people’s ideas about religion became skeptical. The insecurity about the society and the mistrust of the religions arouse at the same time in the Japanese society. The Aum’s attacks also brought about a wariness about cult groups. In today’s Japanese colleges, the teachers warn the new students about the danger of the cult’s bid in the school’s entrance ceremony. There are posters warning against the cult, especially during examinations. This action is a reflection of the Aum incidents because the main members of the Aum were tremendously intelligent but had anxiety and fear of the future in their college life. It is said that these personal problems are related to their devotion to Aum.
However, it is quite possible to find some positive results of the Aum’s attacks. Shoko Asahara, the leader of the cult, was condemned to death in 2004, but he is still alive now because he has many unfinished trials. This reality has inspired the Japanese people to reconsider the system of the trials. Furthermore, another of the Aum’s attacks in Nagano brought about a mistaken arrest. The people came to have an interest in the manner of police interrogations.
In my opinion, the most important positive effect was the build-up of the people’s concern for their security. 1995 was also the year of starting use of the internet in our daily life as a result of the Windows 95’s release. For the Japanese society, this year was also the starting point for the global society. The global society and the use of the internet might cause new types of dangers, for example the invasion of personal privacy and conflicts with foreigners. We can attribute today’s safety in Japan to the fact that people came to pay attention to their security as a result of the Aum’s incidents. Now the remnants of Aum exsit as Aleph and continue their activity. Last year the last fugitive of the Aum’s subway attack, Katsuya Takahashi, was finally arrested in Tokyo. Many TV programs and journals picked up the Aum as their main topic, and the people’s interest in the Aum has raised again. We Japanese should remember this incident and obtain some clues to solve our contemporary social problems.
「梟の城」から考えたこと
毎週恒例の
邦画タイムを終えました。週末も何か習慣をつくった方がいいなと思って、金曜の夜は邦画を、土日のどっちかは洋画をそれぞれiTunesでダウンロードして観ることにしてる。今日観たのは三谷幸喜の「マジックアワー」。今年公開されたばかりらしいけど、リストで見つけるまで知らなかった。面白かった!コメディを見ると、日本人らしさが懐かしく感じられて、とてもリラックスできる。コメディって、よくいるタイプの人間が誇張されたかたちで出てくるじゃん。そういう、よくいる日本人像が懐かしいの。
言葉にするということについて
結構なまえがきを書いたのに全然更新しなかったのは、何か書こうとしても「これは別にアメリカにいるから言えることじゃないな」と思ってやめる、ってのを繰り返していたからです。でもいいかげん何か書きたいから書く!
はじめに
このブログは主に自己満足+日本にいる親しい友達に見てもらうことを前提に書くことになります。
わたしには小さい頃から日記をこまめに書く習慣がありました。アメリカへ行くことが決まった後は、大学に籍はあるものの授業には行かなくて良かったから、いわゆるニートさんたちと同じような生活をしていて、暇だったからいろんなところへ行ったり、いろんな人と会ったり、本を読んだり、映画を観たりしていて、それらについての感想なんかをかなり細かく記録していました。自分でも満足の行くものを書き溜めていたから、アメリカへ行ってもこれを続けようと思ってた。