Blogpost 8: Moving Forward

There is a popular saying that goes: “All good things must come to an end.”  And our discussions on Japan’s unique gender group herbivore men are no exception.  Now that we have finally reached the end of our journey, I think that it is only fitting to put things in their proper order, once and for all.   

By now I can claim that we have truly known the herbivore men by heart.  I can even say that we were able to squeeze out the tiniest details from the discourses we had about them.  We learned their social and gender identity, grasped the issues surrounding them, and understood their role in the Japanese society.  I would like to believe that I was able to present facts and provide impartial discussions about them.  And from these, I can bravely conclude that we have succeeded in putting together every piece of the puzzle.

And so for my final entry, allow me to focus my discussion on one vital component present in all of my blogposts – perspective.  This is the time to hear the side of the scrutinized.  It is the moment to hear the voice of the herbivores.

 

I.PERSPECTIVE

Let me begin by saying that no matter how hard we put into trial the herbivore men, and no matter how long our discussions go, it will all boil down to this simple logic: Herbivore men are here to stay.

In my previous blogposts, it is evident that the emergence of these herbivores is very unprecedented.  Their existence is a direct counter-culture to the dominant salary men culture in Japan. I have encountered Ms. Aulia Dwi Nastiti’s study entitled, "Redefining the Concept of Counter-culture: Study Case of Soushoku Danshi Culture in Japanese Contemporary Society". According to Ms.Nastiti, 

“Counter-culture appeared to be the way to mark an oppositional position to a dominant power. A countercultural movement is indicated by the expression of ethos, aspirations, and dreams of a specific population during a well-defined era as mode of resistance to social control exercised by the superior.”  She further discussed that, “Contrasted to the expectation of their parents for them to be married and have job with steady incomes, many young men see marriage as restriction to their freedom.”

Now from this viewpoint, it can be said that these herbivores aim for independence.  I think that their deviation from Japanese culture was majorly influenced by the strict norms.  In simple words, they got sick and tired of the cultural and societal expectations that Japan has towards them.  They merely wanted to get out of their cage.

Now Ms. Nastiti’s claim was supported by an article written by Mr. Joel Kotkin entitled, "Beware the Herbivore Effect".  In this article, Mr. Kotkin said that, 

“Japan's herbivores are more interested in comics, computer games and socializing through the Internet than building a career or even seeking out the opposite sex.”  Now if we take a good look at this statement, we can pull out a hidden factor important to the herbivores – leisure.  Firm to my earlier claim that herbivore men seek independence, I believe that Mr. Kotkin’s statement is an indirect affirmation of this.  Engaging in leisure activities is a method by which people get rid of their stress.  In this way, we feel refresh and ready to take on the road ahead of us.  We feel strong, confident, and free. Another supplement to this claim was an article by Mr. Kyojiro Kagenuma entitled, "Grass Fed - An Explanation of Herbivore Culture".  Mr. Kagenuma mentioned that, “The Herbivore Men is a culture that rejects traditional Japanese way of life in favour of individual happiness instead.”  Mr. Kagenuma’s statement is a strong declaration of what herbivore men are really fighting for – happiness.

II.CLINCHER

The point of all my blogpost boils down to these important factors change, acceptance and respect. As I mentioned before change is inevitable. It is a constant part of life. Fact is not all change is for the better but all change is vital. After change acceptance should follow. Without acceptance then change is pointless but acceptance is also the hardest value ti imbibe. Since most of us are afraid to welcome change then it is also hard for us to accept. Hard but not impossible. Finally we have respect. Now this is the desired outcome. This is what everybody wants but the thing is respect is a two way process. To earn respect we must also give respect. Easy as that. The Herbivore Men of Japan embodied all these three factors. They have changed the Japanese society and culture dramatically Their emergence and existence could be said that is in the process of acceptance and ultimately they seek and desire respect from other people. All of these for what?

Happiness. I believe that this is the most important factor that we should consider in this journey. They only wanted to be happy. To be free. Most of the time, we tend to forget how hard we try just to achieve happiness and I guess that goes the same with herbivore men. We placed them into scrutiny. Studied them academically but we forgot to feel them emotionally. I guess their pursuit of happiness is what kept them going all this time. Because I know for a fact that by being genuinely happy. We will be ablle to fully move forward.