Meagan
In Shall We Dance, the main character doesn't tell his wife or daughter about his dancing lessons, and at first he and his wife seem to have a relationship that is "like air". This type of relationship is encouraged in Japan, yet the movie seems to say that outright communication is more successful. In your opinion, which type of relationship does the film support?
Kristyn
Etusko is smart enough to know that she is codependent on Yano-san and that it is problematic. However, because she is codependent, breaking up with him would not make her any happier. Do you think it is worth it for Etusko to subject herself to a man like Yano-san?
Allison H.
Language is a socially constructed concept - what do Japanese women's difficulties in constructing a narrative voice reveal about gender in Japanese society?
Stacey
Are the majority of women in Japan viewed as codependent people? What about in America? Do women rely on a man to support them?
LB
Does the character of Mr. Sugiyama add more of a sense of humanity and emotion to the Japanese businessman than what we have seen in our readings so far?
Alexa
After watching scenes: like Tanaka's tears after Toyoko calls him disgusting, Aoki upset about the insults, and Sugiyama understanding his wife's loneliness; did these surprise you because it was the men who exhibited deeper emotion than Mai who eventually comes out of her shell? Was this movie trying to show a different side of Japanese masculinity?
LaKeisha
What actually is dominant cultural ideology?
Alix
According to Borovoy, “Most [Japanese] women do not challenge gender oppression at the level of structured inequalities but rather persevere in working within the system” (109). Do you think that these Japanese women “question only certain aspects of dominant cultural ideologies while leaving others intact,” to distinguish themselves from American women and to preserve a unique Japanese identity?
Allison P.
What makes this movie Japanese? The setting, plot, and characters are almost identical to the American remake.
Katie
What do you think about Yumeko's mothers point about "if you have to make it obvious it can't be real"? Do you think others need to see something in order for it to exist?
Bijal
On page 106, Fukuda-san compares the way men are treated to the way she treats her dog. What do you think of this comparison?
Kayo
Why do the Japanese society so readily dismiss "upbringing or family environments as causal explanations for codependence"? A similar passage from "The Secrets of Mariko" reflects how the person is blamed for not studying enough when he/she is not academically successful and never his /her environmental factors.
Anna
"From the standpoint of Japanese social dictates, codependent women are women who have made all the right decisions; women who are, in fact, supremely in control of themselves and their surroundings." This seems to be saying that the Japanese women are demonstrating the correct behavior because they are serving their husbands in every way possible, but does the opposite behavior of American wives truly affect or reduce the husband's drinking behavior in the same situation?
Zach N.
Does behavior correlate with affection?
Zach N.
Is there a negative to communication? Can too much communication be considered bad in some instances?
Minoru
'I' can exist by comparison to others. Is it possible to break a fresh ground that I only exist by myself?
Hannah
how does the twelve step system of the american aa relate to the "levels of love" in the previous article, and why is it that a women's codependence on her husband is not viewed in a negative fashion as it is in american society?
Marquis
Has the concept of love made divorce more accepted in the US? Has the pursuit to find true love affected marriage by making people believe it is wrong when its not perfect?
Shannon
Did you find it odd that Sugiyama's wife and the private detectives did not suspect that Sugiyama was gay? What does the absence of this question (at least in the initial interviews with the detectives) say about Japanese thoughts on sexuality?
Zach F.
"To the extent that women hone their awareness of the darker sides of cultural assumptions that underlie close communities, family values and economic prductivity, they will be better poised to resist this delegation of labor as the natural or obvious terrain of women's work." How can we measure women's awareness? What are different types of ways to bring about awareness? And can they resist?