1.0 Introduction
Two articles are used in this essay, one by Nippon from Japan and another from the USA by Al Jazeera. The two articles address LGBT rights and tolerance in two countries, the USA and Japan. Whereas the practice is legal in both countries, the presentation of the message is significantly different. Although appearing in different countries, the topic being addressed is the public presentation of affection among the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) groups anthe d the development of LGBT rights in the two countries. The USA and Japan differ in many aspects owing to cultural backgrounds that have affected relations and attitudes towards many issues of life. The essay discusses various ways in which the two articles differ based on several aspects, including narrative structure, influence of “news values” on production of news, underlying systems of values and ideologies that influence the two reports, presentation of social actors, and visual illustrations accompanying the texts.
2.0 Narrative structure
Narrative structure mainly discusses the content and form that is used to tell the story. It included the content of the story and its plot to deliver the story to the audience. The content of the story is comparable for both countries, but the gist of it all is how the plot is developed and the content presented. Kaku (2015) in the online magazine of Nippon starts the story with a background of the story, which also acts as a preamble and summary of the article. The preamble highlighted in red makes it easier for readers not well-versed in Japanese laws and traditions to understand the development of the story. The views are based on a sociologist’s view. On the other hand, Hayoun (2014) started the discussion with a quote from a recent sociological survey on the perception of LGBT people. In both cases, the starts with people of the same gender displaying affection. Both start the story with images of two people of the same gender, females for the Japanese magazine and males for the American context.
In the Japanese context of homosexuality and how it is perceived, the author starts with the statutory and historical development of the issue being discussed. In the first paragraph, LGBT is defined, and the author explains that it is because it is “still not well-known in Japan”. Further, the author explained that such people have traditionally been referred to as those with a sexual disorder. Starting from that point allows the author to develop the story on what LGBT is and how several people and institutions have been perceiving it. The story by Al Jazeera news shows two men kissing in public, and it is done in prose as opposed to that in Nippon newspaper, which has several subheadlines to mark development stages of recognition and practice in the country. The Al Jazeera article relies on findings of popular opinions from informed sources, such as scholars, and uses several quotations to make up its body. The Nippon articles use facts based on Japanese legal developments and reflections from the society on where they are and challenge them to move forward to do more in not just recognising but operationalising laws in their contemporary lives.
The problem that is handled by the two authors is how people accept LGBT people to the extent of seeing them express their affection in public. In Japan, the author presented a situation where it is allowed but hardly accepted as a public act, not just for gays or lesbians but even for straight people. The main contention is that people need to be aware of the place and rights that these people have in society. Much has been done, and this is illustrated by several articles and images of two local celebrities' wedding publicly, but avoiding getting intimate in front of the congregants who attended the function.
The audience that is targeted by the Al Jazeera society is how people in the USA are ready to accommodate gay practices. Although it is allowed in several states, its practice and display have their limits, as indicated that 95% of the respondents approved of people kissing in public, while 55% noted they would not consider it an appropriate act. In the case of Japanese magazines, while it is acknowledged, it is hardly possible to find people engaging in public displays of affection by kissing each other. It is targeted at the people to understand and find acceptance of these rights, but it does not aim to make them display deep affection in public. As one of the people quoted in the Al Jazeera news articles said, ‘Saying OK to rights like marriage is huge enough.’ The Japanese news article sought to provide background and status to reach the level that is in the USA. The Nippon article summarised its intent as seeking to address a situation when LGBT rights of ‘civil partnership’, giving consent for operations or making hospital visits to a partner, moving into an apartment together, and inheriting or receiving insurance payouts The case of USthe A is where most of these values have been achieved, noting that the Americans support LGBT rights and see them as being egalitarian.
3.0 Influence of ‘news values’ on the production of news
There are basic principles of journalism that should guide any reporting of news. The Ethical Journalism Network (2015) names these as truth and accuracy, independence, fairness and impartiality, humanity, and accountability. Carroll (2015) quoted several authors who identified unique attributes or values associated with Japanese news. Among them were being homogeneous and lacking variety, being impartial and unbiased, and placing emphasis on political neutrality. Tai (2016) reported that Japanese news tends to focus on bad news, unlike Chinese news, which tends to focus more on good news. It was a show of what people were expecting, and it could depend on the state of mind of the general populace in the countries. However, the news that was covered in this case did not sound very negative but showed a message of hope that the rights of LGBT individuals are being recognised in Japan, and hence, more people are coming out to declare their inclination despite being an unpopular subject in the country.
