Ranma 1/2 and all the characters in this story are owned by Rumikio Takahashi.
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A Day in the Life...
Part 2: Is Resistance Futile?
Lunch time. All is quiet...well as quiet as the yard of Furiken High is ever likely to get. The sun is shining, the birds are tweeting and despite the vague feeling that I am trapped inside a pastoral painting, I feel a languorous contentment creeping over me.
Then suddenly, it's shattered. A high, Chinese-accented voice carols "NIHAO, Husband!!"
And so it begins once again. My attention is inexorably drawn to the brewing confrontation. I watch calmly as the inevitable conclusion is reached. A shriek, a loud thwacking sound of irresistible force meeting not-so immovable object and a wail of "RANMA NO BAKA" chases a low orbit launch. As the aftermath sorts itself out, my mind stutters in horrified shock -- not so much at the unbelievable events that I have just witnessed, but at my own reaction. For I realize that I truly have no reaction.
What's happened to me? What kind of person am I that I'm able to watch these overwhelmingly extreme and violent events and yet feel nothing? Where did my anger go? My outrage? My sense of violated justice at the callous lack of responsibility of these people? Instead I found myself watching with a kind of casual interest and a vague sense of amusement.
My God. Am I becoming like these people? Am I so accustomed to the everyday violence that I am forced to live with that, that I no longer notice? The realization hits me with the shock of cold water and I feel my hands start to shake. Voices slowly penetrate my thoughts.
"Good shot."
"Yeah. Strong stance, perfect follow through. Angle of exit could be better, but all in all, not a bad performance. I'll give it a 7.0"
"7.0? Nah. Speed was too good for that. 7.5, easy. Kenji?"
"Oh, I'll reserve judgment until we here where he landed. There's a bit of a tail wind today. Could make a difference."
"Good thought."
"Yeah. It's all that math. Never was too good at math."
"Hey, whatcha think about that entrance though? Definitely at least a 9.5..."
The voices drift off again as the three students amble over to survey the property damage. One part of me is appalled at the way they seem to accept all of this as commonplace. But another tiny part of me considers seriously and then whispers "7.0."
It's that part that scares me. The part of myself that is becoming deadened like so many other people who live with the likes of Saotome Ranma and Tendo Akane. The part of me that is beginning to revel in their fights and chaos. That terrifies me more than any of the monsters I have seen. No Jusenyko curse or ancient legend is more horrifying or repugnant than the curse of becoming like them. People who bury their head in the sand to avoid the unpleasantness of the repercussions of their own actions. People who are so convinced of their own superiority that any means justify the satisfaction of their own ends. But why am I the only one who seems to feel this way?
Certainly the people who do not have everyday experience with the destruction caused by another episode of "Saotome must die!", or "We must learn the new secret technique!", live in terror. But what about the people who, like me, go to school with these psychopaths. The ardent admirers, followers, friends, enemies and various others who live on the periphery of the Tendo-Saotome circle? How do they manage to justify their cold-blooded acceptance of the extreme violence that occurs on a daily basis? The injuries, the destruction. Even if these horrible acts are shrugged off by the participants as not even worth noticing, it's just not normal. That, for me, is the bottom line. This behaviour is neither normal nor acceptable. So why can nobody else see this? When did the norms of society become so out of whack? Is the whole of Furiken High crazy or is it just me?
My friend Keiko and I have discussed these issues, but only once. I couldn't bear to talk more than once about subjects that I find so distressing and she finds so commonplace. I asked her how she could be so casual about the horrific fights that we witness.
"Because it is casual." She replied. "You're just too sensitive. Think about the hundreds of fights that we never even see. All those people that Saotome-san fights in different countries and stuff. And just think how Saotome-san and Tendo-san are saving the world! The fights that we see are casual to them. Someday I hope that I can see the real action. Think how exciting it would be! You just need to relax a little, maybe you should start drinking decaf or something."
I quickly changed subjects at that point. Hearing the same propaganda coming from the lips of one of my best friends hurt and disturbed me more than I could ever express. My friends, my classmates, we're supposed to be the hope of the future. So why are so many of my peers blind to the injustice that is occurring right under our very noses. How can we possibly hope to improve humanity when so many of us support all that is wrong with humanity?
And yet, despite my outrage and disgust, there is still that little voice that chuckles in amusement every time another fight filled with wanton destruction occurs. Maybe it's peer-pressure, maybe it's just stress, I don't know. What I do know, is that every time I see another "battle to end all battles", another building flattened, another orbital launch, it becomes just a little harder to keep myself separate. The oblivion that surrounds me is very seductive. And every day I find it just a little harder to resist, a little easier to succumb and I loose another tiny piece of my individual will to the mob mentality that is generated by these so-called "superheroes".
