[Essay 1] draft #1

The Stereotype of My Mother-in-law

　I have some bitter experiences which were given by a stereotyped thinking of my mother-in-law. She is a person who was born and raised in a small city of the provinces, and her all families are local government employees except her two sons. In other words, an environment she grew up was completely different from mine that I was born and raised among independent workers' family in Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. Then her bred environment would make her have stereotype against Tokyo, independent workers, and me. Since I am always trying not to have any stereotypes particularly about people, it puzzles me that she has such a stereotype strongly.
　The biggest misunderstanding of her is about Tokyo. Although she has never lived in Tokyo, she is thinking that Tokyo is dirty, dangerous, and people are very nasty. She said that Tokyo is not a place for human living. I am not able to deny air pollution there though, my district is kept be clean with wealthy finance of the ward. And when she went to Yokohama city to see her relatives with her family include my husband, they all put helmets on their heads being in a car because they had to drive and pass through dangerous city, Tokyo. Yet, I have never seen such people who are driving cars with helmets except in racing circuits or in construction sites. In fact, their acts were traffic violations in Japan. Certainly, a lot of crimes occur in Tokyo during night and day. However, it is natural that big number of population makes big number of crimes, thus general people there know how they should protect themselves from crimes and should avoid danger. In addition, about nasty people, wherever spiteful people exist in all over the world.
　Furthermore, my mother-in-law hates and despises independent workers. She told me repeatedly that independent workers are always carrying much cash and boast of their wealth, then they manipulate people by money as force. I don't understand what grounds have composed her those opinions, even though my family and I are independent workers, a carpenter, a hairdresser, a free-lance computer engineer, and a free-lance journalist. Our cash is for our employees and for running our business. We are never wealthy. We are, rather, kind of poor. Similarly, she said that public employees can get just limited money contrastively to independent workers; therefore, her family must save money tightly, so she scorns independent workers who pour out money like water. In a view of opposite, she hasn't realized that their all responsibility are on themselves.
　Moreover, she has old-fashioned stereotype about marriage. When my husband asked his mother for marriage with me, she cautioned that an older woman in Tokyo was cheating him into getting marriage. She would think a wife of her son can bless a benefit. And she wants me to stay home for house working, despite we couldn't live on without my income when my husband was young. So she sympathized with him because I used to be absent from home on working. In her opinion, a wife is supposed to stay home and not to have any ambitions. I frequently wonder why she can not change her stereotype by knowing reality.
　All in all, in brief, a stereotyped thinking that is lacking experiences make not only people's feeling be hurt, but also stereotyped people's thinking and world be narrow. In my expectation, my mother-in-law will never ever live nor make any friends in Tokyo.

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[Journal 5]

The Pride in My Ethnic


　The things I can take pride in my ethnic group are dexterity and diligence. In the respect to the Japanese people specifically, they are very dexterous and diligent.
　For example, making origami without scissors and glue is common play for little children. Also most of males must have an experience that they were involved in making plastic models of cars in their childhood. About diligence, working until late night or giving up their holidays to do the work are usual for Japanese employees, besides they are zealous for study.
　I think that's why the Japanese products are high quality. You will be surprised if you use Japanese plastic eraser that can erase amazingly. You will never regret if you buy a Japanese car that seldom break down. You will be able to feel comfortable if you use a sanitary napkin.
　In fact, I had never felt pride at my ethnic group until I moved in the United States. However, I have changed my mind, and I have realized the quality of Japanese products again. Moreover, I have been proud of technology of Japan.
　All in all, in my view, Japanese high technology proceeds from their dexterity and diligence. Consequently, I can take pride in the dexterous and diligent temperament of the Japanese people.