It is expected that news in Japan will be independent, given that there is high competition among media houses and owners in the country. Where the media is owned by the state of few people, there is a high likelihood that it would have a lopsided view of aspects in society. Besides, Shoemaker (2017) observed that the presence of social media has grown to be one of the trusted sources of news, and this makes it possible for consumers to access alternative news. This makes it possible to access news of interest and thereby verify different sources. However, it is also possible for people with different opinions to misconstrue the news to meet their own needs. Freedom of the media makes news sources rather reliable. This did influence the way the news on LGBT rights was reported.
Presentation of the news between the two was also different. Whereas Japanese news started with a basic introduction and developed the topic of LGBT in the country, the one by Al Jazeera on the same topic in the USA assumed people are aware and much accustomed to the topic, and therefore did not need basics, but went into a hard message. It was also notable that Japanese news had little of the opinions of authors and experts. Information was presented in a report-like format with very few additions by the author. The only opinion that stood out was one at the conclusion, where the author questioned whether more rights of civil partnerships would be extended to other aspects of life, such as hospital visits and inheritance. Even so, this was a question that was pos,, ed and no express opinion was given. The author, being an academic, provided a critical analysis of the need to have these rights extended for these people to be considered fully integrated in society as equals with ‘straight’ people.
Hayoun (2014) reported on the issue of kissing in the USA based on other people’s perceptions on the topic. It was based on the views of a recent survey that provided opinions on a certain topic. The message was that feelings of inferiority were still common among LGBTin the country, but unlike the Japanese report, there was extensive use of quotations from several people, something that makes the topic more interesting and engaging. News values of being dynamic and objective can be seen in this report.
4.0 Underlying system of values and ideologies
Japan and the USA have traditionally held diametric perspectives on many aspects of life, ranging from social, economic, and political. According to Hofstede (2017), there are major differences in global cultures that influence their behaviour and values in various aspects of human life. His six perspectives include individualism vs collectivism, masculinity vs femininity, long-term orientation, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and recently task orientation vs person orientation. According to Rozman (2014), the teachings of Confucianism influenced much of the behaviour in Japan, where they adopted collectivist tendencies. These teachings emphasised harmony among family members. Nishikawa (2005) noted that it is perhaps due to this time that Japanese people decided to adopt a closed-door policy where they kept to their traditional beliefs for almost 300 years. They were not influenced by practices in the outside, particularly in the West, until the late 29th century when it opened its borders for interaction.
Public display of affection is considered taboo in Japanese culture. It is a practice that is frowned upon even for married couples. Whereas kissing between couples and with kids is considered common, lip kissing attracts attention. Masuda (2012) noted that kissing is almost a taboo, especially among the old people, although young people are breaking this tradition and are now expecting this for casual reasons. Mineta (2015) outlined several dos on what is acceptable in Japan, including quick kisses, but noted quickly that tongues are not expected in such. These kisses are especially desired when in the company of friends and family members. Jandt (2010) maintained that the country tends to value preservation of traditions as opposed to being easily influenced by transient values. The culture of the country is such that they respect and uphold long-term values and tend not to be very dynamic in practices that threaten the respect of their traditions.
It is for this reason that the Japanese have been very slow to accept the reality of homosexuals living among them, even though the report noted the practice was old and accepted in the country before. It is a subject that is vaguely understood in the country and therefore one that attracts attention, and being a culture that values the ‘face’, it is hard for public display of affection and other behaviours considered aberrant to their traditions. This is different from the case of the USA, where people easily adopt social trends and have little concern for societal values and traditions. They are likely to accept the idea of genders not only forming relationships but some approving their affection publicly. There are cases of saving face in the case of the Japanese; the Americans consider accommodating such public displays to be progress in human development, as the rights of people are freely granted.
