Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

Miss Japan for this year's "Miss Universe" competition was selected, 24 year-old fashion model.

In 2007 Miss Japan won Miss Universe Crown. Was that good news?

Actually, I did not care and even despise the praise people were making.

This pageant should be criticised for its sexist and racist aspects.

Contenstants were expected to be gentle and cheerful girl. They have to be neutral in the sense of politics.

That is why Miss California was said to have lost the crown of Miss America because of her remark on the same sex marriage.

Women are evaluated based on skin deep and appearance by swim suits and evening gown. Not by their character or ability.

That is a traditional role of women in the society. Poor girls, they still want to be loved by playing such old-fashioned woman.

 

The standard of beauty for the pageant is western measure, not universal. It is myth of universalism.

Always a white woman won. Otherwise a woman who looked like white woman who suits high-heels, dress, and tiara did. Skinny and lighter skin color is recommended.  

 

In some parts of the world, like in Southern Pacific islands or Calibu, fat women are considered attractive. Very different from western world.

Why is "Miss Universe" winner considered the queen of the world? No. They cannot represent the world's beauty.

There are numerous standards of woman's beauty. The pageant is very imperialistic thing.

By showing the pageant globally, the people of the world are brainwashed to believe western beauty is the only beauty of the world.

Nonsense and racist. We are not so dumb any more.  

Such an event is unfitted to 21st century. Anti-feminist and anti-multi-culturalism.

The pageant should be abolished to ban discrimination.

 

I went to the exhibition of Bauhaus art in Utsunomiya Museum of Art in Utsunomiya city, 1 and half hour train ride from Tokyo.

That was very amazing exhibition. I've learned so much about Bauhaus stuff buying books on Bauhaus history, arts, and architecture.

 

Bauhaus was established in 1919 in Weimar, Germany and was later relocated to Dessau and finally relocated in Berlin.

But in 1933, after Nazis took over authorities of the government, Bauhaus ended just as Weimar Republic did.

It was a symbol of modernism. The cocept was unification of art and technology. Respecting functionalism but being artistic.

There exhibited famous pipe and leather chair called "Wassily chair," which was designed to sit on comfortably. Desks, beds, lamps and other interior.

Beautiful drawings, which should have been very innovative in those days.

 

The reason why I am so interested in it is I am writing a short novel using history of this art school.

The title is "Bauhausler." A Japanese woman who came to Berlin to study modern art at Bauhaus school experienced turmoil between this innovative art and growing Nazism.  

Well, very surprising! The movie was made in 1940 but the most important character was Black boy.

It was midst of World War I.

The story is a boy named Abu who lived his life by stealing things in Baghdad, met a young ousted king, Ahmad. Ahmad fell in love with a princess in Basra. Jaffar who was a closest retainer and ousted him to take over the position wanted the princess, too. Abu tried to help Ahmad and the princess. Then at last he killed a bad guy, Jaffar and saved the couple and had Ahmad to bring back his position, the king of Baghdad so that he could rule the kingdom peacefully. Ahmad said he wanted not to conquer the people but make them all happy.

Jaffar was Hitler at that time, or Hussein between 1979 and 2003, No! It is Mr. George W. Bush. Real war criminal.

 

Looked like a real story, I hope. Abu actually looked like Barak Obama, president of the United States.

Abu was a thief but very clever and brave. This was very different from a stereotypical Black character made by Hollywood. In fact it was British film.

In the last scene, Abu flew on the flying carpet and said to the king "I will go on a trip to find out what I want to do."

 

Well, the destination may be where Mr. Barak Obama is.  

That was DVD of the reality program broadcasted in U.K.

Ordinary people experience early 20th century life of rich family who owns a very big country house and their servants for 3 months.

They live exactly the same style as the old days wearing the same clothes.

The gap between the family and the servants was very obvious. The servants have to work all day long without day-off.

The family never know how hard their life is. That is like working poor of present days. They had work in such terrible condition with meager pay. Not only that, in those days there was no law to prohibite such slave-like treatment. Even if servants got sick, their masters can easily lay them off.  

The other interesting thing is that how the relationship of Britons and colonial Indians in those days. It was imperialist time.

Great Britain colonized India. Indians seem to have had very hard time by British imperialism. But interesting thing is some Indian people admired British Empire. Some of the parliament members were Indian at that time.

  

Exploring old times is really fun thing. It is like doing time-travelling.

 

My interests in history inspired me to write some interesting novels such as below.

 I am planning to write novel which a story takes place in 1930's Germany when Nazi came into power. A young Japanese woman and a Jewish man met in Berlin. They fell in love but Nazism got in their way. What do they do?

 

Or I may be writing a story that takes place in 1950's America. Young Japanese Fulbright exchange student rent a room in a middle class American couple. He was treated well by them. But the couple had some problems. He tried to help them out.  

 

Or two young Japanese men came to London in late 19th century to study very sophisticated western science and culture. One was a big admirer of Western civilization and the other was very samurai-minded man who prided himself as Japanese but at the same time he thinks he should learn great things from the West for modernization of Japan. They met a British man who was Western supremacist who looked down upon other civilizations. They had to deal with him.

Wouldn't that be interesting?