Orphan. The very word conjures images of dirty and destitute children living on the streets Oliver Twist-style, or in the abusive hands of Miss Hannigan in "Annie."
It certainly doesn't bring to mind a cute, clean toddler whose mother stays at home with her while her father works.
Yet that is exactly what CNN "Newsroom" meant on Dec. 15 as "Recession ‘Orphans'" was plastered to the screen.
"In these uncertain times many people with jobs are working longer hours hoping to stay employed a bit longer. And that leaves little time for little ones," Kyra Phillips said to introduce Kyung Lah's report on the Takayama family in Tokyo.
Yoshinori Takayama is a computer engineer working 12 - 14-hour days to make sure he retains his job. His wife Tomomi "doesn't work so she can raise her daughter full time."
While it is unfortunate that Mr. Takayama cannot spend more time with his daughter, Lah's report lacked perspective. The CNN reporter highlighted statistics from the Japanese government that said 30 percent of fathers are home after 9 p.m. and 25 percent of father never see children awake (during the work week.) But that means that a majority of fathers are home before 9 p.m. (70 percent) and see their children awake (75 percent). Not exactly the crisis portended by the "recession ‘orphans'" headline.
Lah did at least admit that "getting fired" was the real "nightmare" possibility, and was worse than missing out on quality time with kids.
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Yoshinori Takayama is a
December 15, 2008 - 17:46 ET by Dan The Man 2Yoshinori Takayama is a computer engineer working 12 - 14-hour days to make sure he retains his job
The culture over there is much different than in the USA. And if a person gets home at 9 taht means they are also working 12 hour days. For years teh businessman or professional was indentured to his work and worked long hours for honopr sake. Routinely they stay at little hotels that were nothing more than 4 foot tubes with beds in them. The Japanese culture is sacrifice and work.
Also sometimes work means going to clubs after work for the cohesiveness of as work unit. Yes the Japanese are very different in their dreams and aspirations.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
"Liberal" illogic
December 15, 2008 - 17:58 ET by iveseenitallThe "liberals" say they care so much for children's quality of life. Yet in their actions they are consistenly anti-God, anti-family, anti-country. They support a failing educational system and fight any attempts to uphold moral standards in the public sphere. Illogical, immature hypocrites.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
A big AMEN to that
December 16, 2008 - 11:55 ET by choselife3xThe hypocrisy does come back to bite them in the @ss if they have kids though.
Pro-choicers are inevitably anti-spanking. They are the parents you see hissing in futile rage at their disobedient brats. (The hissing of idle threats comes after the pathetic attempts at bribery and before the embarrassing retreat to the car.)
Hahahahahahaha.....
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Tis a real problem
December 15, 2008 - 18:13 ET by jaywlWe must have compassion for the wee little ones. Sociologists have know for years about the harm suffered by the "not-tucked-in" generation. Look what happened to Barrack Obama after losing two father figures. The poor man wants to tuck the world in and believes he will.
So what's the big
December 15, 2008 - 18:15 ET by MidAmericaSo what's the big deal? These kids have their mother. Are they trying to say they need a father? I thought fathers were like, optional.
Yoshi Needs to Stop Slacking!
December 15, 2008 - 18:20 ET by dodecahedronYoshinori Takayama is a computer engineer working 12 - 14-hour days to make sure he retains his job. His wife Tomomi "doesn't work so she can raise her daughter full time."
Only 12-14 hours a day? How does he expect to achieve the honor of karoshi (death from overwork) with that light schedule?
Gambatte Yoshi-san!
Nothing much has changed
December 15, 2008 - 18:59 ET by PewahI actually worked for a Japanese computer company in Tokyo many years ago during an economically strong period in Japan (just prior to the "bubble" bursting there). I can tell you that even during times when business was good and business revenues were almost unbelievably strong, there was still a majority of Japanese employees, almost exclusively male, who regularly worked until at least 8 or 9 PM every day. It would appear to me that Lah's take on the current situation may be one of somebody who has not lived there for very long and has no historical perspective.
