perverts
November 3rd, 2005 by heatherthis is so stunning, irritating and horrible. but a good thing to add to the vocabulary list:
h: ちかん
r: Chikan
e: pervert
ex:
あなたはちかんです！
anata-wa chikan desu!
YOU are a pervert!
which i learned from rich’s podcast story about how he responded and managed a situation where his wife was groped on a train. amazing how far he went to sort this out. i don’t want to spoil it! don’t read the comments either: plot spoilers!
i have been groped in trains on paris. flipping disgusting and scary. i have also been nearly pickpocketed. when i was groped, i just moved away as fast as i could. on the other hand, when i was nearly pickpocketed, i turned around and screamed “why do you have your hands in my bag?” i think i’d be embarrased/scared by someone groping me, and less likely to respond.
i’m not sure what is the “appropriate” response for a woman alone in japan. i’d hate to think that this happens so frequently as we (women) are just letting it happen out of embarrassment. i’d like to know how to say “get your hands off me!” or something like that.
rich advises: if you’re groped on a train:
- you’ve got to stand up for yourself, because no one is going to do it. if somebody does something that embarrases people on the train, everyone will do their best to ignore it. be assertive.
- get details at the time; take out a cameraphone and take the ****ers picture.
- record a message on the cell phone, and explain every detail of what happened. because you need this at the police station.
- if the police are not helpful or responsive, try to engage them emotionally, “what if it was your wife/daughter”
November 7th, 2005 at 7:34 am
I must ask some of my female friends whether this has happened to them here. And if it has, what, if anything they did about it. Certainly most Japanese women would say nothing, as embarrasment and shame would generally overcome them, I think. The thing is, public transport in Oita is really nowhere near as crowded as one of the big cities so I’m not sure it could be quite as common here.
The fact is Japanese women put up with a lot more every day than their western counterparts ever would. Even in the work place, women are often called fat, or told to lose weight or asked why they’re not married yet. The men don’t see a problem with speaking in this way and the ladies usually laugh it off with a false and far too generous smile. Usually, I sit there flabbergasted at what I’m hearing in the school office. (Even students often get away with this sort of thing with their female teachers.)
November 7th, 2005 at 12:57 pm
for some reason, i’m always surprised when i hear about the roles of men and women in japan. i mean, for people in ‘my generation’ even, it sounds like things have not changed, nor are they likely to any time soon.
i guess i’m ready to accept that things are different culturally, and i’m ready to accept that japanese has a different history of women’s roles in society… but for some reason i expect it to just be ‘in the past’… and it’s not! in taiwan, the roles are certainly more traditional, and the family structure is great and strong. but women have found more independence. and so- even accounting for cultural differences- i would not expect women to tolerate that kind of public humiliation and abuse. and not in japan either.
i’m a cultural relativist as far as no one is getting hurt, but i can’t quite reconcile, do women prefer it that way? something i can find out more about when i get there!
but i also have to say i’m glad you’re in oita, because even though i’d come to you if you were anywhere.. i’m glad it’s not in tokyo. sounds a bit too much for me. please write more about how women are treated on your site, k? i’m v curious!