translation of a statement about the nature of art meant to cheer on victims of the Tohoku quake
This will probably be edited as I get more help translating some of the stuff I couldn't figure out well.
There have been quite a lot of art submitted at Pixiv with things like "Hang in there, Japan!!" included in them. Some of them are great to see, but others, it feels like it's bordering on being out-right insensitive. I realized I wasn't the only one who thought this, after finding this submission under Pixiv's daily rankings today.
The submission is [here], and the original Japanese text can be viewed below in this same entry.
Included with the submission was a survey that asks "What do you think about all the art being submitted currently about the earthquake?". The choices were "It made me feel better", "I want more to be submitted", "They should reconsider/restrain/have more respect (for the victims)", "There should be less", and "It feels hostile". The survey results are included below.
I've spaced out the text into paragraphs, even though the original was just one long continuous line.
---
03/12/2011 06:58
Please read all of this if you can. Thank you.
'Please hang in there > <' 'Don't give up ^ ^' 'Help is on the way, it'll be all right (^ v ^ )' 'My condolences (ノ_<。)' <- Does that rub you the wrong way? Is there a difference between this and your (earthquake-related) art submission? They are the same. Back when I experienced the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, my parents died, my house was destroyed, and every time an outsider gave me encouragement I would feel a murderous rage toward them. I'm not trying to blame those who offer their encouragement, because I'm very thankful for the emotion behind those words. However, they are premature words to offer to the bodies and minds of those ragged and cornered people in the disaster, they come without limit, and they have the opposite of the intended effect. I beg for you to realize that there are people suffering even more than you assume in your good intentions.
If you really do want to help those victims, then please consider doing something like submitting image responses to a person's submission in which they reported being safe, that kind of thing. Please think carefully about who you are submitting that artwork for; are you submitting this not for the benefit of those victims, but for your own sake instead? If that's the case, then please include in your submission something about fund-raising money for relief, that kind of thing. Lastly, to those who submitted art with a pure mindset toward this, I apologize for expressing such a negative opinion that could be taken badly. Also, please respond to the survey if you can.
|||
It's only been a short time since I submitted this, but thank you for all the bookmarks, tags, and for filling out the survey. Right now at 07:55, the survey's results are: "It made me feel better" 84 votes, "I want more to be submitted" 33 votes, "They should reconsider/restrain/have more respect (for the victims)" 216 votes, "There should be less" 22 votes, "It feels hostile" 51 votes.
Like I said above, I have no intention of blaming those offering their encouragement, since it is now clear there are in fact people who felt better thanks to such art, however I wish for people to keep in mind the fact that there are people who have felt discomfort from seeing it. These artists who take the time out of their busy lives of going to work or going to school, and go to the trouble of submitting art to try to cheer on the victims, and then the victims are caused to feel uncomfortable; as a result, neither side is happy. The victims who can't even come here to see this art are truly suffering an even greater unfathomable amount. It's not a question of who's to blame, I just hope that people would take the time to consider the viewpoint of the other person, if you would beg my pardon.
|||
There have been many differing points expressed clearly by those in disagreement, very calmly and with good points, that I was taken aback; I definitely have lot to learn yet. I thank you deeply for voicing your opinions and sharing some art examples. I've reached the character limit here, so with that I'll bring this to a close.
(The artwork submitted is simply lettering that says:)
PLEASE HAVE RESPECT/
RECONSIDER/USE RESTRAINT
WHEN SUBMITTING
EARTHQUAKE-RELATED
ART".
---
I'm not confident with a lot of this translation, so if anyone out there could take a look below here and see if I translated anything really horribly, I'd appreciate input! I would like to link to this as a reference for some communities...
