Class on the Grass May 8th

Today we had a discussion mainly on what it would take for the Japanese to get out of their houses to actually protest against something.
Our group came up with a number of factors but the main issue that kept coming up was the fact that the Japanese never actually care are about one thing so much to stand up for, unless their lives are put at risk; like Yusuke's examples about the way the media reports an accident in other countries. It is not an overstatement to say that they always report how many Japanese were injured or how none of the Japanese were injured. Of course it is a Japanese media so obviously it is their job to report if the Japanese civilians were associated with the scene but it is just the way they say it and the way we respond to it. I mean, does it make the incident a little lighter if none of the Japanese were injured? No.
Even during the radiation period, which might still be going on in the present but anyways, some people from Tokyo actually moved to Okinawa to escape the whole chaos. It is as if they only think about themselves; that everything is okay if you're not the victim.
This reminded me of a speech I saw before on Youtube. I don't remember much of it but it was Obama's. *By the way, I'm not trying to imply that I support him as a politician in anyway.
Anyways, he talked about why he prioritized the health care plan so much. Many historical presidents never came around to take on the matter because it was so controversial and they knew it was going to cause absolute chaos around the country. However, Obama said that he knew he had to do it when he looked at his children, the generations of tomorrow. He couldn't let this issue dangle around when he knew he could make a change. Who knows, if he hadn't made the move, maybe nobody would have and the health care issue would still be wandering around the shadows of America in 2100.
The Arab Spring is a good reference as well. The people had been suppressed by the same government for generations and generations. They never said anything, well they did but nothing as big as the Arab Spring in 2010. Then at some point, they decided to take a stand. Something made them tick and made them get out of their houses to speak for their rights. They said 'no more.' If they didn't do anything then, then the next generation and the next generation would have to experience the exact same oppression they suffered.

Maybe this is what is missing in Japan. We never look into the future. We never look into the generations of tomorrow. No wonder our government are full of so many old people. No offense but of course they would only vote for something that would do them good in their time on earth.
 However, not to be optimistic but I can tell that Japan is trying. Whether the endeavor is only on the surface, things are definitely changing. It's just that it changing in an extremely, extremely slow pace. We just have to accelerate the pace a bit more to not get left behind the world.