|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- FIGHTING DISCRIMINATION IN
A DISCRIMINATORY SOCIETY
- (Part 1)
- "Discrimination" vs. "Discrimination"
- By: John S. Davis
- The UMJ Volume 3.4
- (Part 1)
|
Of course as "gaijin" in Japan, we are very sensitive to both the facts and the issues of discrimination. In English the word has two different usages which directly reflect the complexity of the problem. Essentially it means judgment of respective merits. The word is often followed by "on the basis of x, y, or z." There are laws in many places against discrimination on the basis of race, color or ethnic origin, for example. More encompassing laws would include on the base of age, sex, or religion. In such cases the word normally has a negative connotation. However, discrimination also implies care, as "to exercise discrimination in one's choice of friends," and here that word even has a positive connotation. Justifications of discrimination on the basis of x y or z always emphasize the latter aspect. For example, once when I asked a company manager in Tokyo why they didn't hire women for salaried men type of positions, he said it was because women will stay only a few years anyway and quit after marriage or after an unhappy affair, so it wasn't worth investing the company's limited funds in training them. In other words, the company was just being careful. I also asked him why they preferred women who lived at home (as such, they discriminated against women who did not live at home). He answered that it was because they are more reliable; they will get to work on time, and they will more likely be satisfied with the salary because most of them will be able to use it for fashion etc., instead of having to spend it on rent. If you were to ask a real estate agency why they refuse to deal with foreigners, he will probably say the landlords don't want them (how does he know for sure without asking?) or he may say it is because of language problems, foreigners don't understand the key money system, they are too much trouble, or etc. In other words, he is being careful to look out for (what he supposes to be) the will of his suppliers (the landlords) and he is being careful not to waste his own limited resources. Limited resources justify all kinds of discrimination, and fixed criteria based on inscriptive factors like sex or nationality or skin color are easy to implement in the absence of legal restrictions against such discrimination. But, oddly enough, limited resources are also the key to ending discrimination of that kind. It is in times of under-employment, i.e., boom times, that women will more likely be able to find themselves employment even in salaried man type positions. It is in times of heavy competition for a limited number of customers that the best workers are most needed even if they happen to be women. It is in times of tenant shortage that real estate agents will be more likely to ask the landlords if "foreigners" are OK. It is in times of capital shortage that foreign capital may be welcome, even though a proportionate amount of foreign capital also means a proportionate amount of foreign ownership, and so on. Simply speaking, if there are x number of jobs and only half that number of Japanese men, you can be sure women and/or foreigners will be hired for the other half of the jobs, especially if they are willing to work for poorer conditions. On the other hand, if there are x number of jobs and twice that number of Japanese men, the men would not want women or foreigners to compete with them for the few jobs there are. The business cycle and the nature of competition. I believe are ultimately going to break down racial, sexual, and ethnic discrimination, even in Japan. Most of the positive progress will be made in boom times and now is not one of them; however, fortunately, when recession hits, the progress made during the boom doesn't disappear completely-it only recedes. The very best of the foreign workers will probably not be let go. It will have been discovered that foreigners are human after all (so is discrimination against them really fair?), and so on. The fact that the foreigners will work for less and just as hard or harder for less at that, will not be forgotten by the contractors, even if the Ministry of Justice becomes more likely to deport the illegal aliens or make it more difficult for companies to hire them. Sponsors and spouses will be found, thus assuring that large numbers of aliens remain in this country no matter how difficult it becomes for those who remain here illegally. And finally, even Japan can scarcely ignore the worldwide struggle for human rights. Organizations like Amnesty International and Equality Now are contacting organizations like UMJ for support. Sooner or later we shall prevail! But, meanwhile, what should we do to help our children overcome discrimination? That will be the subject of Part II.
|
|
|
