Farm Boy
I hope you dance
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2010
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Thank you for your tour of duty against brain bleachers.
Japan's Hikikomori Men
- Thread starter Quackers
- Start date
Thank you for your tour of duty against brain bleachers.
H4run
Deity
The videos are not viewable in Canada.
What does being a "herbivore" have to do with staying home? I see no mention of their eating vegetables...
One of my best friend suffering from this hikikomori now, he was a war photographer and also a student with scholarship in my university, after he went to Syria he just lock himself in his room never going out or engage in any activity, he done it also back then in Japan but since he doing a photography job this sickness is cure but now it come back again.
As you say, it doesn't have any relation with being herbivore, he is not one of them. But the thing is this problem is quite concerning, he get a full stipend from university but he never going to any class he just chose to stay in his room for month. I invited him once to my house, to give him encouragement, he seem to agree to change himself and promise me to go back to school, but alas when he went back to his house he again never going out anywhere. I was so angry at him, because I care for him, but I really don't know what to do. I was thinking to post it here and ask for opinion several time, but I always think maybe none of you also quite acquaintance with this problem.
But thanks God our dean is really a nice person. He forgave him, and he don't cut his scholarship and stipend, he give him a time to recover during summer or even to freeze the school until he get well.
There are lots of thing that I want to say about hikikomori. I suspect this is not about he is being anti-social person, it is about the idea that someone able to support his behavior even though he is not working (parents, dean, for example) if no one support or feed him, he will not do hikikomori. When I was so angry at him, I tell to my other Japanese best friend, Hikikomori is becoming possible if the environment spoil him he seem not agree with me, and I still think deep in my heart, he is spoil by doing that even though he is a very very nice person and he help me a lots, but I must wake him up then feed his "poor me action" that will destroy him in the future.
Oruc
Reactionary
They can just ride it out, the economic system we today won't last forever.
BenitoChavez
What business is it of yours?
Hikkomori definitely happens in other countries. In America we call them depressed, or shut-ins, loners, etc. I went through a period in my life where I was like that. I was in college, I wasn't getting good grades, I didn't like what I was studying, I felt like a failure, etc. Eventually it was just easier to stay in my dorm playing video games all day. Other people were concerned about me, but the weird thing was that anything they said actually made it worse for me. I felt like I was somehow letting them down.
Eventually I just owned up to the fact that my life wasn't going to change for the better, that I might not even survive unless I did something about it. I managed to turn my life around. I make it a point to go outside each day and stay connected with the people I'm closest to. Although I'm definitely not what you'd call an extrovert. Its kinda sad and embarrassing that I let myself get to that point, but it is what it is I guess.
Eventually I just owned up to the fact that my life wasn't going to change for the better, that I might not even survive unless I did something about it. I managed to turn my life around. I make it a point to go outside each day and stay connected with the people I'm closest to. Although I'm definitely not what you'd call an extrovert. Its kinda sad and embarrassing that I let myself get to that point, but it is what it is I guess.
Terxpahseyton
Nobody
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- Sep 9, 2006
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- 10,759
People!
Let me flex my digital muscles.
I think I can punch right through the confusion regarding this topic.
On the other hand - that does not mean a decision between "prescribed format" and "hikokomori". It means a decision between the "traditional" format (family) and the modern mode of existence (making money). Just for both sexes, this time. In contrast to the 60s or something.
hikokomori I think is only tentatively related to this. "This" being the career-lifestyle and its expansion from men to both sexes.
hikokomori seems to be about not even pursuing a career but cutting all social links. So while the rise of career-lifestyle is linked to a decrease of social quality, hikokomori is like the freak child of this development. Not intended, but a byproduct.
A byproduct because it is related to the conditions imposed by a career society. To understand this, it is necessary to understand the relative-to-the-Western-world-even-greater importance of conforming with modern mass culture we witness in Japan or Korea (and I presume other Eastern Asian nations).
For demonstration, there has recently surfaced an article on Cracked. I know, it is Cracked and hence hardly reliable, but the comments involve other Westerners who visited Korea and who wholeheartedly approve the article. So I will call it at least largely valid.
You can find the article here: http://www.cracked.com/article_2109...ngs-nobody-tells-you-about-life-in-korea.html
The gist of it is: South Korea is incredibly competitive (even compared to the US wich to me is very competitive compared to Germany which still is incredibly competitive compared to any society not caught in the capitalist craze of competition).
What all that means is that people secluded off society are the natural product of an atomized society where its "atoms" aka indivduals spin around each other in a craze of trying to be the star while naturally some atoms get thrown out of the spin and end up in the void.
Let me flex my digital muscles.
