Giappone E Il Panico Morale Analisi Di Subculture Giovanili Ritenute Problematiche E L’Evoluzione Dell’Immagine Pubblica Attraverso I Media
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Corso di laurea magistrale in Relazioni Internazionali Comparate (International Relations) Tesi di Laurea Giappone e il panico morale analisi di subculture giovanili ritenute problematiche e l’evoluzione dell’immagine pubblica attraverso i media Relatore Ch. Prof. Roberta Novielli Correlatore Ch. Prof. Davide Giurlando Laureanda Alice Malacarne Matricola 83387 Anno Accademico 2017/2018 Ringraziamenti Nonostante sia una persona che, molto spesso, pensa a quanto è fortunata di essere circondata da persone meravigliose, non amo in maniera particolare i ringraziamenti. Ma in merito a questa tesi, ritengo doveroso ringraziare alcune persone. Naturalmente la prima persona che ci tengo a ringraziare dal profondo del cuore è la professoressa Novielli, sia per avermi accolto con grande entusiasmo, ma anche per essere riuscita a guidarmi in questa prova finale. All'inizio non ero molto sicura su come impostare il lavoro, ma i suoi preziosi consigli hanno saputo spingermi nella direzione giusta. In secondo luogo un ringraziamento dovuto va alla mia famiglia, ossia i miei genitori e mio fratello maggiore. Non siamo una famiglia dal carattere facile, spesso ci scontriamo e abbiamo forti divergenze di opinioni. Nonostante ciò, mia madre e mio padre hanno sempre fatto il possibile e non pur di permettermi di realizzare i miei sogni. Grazie, perché di fronte a una ragazzina che sognava di volare lontano, avete dato anima e corpo per fare in modo che ci riuscisse. Anche mio fratello, con piccoli gesti, mi è stato di grande sostegno in questo difficile periodo. Vi è poi una speciale categoria di persone che devo ringraziare. A cominciare da Federica, che ha avuto la grande pazienza di sopportare ogni dubbio, anche il più sciocco. Non solo, ma anche per tutti i momenti divertenti che ha scelto di passare con me. Vanessa, la mia adorata compagna di stanza, la quale non solo mi ha aiutata nel corso dell'ultimo anno ospitandomi spesso, ma che mi ha consolata in tutti quei momenti in cui pensavo di non farcela. A Arianna, Lorenzo, Chiara, Giada, Elena-Sofia, Farid, e le mie due splendide Alessie, per avere creduto in me, sempre e comunque. Grazie per aver scelto di ridere, di piangere, di festeggiare assieme a me in tutti questi anni. Venezia è stata più che un semplice cammino universitario, mi ha permesso di conoscere e stringere un legame fortissimo, con quella che ormai considero la mia seconda famiglia. Il percorso che ho scelto mi ha permesso di espandere i miei orizzonti fin dove non avrei mai creduto di poter arrivare. Questa tesi è il culmine della mia carriera universitaria, di cui sono profondamente orgogliosa. Spero di avere reso fiere anche tutte queste persone. Ciò non significa che la mia vita si concluda qui, anzi mi aspetta ancora un intero nuovo mondo da scoprire. In qualunque luogo la vita deciderà di condurmi, non smetterò mai di portare con me il ricordo di questi anni meravigliosi. !I Abstract Every developed country has different economies and most importantly, different cultures. Until the globalization, every culture was strictly enclosed in its country. Or, to be more specific, was entirely accepted only in its country. The globalization created a new type of economy and consequently created a new concept of society. In this new world, new things are always welcome, creating a new type of subcultures, or it should be like that. Instead, it is common that different actors every now and then try to use these differences to denigrate these new subcultures. This kind of phenomenon is known as moral panic. This sociological concept was created by Stanley Cohen in his 1972 book titled Folk Devils and Moral Panics. Through his study of fights between the "mod" and "rocker" youth subcultures of the 1960s and '70s and the media and public reaction to them, he realized that a moral panic is a widespread fear, most often an irrational one, that someone or something is a threat to the values, safety, and interests of a community or society at large. Also, he explained that typically is perpetuated by media and in some cases can foster increased social control. Usually, the targets are people who are marginalized for different reasons like, for example, sexuality, race, nationality or religion. This theory is related to the labelling theory of deviance which can be briefly defined as how people come to identify and behave in ways that reflect how others label them. This thesis tries to understand this concept, focusing on his history and evolution and applied to some of the most famous Japanese subcultures. Japan, due to his nature of “conformist society” is particularly suited to generate moral panic. Also, the changes brought by globalization created a sort of crisis of the principal two elements typical of this society: the lifetime employment and the