Depth or Surface Area?

One thing that I have come to understand about Japan is that it's modern society was forcibly bent into shape by the triumphant US Army circa 1947. There's 2300 years of history and tradition here, but that's become the base material for the bastard child of pre-cold war, market-based-democracy that has become the setting for life here.

"What the hell does that have to do with you?" you may ask. As an assistant teacher hired by a private company and subcontracted out to work at public junior high schools, for me it may as well be the weather to a farmer or astroturf to a pro ball player.

The board of education chooses which company to lease foreign ALTs based on a number of criteria: availabilty, experience, recommendation, staff profiles,

money

and how chummy you are with the board of directors.

As it turned out, my current posting was due to a contract that was recently underbid by a company that specializes in 6-8 person lessons for adults. To supply ALTs for Junior high kids. In classes of 36-42. This company wanted the prestige of supplying ALTs to Saitama prefecture, so they bid below the cost of teacher salaries.

So next month I get to look for another job, or else trust my current bosses to relocate me. Which they claim to be able to do.

In Elementary school and kindergarden.

Realize that I am a 6'4" man with a sense of humor best described as "dark." "twisted" or "malicious." And I will be expected to teach English to tiny humans who can not yet speak their own language.

And how did this come to pass? An inefficient beauracracy installed by an inattentive electorate to try and sort out an atavistic "free market" in which the rules are set by people who make their living bending the law into worse shapes than a Thai sex performer and are then rewarded for squeezing a profit out of any public organ they can get a clammy, scabies ridden hand around.

But maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I'll have a great time teaching animal names and potty training. And maybe companies like AEON, Nova and Interac are actually interested in the education of children.

And maybe I shouldn't read so much Hunter S. Thompson when I'm already casting around for a way to describe an ugly situation.

From the Athens of legend to this? Eh, it's not THAT far off...

This hasn't been a good month for my sense of patriotism.

After finishing the "People's History" of the US (Zinn, great book), "Fast Food Nation" (Eric Shlosser, also excellent), and following what's passing for a presidential campaign, well, the thought of what passes for "America" turns my stomach. I wonder why people aren't trying to blow up embassies or fly planes into buildings or just howling in the streets. Then I remember that there's still a tiny bit of carrot on the end of the stick, and I guess that's enough to keep us dumb asses plodding on the track.

Rrrr.

I guess that can go in my file down at the office of homeland surveillance. I only recntly found out they can begin an investigation on a citizen based the claim that someone they have TOO LITTLE information on is a possible security risk. But we should accept that Bush doesn't have to account for his 8 month furlough from the national guard to work as
some politico's reelction tool is being pawned off as "noble wartime service" or that Kerry has proven himself to be a legislator capable of always bowing whichever way public opinion polls moved the day before.

It makes me ill to think that a democracy like THAT is the best people can do. Of course, I'm overlooking places like the Netherlands, Denmark and Luxembourg that seem to have found ways to not overtly abuse their citizens, but somehow I get the feeling they'd be just as moderate under monarchy, socialism or IWW-style anarchy.

But I'm rambling, aren't I?