From: Olaf Karthaus <olaf@debito.org> (by way of Arudou Debito/Dave Aldwinckle)
Date: Mon Jan 8, 2001 2:11pm
Subject: kanji textbook (reforwarding)

Dear all,

whatever the new millenium has for us, one thing will not change in the near future: the image of foreigners in the japanese society. Schools - and education in general - plays a very important role in (in)forming the human mind, especially children. Publishers have a share in the correct and unbiased education of children.

Recently I found yet another example in which foreigners are depicted in a stereotyped way. This time in a kanji learn-book for second graders. Have a look at

http://www.geocities.com/okarthaus/go.htm

The address and contact information of the publisher is given. Requests for information/clarification/correction should be directed to the publisher. I suggest that this material should be added to the community web-site and that The Community and/or Issho Kikaku should monitor the situation. You might think that this is an effort in vain, because of the sheer number of similar cases, but we have to start somewhere.

This kind of stereotyping HAS definitely an effect on children. Just this week, during skiing, I had the best example: a boy fell down on the slope, and I wanted to help him. He did not understand me, even though I spoke Japanese. Just by seeing me he switched to a 'I do not understand English' mode. His own mistake, because then he tried to reach his ski - which fell off WITH the boot - by himself. Lesson to learn: if a foreigner is there you get wet socks?

Olaf


PROGRESS

Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 22:19:06 +0900
From: "Tim Greer" <tim-greer@pop02.odn.ne.jp>
Subject: Carrot Nosed Foreigners and Kanji Textbooks

Olaf identified the following problem:


>Recently I found yet another example in which foreigners are depicted in
>a stereotyped way. This time in a kanji learn-book for second graders.
>Have a look at
http://www.geocities.com/okarthaus/go.htm

Personally I was pretty put out that this kind of picture could appear in a textbook so I wrote the following letter to the email address I found at the homepage above.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

埒竦香酣音音飛沿酋郎香倨音倫逅歧迷舢剛髒 治厝面陋兼悝滵音服焨誖革陋猦迫音飛朋值厝襱匪苛茄釜歧訖倚凍(訌酒歧箘繑沫朋個峖滵厝睮服值面沿治陋迫倫藀絎厝蚓剪訏迷陋音与棈纜陋驄厝猱陋厝朾厝鸑香穟迫迫凍朋噌剝蒚郎厝倌倫剝璸厝与棈纜匪兼廳剝香服倣俺酋俺值倫剝礒兼凍猱稦鸑音迫凍朋

棈湁囌厝埱厝熇服倫倣剔陋揌倔迫飛革倆飛迫陋猦迫凍朋面倫迫倫乇兼牚鑆凍面陋倌剔服倚剝飛厝驄兼襐旃凍黑屳あ匪矬厝倌倫剝麝挴兼唔迫倘酋朋

致枋孿匪音倨服酋厝匪剝迫朋
舢枋与棈纜匪驄香酋剝迫朋
苧枋与棈纜厝匪針啜倚朋

倣服鏑3粿匪沿治陋迫倫劦絎陋禸垤齎偁倚凍朋

值厝服驄厝鸑倘与棈纜藎灤陋音倡蟣香髐剖面陋倚凍朋欉鳱銋蟧旂體僇飛陋匪迫倔服面厝倌倫剝訏送啃囌音飛蚓高歧訖匪猱厝蚓訖高厝陋剝恁香倚凍朋剝乘服面厝棌匪驄纜陋与棈纜陋迫粿兼旃瑧凍癤饔香倚剔飛厝音倫酋朋

匪剔倆躡音凍陋服面厝堈音服旂裲纜竦厝揌倔匪絫漚凍朋矬服ぐ厝釜歧訖兼閂漡音倨革倡迫朋

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
昇昇昇昇
And then today, what do you know, I get a suitably sincere apology and a promise that the offending picture will not appear in any future editions of the textbook. Here is the apology.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

薷姱匪黑竦氻杭劦絎屳貼逅歧迷兼個蹲鑆禕倆音ご倚香陋倫個重迫凍朋

昇面厝綡匪沿治厝陌歧訖厝蚓剪訏迷厝堈高歧參兼迫飛革倆杭驄兼髐陋音謽襐旃剝音飛音杭謽躡音剝倨猦剔閂凍朋昇個猣穊匪個剔陋剝絒倚杭顫銝鸐凍埴顩個重迫倘朋痝桉匪杭髍鷖兼榹倫猱飛倣驄兼挭凍絪陋音杭藅亓厝垺倆剝迫綩癰兼音倆飛剖凍香杭面厝堈剖迫匪鉺鬫香恉剝酋剔飛陋銝園音閂凍朋昇埒偡兼匪郎郁陋凍与棈纜厝杲杭繟剝塭兼躔倔音剔飛絒兼齷酋觀倨閂灦躡音迭凍朋

昇厝蚓剪訏迷剖迫匪杭峈恲矬厝矗迫窫か剝藇殕音忔倔絒埼音杭庣厝蚓剪訏迷剖迫誖厝飛郁粿堐兼潎音閂凍朋飛杭面兼迫旂偠陋凍譙杭榹裧鏑与厝垤貘超謱兼棐滵音杭滵箜
兼潎音音飛朋

昇椑匪愝迫硢兼倣杭椕齷厝疐鏝兼薶剔湕傾峖個重迫凍厝杭面瑳唉謽剜個蹲寀兼筌凍鑇杭閂灦杲閂迫躡音迭凍朋

昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇波扞沫旂裲纜竦昇黑屳貘超謱
昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇昇劦絎屳貼逅歧迷榹裧昇躕昇齹

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What do you think?

I am fairly convinced that they had no bad intentions behind the picture, and that they will be more careful next time.

It made me think that such simple protests can be quitely informative for the publisher, without having to make a public issue out of it.

I'd be interested in knowing if Olaf or anyone else wrote a similar letter to Mr Yonokawa in this case?

Tim