---
03/12/2011 06:58
出来れば全文読んで下さい、お願いします。
がんばって下さい＞＜ 負けないで＾＾ 大丈夫助かりますよ（＾ｖ＾） お悔やみします(ノ_<。) ←これイラッとしませんか？これと貴方たちの投稿と何が違いますか？同じです。 私は阪神大震災を経験していますが、両親が死に、家が無くなった時、蚊帳の外からの励ましに殺意に近い怒りを感じました。 ただし、励ましの言葉をかけたいと言う人を非難するつもりはありません、その気持ち自体とてもありがたいのです。 しかし身も心もズタズタになり追い詰められた人にとっては時期尚早です、余裕が無いんです、逆効果なんです。 貴方の独りよがりの善意によってさらに苦しむ人がいることを理解してください。もしも本当に被災地の人に元気を送りたい気持ちがあるなら、生存報告をした人に対しイメレスをするなどの配慮をお願いします。 投稿する前にその作品は誰のために投稿するのかをもう一度考えてください、被災地の方ではなく自分のためになってませんか？そういう人はキャプションに募金をします宣言なんか書いていたりします。 最後に、無垢な善意の気持ちで投稿した人に対し、不快と取れるような否定的な意見を述べてしまったことを謝罪いたします。 後、アンケートもよければお願いします。 ●投稿からわずかですが色々なタグ付けやコメント、評価、アンケートありがとうございます。7:55分現在、アンケートは 元気を貰った84回 増えて欲しい33回 自重すべき216回 少ない方が良い22回 敵意を感じる51回 となっています。上記に書きましたが励まそうとしている方を個人的に非難するつもりはありません、実際元気を貰った方がいるのは明白です、でも不快に感じる方もいると言う事を念頭において欲しかったのです。 自分の生活があり会社や学校に出かける人もいると思います、その忙しい中せっかく励ますために描いたイラストで、不快に感じる被災者がいたらどちらも不幸です。 実際ここを見ることすら出来ない被災者の方はもっともっと計り知れない苦しみの中にいるのでしょうから。 どちらが悪いとかでは無く、もう少しだけ自分と違う意見も理解して欲しかったのです、失礼しました。 ●反対意見の方のきちんとした意見提示が多く、その冷静かつ客観的視点は驚くべきことです、こちらも学ぶことがありました。貴重な意見や思いの投稿を重ねて御礼申し上げます。字数が限界なのでこれで失礼します。
現在多数投稿されている地震イラストについてどう思いますか？
イラスト投稿者に元気を貰った！
3774回
このまま増えてほしい
1388回
少し自重すべき
6926回
今より少ない方が良い
872回
イラスト投稿する人に敵意を感じる
1183回
---
I should also make a note here that the survey results have continued to increase, so here are the numbers at the time that I checked:
"What do you think about all the art being submitted currently about the earthquake?"
I feel better having seen them! - 3,774 votes
I want there to be even more - 1,388 votes
I think they should reconsider/use restraint/have more respect - 6,926
I think there should be less - 872 votes
It felt hostile from the submitter - 1,183 votes
I guess that's it for now. Thanks for your time reading all this. o/
EDIT (3/14 @ 10:13am PST) :: I've fine-tuned the translation so it reads a little more smoothly, and got rid of the parts that I wasn't sure about, thanks to some help from a friend! Next I'll try to find a way to double-space the lines... If you know how, comment below, please! XD
EDIT (3/14 @ 10:37am PST) :: Decided to break the translation up into smaller paragraphs, so hopefully that makes it easier to read. Please feel free to pass a link to this post around, I don't mind. My more important posts in this journal are f-locked, so it's not a problem. ^^
EDIT (3/14 @ 10:44am PST) :: Here's an update for the survey results:
I feel better having seen them! - 4,166 votes (^+392)
I want there to be even more - 1,522 votes (^+134)
I think they should reconsider/use restraint/have more respect - 7,686 votes (^+760)
I think there should be less - 959 votes (^+87)
It felt hostile from the submitter - 1,349 votes (^+166)
There have been quite a lot of art submitted at Pixiv with things like "Hang in there, Japan!!" included in them. Some of them are great to see, but others, it feels like it's bordering on being out-right insensitive. I realized I wasn't the only one who thought this, after finding this submission under Pixiv's daily rankings today.
The submission is [here], and the original Japanese text can be viewed below in this same entry.
Included with the submission was a survey that asks "What do you think about all the art being submitted currently about the earthquake?". The choices were "It made me feel better", "I want more to be submitted", "They should reconsider/restrain/have more respect (for the victims)", "There should be less", and "It feels hostile". The survey results are included below.
I've spaced out the text into paragraphs, even though the original was just one long continuous line.
---
03/12/2011 06:58
Please read all of this if you can. Thank you.
'Please hang in there > <' 'Don't give up ^ ^' 'Help is on the way, it'll be all right (^ v ^ )' 'My condolences (ノ_<。)' <- Does that rub you the wrong way? Is there a difference between this and your (earthquake-related) art submission? They are the same. Back when I experienced the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, my parents died, my house was destroyed, and every time an outsider gave me encouragement I would feel a murderous rage toward them. I'm not trying to blame those who offer their encouragement, because I'm very thankful for the emotion behind those words. However, they are premature words to offer to the bodies and minds of those ragged and cornered people in the disaster, they come without limit, and they have the opposite of the intended effect. I beg for you to realize that there are people suffering even more than you assume in your good intentions.
If you really do want to help those victims, then please consider doing something like submitting image responses to a person's submission in which they reported being safe, that kind of thing. Please think carefully about who you are submitting that artwork for; are you submitting this not for the benefit of those victims, but for your own sake instead? If that's the case, then please include in your submission something about fund-raising money for relief, that kind of thing. Lastly, to those who submitted art with a pure mindset toward this, I apologize for expressing such a negative opinion that could be taken badly. Also, please respond to the survey if you can.
|||
It's only been a short time since I submitted this, but thank you for all the bookmarks, tags, and for filling out the survey. Right now at 07:55, the survey's results are: "It made me feel better" 84 votes, "I want more to be submitted" 33 votes, "They should reconsider/restrain/have more respect (for the victims)" 216 votes, "There should be less" 22 votes, "It feels hostile" 51 votes.
