Assigning Meaning to the Quake: "Heavenly Punishment" and post-Quake Entertainment
A Japanese politician making irresponsible comments is definitely not a rare sight, partly helping to explaining why many of them at the top level get kicked out so shortly after being elected. But the newest fiasco perhaps tops them all, especially considering that it is directly about the current national crisis. Mr. Ishihara, the Governor of Tokyo, recently remarked (and later retracted) that the Quake was a "heavenly punishment" for Japan.
Never mind the superstitious nature of the comment completing unfitting with the rather "modern" image of Japanese democracy, or how absurd and unusual that such comment can come out of a right-wing ultra-nationalistic politician, the most hurting thing about the comment is perhaps that it is...actually true on some levels. Now, before you starting jumping to conclusions and call me a racist, let me explain why I think in such a fashion.
A stroll in town at night shows why the emotional national unity the country displayed after the Quake is starting to appear highly superficial at time goes on. In a city where the residents are thankfully spared from having to suffer scheduled power cuts being enforced in nearby prefectures, most part of Tokyo is certainly making absolutely no effort to conserve energy, especially in a commercial setting.
Among the shamefully bright and colorful lights, the brightest and the most colorful, combined with characteristically loud music, always seem to come from gigantic pachinko parlors, offering Japan's unique form of gambling (for which I have yet to figure out the rules for playing). The citizens go in with hopes of making a quick fortune (combined with a need to escape harsh reality, or just kill time), coming out satisfied or depressed, but either way addicted and ready for more in the very near future.
Do not get me wrong here. I am actually all for legalization of gambling, because it provides extra revenue for the government and adds to social stability by diverting people's attention away from acute social problems (as I also raised as benefits for legalizing prostitution briefly discussed in this post). But people continuing to gamble away as people are dropping dead few hours to the north makes me wonder where is the conscience of these people.
And with many of the pachinko owned by pro-North Korean entities such as 朝鮮総連, the gambling addiction of the Japanese people are actually funding the regime in Pyongyang (well, not that many of them actually cares, I guess). The continued popularity of pachinko (and growing too, judging by the huge lines on the weekends), not stoppable even by the solemn news of death and power cuts, illustrates the deep sense of social "numbness" prevailing in Japan.
Yes, the Quake did bring the people out of it for a while, but the "numbness" came back way too fast and way too soon. Along with the pachinko parlors, some entertainment programs and advertisements are already back on TV, and I expect that the online shopping, beyond purchases of goods for disasters, will soon be back in full force as well (well, that is good news for a certain company that I happen to work for)
Indeed, looking at this way, the "heavenly punishment," while very much tasteless in the current situation, does make a good point about Japan. What is hurting Japan is not some border rivalry with a neighboring country or even how it cannot create a good environment for attracting foreign talents, but a fundamental satisfaction with the status quo seeping at the bottom level of society. Even the biggest earthquake in the history of the country can only jolt the minds of the general populace a tiny bit, leaving no change in national psyche in the way 9/11 changed Americans.
Never mind the superstitious nature of the comment completing unfitting with the rather "modern" image of Japanese democracy, or how absurd and unusual that such comment can come out of a right-wing ultra-nationalistic politician, the most hurting thing about the comment is perhaps that it is...actually true on some levels. Now, before you starting jumping to conclusions and call me a racist, let me explain why I think in such a fashion.
A stroll in town at night shows why the emotional national unity the country displayed after the Quake is starting to appear highly superficial at time goes on. In a city where the residents are thankfully spared from having to suffer scheduled power cuts being enforced in nearby prefectures, most part of Tokyo is certainly making absolutely no effort to conserve energy, especially in a commercial setting.
Among the shamefully bright and colorful lights, the brightest and the most colorful, combined with characteristically loud music, always seem to come from gigantic pachinko parlors, offering Japan's unique form of gambling (for which I have yet to figure out the rules for playing). The citizens go in with hopes of making a quick fortune (combined with a need to escape harsh reality, or just kill time), coming out satisfied or depressed, but either way addicted and ready for more in the very near future.
Do not get me wrong here. I am actually all for legalization of gambling, because it provides extra revenue for the government and adds to social stability by diverting people's attention away from acute social problems (as I also raised as benefits for legalizing prostitution briefly discussed in this post). But people continuing to gamble away as people are dropping dead few hours to the north makes me wonder where is the conscience of these people.
And with many of the pachinko owned by pro-North Korean entities such as 朝鮮総連, the gambling addiction of the Japanese people are actually funding the regime in Pyongyang (well, not that many of them actually cares, I guess). The continued popularity of pachinko (and growing too, judging by the huge lines on the weekends), not stoppable even by the solemn news of death and power cuts, illustrates the deep sense of social "numbness" prevailing in Japan.
Yes, the Quake did bring the people out of it for a while, but the "numbness" came back way too fast and way too soon. Along with the pachinko parlors, some entertainment programs and advertisements are already back on TV, and I expect that the online shopping, beyond purchases of goods for disasters, will soon be back in full force as well (well, that is good news for a certain company that I happen to work for)
Indeed, looking at this way, the "heavenly punishment," while very much tasteless in the current situation, does make a good point about Japan. What is hurting Japan is not some border rivalry with a neighboring country or even how it cannot create a good environment for attracting foreign talents, but a fundamental satisfaction with the status quo seeping at the bottom level of society. Even the biggest earthquake in the history of the country can only jolt the minds of the general populace a tiny bit, leaving no change in national psyche in the way 9/11 changed Americans.
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