Quote:
Originally Posted by thundrakkon
I previously brought up how uniformity can lead to bullying. From what I can remember concerning history, I can partially explain the concept of unity. The other concern for bullying has to do with the economic outlook.
After World War II, Japan and its infrastructure was in disarray. Society at that point needed people to do their job, almost like a hive concept, in order to rebuild society. People were expected to accept what duties were assigned to them, and the job they have. They had to conform to social needs of society, and they cannot publicly complain about it, which is an expression of "wa" or social harmony. The expression of wa has been around for a long time. Hence, anything that does not conform to the harmony of society is often rejected.
You can read more on Japan society here: Society
As for bullying in High Schools in Japan, it has to do with conformity. If you stand out, you get bullied. Another of the reasons they give for bullying is that the students themselves do not see much of a future for themselves. The economy is bad, and your chances for great success is low.
Anyway, you can read more about it here: Bullying |
lol, let me just put it simply.
Those are neither the words nor the expression of someone who's feeling bullied/remotely suicidal. Yes, bullying exists in Japan and there are structural/societal reasons for it. Yes, Japan's suicide rate is also extremely high due to pressure to perform scholastically. It's true that awareness of that "need" to get ahead economically was part of what Tsutomu used to rationalize/encourage his own alienization. However, the social forces you are referring to have
not imposed themselves upon him externally. He's not
being bullied, and he's not being put under scholastic pressure. Tsutomu chose to focus on studies and alienate himself from his classmates
himself; someone truly being ostracized would've been a thousand times more aware of/grateful for the social refuge the Karuta club offered. Tsutomu is not a victim, and the anime doesn't portray him as one; if anyone could have been said to be showing
real conformity to the standards of Japanese society, the one person most clearly doing that in that class was Tsutomu himself.