Like I said above, I have no intention of blaming those offering their encouragement, since it is now clear there are in fact people who felt better thanks to such art, however I wish for people to keep in mind the fact that there are people who have felt discomfort from seeing it. These artists who take the time out of their busy lives of going to work or going to school, and go to the trouble of submitting art to try to cheer on the victims, and then the victims are caused to feel uncomfortable; as a result, neither side is happy. The victims who can't even come here to see this art are truly suffering an even greater unfathomable amount. It's not a question of who's to blame, I just hope that people would take the time to consider the viewpoint of the other person, if you would beg my pardon.
|||
There have been many differing points expressed clearly by those in disagreement, very calmly and with good points, that I was taken aback; I definitely have lot to learn yet. I thank you deeply for voicing your opinions and sharing some art examples. I've reached the character limit here, so with that I'll bring this to a close.
(The artwork submitted is simply lettering that says:)
PLEASE HAVE RESPECT/
RECONSIDER/USE RESTRAINT
WHEN SUBMITTING
EARTHQUAKE-RELATED
ART".
---
I'm not confident with a lot of this translation, so if anyone out there could take a look below here and see if I translated anything really horribly, I'd appreciate input! I would like to link to this as a reference for some communities...
---
03/12/2011 06:58
出来れば全文読んで下さい、お願いします。
がんばって下さい＞＜ 負けないで＾＾ 大丈夫助かりますよ（＾ｖ＾） お悔やみします(ノ_<。) ←これイラッとしませんか？これと貴方たちの投稿と何が違いますか？同じです。 私は阪神大震災を経験していますが、両親が死に、家が無くなった時、蚊帳の外からの励ましに殺意に近い怒りを感じました。 ただし、励ましの言葉をかけたいと言う人を非難するつもりはありません、その気持ち自体とてもありがたいのです。 しかし身も心もズタズタになり追い詰められた人にとっては時期尚早です、余裕が無いんです、逆効果なんです。 貴方の独りよがりの善意によってさらに苦しむ人がいることを理解してください。もしも本当に被災地の人に元気を送りたい気持ちがあるなら、生存報告をした人に対しイメレスをするなどの配慮をお願いします。 投稿する前にその作品は誰のために投稿するのかをもう一度考えてください、被災地の方ではなく自分のためになってませんか？そういう人はキャプションに募金をします宣言なんか書いていたりします。 最後に、無垢な善意の気持ちで投稿した人に対し、不快と取れるような否定的な意見を述べてしまったことを謝罪いたします。 後、アンケートもよければお願いします。 ●投稿からわずかですが色々なタグ付けやコメント、評価、アンケートありがとうございます。7:55分現在、アンケートは 元気を貰った84回 増えて欲しい33回 自重すべき216回 少ない方が良い22回 敵意を感じる51回 となっています。上記に書きましたが励まそうとしている方を個人的に非難するつもりはありません、実際元気を貰った方がいるのは明白です、でも不快に感じる方もいると言う事を念頭において欲しかったのです。 自分の生活があり会社や学校に出かける人もいると思います、その忙しい中せっかく励ますために描いたイラストで、不快に感じる被災者がいたらどちらも不幸です。 実際ここを見ることすら出来ない被災者の方はもっともっと計り知れない苦しみの中にいるのでしょうから。 どちらが悪いとかでは無く、もう少しだけ自分と違う意見も理解して欲しかったのです、失礼しました。 ●反対意見の方のきちんとした意見提示が多く、その冷静かつ客観的視点は驚くべきことです、こちらも学ぶことがありました。貴重な意見や思いの投稿を重ねて御礼申し上げます。字数が限界なのでこれで失礼します。
現在多数投稿されている地震イラストについてどう思いますか？
イラスト投稿者に元気を貰った！
3774回
このまま増えてほしい
1388回
少し自重すべき
6926回
今より少ない方が良い
872回
イラスト投稿する人に敵意を感じる
1183回
---
I should also make a note here that the survey results have continued to increase, so here are the numbers at the time that I checked:
"What do you think about all the art being submitted currently about the earthquake?"
I feel better having seen them! - 3,774 votes
I want there to be even more - 1,388 votes
I think they should reconsider/use restraint/have more respect - 6,926
I think there should be less - 872 votes
It felt hostile from the submitter - 1,183 votes
I guess that's it for now. Thanks for your time reading all this. o/
EDIT (3/14 @ 10:13am PST) :: I've fine-tuned the translation so it reads a little more smoothly, and got rid of the parts that I wasn't sure about, thanks to some help from a friend! Next I'll try to find a way to double-space the lines... If you know how, comment below, please! XD
EDIT (3/14 @ 10:37am PST) :: Decided to break the translation up into smaller paragraphs, so hopefully that makes it easier to read. Please feel free to pass a link to this post around, I don't mind. My more important posts in this journal are f-locked, so it's not a problem. ^^
EDIT (3/14 @ 10:44am PST) :: Here's an update for the survey results:
I feel better having seen them! - 4,166 votes (^+392)
I want there to be even more - 1,522 votes (^+134)
I think they should reconsider/use restraint/have more respect - 7,686 votes (^+760)
I think there should be less - 959 votes (^+87)
It felt hostile from the submitter - 1,349 votes (^+166)