War
Thursday during lunch I attended one of the many I-Week activities, a lecture titled "Can we Create a Multiethnic Convivial Society!?" given by a Zainichi Korean woman, Shin Sugok, who tours Japan, Korea, and America lecturing and advising. The lecture was, of course, in Japanese, but luckily they offered little headsets over which three different people traded off the task of simultaneous translation. It wasn't a perfect situation, but it didn't really matter. She was that good.
I was *really* surprised, not only that she was such a great speaker - passionate, charismatic, eloquent, humorous, unmerciful - but also that somone like her existed in Japan... someone who saw what was wrong with Japan and actually actively tried to do something about it. Of course she spoke a bit about the treatment of Zainichi Koreans and women in Japan, as she is both, but she didn't play favourites. "Human rights is a war," she said. She spoke about Khurdish refugees who were deported, the pressure (which she referred to as "psychological rape") that Princess Masako is under to produce an heir, Japanese in Iraq who are essentially sentenced to death by their government who won't lift a finger to bring them home, who blame *them* for making prisoners of themselves...
It was really quite powerful. I think, even if I had been able to understand the jokes, I wouldn't have been laughing much. Some of the saddest things were among her every day experiences. Shin-san tours and lectures at high schools, often elite all-boys schools (as they can afford her), and apparently the question asked most frequently by teenage boys is "How do you like Japan?" This is a question I am taught to answer in Japanese class... because I'm a foreigner, because when I meet new Japanese people and we have to make small talk, of course they're going to want know what I, as a visitor, think of Japan. But Shin-san was born and raised here. She's third generation. I don't even think she speaks Korean. And yet the Japanese put her in the same category as me. I know that few, if any, countries are like America in that anyone can become "American," not only legally but socially/mentally/culturally, but I find the situation here just ridiculous. Apparently Shin-san's politician friends have asked her why she's never run for any kind of office, and she has to point out to them that she can't even vote. Another thing I found really pathetic was a question asked by a student at the end. This student had lived in Europe for some time and returned to Japan, and she said something to the effect of "I hear politicians make derogatory comments about women all the time. Why don't they get fired?" After all the fuss over Summers' remarks last January, and he's *just* the president of a university, this is outrageous... or rather, it *should* be outrageous, but clearly it isn't.
But Shin-san didn't give us the luxury of feeling sorry for ourselves. We have a duty to be the solution, because we are part of the problem. Yes, even me. So far, every time I've been treated with ignorance, I've shrugged it off, even if it annoyed me. Japan isn't so diverse, they haven't met someone like me before, of course they're going to make assumptions, I'm only here for two years, they're conditioned to think a certain way... I made excuses. But hello! I'm *here* now, and I can be an experience for the people I encounter, I could (in a small way) be the beginning of the end of that ignorance. Besides, if I don't put up with that kind of crap in America, why should I put up with it here? Because I'm afraid of coming off as rude? Because I don't want to draw any more attention to myself? Because I'm afraid that, more often than not, they will respond badly? *shakes head* Shameful.
And while we're on the subject, I *need* to get this out there:
Perhaps you remember the young Assamese man who was shot and killed on 25 September in Texas. I have learned from my parents further details of how he died... they asked that I not spread it around but, truthfully, this is something that needs to be said. So if I'm sorry about anything, I'm sorry they don't think it should be shared.
Nitin had been dating a girl for a few months at the time of his death. She was Sikh, he was not, and apparently her father disapproved of this fact.
Yes, Nitin was shot by his girlfriend's father.
Why? Truthfully, it's unclear.
It was the weekend of Hurricane Rita. People all over Houston were in a panic after witnessing the destruction and terror caused by Katrina. The father has said he thought Nitin was an intruder. Perhaps the combination of paranoia and power outage sealed Nitin's fate (though my father's blog seems to imply that Nitin was shot in the front yard, so I'm having trouble believing it was *that* dark).
But is it possible that the hurricane was an excuse? Is it possible that (heaven forbid) it became an opportunity, if perhaps subconsciously? The fact that I can even ask these questions, that these suggestions have been flying around the Assamese community (not to mention the local Indian newspapers), makes sharing this story important.
If it truly was an accident, this man now likely faces stigma, suspicion, accusation, guilt, self-doubt, and probably the loss of his daughter's trust, all because of some stupid, unjust, illogical, and outdated opinion on his daughter's love-life. And if it wasn't just an accident... he faces all that and more *and* another young life has been lost to hate. It just goes to show that prejudice and injustice can not, must not be tolerated *before* the tragedy has a chance to happen.
Apparently Nitin's family isn't pressing charges, and honestly I doubt they could make much of a case, what with the hurricane and the very likely chance that Nitin's girlfriend is freaked out and confused (imagine losing your boyfriend, knowing your dad pulled the trigger, wondering if your dad did it on purpose, and thinking it was all your fault because by dating him you put your boyfriend in harm's way). That's another reason I think it's so important for me to post this and for people to talk and think about it. We would be doing Nitin (and other victims of every day prejudice) a great injustice if we just brushed it aside, let it be hushed up. That's not the way to change the world.
