Taking It Personally | Jiro Kokuryo, Vice-President / Professor, Faculty of Policy Management
2020.06.30
Although the period of self-restraint is over, many meetings are still held online. I imagine many people are having a similar experience, but because it's easy to pack our schedules, our free time gets filled up, and life working and studying from home has become, in a way, even busier than before.
Still, it's easier than before to slip out during an unexpected free moment on a weekday. In one such gap, I went to see "Parasite," which I had missed before the state of emergency was declared. It wasn't the regular version but the black-and-white one, which I feel, probably as the creators intended, had the effect of enhancing the work's message. As its reputation suggests, it is an excellent film that combines social commentary and entertainment with elements of horror and mystery, making you laugh while realizing the seriousness of the situation. I believe we really must do something about the issue of social division it raises.
Speaking of social division, I am very concerned about how the phrase "Black Lives Matter" is being translated as something like "Black lives are important." I fear that with this translation, most Japanese people will not understand the meaning of the movement. The issue lies in the meaning of the word "matter." It doesn't simply mean "important"; it's a word used to express what is of great concern to someone. Therefore, I believe it should be understood as "Black lives matter not only to Black people but to everyone." Perhaps it could be translated as "The issue of Black lives is not someone else's problem." In other words, I want to interpret it as meaning that if we continue to ignore social division, social stability will be lost, creating an unfortunate situation for everyone, not just Black people. Therefore, the unjust treatment of Black people is a major problem for all of us. I believe this movement has gained such momentum because this awareness is shared. Conversely, without it, there is no way that deep-rooted discriminatory structure will ever be corrected. And I want us to understand that similar discriminatory structures and attitudes exist in Japan, albeit in different forms. It is not someone else's problem.
Returning to the topic of the movie, I went with the intention of supporting the entertainment industry, but as I expected, there were only four other people in the audience besides me. The entire complex was empty, and while it was good that it wasn't crowded, I became worried that the movie theater might go out of business. Although customer traffic has started to return since the end of the self-restraint period, there are likely many businesses in the food, beverage, and cultural industries that cannot survive at 70% or 80% capacity. The period where our soundness as a society is being tested will continue for some time. I want to think about what I can do to contribute to the world, taking it as a personal matter.