Thoughts on the Breakdown of Society

Recently I stumbled upon two very interesting articles. They both are somewhat related and I think it’s fascinating. The first article I read was about a scientific experiment performed by scientist John Calhoun. Calhoun is famous for conducting an experiment with rats. He created a “utopia” world for a population of rats. In his experiment, the enclosed environment had all the right variables for a perfect universe: unlimited supply of food, lack of danger (predators), and plentiful of breeding partners. At first, the population grew steadily and at a constant rate. Eventually, the population reached a tipping point and it stopped. Eventually, the utopia became chaotic. Males split into two categories, the violent ones and the passive ones. The rats grew restless and pointless violence would occur randomly. Females no longer reproduced. Non-violent rats withdrew from society altogether, confining themselves into solitude and avoided all but the most basic survival needs: (eating, drinking, and strangely… grooming). In the end, even after the population had gone down to tolerable numbers, the mice never got back to a high reproduction rate, or as I call it; they stopped hooking up with each other. Society broke because everything was too perfect and overpopulation caused havoc amongst the perfect world they lived in.

It’s extremely interesting because no matter how Calhoun changed the variables within his experiments, the same thing would happen over and over. The behavior and end result very predictable. Why does this matter? I think it matters because I can see a trend happening in the human race itself. There is one nation in the world where the number of deaths are surpassing the number of babies being born: Japan. Japan is facing a very real problem, the population is shrinking and shrinking fast. In Japan, stores sell more diapers to the elderly than they do to newborn children.

Here’s why the second article I read about is so fascinating and why it’s relevant. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, Japan is a country of singles. Men don’t pursue the opposite sex, birth rates are in decline, does this sound familiar? In this article, the author explains the concept of hikikomori. The term basically is the equivalent of a person who has gave up on himself on society and never leaves home. The term shut-in defines as a person who never leaves the house other than for basic needs (like buying food). These people have pulled themselves out of society by choice. There are over 1 million Japanese people who currently have this problem.

This looks extremely similar to the social experiment John Calhoun created. In our modern society, we are essentially in a world where all our basic human needs are fulfilled, ex: food, shelter, lack of danger. What’s so similar with the case of Japan and the rat experiment is the lack of living space. Japan is a series of islands that is home to millions of people. Overpopulation is a big problem. Overpopulation was the tipping point for the breakdown of society in the rat experiments. Rats began to turn either violent or pulled themselves out of society. My theory is that the tipping point for Japan has been reached and we are our in the stage where the population will continue to drop until a point where it restores itself when overpopulation is no longer such a big problem. However, the problem with this is that the damage will be catastrophic by that time comes. With an aging population, economic problems arise. When half of the population is enjoying their retirement, the strain on the working class will bring burden to the economy as a whole. How do you expect the Japanese economy to flourish when only half the population is earning income? The breakdown of society looks very real.

There are a ton of factors that go into the problems Japan currently faces. Why does this even matter, after-all we aren’t in Japan? I think this phenomenon is also slowly occurring in the urban cities of America. The only difference is that the land mass here is a lot more spacious and we will not hit that tipping point anytime soon. But there is definitely something going on because in large urban populations, single men and women are increasingly having trouble finding a right partner. Whatever the reason might be, when the tipping point comes, you’ll know where you've read it first.


Documentary on hikikomori: http://vimeo.com/28627261

Japan - Country of Singles

I often wondered why Japan’s current culture fosters such hostility against relationships. When I was in Japan, it really hit me. You can read about how the marriage rates and birth rates are in massive decline in Japan in the news all you want, but it’s really something else to see it firsthand. During my stay in Japan, I rarely saw any children around. If I did, it was tourist children mostly. The other part is the lack of couples. We were out and about on Valentine’s Day, but we barely saw any couples holding hands. Japan is a country of singles. Just why does this happen exactly?

I’m no expert in the matter, but I can give some thoughts on why Japan is such a pitiful state. The first blame goes to the otaku culture. Anime, with all its intents and purposes, is ultimately part of the reason why men and women in Japan can’t get along. When anime shows feed ideas to the young population, good and bad constantly, expectations are set. In anime, male protagonists are always portrayed as being chased by a flock of girls. Does this happen in real life? No, it never does. When such high expectations are set in a young boys mind as they grow up, they become resentful when real life does not turn out the way they thought it would. In slice of life animes, the females are always the aggressors, the guys are being pursued. When does that ever happen in real life? What examples are they setting for the youngins? It is important to understand that what happens on TV is a fantasy. I just get the feeling that the young men who grow up embracing these ideas become disillusioned. What do they do to remedy this problem? Anime isn’t bad for you, as long as you know it is a form of entertainment, not a way of life. Unfortunately, a large part of the population does not understand this concept.

The solution to disillusionment is even worse than the problem itself. Otaku culture allows men to fulfill their sexual fantasies. That’s why you hear of strange stories about how guys want to marry their 2D girlfriends. Men are so afraid of rejection that they turn to dating SIMS, blow up dolls, maid cafes, and prostitution as substitutes. Believe me when I say this, because obtaining a substitution is far too easy in Japan. As for the females in Japan, most of them would rather be single than to date these boys in grown bodies. Essentially that is what a grown Japanese male is. We went to a figure convention and it amazed me how many grown balding men were there. What is a figure convention? They sell anime character toys. It felt like going to a hentai fair because most of the figures were suggestive. I wasn’t all that surprised by the demographic turnout. Would this ever happen in the states? Probably not. There is no stigmatism in Japanese culture. Since it is so widely accepted, no one cares. And that, my friends, is where the problem lies.

