Kawaii, or 可愛さ, kawaisa, for a long time has been the dominant trend for most Japanese culture (evident in its entertainment, consumer products, societal mannerisms and behavior), with its infectiousness fast spreading to most of all Asian societies; Korean, Taiwanese, even our sophisticated sister-country, Hong Kong, as can be observed by Japanese animation inspired fashion (hair-do, clothes, accessories), communication (the array of mandarin lingo that is 'cuteness-inspired') and entertainment (the influx of Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese cutesy-inspired youth-idol drama series, cartoons etc).
A Sociology professor at Tokyo's Musashi University, Nobuyoshi Kurita notes "cuteness" as a magical term that encompasses everything that's acceptable and desirable in Japan. Following his theory, perhaps then "cuteness" summises what Asians in general view as non-antagonising and wholesome. If something has to be cute before it is acceptable, I can only imagine cute-sifying even politics to ensure the regular Tom gives 2 hoots about the state of his country.
I proffer an explanation of the phenomenon, quoting off what minority of Japanese skeptics observed. In particular, Hiroto Murasawa, professor of beauty and culture at Osaka Shoin Women's University, borrows Sigmund Freud's view and contends that the perculiar inclination to all things "cute" is in actuality, a sign of an infantile mentality; a refusal to grow out of what is in fact a childhood depravation (from play), a sign of fixation at the infant stage, where being cute then serves as the waving sword to obtain all things desirable. Murasawa goes on to assert that cuteness is "a mentality that breeds non-assertion..." to the extend that "individuals who choose to stand out get beaten down".
I have not had the luxury of reading personally, Murasawa's paper; however I do wish to put forth my inelaborate penny's worth on the topic based on what my predecessors have started.
Being "kawaii" is almost always, a certain way of increasing security and accessibility of what is classified desirable in society for the protagonists. But it is more deserving to ponder what it is that serves as motivations behind the acceptances of such "cute" offers and the likely trend that a cute-inclined society fronts in terms of social, intellectual and morality.
Some bits to ponder will be :
A Sociology professor at Tokyo's Musashi University, Nobuyoshi Kurita notes "cuteness" as a magical term that encompasses everything that's acceptable and desirable in Japan. Following his theory, perhaps then "cuteness" summises what Asians in general view as non-antagonising and wholesome. If something has to be cute before it is acceptable, I can only imagine cute-sifying even politics to ensure the regular Tom gives 2 hoots about the state of his country.
I proffer an explanation of the phenomenon, quoting off what minority of Japanese skeptics observed. In particular, Hiroto Murasawa, professor of beauty and culture at Osaka Shoin Women's University, borrows Sigmund Freud's view and contends that the perculiar inclination to all things "cute" is in actuality, a sign of an infantile mentality; a refusal to grow out of what is in fact a childhood depravation (from play), a sign of fixation at the infant stage, where being cute then serves as the waving sword to obtain all things desirable. Murasawa goes on to assert that cuteness is "a mentality that breeds non-assertion..." to the extend that "individuals who choose to stand out get beaten down".
I have not had the luxury of reading personally, Murasawa's paper; however I do wish to put forth my inelaborate penny's worth on the topic based on what my predecessors have started.
Being "kawaii" is almost always, a certain way of increasing security and accessibility of what is classified desirable in society for the protagonists. But it is more deserving to ponder what it is that serves as motivations behind the acceptances of such "cute" offers and the likely trend that a cute-inclined society fronts in terms of social, intellectual and morality.
Some bits to ponder will be :
- Societies whose members insist on a trend of "cuteness" in whichever pursuits are less likely to display drive towards intellectual creation and retention, absences of such drives spell intellectual retardation on a societal level (Compare in particular if you will, between the occidental and oriental differences to the mentality of 'Kawaii', and how "Cute" in fact is even held as derogative in Western mentalities, then weigh their respective contributions to international intelligence.)
- Societies swearing by an ardent pursuit for "all that embodies Cuteness" are less likely to form systems to protect the adults from the necessary dilemmas that Aging pose to the common (and encouraged) trajectories of marriage and family (I assumed aging as opposed to "cuteness")
- How can the archaic but socially desirable traits such as Chivalry and Gallantry stand in a society in pursuit of the "cute" concept.
- Is a societal tendency to succumb to "cuteness" in actuality a sign of collective avoidance, therefore a preferreable retreat from partaking in above-board competitions (and hence upholding the rules necessary for healthy compeitions) ? For with any progress (of any sort) must there be allowed healthy compeititions which then require reasonable governance and jurisdiction over winnings and defeats.
- How can we; if we are ourselves a bunch of fixated infants, demand sense from our descendents and together create a land marked by equality, merit and hope when we are forever trapped and monopolized by our personal tendencies towards "cute" offers?
- What standards of competition can prevail in a society that lends disproportionate tendencies to "cuteness" ?
- What's the point in Dove's Inner-Beauty campaign when a society unanimously hail to only skin-deep forms of beauty?
If intellectual arguments fail to strike a chord, what about this; it is as repulsive witnessing a bunch of girls swoon over a virtual character crying "Kawaii!" as it is bearing testimony to a bunch of testosterone-charged males falling over their clumsy heels when Cyndie Wang prances and sings 'Honey'.
Perhaps, it matters also that I am not cute.
