Tattoo Response #3

In the final chapters of “The Tattoo,” Ken and Claudia escape from Mama-san’s grasp by fleeing to the Windward side of island. They plan to bide their time, live with Ken’s father, and save enough money to move to the mainland. Everything goes according to the couple’s plan until they meet up with Koa and Kahala. Upon paying a visit to Koa’s house with Claudia, Ken eventually learns of his friend’s depressing situation – Koa’s house is in shambles and Koa is violently abusing Kahala. Claudia wants to help out, but Ken hesitating, knowing that it will only offend Koa’s pride, will not allow it. After their meeting, the story continues to progress into the final pages of anger, violence, and domestic abuse.

This last section of “The Tattoo” Response assignments consists of two questions:
1. Does Chris McKinney’s approach to telling the stories in “The Tattoo” perpetuate racial stereotypes?
2. How can we as a society reduce and prevent gender-based violence?

1. Does Chris McKinney’s approach to telling the stories in “The Tattoo” perpetuate racial stereotypes?
Local stereotypes are a constant theme throughout “The Tattoo” with Chris McKinney’s approach to storytelling perpetuating racial stereotypes. Christ McKinney’s portrayal of Ken’s best friend Koa is a good example of stereotyping. Koa grew up on the Windward side of the island and is of native Hawaiian ancestry. Because of his lack of resources, Koa blames “haoles” for taking his family’s land and robbing him of his inheritance. He embodies several key sociological concepts accompanying negative stereotypes. Koa also displays a sort of ethnocentrism (a view of society in which one’s own ethnic group is the center of everything) and the process of scapegoating all “haoles” for being “greedy” and taking away his land. While Koa’s family is not extremely poor, author Chris McKinney portrays native Hawaiians as being stratified in mostly the lower socioeconomic class with an intense hatred for “haoles.” Class-read articles such as “Talking Story with Hawaii's Youth” and the article linked below demonstrate the dangers associated with racial stereotype and problems.

“Racial tensions are simmering in Hawaii's melting pot”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-06-hawaii-cover_N.htm

Part of the article reproduced below.

The Feb. 19 attack, in which a Hawaiian father and son were arrested and charged with beating a soldier and his wife unconscious, was unusual here for its brutality.”

Last month's road-rage incident began when an SUV driven by Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Dussell, 26, who has served two tours in Iraq, struck the parked car of Gerald Paakaula, 44, at a shopping center, according to a police affidavit filed in court. Paakaula and his 16-year-old son allegedly assaulted Dussell and his wife, Dawn, 23.

The teenager allegedly shouted an obscenity along with the Hawaiian term for a white person, haole (pronounced "howl-ee"), while attacking the soldier.

From this example, we can observe Chris McKinney’s portrayal of native Hawaiians in “The Tattoo” is to a certain degree perpetuating racial stereotypes in Hawaii.

2. How can we as a society reduce and prevent gender-based violence?
Although women have made large stride in equal rights movement and there is a growing awareness of gender equality, domestic violence appears to be growing as well. Domestic violence is introduced in the final chapters of “The Tattoo.” We see Koa become extremely violent in his relationship with his wife Kahala. He admits to Ken that he lost control after the cesspool incident and violently beat his wife. Later when he finds out that Kahala has been receiving money from Claudia and he loses his temper again. Final Kahala gives Koa an ultimatum: control his temper or risk losing her and the children. He agrees to change and goes to church for a while, but eventually anger gets the best of him. Resulting in Kahala leaving with the children and filing for divorce. Their last time together as a family at his son’s birthday party ends tragically in Koa’s murder of Kahala and suicide. Although as unbelievable and tragic as it seems, domestic violence cases in Hawaii are more common than it should be. According to the article reproduced in parts below.

“Domestic Violence Homicide Cases on Oahu Up, Victim's Family Tries to Cope”
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/13414069/domestic-violence-homicide-cases-on-oahu-up-victims-family-tries-to-cope?redirected=true

Royal Kaukani, 25, was gunned down in broad daylight, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend whom she had a protective order against.

...there's been a spike in the number of killings -- seven domestic violence homicide cases so far this year.

The article above along with the class readings on Rothenberg’s “Violence Against Women” and “Enacting Masculinity” are examples that proves domestic violence is a real and serious threat against women everywhere. The real problem with domestic violence is the way it is set up. The concept of hegemonic masculinity and the role it plays in different-gender relationships involves the ideas of masculinity, male superiority, and objectifying women. The only way we as a society can effectively reduce and prevent gender-based violence is to become more responsible men. In his video, Tony porter, co-founder of the nonprofit organization: “A Call to Men: The National Association of Men and Women Committed to Ending Violence Against Women” describes that men need to confront the problem within themselves and take responsibility for their masculinity.