I think I can punch right through the confusion regarding this topic.
On the on hand this so very much. I really like how you drew the big paradigms about traditional and less traditional societies. This rings very true for the reason that "traditional" in a modern context means great problems in combining being a mother and having a career. And the trouble is that if forced to choose women apparently tend to go the "male" route of things and choose their careers. Japan is a prime example of this from what I know.
On the other hand - that does not mean a decision between "prescribed format" and "hikokomori". It means a decision between the "traditional" format (family) and the modern mode of existence (making money). Just for both sexes, this time. In contrast to the 60s or something.
hikokomori I think is only tentatively related to this. "This" being the career-lifestyle and its expansion from men to both sexes.
hikokomori seems to be about not even pursuing a career but cutting all social links. So while the rise of career-lifestyle is linked to a decrease of social quality, hikokomori is like the freak child of this development. Not intended, but a byproduct.
A byproduct because it is related to the conditions imposed by a career society. To understand this, it is necessary to understand the relative-to-the-Western-world-even-greater importance of conforming with modern mass culture we witness in Japan or Korea (and I presume other Eastern Asian nations).
For demonstration, there has recently surfaced an article on Cracked. I know, it is Cracked and hence hardly reliable, but the comments involve other Westerners who visited Korea and who wholeheartedly approve the article. So I will call it at least largely valid.
You can find the article here: http://www.cracked.com/article_2109...ngs-nobody-tells-you-about-life-in-korea.html
The gist of it is: South Korea is incredibly competitive (even compared to the US wich to me is very competitive compared to Germany which still is incredibly competitive compared to any society not caught in the capitalist craze of competition).
What all that means is that people secluded off society are the natural product of an atomized society where its "atoms" aka indivduals spin around each other in a craze of trying to be the star while naturally some atoms get thrown out of the spin and end up in the void.
FriendlyFire
Codex WMDicanious
I thought Hikikomori was normally brought on by the huge pressures to comply and fit in, and or bullying. At least he isnt showing signs of violence, maybe he is depressed and should get some medication ?
Japan will have 1 Million robots within 10 years.
Eh, the phenomenon doesn't really surprise me.
20 years of no economic growth.
A culture that expects you to work yourself to death.
Karoshi
45% of women aged 16 to 24 are "not interested in or despise sexual contact."
No more wars to fight or things to explore anymore.
Some men just said *#@! it all, it's not worth trying.
America is getting a little bit of it too, but it isn't as bad.
http://www.amazon.com/Men-Strike-Boycotting-Marriage-Fatherhood/dp/1594036756
20 years of no economic growth.
A culture that expects you to work yourself to death.
Karoshi
45% of women aged 16 to 24 are "not interested in or despise sexual contact."
No more wars to fight or things to explore anymore.
Some men just said *#@! it all, it's not worth trying.
America is getting a little bit of it too, but it isn't as bad.
http://www.amazon.com/Men-Strike-Boycotting-Marriage-Fatherhood/dp/1594036756
Mise
isle of lucy
I was going to say, I've heard about this on and off for about a decade (here and on the BBC News website - it seems to be a regular fall-back from BBC correspondents when they have nothing else to report). That thread was a blast from the past, eh?
H4run
Deity
He get bitter experience in Syria, that is true, however he is a war photographer and what his expect more in Syria? I mean I don't want to be a jerk here, but his friends another Japanese war photographer was suffer more than him and he is still very active and productive. Now he gave up war photography, and he feel he cannot successful in language lesson, and he keep staying in our university dormitory, receiving full stipend which the amount is more than the average salary over here, and he not doing anything, just laying down in his bed. I cannot believe what he do, if he want to give up the study, then he should goes back to Japan, but getting stipend and free dormitory and all of the support while he just laying down in the bed not doing anything, I think that is irresponsible.
However when I talk to him he is pretty normal, there are no sign of depression, as I am psychology myself by major. He eat together with us, lots of food in my home, we have a good laugh, but when I talk about school and his responsibility the only thing that he say is he is pessimistic and lack of will to continue. And I said then he must give up the school than ruining his reference professor from Japan, but he also don't want to do that.
The things is Hikikomori is a trend that is inflict to the middle upper class of Japanese society. They unable to do Hikikomori if there are no sources of supply that able to support their action (staying in the room doing nothing, just eating and surfing on internet).
I'm going to meet him again after the school is over, to convince him to continue his photography. If he can't be war photographer just be journalist photographer, if he can't do that just be wedding photographer, but what I know is he invest bunch of lots of time in photography and as far as both me and my best friend see, this is the only thing that he good at, and he already too old (as old as me, near 30) to start to specialize on new thing.
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