General Discussion Forum for the Class

[Anonymous]

Japan is facing these days a different sort of problem . A problem of drop-out of society :men & women placed themselves outside its mainstream either by refusing or unable to find regular employment by holing up in their parents houses to lead a totally reclusive life.The number of these Freeters as they are called is increasing very fast & will touch a mark of 4 million.other lot is called Neet(not in employment ,education & training).They are jobless for long period of time.Freeters & Neet are new breed, victims of the disintegration of society & unsure of what to do with their lives.

[Anonymous]

Sumo Wrestling is oldest of Japan,s various martial arts which is distinct & ritualistic.1500 years ago it was introduced to ensure good harvests.In 7 th century, only Samurai & warrior class were allowed to practice it as military training.By 15th century Sumo wrestling adopted a set of strict rules & talented once were offered aid.Sumo matches are fought in a "Dohyo" .Competitors are called "Rikshi".They wear "Mawashi" & a belt .Rikshi performs "Chiri-Chozu" & "Shiko" ceremonies before the start of fight.

[Anonymous]

The day we had the lecture about the bound feet, I realized that I should not be scandalized, since throughout history, the body has been used as a canvas, a sculpture and a accessory display.
Piercing for example has been practiced at old and modern times, and have been present in the most diverse and dramatic parts of the body. The simple piercing on the face (nose, upper lip, chick) are also called “beauty marks”
Tattoos have been recorded to cover a 100% of a person (as seen in Guines World records), and some even are consider very artistic.
Some other practices like poking needles on the face and adding rings to the neck year after year have been cultural practices that add prestige to members of certain tribes.
Simple earrings can be even controversial in some religions, and many believe that a child should not be pierced until he/she is old enough to say if this is something she/he wants done.

I was browsing and exploring more about all the practices that sometimes seam as punishments and found a website by the university of Pennsylvania called “Body Modifications”, and learned that any change that is made to be seen by other people is done to set the person apart and to add a more distinctive characteristic to the person’s identity in the social context.

The extreme “modification” cause by the bound feet is an issue that has made people talk about human rights and violations against women. Again, girls victim of such practice not necessarily were given a choice.

The following quotation comes from the website below:

“In addition, the study found that women with bound feet had 5.1 percent lower hip bone density and 4.7 percent lower spine bone density than women with normal feet, putting them at greater risk of suffering hip or spine fractures.”

http://www.sfmuseum.org/chin/foot.html

[Anonymous]

I have just viewed Zhang Yimou's The Road Home, which is a good film about arranged marriages. The film shows how people in love suffer because of this tradition in some countries like China. In countries where arranged marriage is practiced, the main consideration is usually the preservation of family wealth or social class considerations. For example, a prospective bride who belongs to the upper stratum of the society is not allowed to marry a commoner, a peasant or a slave. In some societies, religion is a main consideration. For instance, a Moslem woman is not allowed to marry a non-Moslem man, regardless of his economic social status. It is said that in societies where arranged marriage is practiced, parents are resigned to the idea that love would eventually come between the two contracting parties as they start to live together. It is sad that in most countries where this unwelcome tradition is practice, the bride is usually forced to marry even at the very early age of 12 or 13.

[Anonymous]

I remember when I was still in the Philippines covering the Group of 77 meeting in Manila. The group of 77 is an exclusive group of First World countries that included Japan among others. They meet to discuss economic issues that affect the world and their respective countries and arrived at a common solution, usually in a form of communiques. I happened to interview a Japanese member of his delegation. I asked him why most Japanese high income earners or businessmen spent their money as easy as they earned it. His reply was: "Is there anything if we spend what we earn in one day on that same day?" He said that Japan had such a good economy that saving money for tomorrow was almost a far-fetched idea. That was in the late 70s and after just two decades Japan had somewhat slid from its enviable position as a world's economic power. Is it possible that China will overtake Japan as an economic power if it has not yet already done that?

[Anonymous]

I think this body "modifications" come with the changes in time and how societies respond to technology. fashion, views and various interpretation of human values. In Luzon, a major island in the Philippines, for example, tattooing of women was commonplace, usually among older women. In the more northern provinces in this island, you would probably still find old women with tattoos covering exposed parts of their body like the face, neck, arms and feet. Likewise, it is not uncommon to see older women in these northernmost provinces to have ear lobe holes the size of the US dime. The earrings are usually made of animal bones. Also, less than three decades ago, men refused to be tattooed because of the common stereotype that floated during those days that men with tattoos were usually ex-convicts. They were considered sissy or cowards because they allowed themselves to be bullied by the perceived cell boss while in prison. Now, young ladies proudly displaying their tattooed parts is so commonplace. Likewise, earringed men are ordinary sights in schools and other hangout places. I call this phenomenon simply as "signs of the times."

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