Tony Porter’s video “What’s Wrong With Being A Man”
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/04/10/whats-wrong-with-being-a-man/

Transcript reproduced below.

See collectively, we as men are taught to have less value in women, to view them as property and the objects of men. We see that as an equation that equals violence against women. We as men, good men, the large majority of men, we operate on the foundation of this whole collective socialization. We kind of see ourselves separate, but we’re very much a part of it. You see, we have to come to understand that less value, property and objectification is the foundation and the violence can’t happen without it. So we’re very much a part of the solution as well as the problem.

Tony stresses the importance of teaching men how to responsibly handle their masculinity.

In conclusion, “The Tattoo” has been an epic ride providing a rare glimpse into the culture hiding behind the beaches and life that most people see. Even for me although I’ve lived in Hawaii all my life I feel I’ve learned new things about Hawaii and its culture through this book and course becoming a better-informed global citizen.

Thank you Professor David. Best wishes to you in New Zealand!

References:

McKinney, Chris. “The Tattoo.” Honolulu: Mutual, 1999. Print.

Parrillo, Vincent. “Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations.” Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2008. Print.

Kasindorf, Martin. “Racial Tensions are Simmering in Hawaii's Melting Pot.” USA TODAY, 2007. Web. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-06-hawaii-cover_N.htm.

Sugimoto, Minna. “Domestic Violence Homicide Cases on Oahu Up, Victim's Family Tries to Cope.” Hawaii News Now, 2010. Web. http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/13414069/domestic-violence-homicide-cases-on-oahu-up-victims-family-tries-to-cope?redirected=true.

Porter, Tony. “What’s Wrong With Being A Man.” The Society Pages, 2011. Web. http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/04/10/whats-wrong-with-being-a-man/

Sociological Images - Masculinity

In discussing gender roles portrayed in today’s society, men face numerous threats of discrimination towards their masculinity. In society, men feel the pressure to conform to a certain set of (mostly unspoken) man rules. These man rules or “man code” are extremely hard to follow; one wrong action could mean the end of a man’s reputation and respect. Three articles from the “Sociological Images” website depict the effects of masculinity’s values and norms. The first two articles reinforce gendered stereotypes in merchandise and advertisement. The last article depicts the type of “manly” standards that young men in America feel pressure to abide by. In all of these articles, men face the risk of discrimination for not abiding by the “man code” 

HOW PATRIARCHY CONSTRAINS MEN’S CHOICES 

by Lisa Wade, May 25, 2010, at 10:59 am 

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2010/05/25/how-patriarchy-constrains-mens-choices/ 

The first article discusses the difference in variety of SIGG water bottles for men versus women. The article points out the fact that specific gender-targeting divides the choices for men and women, but ultimately result in less variety for men. In the article’s study, 135 total water bottles water bottles were examined; 77 water bottles are listed under the women’s collection, but only 58 are listed in the men’s. In fact, women are able to choose ANY of the bottles. However, men are limited to only choices that appear to be “masculine” --- choosing otherwise runs the risk of discrimination from other guys for his “feminine” choice. The description under both the male and female collections are amusing for their clearly gendered language: 

“Men: Swiss craftmanship. Durable performance. These classic reusable bottles will help keep you hydrated no matter what life throws at you.” 
“Women: A fresh, fun blend of color and style. These beautiful reusable bottles are fashionable and functional. Ready for your next adventure or as an everyday accessory.” 

MEN AND NON-COMPLIANCE WITH PATRIARCHY 

by Lisa Wade, Jun 27, 2009, at 10:55 am 

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/06/27/men-and-non-compliance-with-patriarchy/ 

The second article discusses that scholars argue that “patriarchy relies not just on a hierarchy that places men above women, but a hierarchy of men that punishes men who don’t obey rules of masculinity.” The article uses a series of pictures featuring an advertising campaign for Oberto Beef Jerky that displays the words: “Eat like an alpha.” The second part of the advertisement shows a picture of an open notebook. The title for one page reads “The Alpha” and lists the traits needed to be an alpha which include things like: walks in first, drives, calls the shots, picks the bar, tells the jokes, etc….On the adjacent page, the title reads: “The Sidekick” and includes sidekick-like traits: walks in second, rides shotgun, buys the shots, picks up the tab, etc….The message is clear: 

“The Alpha is the first; the sidekick is second. The Alpha gets served; the Sidekick serves. The Alpha gets the hot chick; the Sidekick gets the ‘ugly friend.’ The Alpha makes the decisions; the Sidekick takes them.”