Japan also has a high masculinity index, where duties for genders are clearly outlined, implying that men and women are expected to perform certain duties to meet societal expectations. Hofstede (2015) estimated this index at 95 men people compete to be the best in their groups. The drive for excellence and perfection is what drives some to assume roles of the opposite gender, but not to the same level of extent as Western cultures, where people strive for self-expression as individuals. Thus, a high level of individualism may have also contributed to the nature of behaviour that was seen in the two images. This means there are activities that men and women are expected and society, and this may include roles that men perform, such as child rearing and family nurturing. Gender roles of people exchanging roles, including family values, are not likely to be accepted in the country as much as in the case inWesternn countries, such as the US. Gays and lesbians see these roles interchanging flexibly, a tendency that is not very acceptable in conservative societies such as Japan. Due to these strict perceptions, Japanese people are not free to be open about their sexual orientations, especially when they do not conform to the norm.
According to Kincaid (2014), gender roles in the Japanese culture were inspired by Confucian teachings on a fairly set-up where women were supposed to marry, beget heirs, and oversee their households. It was so strict that women who failed to produce heirs could be returned to their families, which indicates how much society respected these traditional values. Like many societies globally, he roles of women outside the family setup were unheard of, and these include ownership of property, family estates, freedom to marry and divorce, parental and voting rights. All these rights were granted under the Civil Code of 1947. Compared to the USA, suffrage rights were granted much earlier. Smith noted women's rights, such as suffrage and ownership of property, were recognised in 1919 after they were revoked in 1807. This is even though both countries have a long history of development. Japan adopted several rights later, and this may explain why the country has less fluidity in roles between genders. Men are likely to perform female duties and vice versa in the US and other Western countries, hence the spread of individual identification with gender of choice. The rigid attitudes on what men and women should do in society are changing, but this process is faster in the US compared to Japan. Exposed people are likely to be more enlightened and accept these ideas compared to those who are not.
5.0 Social actors
These are the individuals featured prominently in the news in the article that was presented. Chandler and Murray (2016, p. 45) define them as” anyone who engages in intentional action which is shaped by internalized expectations about how others ...” The actions in this case are considered as engaging in a public display of affection, in expectation of influencing their attitudes towards accepting the practice. This may not be taken as adopting the practice, but these are people who may be considered as opinion-shapers in society. In the USA, many people have come out in the open to declare their sexual orientation, especially when it has not been what the majority would consider “normal” for people.
Yagoda (2017) listed several renowned celebrities from music, TV, and movie actors who openly declared their identity. Among them they included Barry Manilow, Katy Perry, and Kristen Stewart, who mentioned their desire to free themselves from hiding in their true sexual identity. These are considered social actors influencing society into accepting them, but this practice is common and generally well tolerated in the country compared to Japan. The Nippon articles used images of celebrities, including model Ichinose Ayaka and actress Sugimori Akane. These social actors are represented as people who are confident and willing to do and pursue their ambitions. These are people who are known and whose actions are likely to attract interest from their fans in their respective industries. People are likely to emulate them. The Japanese online magazine also depicted the two ladies as confident and comfortable with their decisions. Celebrities have long been used as ambassadors for brands, in pursuit of worthy causes, among others. Given their popularity and fans behind them, organisations find it easy to associate various interests with certain celebrities to market their products or brands. The use of celebrity images to represent this practice appeared to be strategic to achieve the same purpose. This was to portray the marriage of the two ladies as normal and one that adherents should emulate if they feel the need to. This was consistent with the content in the article that sought to explain how far LGBT rights have come and the status quo in the country.
Al Jazeera magazine depicted the two men who were supposedly American as people who are not after influencing others but living their usual lives as couples or partners. The extent of the makeup and effort to differentiate oneself without the use of names indicated these are decisions that are too common to be considered as news material, where the audience will need details, as in he case of Japanese ladies. They did not use names of the images, and this was probably due to the widespread of thee practice that made it seem unnecessary, implying it was a common practice in the country. These were probably not celebrities like was the case for the Japanese actors. The implication was that at this time, America has little need for celebrities or social actors to guide the people in appreciating their choice, the same way Japan does. On the other hand, everybody in the country is free to choose their own sexual orientation, including celebrities. This could indicate the extent to which the practice is common, compared to Japan, which used local celebrities to show the need for others with similar preferences to emulate them.