That's not the way to fight this war.
I was *really* surprised, not only that she was such a great speaker - passionate, charismatic, eloquent, humorous, unmerciful - but also that somone like her existed in Japan... someone who saw what was wrong with Japan and actually actively tried to do something about it. Of course she spoke a bit about the treatment of Zainichi Koreans and women in Japan, as she is both, but she didn't play favourites. "Human rights is a war," she said. She spoke about Khurdish refugees who were deported, the pressure (which she referred to as "psychological rape") that Princess Masako is under to produce an heir, Japanese in Iraq who are essentially sentenced to death by their government who won't lift a finger to bring them home, who blame *them* for making prisoners of themselves...
It was really quite powerful. I think, even if I had been able to understand the jokes, I wouldn't have been laughing much. Some of the saddest things were among her every day experiences. Shin-san tours and lectures at high schools, often elite all-boys schools (as they can afford her), and apparently the question asked most frequently by teenage boys is "How do you like Japan?" This is a question I am taught to answer in Japanese class... because I'm a foreigner, because when I meet new Japanese people and we have to make small talk, of course they're going to want know what I, as a visitor, think of Japan. But Shin-san was born and raised here. She's third generation. I don't even think she speaks Korean. And yet the Japanese put her in the same category as me. I know that few, if any, countries are like America in that anyone can become "American," not only legally but socially/mentally/culturally, but I find the situation here just ridiculous. Apparently Shin-san's politician friends have asked her why she's never run for any kind of office, and she has to point out to them that she can't even vote. Another thing I found really pathetic was a question asked by a student at the end. This student had lived in Europe for some time and returned to Japan, and she said something to the effect of "I hear politicians make derogatory comments about women all the time. Why don't they get fired?" After all the fuss over Summers' remarks last January, and he's *just* the president of a university, this is outrageous... or rather, it *should* be outrageous, but clearly it isn't.
But Shin-san didn't give us the luxury of feeling sorry for ourselves. We have a duty to be the solution, because we are part of the problem. Yes, even me. So far, every time I've been treated with ignorance, I've shrugged it off, even if it annoyed me. Japan isn't so diverse, they haven't met someone like me before, of course they're going to make assumptions, I'm only here for two years, they're conditioned to think a certain way... I made excuses. But hello! I'm *here* now, and I can be an experience for the people I encounter, I could (in a small way) be the beginning of the end of that ignorance. Besides, if I don't put up with that kind of crap in America, why should I put up with it here? Because I'm afraid of coming off as rude? Because I don't want to draw any more attention to myself? Because I'm afraid that, more often than not, they will respond badly? *shakes head* Shameful.
And while we're on the subject, I *need* to get this out there:
Perhaps you remember the young Assamese man who was shot and killed on 25 September in Texas. I have learned from my parents further details of how he died... they asked that I not spread it around but, truthfully, this is something that needs to be said. So if I'm sorry about anything, I'm sorry they don't think it should be shared.
Nitin had been dating a girl for a few months at the time of his death. She was Sikh, he was not, and apparently her father disapproved of this fact.
Yes, Nitin was shot by his girlfriend's father.
Why? Truthfully, it's unclear.
It was the weekend of Hurricane Rita. People all over Houston were in a panic after witnessing the destruction and terror caused by Katrina. The father has said he thought Nitin was an intruder. Perhaps the combination of paranoia and power outage sealed Nitin's fate (though my father's blog seems to imply that Nitin was shot in the front yard, so I'm having trouble believing it was *that* dark).
But is it possible that the hurricane was an excuse? Is it possible that (heaven forbid) it became an opportunity, if perhaps subconsciously? The fact that I can even ask these questions, that these suggestions have been flying around the Assamese community (not to mention the local Indian newspapers), makes sharing this story important.
If it truly was an accident, this man now likely faces stigma, suspicion, accusation, guilt, self-doubt, and probably the loss of his daughter's trust, all because of some stupid, unjust, illogical, and outdated opinion on his daughter's love-life. And if it wasn't just an accident... he faces all that and more *and* another young life has been lost to hate. It just goes to show that prejudice and injustice can not, must not be tolerated *before* the tragedy has a chance to happen.
Apparently Nitin's family isn't pressing charges, and honestly I doubt they could make much of a case, what with the hurricane and the very likely chance that Nitin's girlfriend is freaked out and confused (imagine losing your boyfriend, knowing your dad pulled the trigger, wondering if your dad did it on purpose, and thinking it was all your fault because by dating him you put your boyfriend in harm's way). That's another reason I think it's so important for me to post this and for people to talk and think about it. We would be doing Nitin (and other victims of every day prejudice) a great injustice if we just brushed it aside, let it be hushed up. That's not the way to change the world.
That's not the way to fight this war.
posted by Bibhatsu at 10:30
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