This advertisement illustrates the threat to men if they don’t comply with patriarchy. If you’re fortunate enough to be an alpha male then your quest for hegemonic masculinity is safer than being discriminated at for being a sidekick. 

WHAT’S WRONG WITH BEING A “MAN”? 

by Lisa Wade, Apr 10, 2011, at 11:39 am 

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/04/10/whats-wrong-with-being-a-man/#more-34580 

The last article discusses a video by Tony Porter, co-founder of A Call to Men: The National Association of Men and Women Committed to Ending Violence Against Women. Porter gives a speech accompanied by a powerpoint presentation about what it means for men confined by the “dictates of masculinity” and the consequences it plays on other men, women, sons, and daughters. The disturbing thing about this video is Porter’s explanation of the man box, a box containing a set of rules that men feel pressured to follow in society. For a man to not follow these set of rules, he risks being discriminated against by his fellow peers. Porter shares a story to illustrate: 

I come to also look at this as this fear that we have as men, this fear that just has us paralyzed, holding us hostage to this man box. I can remember speaking to a 12 year-old boy, a football player, and I asked him, I said, “How would you feel if, in front of all the players, your coach told you you were playing like a girl?” Now I expected him to say something like, I’d be sad, I’d be mad, I’d be angry, or something like that. No, the boy said to me — the boy said to me, “It would destroy me.” And I said to myself, “God, if it would destroy him to be called a girl, what are we then teaching him about girls?”

Being called a girl is the ultimate insult for any man, because it damages his reputation in quest for hegemonic masculinity and can lead to verbal discrimination by his peers (discussed below). 

These article display social values and norms for men in society --- where the social values are the feelings, thoughts, and actions that men feel are fundamentally important to being a man and the social norms result as the consequences of men’s social values. According to the text discrimination there are five basic levels of discrimination: 

1. Verbal 
2. Avoidance 
3. Exclusion 
4. Physical 
5. Extermination 

As discussed in the articles, males may face all five of these levels of discrimination if they fail to abide by their social values and norms. Verbal discrimination could be as a form of homophobic name calling (being called a girl in article three). Males may experience avoidance or exclusion from their peers, or they are likely to face some sort of physical discrimination as a form of “toughing up.” Extermination seems to be extreme in this case, but for close knit groups such as gangs, failure to comply may endanger someone’s life. 

In examining the different levels of social norms and values portrayed in these articles, evidently men run the risk of discrimination from their fellow peers and loss of hegemonic status for not following the “man code.” However, with all the problems men face with proving their masculinity in society --- gang wars, domestic violence, rape --- I believe that it takes a bigger man to steps up and challenge the “man code” with its values and norms than a man who just abides by it. 

References: 

Parrillo, Vincent N. Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2008. Print.

The Tattoo Response II

In this section of the Tattoo we see Ken make his “great escape” as he moves away from Kahaluu and transitions into town. He goes through a significant change in his thinking at this point. He no longer felt bound by his fate of being stuck in Kahaluu (like Koa), but instead tries to make something of his life. He was determined to attend classes and make college a positive experience. Although paying to sit in his 100 level courses was slowly killing him, he was determined to make it to UH Manoa. He manages to keep his goal. However, after saving one of the girls at Club Mirage the Club’s owner, a Korean immigrant, named Mama-san, hires Ken. Ken is captured by the lure of the underworld with its drugs, prostitution, and easy money. He lose all resolve to do well in school.


Ken eventually becomes Mama-san’s right-hand man. Things start going a lot easier for Ken. Working for Mama-san he no longer has problems with money. However, all that changes when he meets Mama-san’s daughter, Claudia. Somehow meeting Claudia has a direct influence on Ken. He starts to compare his life as Mama-san’s hired thug with his life with Claudia and he starts to be disgusted with his life as Mama-san’s hired thug. He gets together with Claudia much to the frustration of Mama-san, who wants her daughter to not have anything to do with the family business or Ken. Mama-san wants Claudia to attend a good school, become a doctor or marry a well-to-do husband. Claudia rebels and goes with Ken. Everything goes fine until Claudia becomes pregnant. After Mama-san learns of the pregnancy she becomes enraged. She sends hit men to kill Ken. They take Ken hostage, but Ken manages to overcome the thugs and escape the underworld of Hawaii with Claudia by moving back to Kahaluu. There they bide their time, hiding from Mama-san, saving money, and making plans to eventually move to the mainland.


