“What Is the Cognitive-Warfare Defeat of Human Rights in Democracy?”
I don’t know how many centuries have passed since humanity began using the term “fundamental human rights,” but even now, it seems the profound significance and true essence of what we call human rights have still not fully taken root.
Or perhaps it is simply that people have “given up” on the very idea that such a thing could exist.
That is why they run toward power, clinging only to self-interest — it is fear and anxiety that drive them to do so.
Regardless of right or left, I sense that same underlying emotion at a fundamental level.
Yet in a democracy, for human rights to exist at all, the absolute precondition is that people believe in their existence.
When people stop believing that — or are made to abandon that belief — it can only be described as a defeat in cognitive warfare.
In such a case, who the true, essential victor would be, I honestly do not know.
Or perhaps, in that scenario, no true victor exists at all.
I’m sorry, but the truth is I can’t take anyone’s side — and in a way, that also means I can be on anyone’s side.
I mean, come on, right? Even though it’s on a much smaller scale, I myself handle production, directing, screenwriting, and starring — I even do the casting — and I make love stories.
It’s a sad reality, but no matter how purely you pursue creativity, a sense of safety doesn’t just appear for free. No matter how careful you are, it’s never quite enough, and unless you manage to build the right atmosphere as a team, there’s no way you can shoot something truly good. Of course, I’ve had my share of spectacular failures too.
If all of this could simply be brushed off with a “this is how an actor ought to be” kind of “ought-to” argument, nothing would be easier — and honestly, it would make my own life a lot easier too. But unfortunately, there is a long history of people who have exploited exactly that kind of thinking, both in the past and today, and given that history, there’s no way we can casually go back to that way of thinking.
How to create a genuine sense of safety is something we must constantly keep thinking about — it’s not a simple question with an easy answer.
That said, making a small mistake doesn’t mean someone should be socially obliterated. Unless, of course, it was an act of real malicious intent — that’s a different matter entirely…
Likewise, even if you condemn someone immature for being immature, neither the one doing the condemning nor society as a whole gains anything from it.
“Crisis management” sounds fine when you put it that way, but after going around it in my head about five times, what I keep coming back to is this: isn’t that old guy, Jiro Sato, being a bit childish? I feel like if it had been Shintaro Katsu, he would’ve just laughed it off, apologized, and that would’ve been the end of it. Maybe the reason he got away with doing all sorts of outrageous things was precisely because of that kind of attitude.
That said, it’s not like I’m trying to take Ai Hashimoto’s side either, and honestly, I think Fuji TV is the worst, but still…
Society’s overall capacity for tolerance keeps getting smaller and smaller, doesn’t it? The question is — who’s going to be the one to change first? As someone older, that’s something I always want to stay mindful of. If possible, I’d like to remain “iki” — graceful and stylish in spirit. It’s not exactly easy, though.
“Beauty over being right.”
There have been plenty of times I’ve looked back and thought I was being childish myself. Every single time, things didn’t go well, and I’d find myself wondering, “why did it end up like this?” Maybe that’s exactly why this hits home even more for me.
Because in a world without compassion, how are we even supposed to keep doing creative work?
Do people genuinely, seriously believe that real art — the kind that actually lasts for generations — can be born out of that kind of environment?
If they do think so, I’d say that’s a pretty serious delusion. Everyone’s only thinking about themselves, aren’t they?
I think that’s underestimating things way too much. They make it look like they’re proud of their own sense of integrity, but isn’t the reality actually different?
Only once we’re able to think that way will the current situation start to get a little better, don’t you think?
I really think this conversation is something everyone should watch. Beyond just the Jiro Sato, Ai Hashimoto, and Fuji TV issue, I think we managed to talk from our own different perspectives about a theme that can encompass pretty much everything going on in the world.
Well, if you had to put it simply, it’s basically the world of “Man in the Mirror,” isn’t it.