Another problem is the Japanese mentality. Failure is like the ultimate shame. That’s why you hear about so many suicide stories for kids who failed their entrance exams. The same faulty thinking occurs in dating. I read somewhere after a guy fails to court a female in Japan, they just stop trying altogether. They take rejection like it’s the end of everything. Granted, not everyone is like that, and this is the extreme, but the fear of rejection is so much more powerful overseas. In fact, this fear makes most guys just not try at all.

Akihabara - Otaku paradise

To Japan and Back

It’s a very strange feeling. While I was in Japan for two weeks, I grew weary of the foreign land. How I longed to go back to the States, where I can communicate people who spoke English. After getting back, I grow restless and agitated by the slightest annoyance. The cultural exposure in Japan made me a lot more aware of the American way of thinking. There are pros and cons of both, but how great would it be if I can find somewhere in the world where a unique blend of both could co-exist?

Japan – Pros:

1.       Superior customer service – There is absolutely no contest when it comes to customer service between these two countries. Japanese service reps were always courteous, smiling, and always professional. Even McDonald’s employees were outstanding. Compare this with the awful attitude you face with waiters and baristas, it’s not even close. I went to many postal offices in Japan, and also in the States. The clerks behind the counter in the states have terrible attitude, they don’t greet you, they look like they hate their jobs, and they work like turtles. Is it too much to ask of you to smile? You’re being paid a salary are you not?

2.       No Tipping – Tipping is such a lame concept in the States. My concept of tipping is that, if customer service is satisfactory, then you give a bonus for the service, AKA a tip. However, in America, this concept has been twisted so far from this definition, it’s almost always added to the bill in restaurants. The rational for tipping in America is because service employees are underpaid with minimum wage and thus “require” additional income in the form of tips. In Japan, tips are never given out. Service employees are paid with respectable wages and thus the customer does not need to tip. In fact, if a tip is given, it is often considered an insult because it would mean their service wasn’t good enough. Compare this way of thinking to the American way, where terrible service is still rewarded with 15-20% on top of the bill. The benefit of society is often neglected for the sake of profit maximization. Restaurant owners are reaping the rewards while the customers have to bail out the minimum wage workers.

3.       Cleanliness – Japan is by far the cleanest place I’ve ever been to. China ranks behind the US in terms of cleanliness, but Japan makes the US look like a third world country. The benefit of society is a reoccurring theme in Japan.  There is respect for both public space and themselves that causes the Japanese to not litter. It amazes me how we walk for many blocks and never see a trashcan yet there is not a trace of a bottle or litter anywhere. Don’t you hate it when you are a victim of fresh gum on the floor? Do you see black patches on the concrete ground everywhere you go in NYC? You don’t see nor encounter the same thing in Japan. Their public space is clean, well kept, and makes you feel happy. Graffiti is a very rare phenomenon in Japan that you have to practically seek it out in order to find any. Whereas in New York, every train station, public wall, even cars are vandalized. Just compare a train station in NY to any station in Japan and there is no contest. Public restrooms are everywhere in Japan. The most amazing part? The toilets are crisp clean. You don’t have to look into fifty stalls before finding one that is clean because they’re clean. Their toilets not only have multipurpose buttons, but they are 99% automated. It makes the restrooms in the US look like a complete joke. Going to the restroom in public space in the US is a nightmare. In Japan, public toilets are as clean as your home toilet. You just can’t beat that.

4.       Safety – safety is the biggest concern for any potential traveler and I could not be happier with the smooth sailing of this trip. If you’re going to China, you have to be wary of con-artists, thieves, and robberies. In Japan, things like that rarely happen and safety was not at all a concern. In fact, while traveling outside during nighttime, I still felt safe and not as tense as I would be back in Brooklyn. Sure, there were the occasional fishy looking guy in the middle of the street in a suit, probably a Yakuza member, but they didn’t bother you and you just keep walking. What I felt was, if you didn’t go look for trouble, you wouldn’t be in any. Japan is such a great place in a sense of community, mutual respect, and that leads to safety. Heck, even the homeless people are well kept. In the US, you would probably be on your highest guard and never dare to walk the back allies. The biggest difference is the youth group. Teens in the US have a habit of causing civil unrest while Japanese teens are the tamest kids I’ve ever seen. It’s no wonder bikes are left on the streets everywhere unlocked while in the US your bike wheels would be removed even with a paddle lock on the frame. It is a complete joke here in NY.

5. Homogeneity – Before I start writing about why homogeneity is so great, I would like to say I’m all for diversity. In fact, I’m the biggest advocate of interracial couples. Being in Japan had a zen like effect on me. I was in a peaceful place. Not only was it peaceful, I blended in. I was not an Asian man, I was just a man. The very state of not being judged based on your skin color was a relief. I love other cultures and other races, but the feeling is definitely not mutual. In NY, the so called great melting pot of the world, is where racism is most apparent. Racial profiling, stereotyping, racial inequality, and racial hostility is a very common theme in NY. People are just so hostile and I think race has a lot to do with it. I wish one day we can all coexist without malice toward each other, but it won’t happen. Hopefully one day, my children can be judged by their strength of character, not by the color of their skin.