Ken definitely goes through a lot of colorful experiences during this chapter of the book. However, the character of Mama-san is arguably the most interesting character in this section. Mama-san, her name in itself suggests a figure in authority. Although she appears as a powerful figure in the book (as the owner of Club Mirage, Club Nouveau, Happy Hands) we know little about her and her past aside from Claudia’s story. We know that Mama-san’s real name is Kilcha and her mother was “forced into the role of a comfort woman for the Japanese soldiers during the occupation before the end of World War II. Mama-san ended up as the same thing except Americans replaced Japanese. Raped by an American soldier when she live in a brothel by the thirty-eight parallel, Mama-san fled from Korea “poor, pregnant, and disgraced….Although most called her ‘whore,’ Mama-san, like her mother before her, was more of a slave” (McKinney 129). So when she Arrived in America the only business she knew pertained to the underworld of society with its prostitution with bars, strippers, and massage parlors.


The article entitled, “The Politics of an Apology: Japan and Resolving the ‘Comfort Women’ Issue,’” sheds some interesting light about the role that “comfort women,” like Mama-san and her mother, played durning the occupation of Korea in World War II. The article states that women like these:


“Euphemistically labeled ‘comfort women,’ between 80,000 and 200,000 women are estimated to have been coerced into supplying sex for Imperial Japanese soldiers during WWII. With approximately 80 percent of the victims ethnically Korean” (Chang 1).


Most of these comfort women were forced into prostitution at a young age (with the majority being under 18 years old). The conditions under which the women were forced to operate were often “inhumane and physically and psychologically traumatic.” Although the Japanese government was suspected to have played a part in setting up these “comfort stations” in occupied territories, they continually denied it for several years. Finally, government records where found that proved the Japanese Government was involved in managing these “comfort stations.” Thus, the Japanese government, by first denying, then continuing to diminish, the state's position in institutionalizing sexual slavery during the war, failed to satisfy the demands set forth by former comfort women.


The testimonies of former comfort women reveal how much pain and frustration they felt during their time as comfort women. “Our country was powerless. So we were forcibly taken by the Japanese and suffered, ‘commented one former comfort woman, Chung Seowoon. For Korea, the official Japanese occupation of the nation, beginning with the 1910 Annexation Treaty, initiated a setting of Japanese cultural and political dominance in Korea. The Japanese Imperial Period saw the enactment of policies that aimed to ‘assimilate’ Koreans as Japanese subjects” (Chang 1).


In conclusion, when I first read this chapter I assumed that Mama-san was just a money-hungry powerful business women; that she was the “bad guy” in the chapter obsessed with tearing Claudia away from Ken. However, after reading “The Politics of an Apology” I’ve begun to view Mama-san in a new light. She is moves away from being the “bad guy” in the chapter (although she still wants to kill Ken) I began to ask myself, could she be who she is because of her traumatic experiences as a former comfort woman? And although her businesses are not the cleanest, it now seems she does it not all just for the money, but to provide a better life for her daughter. Providing Claudia with the opportunity that she [Mama-san] didn’t have: to move away from the heritage as a comfort woman. I ask myself, “If I were Mama-san could I have done it any better?”


References:


Chang, M. (2009). The Politics of an Apology: Japan and Resolving the "Comfort women" Issue. Harvard International Review. Article.


McKinney, C. (1999). The Tattoo. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, HI. Book.

Entourage Review

Entourage, winner of the 2006 Best International Television Series, is an American comedy-drama television series that follows the story of up-and-coming movie star Vincent chase and his childhood friends supporting him along his way to making it big. Vince’s “entourage” of friends includes his manager and best friend, Eric “E” Murphy; Ari Gold, Vince’s loud, arrogant but hilarious agent; Johnny “Drama” Chase, Vince’s older half-brother and former actor himself; and Salvatore “Turtle” Assante, Vince’s driver and childhood friend.

Entourage is an excellent example of media that displays differing levels of hierarchal masculinities. Characters depict hegemonic, subordinate, complicit, and marginalized masculinities along with female characters exhibiting emphasized femininity and the patriarchal bargain. This review will focus on defining the different terms along with examples of the those terms seen in characters in Entourage.