6.0 Visual illustrations
A picture before the start of the story and after the headline is used in both articles. The pictures indicate the topic and content to be discussed in the articles. The message describes the content depicted in the images that are discussed. One sees the images get the attention of the subject as the phenomena presented are not a common occurrence in either part of the society. Two men kissing and one of them adorned in feminine jewellery, locking lips, with the attention of an audience on what the subject is all about. Visual representation of the Japanese lady's wedding also illustrates the same point of same sex unions in the country. The two images are relevant to the subject and content discussed in both articles. There are subtle differences between the two, but they represent a common message about same sex unions.
For the story set in Japan, two ladies in wedding gowns are at close, comfortable distance, one smiling and the other suggesting to kiss on the cheek, but not actually doing it. The wedding is an indication of recognition by the state and willingness to come out in the open to express one’s sexual choices, similar to the case in the USA. However, the images are different in many aspects. The image by Al Jazeera for American men shows one dressing and acting in behaviour associated with the female gender. Two men are kissing passionately and posing before the cameras. Although, as the survey indicates, people do not approve of such explicit display of affection between people of the same gender, they are freer to express it in public. In the case of Japanese people, a wedding or a public union is as far as it goes. People are not only less willing to come out but also express the same extent displayed by people of similar orientation in the USA.
Where there is public display of affection for Japanese people, it is for anime or cartoon images and not really people. People are likely to be ridiculed and be a subject of comedians, indicating how such a subject is derided in some areas in the country. Gays and lesbians are granted rights of association, especially in urban towns such as Tokyo,o but not in all prefectures. These facts may explain the reasons for marked differences in the level of public display of affection between Japanese and American people of the same gender. American men locked in a lip kiss indicate the level of freedom they feel compared to the ladies in Japan.
The identity of the ladies in wedding gowns, lightly showing their desire to have a relationship, is given. These actors in the local market are easily identified as opinion-shapers in society. They are known and considered local celebrities who are exposed to local and foreign cultures. The use of their images is among the few among exposed people that are taken, perhaps to illustrate modern trends, including modern values. These images may also have been used to indicate the pace that Japan has made in accommodating LGBT rights, but the image used for Al Jazeera seemed to address a trend that people are accustomed to.
One would expect a kiss to be a symbol of an intimate relationship between two people of shared interests, but that would be done by Americans, regardless of whether they are same sex or opposite gender. Same sex unions are not something that is frowned upon in the country as it is Japan. It is an indication of a level that is explained by the image, the height of freedom of expression, even in matters not commonly discussed in public as same sex intimacy. But the images are not opposite of each other in ideology, they represent a common aspect in li,fe and one especially against prejudice against LGBT people. The message is to further the conversation on the new reality and accommodate them as part of society, despite their aberrant choices. The visual representation in Japan and the US is largely similar, despite divergent cultural backgrounds. These serve to explain the level of acceptance, but they are largely on the same issue of sex unions.
There are social values that guide Japanese ways of living and associations that are seen in the new focus of this essay. Nyan (2017) noted that the Japanese people avoid public display of affection because they believe it is bad manners to raise public attention unnecessarily. The action of smooching and kissing in public is considered an action done to raise public attention, and being an overly conservative society, such is resisted and avoided as much as possible. Being of the same sex would get even more attention and would probably be a subject of news. This is not the case in the USA, where such actions are common, especially after marriages were allowed in several states in the country.
7. Conclusion aims to compare the two articles that were significantly different in their social approach to a similar topic of LGBT rights and expression in public. The news article from Japan addressed the development of LGBT rights in the country and the level of tolerance in the country. It also addressed the need for more rights to be granted for LGBT individuals to enjoy similar rights, such as consent for operations, hospital visits to LGBT partners, cohabitation in a similar house, insurance, and inheritance rights. The same rights were addressed by Al-Alzeera's article on the USA. The author noted that not all states in the country provide all rights associated with mamarriageother than civil partnerships, which are granted in the country. The essay also considered the attitude of people towards public display of affection that was exhibited by images in both articles. Whereas American appeared more explicit and usual, the Japanese image portrayed an image of conservative celebrities uniting in a marriage ceremony.
8.0 References
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