Part 12.Finding Diversity in Uniformity

Finding Diversity in Uniformity
The tendency of Japanese people to conform to the social norm has often been traced to Japan’s agricultural roots, since rice farming, it is argued, is argued, is a collective activity dependent upon the cooperation of many people.
Conforming to what the farming community demanded was many times a matter of survival, and the worst fate one could suffer was to be excluded from it.
Some people, however , dispute this theory, pointing out that there are many other rice farming societies in the world that do not share Japan’s national character traits.
Either way , Japan is hardly an agrarian society anymore , yet the powerful forces of conformity still prevail.
One obvious example is the prevalence of uniforms, not just for security guards and flight attendants but for people whom one world be less likely to find wearing a uniform in other countries: bank tellers, door-to-door salespersons,sports club coaches, custodians, and factory workers.
Uniform, naturally, show an individual’s group affiliation.
But subtle differences in the design of a uniform also indicate a person’s position within that group.
Normally, as long as one is wearing a uniform, one is “on duty” and must play the role associated with that uniform ( although the behavior of high school students after school sometimes disproves that notion).
One of the most amazing examples of collectivism in Japan is “radio calisthenics”- an exercise routine that is set to music and broadcast on the radio on a daily basis.
The routine is performed by groups of school children, office workers, laborers,and retirees throughout Japan, from the southernmost island of Okinawa to the northern tip of Hokkaido.
Surely Japan is exceptional in having something other than the national anthem which is known by people of all ages in all regions.
However, the power of uniformity has an oppressive side, which can be seen, for example, when university students begin looking for a job.
In the first three years of their college life, students enjoy decking themselves out in whatever way they like.
They can dye their hair orange, wear tinted contact lenses, decorate their fingernails, or dress like a rock star.
But in their senior year , when they begin visiting prospective employers, they must cut their hair short and conform to a strict dress code of a plain dark suit and black shoes.
Much effort is made to get the right “look” and eliminate any traces of self-expression that might be taken as a sign of insubordination.
They must also conform to strict codes of speech and decorum.
So the pressures to conform can be debilitating at times for nearly everybody.
Yet in Japanese society there is a sort of built-in safety valve in the form of a dual consciousness between one’s public face and private feelings.
In other words, people develop a knack for playing along with the game in public and expressing their uniqueness in private.
Perhaps Japan can be most aptly described as a nation of diversity within uniformity.