TERMS:

Hegemonic Masculinity: “describes males who support the hegemonic masculine ideal, who pursue a sense of hegemonic masculinity, and generally have access to most or many masculine characteristics.” In Entourage, Ari Gold is probably the most recognizable character exhibiting this form of masculinity. In Season 5, Episode 3 titled “The All Out Fall Out,” Ari’s wife surprises him with a brand new red Ferrari as an anniversary gift. Ari later gets into a feud with archrival Adam Davies after he loses to Davies in an illegal street race. Ari and Davies feud continue throughout the episode as they constantly try to “one-up” each other. Ari sends Davies a bag of human feces and Davies responds by torturing Ari with male strippers. Eventually Davies insults Ari’s wife and Ari becomes so infuriated that he forces his way into Davies’ office and slaps Davies in the face in front of the entire office. “A bitch slap for a bitch,” Ari shouts as he offer Davies an ultimatum, “now you apologize for what you did or I will knock you the **** out!” Davies apologies and a superior Ari walks out happy and satisfied. Ari is an excellent example of hegemonic masculinity and what lengths males will go to fight and prove their superiority.

Marginal masculinity: “describes males who support the hegemonic masculine ideal, who pursue a sense of hegemonic masculinity, but may be minorities in another form (e.g., poor, men of color).” Johnny “Drama” Chase appears to fit this role perfectly. Although a reasonable successful television actor himself, Drama always seems to be in Vince’s shadow. Drama tries to portray the hegemonic male image but is usually just made fun of by the other guys who constantly joke about Drama’s inability to get a date. In Season 5, Episode titled “Fire Sale,” Drama, trying to get over his breakup depression, focuses on looking his best for his guest appearance on “The View” with Whoopi Goldberg. Drama tries to appear “tough” and unfazed by his breakup, but he is set up by his “Five Towns” co-stars, who have given the show photos of Drama’s former girlfriend and then tell him to reach out to her through national television. Drama apologizes for being overprotective, starts crying, embarrasses himself, and pretty much shatters all his attempts of portraying a hegemonic masculine image. Poor Drama will he ever achieve his goal?

Complicit masculinity: “describes males who do not support the hegemonic masculine ideal but benefit from it, and do little to challenge hegemonic masculinity.” While I can’t think of any one specific episode, the best character example of complicit masculinity in the episodes I’ve watched has to be Eric “E” Murphy. Although Vince also seems to depict this type of masculinity most of the time, Vince’s ability to pick up almost any woman he wants seems to lean him more towards a hegemonic masculine character. However, E’s personality and characteristics seems to perfectly fit complicit masculinity. E is somewhat different from the most of the guys in Entourage, since he appears to be fairly comfortable with his masculinity and it seems he rarely feels the need to enforce his masculinity over others.

Subordinate masculinity: “describes males who are heavily excluded from masculine privilege (e.g., gay men).” Ari Gold’s bubbly assistant, Lloyd, is clear example of subordinated masculinity. Lloyd seems comfortable with his homosexuality and the constant homophobic remarks from his boss Ari Gold. In the same episode where Ari is feuding with Adam Davies, Ari is about to reveal to Lloyd his secret weapon against rival Adam Davies. "I know you don't know the man code," Ari remarks to Lloyd, so Ari instead makes Lloyd promise on Tom’s (Lloyd’s homosexual partner) p***s. While content with his subordinated masculinity at first...Lloyd eventually grows tired of being mistreated by Ari and seeks employment elsewhere.

While Entourage primarily focuses on differing levels of male masculinity there are, however, two concepts exhibited by women in Entourage: emphasized femininity and the patriarchal bargain.

Emphasized Femininity: “describe when women fulfill the cultural characteristics deemed feminine that support hegemonic masculinity (male privilege).” I don’t have much to say on this topic except the fact that most of the women in Entourage, from the guys’ current girlfriends to the random girls the guys meet, the majority of women in this show exhibits at least some degree of emphasized femininity.

Patriarchal Bargain: “when women make individual decisions weighing the pros and cons of a situation to emphasize their femininity because it gives them power in a hegemonically masculine society. The gender order does not change; it is reinforced.” A good example of a female exhibiting the patriarchal bargain is seen in Season 5, Episode 10 titled "Seth Green Day," Ari wants to hire his old colleague, Andrew Klein but, according to his contract, needs to get approval from his business partner, Barbara Miller. Barbara refuses to allow Ari to hire Andrew. Ari irritated by Barbara’s discussion and power over him in this issue complains to his daughter. “My problem is that I can't run my business the way I want to, not with that woman as my partner. Your mother controls me at home; she [Barbara] controls me at work. Where can a man be a man?"