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A Day in the Life...
Part 2: Is Resistance Futile?
Lunch time. All is quiet...well as quiet as the yard of Furiken High is ever likely to get. The sun is shining, the birds are tweeting and despite the vague feeling that I am trapped inside a pastoral painting, I feel a languorous contentment creeping over me.
Then suddenly, it's shattered. A high, Chinese-accented voice carols "NIHAO, Husband!!"
And so it begins once again. My attention is inexorably drawn to the brewing confrontation. I watch calmly as the inevitable conclusion is reached. A shriek, a loud thwacking sound of irresistible force meeting not-so immovable object and a wail of "RANMA NO BAKA" chases a low orbit launch. As the aftermath sorts itself out, my mind stutters in horrified shock -- not so much at the unbelievable events that I have just witnessed, but at my own reaction. For I realize that I truly have no reaction.
What's happened to me? What kind of person am I that I'm able to watch these overwhelmingly extreme and violent events and yet feel nothing? Where did my anger go? My outrage? My sense of violated justice at the callous lack of responsibility of these people? Instead I found myself watching with a kind of casual interest and a vague sense of amusement.
My God. Am I becoming like these people? Am I so accustomed to the everyday violence that I am forced to live with that, that I no longer notice? The realization hits me with the shock of cold water and I feel my hands start to shake. Voices slowly penetrate my thoughts.
"Good shot."
"Yeah. Strong stance, perfect follow through. Angle of exit could be better, but all in all, not a bad performance. I'll give it a 7.0"
"7.0? Nah. Speed was too good for that. 7.5, easy. Kenji?"
"Oh, I'll reserve judgment until we here where he landed. There's a bit of a tail wind today. Could make a difference."
"Good thought."
"Yeah. It's all that math. Never was too good at math."
"Hey, whatcha think about that entrance though? Definitely at least a 9.5..."
The voices drift off again as the three students amble over to survey the property damage. One part of me is appalled at the way they seem to accept all of this as commonplace. But another tiny part of me considers seriously and then whispers "7.0."
It's that part that scares me. The part of myself that is becoming deadened like so many other people who live with the likes of Saotome Ranma and Tendo Akane. The part of me that is beginning to revel in their fights and chaos. That terrifies me more than any of the monsters I have seen. No Jusenyko curse or ancient legend is more horrifying or repugnant than the curse of becoming like them. People who bury their head in the sand to avoid the unpleasantness of the repercussions of their own actions. People who are so convinced of their own superiority that any means justify the satisfaction of their own ends. But why am I the only one who seems to feel this way?
Certainly the people who do not have everyday experience with the destruction caused by another episode of "Saotome must die!", or "We must learn the new secret technique!", live in terror. But what about the people who, like me, go to school with these psychopaths. The ardent admirers, followers, friends, enemies and various others who live on the periphery of the Tendo-Saotome circle? How do they manage to justify their cold-blooded acceptance of the extreme violence that occurs on a daily basis? The injuries, the destruction. Even if these horrible acts are shrugged off by the participants as not even worth noticing, it's just not normal. That, for me, is the bottom line. This behaviour is neither normal nor acceptable. So why can nobody else see this? When did the norms of society become so out of whack? Is the whole of Furiken High crazy or is it just me?
My friend Keiko and I have discussed these issues, but only once. I couldn't bear to talk more than once about subjects that I find so distressing and she finds so commonplace. I asked her how she could be so casual about the horrific fights that we witness.
"Because it is casual." She replied. "You're just too sensitive. Think about the hundreds of fights that we never even see. All those people that Saotome-san fights in different countries and stuff. And just think how Saotome-san and Tendo-san are saving the world! The fights that we see are casual to them. Someday I hope that I can see the real action. Think how exciting it would be! You just need to relax a little, maybe you should start drinking decaf or something."
I quickly changed subjects at that point. Hearing the same propaganda coming from the lips of one of my best friends hurt and disturbed me more than I could ever express. My friends, my classmates, we're supposed to be the hope of the future. So why are so many of my peers blind to the injustice that is occurring right under our very noses. How can we possibly hope to improve humanity when so many of us support all that is wrong with humanity?
And yet, despite my outrage and disgust, there is still that little voice that chuckles in amusement every time another fight filled with wanton destruction occurs. Maybe it's peer-pressure, maybe it's just stress, I don't know. What I do know, is that every time I see another "battle to end all battles", another building flattened, another orbital launch, it becomes just a little harder to keep myself separate. The oblivion that surrounds me is very seductive. And every day I find it just a little harder to resist, a little easier to succumb and I loose another tiny piece of my individual will to the mob mentality that is generated by these so-called "superheroes".