Sadness

Two different social epidemics have saddened me lately, one here in Japan and another back home.

Lately there has been a rash of suicides by young students in Japan, most recently one here in Niigata.

Also, another major drunk driving accident in New Mexico, killing 6 people including an entire family of 5.

Both incidents are representative of social problems that plague both areas. New Mexico has had such a huge problem for so long, and has recently had the worst rate of drunken driving related fatalities in all of the United States (goes hand-in-hand obviously with one of the highest per capita beer consumption rates). Japan has nearly zero alchohol related traffic deaths in any given year. Why? Because Japanese laws are strict. People here drink more than New Mexicans, but there is a zero-tolerance policy in place. Even one sip of beer will put you over the legal limit for driving. There are taxis in even the smallest of rural towns, and a general culture of safety and designated driving. I used to criticize the zero-beer law, knowing that I could trust my own judgement as to whether one sip of beer would impair my driving or not. But I think I'm buying into it, as it's obvious that there are too many people in the world who can't see the difference between a sip and a 12-pack.

As far as Japan's problem, the suicide rate is extremely high. America's is not, comparably. Why? That one is more complex, but Japan has a long history of being a 'suicide culture, in which suicide was seen as something that was an honorable solution to a problem. I can't say I understand it. I think this article sheds some light though... http://www.espacoacademico.com.br/044/44eueno_ing.htm

The recent student suicides were all connected to cases of being bullied. There are bullies in schools all over the world, and lord knows I was tossed around school more than a few times. But Japan's problem is very serious...and in my opinion it comes down to lack of teacher intervention. Because you know what comforted me? I knew that if a teacher saw me getting bullied, he would run over and at least stop it, if not grab the kid by the back of the hair and drag him to the principal's office where he faced sure punishment. Or I could tell my parents who would get involved with the teachers who would keep an eye on the situation. There is an active culture of discipline and communication in the academic world back home that I just don't see here very often. I can't tell you how many times I've seen bullying and teachers who turn a blind eye to it. It's so disturbing. Most notably, I was walking down the hall with a teacher. Some students were pushing and tripping the mute girl, Nanae. The teacher continued walking. I stopped and shouted at the kid, and smacked him on the head so he knew what I was getting at. There is little I can do other than that as I'm not a teacher with power, and can't even communicate to the kids in a functional way. I raised a stink about it, and the principal asked me about it...but nothing was ever done. It is a culture that tends to avoid confrontation, but confrontation is the only way to ease Japan of its bullying problem.

In Japan, there is a very strict rule about drunk driving and a culture that is careful about its consequences, and back home there is not. Hence, New Mexico has a problem. Back home, bullying surely exists, but punishment is strict and if seen, it is confronted. In Japan, it is not. Hence, Japan has a problem. For me...I obviously agree that turning to suicide is a poor choice...but if I couldn't turn to my parents or my teachers for help, I suppose my options would be more limited. The teachers MUST get more involved and learn to create a culture of direct confrontation in schools when it comes to bullying, regardless of how much it disturbs the daily social peace.

I didn't exactly think that through too well, but needed to rant. Just my two cents.