In conclusion, Entourage is an entertaining series to watch, but after learning and studying the hegemonic concepts hidden behind the episode’s plot it makes watching the series and this type of media in general a lot more thought-provoking.


References:

Mayeda, David T., et al. Celluloid Dreams: How Film Shapes America. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2010. Print.

Ellin, Doug., et al. Entourage. HBO, 2004. Video.

Websites of interest:

Which 'Entourage' Character Are You?'
http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/10/entourage-characters-quiz/
I scored:

The Tattoo Response I (p.1-93)

Chris McKinney’s novel The Tattoo provides a glimpse into a part of Hawaiian culture virtually unknown to tourists. The first two chapters begin with the prison inmate Kenji  “Ken” Hideyoshi as he recounts his story to fellow inmate Cal “California Joe” Brodsky a mute but skilled tattoo artist.  Ken, a local boy of Japanese descent, grew up in the Windward side of the island, Kahaluu, which according to Ken is easy to find: “When the brilliant blue and green patterns of the waters of Kaneohe Bay suddenly turn s**t-brown, it’s like a sign reading, ‘Welcome to Kahaluu’” (p. 43).  In this environment, filled with theft, gangs, violence, and drugs Ken, left by his deceased mother and distant father, must make sense of his life.

Throughout the first two chapters of this fascinating book. There are numerous concepts that can be applied to this novel. In this post I focus on a four of them: assimilation, cultural transmission, ethnocentrism, and scapegoating.

ASSIMILATION: Ken has gone through a good deal of assimilation even though it is only two chapters into the book.  Ken’s family is of Japanese ancestry and Ken is brought up in a Japanese-American culture. However, he begins to assimilate into local Hawaiian culture after he starts a fight with, his soon to be best friend, Koa Pauna. After the two become friends Ken quickly begins to change. He starts to act and do things like a typical local boy and he also starts using pidgin English more frequently. This leads to a clash with his father who says: “I no like you talking like one f***ing moke. Drop da pidgin” (p.32). Although Ken’s father himself uses pidgin, he feels that Ken should be speak more like his mother who was a school teacher and spoke flawless English.

CULTURAL TRANSMISSION: Ken's father's action of instructing Ken to be more like his mother can be expressed in terms of cultural transmission – where one generation passes on its values and beliefs to the next generation. We see Ken’s grandfather similarly try to transmit Japanese culture to Ken. On page 28, we see Ken’s grandfather tell Ken to hold the family sword and say, “One day dis goin’ be yours” (p.28). However Ken’s grandfather and father may have a tough time fighting against Ken’s inevitable assimilation into Hawaiian culture.

PERSONAL VIEW: I feel that similar to Ken, I have personally experienced assimilation into local Hawaiian culture.  Like Ken, I am of Japanese ancestry.  My ancestors came to Hawaii Japan almost five generations ago and my family has assimilated well into local culture. My father and mother were born and raised in Hawaii. They grew up doing all the typical things local children do: fishing, surfing, speaking pidgin. But even though my family was raised in the local culture we still hold on to parts of Japanese culture.  As a result, I like to think of myself as being in both the local and Japanese cultures. I would be interested to know if Ken feels the same way.

ETHNOCENTRISM: Another concept seen in the first two chapters of this book is ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s ethnic group and culture is better than all other ethnic groups. Ken and Koa’s feelings toward the "haoles.” To Ken, being assimilated into Hawaiian culture, haoles are seen as an annoyance and a good chance to steal from or pick fights with. However Koa on the other hand has an exceptionally strong hatred for haoles as Ken remarked: “Koa, it was kind of strange, how cool he was until it came to haoles….He hated all of them” (p.70). To Koa haoles are seen as invaders in his land and are a target to vent his anger towards. This type of anger venting that Koa does is also a term discussed in class called scapegoating.

SCAPEGOATING: Scapegoating is another form of prejudice that groups of people carrying an ethnocentric view may revert to creating a scapegoat for their problems while keeping their pride in tact.  In the text, scapegoating is described as blaming others for things that may not be their fault. An example of this is when the two boys spot the tourist on Sunset Beach. Koa blames the haoles for ruining his families land in Kahaluu. Koa said, “F***dat. Eh, Hawaiians got mo’ f***ed by da haoles.” After, the boys steal the haole tourists’ shoes and Ken reflects that, “Koa’s personal war against the haoles would escalate in high school” (p.54).

