Just a Matter of Time...

While on the New York Times website, I found an interesting article about how there is still discrimination problems in Japan. Although it isn’t anything like what the United States had with blacks and slavery, the discrimination in Japan still reminded me of the United States dark past. Japan’s social class called the buraku still face discrimination today because they are thought to be, by Buddhist beliefs, nonhuman because of their “unclean actions”. They were put in separate neighborhoods and given a worse education. Japan has been following the same timeline the United States have when establishing Civil rights acts and such. The only step Japan hasn’t taken that America has is electing a leader from the discriminated class. They have a buraku, Mr. Nonaka, high up in the government, but he still hasn’t reached prime minister, which would show Japan doesn’t discriminate against the buraku anymore. When reading this article, I thought about Obama’s election and how much progress it meant for our nation, and how other nations aren’t ready to make that step yet, like Japan. I also thought about what it takes for people to realize that you shouldn’t discriminate against people, whether they are black or buraku. Huck Finn came to mind, and how Huck had to go on the river with Jim and get to know Jim as a person outside of his expected role in the community to realize that blacks aren’t any different than whites. I’m realize it takes a long time for enough people that can make a difference in Japan to have this one on one experience with a buraku to realize they are the same as everyone else. But that’s why I believe that Japan will make the same progress we, American’s, have made this year by electing president Obama. It just takes a matter of time.