Paper..Paper..Paper...

Hello. I am sorry that I could not update this blog these few days. I had some paper dues this week, and I was working for them.. But now, I finished!!!! :D
I am so happy that I could survive! I have a class tomorrow though ;)
こんにちは。ここ数日ブログを更新できていませんでした。今週提出のレポートがいくつかあり、それに追われていました。でも今日で全て提出終了!!
今週をやりとげることができてとても嬉しいです！明日もまだあるのですが。。

Today is just one month before the graduation ceremony day. It means I will leave here in just a month. I have some more papers, exams and a presentation in this semester.. But I can survive!! :) The exam week will begin in three weeks.
今日は卒業式のちょうど１ヶ月前、つまり大学を出る一ヶ月前ということです。まだレポートが数本、試験にプレゼンテーションも待っていますが、、大丈夫でしょう！:) 試験週間は３週間後です。

By the way, yesterday was "gay's day" in America. "gay" or "lesbian" is not so familiar with Japanese people. However, there are big communities in America and at the same time, it is one of the "hot" topic in the society.
Even inside of the college, I can feel this difference because I have some friends who have a girl friend. I am not sure it is especially because this college is a women's college. Yesterday, there were free t-shirts for the "gay's day," and many students were wearing it.
ところで、機能は”ゲイの日”でした。日本人にはなかなか”ゲイ”や”レズビアン”という単語に馴染みが薄いですが、アメリカでは大きなコミュニティも存在すると同時に社会的に”熱い”話題でもあります。
大学内でさえ、この違いは感じます。実際、友だちのなかには彼女がいる子もいますし、女の子同士のカップルも結構みるので。この大学が女子校だからなのか特にそうなのかはよく分かりませんが。昨日は”ゲイの日”のためのTシャツもくばられており、たくさんの学生がそれを着ていました。

In the writing class, I argued about the different values of marriage and gay people. So, let me show some parts of it. 
タイミングよく、ライティングの授業で結婚とゲイの価値観の違いについて主張する文章を書いたので紹介させていただきます。
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           Because people seek freedom in life and it is an important value for them in America, the importance for same-sex couples to acquire their marriage rights cannot be denied. 　Evan Wolfson mentions “marriage,” saying, “No matter what language people speak —from Arabic to Yiddish, form Chinook to Chinese— marriage is what we use to describe a specific relationship of love and dedication to another person”(99). This is correct; however, there is a value that “marriage” is only between a man and a woman in some regions, and it is hard for them to think about it as their own problem. Many Japanese people are in a difficult situation to accept the gay or lesbian community today. It is not only in Japan but some other countries suffer from the same intolerance. The author’s claim reflects an American society issue which is not necessarily prevalent in other countries. In Japan, people know the words “gay” and “lesbian,” and there are some those people. However, it is really difficult for them to confide in others, and many of them try hard to keep their orientation secret for a long time. Historically, gay people have existed in Japan, but tolerance is terribly low, and the environment for gay people might be worse there than America.

　　　　アメリカでは自由を強く求め、とても重要な価値観であるため、国民が同性愛者同士の結婚権を主張するということを理解するのは難しいことではない。"話す言語は違っても、結婚とは愛と献身の関係である"と述べられているが、”結婚”とは男女間の間だけのものだという’価値観を持っている国や地域もあり、そこでは同性結婚を自身の問題として捉えることが難しい。多くの日本人は今日、ゲイやレズビアンを受け入れ難い社会にあり、これは日本だけではない。日本人も“ゲイ”や”レズビアン”という単語は知っており、実際にコミュニティも存在する。しかし、彼らにとってそれを打ち明けるのは難しく、多くの人が長い期間隠してしまうのだ。歴史的に、日本ではゲイは存在するんだが、国民の許容は低く、アメリカよりもゲイの人々にとって生きづらい環境なのかもしれない。

Then, why do gay or lesbian people try to hide their own personality in Japan? It is because there is a deep rooted value for “marriage,” and they get some pressure from societal values and family. The assumption, “marriage is different from love” (Wolfson, 101) is still really strong in Japan. The case of it is an arranged marriage. The number of this style of marriage has decreased in comparison to some decades ago. However, it still exists, and people consider it as one of the ways to get married. In the essay, Wolfson explains “If you love it, why don’t you marry it”(108). Although he had accepted himself as a gay person, it is not always easy to be accepted by family and society. In America, same-sex couple cannot get the same rights as different-sex couples. However, many people have recognized them and take this problem seriously. On the other hand, many Japanese people think that marriage is only between men and women, so it is difficult to think about the same-sex marriage seriously.