PERSONAL VIEW: I don't think I developed any ethnocentrism or scapegoating views while growing up as a child. I always thought the greatest thing about living in Hawaii is that there is such a mesh of different cultures and there wouldn’t be any way for everyone to get along unless everyone assimilated into each others' culture (to a small degree). So I was a little surprised to read about Ken and Koa's local hatred for Caucasians. 

Overall, Chapters One and Two of the Tattoo are definitely a fascinating read. I was not too fond of it at first, but it does reveal a different side of Hawaii that I am used to. I am looking forward to reading what happens after Ken moves out from Kahaluu and into town...

References:
McKinney, Chris. The Tattoo. Honolulu: Mutual, 1999. Print.

Parrillo, Vincent N. Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2008. Print.

Global/Foreign Issue Review

Japan's Issue of Rising Homelessness

Last semester I was able to study abroad in Japan. I had a great experience, made a lot of friends, and explored many different places in Japan. But while contemplating my topic for this paper, I thought about, “why do people visit another country?”  I know I went to experience the culture, get immersed in the language, and visit a lot of different places. I think every country has something beautiful to see, however, it does not matter how beautiful a place is, there can be problems that are not apparent to tourists. One issue that I saw when I visited Japan was issue of homelessness. Indeed it seems that both the United States and Japan have a common problem of dealing with the increasing percentage of homeless citizens.

Homelessness is defined as the condition and social category of people without a regular house or dwelling because they are otherwise unable to acquire, maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. In Japan, homelessness is a growing issue. After Japan’s defeat in World War II, the country experienced a period of economic success and established itself as the second largest economy in the world. During this time many Japanese businesses were thriving. Companies such as Toshiba, Toyota, Honda, and Sony started establishing themselves as world leaders in the technology field. Jobs were in plentiful demand and many economists considered this period of Japanese economic prosperity as the “Japanese post-war economic miracle.” Indeed, Japan seemed on the steady rise, however the miracle came to an abrupt end in 1990s. Rising stocks and real estate prices caused the Tokyo Stock Exchange to crash in 1990s (referred to as the “Lost Decade” because Japan’s economic growth was 1.5% slower than growth in other major developed economies). During this time of economic stagnation, Japan faced an increase in unemployment rates and a steady increase in homelessness.

Using sociological views, homelessness in Japan can be defined as a system of social stratification. Social stratification according to the Parrillo text is defined as

“the hierarchical classification of the members of society based on the unequal distribution of resources, power, and prestige. The word resources refers to such factors as income, property, and borrowing capacity. Power, usually reflected by the stratified layers, represents the ability to influence or control others. Prestige relates to status, either ascribed (based on age, sex, race, or family background) or achieved (based on individual accomplishments)” (Parrillo, 57).

The prevalence of homelessness in Japan can be linked to the social structure of Japanese society. In Japan there is a considerably more homeless men then there are homeless women. In the past, typically only the men would work to provide income for their families while women managed the house and took care of the children. Japanese companies on the whole believe that married men work harder and better than unmarried ones because married men feel more responsibilities toward their families. Since, companies are less likely to hire unmarried men or elderly men with grown children Japanese men in this social structure group face a harder time finding employment, in effect producing a greater number of homeless men than homeless women in Japan.

As discussed in the Parrillo text, social stratification leads to the use of the term: social class.

“Social class is one categorization sociologists use to designate people’s place in the stratification hierarchy; people in a particular social class have a similar lifestyle. Many factors help to determine a person’s social class, including the individual’s membership in particular racial, religious, and status groups” (Parrillo, 58).

Homeless Japanese citizens lack resources, power, or prestige and are the lowest in social class. This causes them to be looked down upon as inferior members of society. Accordingly, the Japanese government tried to get rid of the homeless citizen by having local authorities deal with ‘the problem’ by evacuating the homeless due to “environmental beautification.” Due to endless bureaucratic obstacles, it was quite hard for the homeless to obtain benefits that they might have been eligible to receive. Only in 1997, did the Japanese Government finally acknowledge the existence of the homeless and start negotiating.

Overall, homelessness and the accompanying social stratification is seen as a global issue that prompts many of us ask the tough question, “why does this issue persists and how can we work toward curing this matter that continues to affect hundreds of thousands of people all around the world?” I only hope Japan can come up with a better solution.

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” –Mother Teresa

References:

Parrillo, V. (2008). Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations (3ed). Pearsons Education, Inc.

