Written Post:
My project is to explore the extent to which what we were taught during our formative years does or does not affect adulthood. To be more specific, I am interested in exploring the thread of injustice and to take that a step further, how my cultural identity has or has not affected my self-identity experienced through the lenses of a Japanese, Korean, and Puerto Rican woman, me!
I chose to explore this topic because I feel that it is way too simple to simply follow what you are told; however, my father raised me during my formative years to always question authority, especially when I felt something was unjust or wrong. He would also share his knowledge with me; however, he would allow me to make my own conclusions. I recall a time when I asked my father why there was homeless near the nursing home where my paternal grandfather resided and then my father, the intellect that he was, turned the question around and asked me what my thoughts were. To further reiterate the lesson that my father was attempting to teach me, before we would leave from visiting my grandfather, he would tell me in Japanese to make sure that I study hard to earn the best grades so that my future would be a bright and successful one.
Being both a Criminal Justice and Public Health major, my topic will fit perfectly into my intended career path because there exists obvious discrimination and marginalizing of the black and brown communities through no fault of their own. I have always felt a disdain for those who have a superiority complex towards others due to their own blind prejudice. As a Public Health educator, I hope to be able to educate others towards living a more healthful and productive lifestyle through advocating education, good nutrition, receive medical attention when it is warranted, and to reduce the amount of stress in their lives to circumvent future chronic illnesses. On the other hand, as someone who would also like to work within the Criminal Justice system, I am seeking to become to an advocate for children who are either involved in our judicial system either due to domestic abuse or family court requiring mediation.
Artists/Projects that Influenced This Project:
1. Nobita from Japan: Nobita is a Japanese man who creates YouTube videos. His videos explores in depth social issues which should concern the Japanese such as Japanese society is built on the sacrifices of the weak, blatantly obvious discrimination against the vulnerable population, why Japan will never change its ways, sexless marriages on the rise, crushing student loan debt is partially to blame for the younger generation foregoing or delaying marriage, the low birth rate crisis, lonely deaths/hikikomori on the rise, and the like. Nobita is unapologetic about pursuing those topics which the average Japanese person might find too personal or controversial.
2. Takashi from Japan: Takashi is a Japanese man, who recently graduated from university. He is considered an influencer on Instagram as well as on YouTube. In his Instagram posts, he goes around Japan interviewing Japanese and non-Japanese on various topics. During his in-person interview on the street, he encourages the person being interviewed to be honest and transparent in their answer. I admire a Japanese person who is open, honest, and transparent with others because most are not. He inspires me to continue being me and continue to question things that others might find too personal or controversial.
3. Adam Foss: Mr. Foss is a former assistant district attorney from Suffolk County in Massachusetts. Like myself, he believes that mass incarceration does nothing to solve the issue at heart, which is income inequality. He is a fierce advocate for criminal justice reform. He owns his own company, which is called Prosecutor Impact. It is the belief that with trained incoming prosecutors, that it is possible to reduce the incarceration rates because the prosecutor would work in conjunction with the defendant to find an alternative to incarceration. Adam Foss inspires me to be the best version of myself, in additional to being of assistance to others regardless.
4. Masako Owada, Japan’s current Empress. Masako Owada was a former diplomatic who represented Japan. She is a highly educated woman, who attended Harvard University, Tokyo University, and Oxford University. Ms. Owada speaks six languages: English, Russian, French, Spanish, German, and of course, Japanese. Empress Masako still inspires me despite that she now takes a passive role as determined by the Royal Household; however, for a woman to achieve all that she has during her lifetime is simply commendable! Her intellect and her caring and kind personality has won the heart of the Japanese people, myself included.
Three Quotes from the Readings:
a. This is What I Know About Art: page 28
“Those are also the times when, even though I know I can get out of the cage, I can never quite escape.”This quote resonates for me because although I can think for myself and come to my conclusions, the indoctrinations of the Japanese mindset that I was once subjected to during my formative years crosses my mind at the most inopportune time. For split second, I will doubt myself then I will remind myself that I am much bigger than to blindly follow what I was taught. My father taught me to think outside of the box using my critical thinking skills from an early age. Everyone has a right to be who they were meant to be regardless of any “shortcomings.”
b. The Art of Activism: Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible Possible: page 129. “In order for history to be useful, we need to use it—to learn from it and then put these lessons into actions.” This is another quote that resonates with me because during my younger years, I was always told how I should act, think, and feel through Japanese indoctrination; however, thanks in part to relocating to New Jersey some twenty-five years ago, I have learned to think outside of the box and to draw my own conclusions. We all deserve the freedom to be who we were meant to be regardless of any “shortcomings.”
c. The Art of Activism: Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible Possible: page 86. “We should not seek to replicate the examples of history but to learn from them.” As I have mentioned on several occasions, indoctrination about the Japanese mindset took place during my formative years. I was “told” my responsibilities to my family, my community, the Japanese society, and to myself because anything that does not follow protocol is considered “disturbing the harmony or peace of the group collectively” and heavily frowned upon. For many years, I clung onto those delusional and antiquated ideas; however, I came to realize just how divisive, toxic, and exclusionary those thought patterns were. I will never ever revert back to that rigid mindset for the sake of my children and my well-being.
Five Resources:
Japan court upholds ban on same-sex marriage but offers hope. (n.d.). Www.aljazeera.com. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/1/japan-court-upholds-ban-on-gay-marriage-but-offers-hope
Japan’s plummeting birth rate prompts calls for action | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News. (n.d.). NHK WORLD. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/2160/
Koreans living in Japan without nationality. (2018, June 6). Koreatimes. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2018/06/103_250233.html
People dying alone are going unnoticed longer amid pandemic | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis. (n.d.). The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved May 15, 2023, from https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14403339
Pictures of Life in Isolation: Japan’s Hikikomori. (2018, February 14). Photography. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/japan-hikikomori-isolation-society
Stokes, B., & Devlin, K. (2018, November 12). 3. Perceptions of immigrants, immigration and emigration. Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project; Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2018/11/12/perceptions-of-immigrants-immigration-and-emigration/
This picture once again begs the question of the "two faces" that Japanese people to possess. The first "face"is known as "Tatemae" in Japanese or known as the "face" that we show the outside world, including our colleagues at work, friends, and even family members. However, the other "face" is called "Honne" or also known as "our true inner self face" and this is usually reserved to only ourselves or our most trusted friends and/or family members. Most Japanese people will never fully express how they feel about anything or any given subject matter because being transparent and honest is considered "rude" and "disrespectful." I, on the other hand, have always chosen to be transparent and honest with NO filter to sugar coat nor bullshit with anybody about anything. What you see is pretty much what you will get. Take me or leave me, I really do not care. Thankfully the indoctrination that occured during my formative years has to dictated nor controlled my life, thanks in part to my father teaching me to how to think outside the box and to draw my own conclusions.
I was approved for SSDI benefits back in 2012; however, once again, I probe the question if this label has influenced how I identify myself. In the beginning, I felt ashamed to be collecting disability benefits; however, what I came to realize is that I have paid into the system through working full-time for many years and now that I require financial assistance to support my two children, I should not feel guilty. Furthermore, being permanently medically disabled, I do not like to rely on others for assistance if I can help it because I have always been fiercely independent since relocating to New Jersey come twenty-five years ago. Whatever I own materialistically, I worked hard to purchase, in addition to raising my two adult-aged children being a single mother. Being a disabled person has made me become a more resilient, thankful, and more tolerant of others because being ill with a chronic illness such as congestive heart failure (CHF) has taught me to practice patience.
https://youtu.be/GwGDM9knTcw
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