では、なぜ日本では懸命に隠そうとするのか。これは”結婚”に対する根強い日本人の価値観が存在し、社会的価値や家族からのプレッシャーのためではないだろうか。”結婚と愛は違う”という考え方が未だにとても強いのだ。この一例がお見合い結婚だ。数は数十年後に比べて減少しているものの、人々は一つの結婚の形態として認めている。アメリカでは、同性カップルは異性カップルと同じ権利を得られていない。しかし、多くの人がこの現実を知り、重要な問題として捉えている。一方、多くの日本人は結婚は男女間のみのものであると考えているため、同性結婚を真剣に考えることが難しいのだ。

Besides, many people connect marriage to children in Japan. This is one of the reasons why same-sex marriage is difficult to be understood. Santorum mentions that “the risk for children are simply greater when they grow up in a single-parent home”(89). From a Japanese perspective, many people think this is true; there is a certain value for single-parent home. Of course there are single-parent homes in Japan. However, there are more negative connotations associated with them, and many people feel sorry for their children. People think that the style of family greatly affects children and prefer the “traditional” family style: a father, mother, and children.

また、日本では多くの人が結婚と子どもを繋げて考える。これも同性愛が理解され難い一つの理由だろう。“片親のもとで育った子どもが受けるリスクはより大きい”と指摘されている。日本人の見解からはこの考え方に多くの人が頷けるのではないか。もちろん片親の家庭は日本にも存在するが、否定的な見方が多いのが現実でその子どもはかわいそうだと感じてしまう。家庭環境や家庭形態は子どもに大きな影響を与えると考え、“伝統的な”家庭、すなわち父、母、子が存在する家庭を好むのだ。

Santorum points out “Individuals are free to do anything they want, including to redefine marriage, gender, and basic social institutions in pursuit of individual desire and preference” (Santorum 96). The value and thinking way for marriage, gender, and many other things are changing dramatically from decades ago. It is not only about America, but also Japan. It is good because many people gain more tolerance and understanding, ultimately receiving freedom in many areas. However, at the same time, people may be losing something important for our society and family bond. Having family and children is a way to keep and make the family bond. Having individual freedom is a good for people; however, people should not forget about the family. Each country and region has their values on marriage. Some people agree on same-sex marriage; some people are against; and some people cannot even think about it. No opinion is right or wring. However, the importance of family cannot be forgotten.

“個人が、個々の好みを追求して再定義した結婚、性別、社会組織を含めて、何でもしたいことを自由にする”とサントラムは指摘している。結婚、性別、その他多くのことに関する価値観や考え方は数十年前から劇的に変化している。アメリカだけではなく、日本も同様だ。多くの人がより許容範囲を広げ、理解するということは良いことだ。しかし同時に、社会や家族における絆のための何か大切なものを失いつつあるのかもしれない。家庭や子どもを持つことが家族の絆を築き続ける方法だからだ。個人の自由を得ることは素晴らしいことだが、家族の存在を忘れてはならない。それぞれの国や地域には結婚に対する異なる価値観があるため、同性結婚に賛成する人もいれば、反対する人、もしくは問題意識を持たない人もいる。正しい意見も間違った意見もないのだ。しかし、家族の大切さを忘れないようにしたい。

Bibliography

Rick Santorum, Evan Wolfson. “Rereading America.” Cultural Contexts for Thinking and Writing. Ed. Gary Colombo et at. 7^th ed. Bedford/St.Martins, 2007. Page 88-110. Print.

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