Let’s talk about “privilege”. You may feel uncomfortable, but here is my honest insight. “Privileged” itself is not about good or bad. If you are privileged, you are privileged. It may not be your choice to be privileged, but you have been. So, what I ask in this account is simple: “Don’t Ignore It”. I am sharing stories so that we can “acknowledge” it in Sashiko. You can hate me, but don’t ignore/indifference the privilege. Otherwise, you will hurt others one day.
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I am extremely privileged. At least, I was. A Japanese male with a (once) wealthy family background living in Japan is privileged. In Sashiko, I am privileged, too, because it was “provided” to me. I didn’t want to do Sashiko, but I am privileged enough to come back when I decided to face to my fate (I explained the reason on Patreon).
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I feel, the privileged people have “a sort of responsibility” to what was provided. Minimizing/suppressing the minority’s voice is one neglect of that. Please remember. Those who can “solve” the C/A issue are also “privileged people”. No matter how loud I shout, I can be only a small stone in the big trend of Sashiko – because it is “English Market” who makes this flow. I feel a responsibility to pass down the numbers of unspoken voices from those who didn’t have an opportunity to speak up because of the language and other cultural barriers. I am NOT conservative in Sashiko. There are(were) a lot more “strict” people. However, their voices are not heard – buried in history.
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Again, there is nothing wrong with being privileged. Again, it may not be your choice, and you are not doing anything wrong for being privileged. It is just a fact. But, when you refuse to acknowledge it, then issues/pain occur. In this context, a chance to learn English is also a privilege. You do not have to worry about language to protect who you are. You are powerful. Your choice affects a big part of “privileged” people in developed countries. Therefore, I am learning English. Therefore, I speak up. You are the future of Sashiko, when you acknowledge it. I am relying on you. I would like to count on you.
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まーた長くなった……。
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