McMorrow-Hernandez, J. (2007). Sociological Perspectives on Homelessness. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/397286/sociological_perspectives_on_homelessness.html?cat=4

Ishiwatari, T. (1999). Homelessness in Japan Cardboard Village and the Shogun’s Law. http://www.share-international.org/archives/homelessness/hl-ticardboard.htm

Domestic Issue Review

Ask someone to define “the United States of America” and their responses will likely contain a number of answers, but on the whole most will respond with the phrase, “America the land of the free.” Indeed with the motto that “All men are created equal,” it is no wonder the opportunity of freedom in America has driven people from around the world to leave their country and make their way to America. Since America’s formation as a nation, over 70 million immigrants have come to the United States. As of 2006, the United States accepts more legal immigrants as permanent residents than all other countries in the world combined and Japanese Americans make up one of the largest percentage of immigrants that were able to integrate into American society. Studies and research concerning immigration are vast and are well debated domestic issues within the United States, but I will be focusing on the Japanese and examples of their assimilation into American society.

The process of assimilation, also called the majority-conformity theory, refers to the functioning within a society of racial or ethnic minority-group members who lack any marked cultural, social, or personal differences from the people of the majority group (Parrillo, 2008). During the late 1800s, Japan was experiencing a period of economic turmoil with large-scale unemployment, bankruptcies, and civil disorders. Many Japanese wanted to escape the civil unrest in Japan and travel to America in search of work in the United States. The majority of Japanese immigrants in the United States worked as farmers and farm laborers, immigrating into the United States more as sojourners rather than permanent settlers. Roughly three-quarters of the immigrants returned to Japan after working in the United States. However, as the years passed, a larger percentage of Japanese immigrants decided to stay in America. Many of them were able to assimilate into society adopting American cultural values and norms.

The American sociologist, Milton Gordon, divided assimilation into several different stages. I will discuss three of the most important ones below:

The first stage is cultural assimilation, also called acculturation, and occurs when a member of an ethnic group begins to change its cultural patterns such as its language, religion, values, and norms to match those of the host society (Parrillo, 2008). After the Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United State government ordered thousands of Japanese Americans to be put into internment camps for the duration of World War II. However, despite this violation of their constitutional rights, the majority of Japanese Americans remained loyal to the United States. As one Japanese American said about the internment camps, “Yes, the United States did make a mistake but we felt it was our country–right and wrong.” This American patriotism among the Japanese was due to their assimilation process before their internment. Unlike the multicultural and melting pot views today, Japanese immigrant families were expected to acculturate to American culture. A creed by the Japanese American Citizens League emphasized this belief:

I am proud that I am an American citizen of Japanese ancestry, for my very background makes me appreciate more fully the wonderful advantages of this nation [America]. I believe in her institutions, ideals and traditions; I glory in her heritage; I boast of her history; I trust in her future….Because I believe in America, and I trust she believes in me, and because I have received innumerable benefits from her, I pledge myself to do honor to her at all times and in all places (Niiya, 1993).

The result of the Japanese assimilation process into American society and culture developed a sincere and deep patriotism for America for most Japanese Americans.

The second stage is structural assimilation when large-scale entrance into the cliques, clubs, and institutions of the host society on primary-group level. This stage best reveals the extent of acceptance of the minority group in the majority society. A good example of this is Hawaii born Nisei (second-generation Japanese American), Senator Daniel Inouye. Senator Inouye enlisted in the army when the ban preventing Japanese American from joining was dropped. He was assigned along with other Nisei Japanese Americans to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in American history. After the war, Senator Inouye earned his law degree and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962 where he now resides as the longest-serving current senator and President pro tempore of the United States Senate, making him third in the presidential line of succession.

The third stage is marital assimilation (amalgamation). Amalgamation is where there is a large-scale intermarriage with members of the majority society. This concept was seen during the late 1800s. Anti-asian movements led to laws that prohibited Asian women to immigrate to America. Japanese men were no longer able to bring their spouses to U.S. giving Japanese men, who wanted marry, no choice but to socialize with non-Japanese and eventually leading to increased percentages of amalgamation.

Overall, from a cultural viewpoint, Japanese assimilation can both a good and bad thing. On the pro side, the Japanese were able to assimilate into American society and culture. However on the con side, those who became Japanese American, in the process of assimilating may have lost their distinct Japanese culture and identity, but have gained a new one…Japanese American. And I believe Japanese Americans are happy with this identity.

References:

Parrillo, V. (2008). Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations (3ed). Pearsons Education, Inc.

Niiya, B. (1993). Japanese American History: An A-to-Z Reference from 1868 to the Present. Facts On File, Inc.