I was once approached by my Japanese manager and asked why I insisted on going home every day around 6 PM. He thought that I should put in longer hours with the rest of them in my group (all Japanese). My response to him was to explain that without the multiple smoking breaks, newspaper reading sessions after lunch and occasional napping at the desk that I was actually putting in more productive hours between 8 and 6 than all of them were accumulating between 8 and 9. There is an accepted methodology of pacing oneself that enables them to cope with working long hours every day in Japan. I have worked at multiple Japanese companies, both in Japan and the U.S., and can assure you that for the most part they work no harder than we do. However, they generally kick our butts in planning, execution and quality.
Sounds like Korea
December 15, 2008 - 20:34 ET by GrannyGrump42"My response to him was to explain that without the multiple smoking breaks, newspaper reading sessions after lunch and occasional napping at the desk that I was actually putting in more productive hours between 8 and 6 than all of them were accumulating between 8 and 9."
The schools I worked at in Korea were staffed by an equal number of Korean and foreign teachers. And I can tell you this: Koreans do NOT value efficiency. They value busyness. Never do in two steps what you can do in ten. The master lesson plans were kept at the boss's desk, clear across the faculty room from the copy machine, so you had to walk to the desk, get the masters, go to the machine, make your copies, return the masters to the desk, then return to your desk and get to work on individualizing the plans. It took the Westerners to propose putting masters of documents NEXT TO THE FLIPPING COPY MACHINE, where they were actually USED!
And that's just one example. They were always busy, but it took them freaking forever to get anything done.
"However, they generally kick our butts in planning, execution and quality."
Maybe true of the Japanese, but not of the Koreans! I swear those people decide where to put electrical outlets by blindfolding a chimp and having it throw darts at the blueprints. I had an outlet IN MY SHOWER. Another was above a 2-inch wide strip of countertop between the sink and the stove. In order to plug in the fridge, I had the choice of running an extension cord over the stove and my front door, or through the sliding glass doors separating the kitchen from the living area.
Sounds just like my old
December 16, 2008 - 08:00 ET by DarkCurrentSounds just like my old office.
Working in Tokyo from mid-80's to early '90s, Japanese employees would arrive at 9:00 am and leave at 8:00 ~ 9:00 pm. Most of the day was spent chatting, smoking and reading newspapers. People did about 4 hours per day of productive work tops.
Just think...
December 15, 2008 - 19:43 ET by c5thenIf he loses his job, he'll be able to spend all his quality time with his kid and wife as they live in the street or in a park. Would that be better?
These CNN twits are getting as bad as MSNBC morons.
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
Alan Keyes / Sarah Palin - 2012
lacking perspective
December 15, 2008 - 20:05 ET by katainkentthat is a serious understatement. The last time this term was used (afaik) is in Korea when people were actually leaving their children at orphanages because they couldn't care for them during a time of hardship. There is just no comparison.
What I am trying to figure out is what agenda they are trying to sell with this story.
"part of what I'm hoping to introduce as the next president is a new ethic of [government enforced] responsibility" - B. Obama
It all sounds Asian to
December 15, 2008 - 20:26 ET by GrannyGrump42It all sounds Asian to me.
When I was teaching in Korea, I spent the Christmas holidays with a former student and her family. The father was off to work before the kids got up in the morning, and back around 11:30 or midnight. Sometimes one or the other of the kids would wait up to see him, but mostly they counted on seeing him on Sunday -- his one day off a week.
This is considered normal in Korea. I imagine it's equally normal in Japan, where you're expected to sacrifice all to be a Company Man.
The most telling line in
December 15, 2008 - 21:47 ET by alaskakimThe most telling line in the article showing her true colors,
"His wife Tomomi "doesn't work so she can raise her daughter full time."
I guess the daughter was born of a virgen mother, I thought the little girl was their daughter. (mommy good, daddy non-existent)
Fear not, Takayamas, 'cuz soon PEBO will be annointed as...
December 16, 2008 - 01:52 ET by R D Helm...the messiah, and all will be right with the world for the first time in all of recorded history!
-Dave
Will work for beer.