hierarchical system based on the age. In the first chapter is about hikikomori, known as people who withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation, not leaving their rooms for months, sometimes for years. It is a difficult phenomenon to describe, but one of the most feared by the Japanese society. The numbers are not clear, mostly because this type of people, as said, do not go in public. So, the only way to know if someone is hikikomori is talking with the family, that sometimes succeed into convince their hikikomori son to search !II help. Psychiatrists often argue that this kind of condition is a mental disease, not related to society. However, during the thesis, is amply demonstrated that the major cause is the enormous social pressure felt by these people. Young people in Japan are expected to study a lot during school, after graduation find a good work, probably in some company, get married and start a family. Failing one of these steps is like being a complete disgrace in the eyes of other people. In a society where the most important thing is the appearance, this is the most terrible outcome. The media, at first, described them as potential criminals, focusing the attention on some particular events. However, during the chapter, is highlighted that some types of media, like anime and manga, shifted the image of hikikomori from some kind of psychopaths to normal people, suffering of bullysm or social pressure. The second chapter is focused on two different categories, the NEETS and freeters. The crisis of lifetime employment and hierarchical system is the same cause of the emersion of these two phenomenons. After introducing the concept of precariat and unemployment, important elements to understand both of them, it is necessary to describe NEETS and freeters separately. As for hikikomori, initially, the media and the institutions tried to build a negative image, describing them as young people who lack determination, spoiled brats that want to live depending on their parents. Yet focusing on the media, it is evident that is clear that the distress of these young people that cannot find a stable work has been reached. The third chapter is about the otaku case, a very interesting one because of the change in media perception of this category in just two decades. It can be said that they are an example of how a youth problem can be constructed. During the 1990s they were represented as a group of youth that lacked communication and social skills and as symbols of an individualized, fragmented Japanese society. In the beginning, the term otaku was created only to refer to fans of anime and manga, especially people who gathered around the comic market, but without any negative connotation. Everything changed in 1989 with the Miyazaki's case. Miyazaki Tsutomu was convicted of killing four little girls, sexually molesting and mutilating their bodies. The focus point of this case is that, since the police found in his room several pornographic anime film, the media decided to label not only this man, but the entire category of otaku as something utterly negative, a threat, essentially they spread an otaku moral panic. Since that case not only the media, but even social specialist began to study and define the otaku phenomena. The situation began to change in the mid 1990s, thanks to various actors. The first one !III is Okada Toshio, who tried various strategies to elevate the name of the otaku society. He did some lectures on subculture and multimedia and he tried to create a more internationalized otaku image and associate it with the Japanese national identity, trying to make otaku "cool". The second one is Murakami Takashi, who appropriates otaku culture from an artistic side. Another important factor is the popularity of the otaku culture in Europe and America, making it the symbol of "Cool Japan" . Thanks to all these changes, the negative connotations have significantly decreased, but they are not disappeared. The fourth chapter is about some particular types of otaku, the fandoms. After a brief definition of fandom, it begins with the fujoshi, the famous rotten girls. They are described as rotten because of their passion for homosexual fiction. It is important to highlight their imagination, because they prefer to imagine ambiguous scenarios between their favourite characters, instead of already created fiction. This inclination prompted the development of the amateur manga movement. The second type of fandom is related to the seiyū, the japanese voice actors. In other countries the role of a voice actor is related only to dubbing, but in Japan they are proper tv star, with personal shows and concerts. The third fandom is linked to the idol business. The interesting aspect is that, with the evolution of technology, a new type of idol began to spread, the virtual idol. This type of idol is very appreciated because, if a human idol will get old and betray their fans, a virtual idol will be always young and pure.