Post by kafka on Feb 15, 2006 19:28:42 GMT -4
I agree, the different mindsets is probably one of the most fascinating aspects in all this. The Old Guard's medieval approach is definitely something which fascinates me, mostly because it horrifies and is so damn incomprehensible.
This reminds me of an incident which occurred soon after Masako married. She was at a dinner, perhaps a state dinner or maybe just a political private one, I can't recall. In any event, she was seated between Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton who was President at the time. Masako who speaks about a gazillion languages turned to Yeltsin and proceeded to completely charm him in fluent Russian. She then turned to her partner on the other side and dazzled Clinton in perfect English. She then turned to some other big politician and proceeded to do the same in his language. Everyone was awed by her brilliance, charm, beauty and tact.
Everyone that is except the IHA, who flipped out totally. Their rationale: she shamed the Crown Prince, showed him up and was brazenly forward in drawing attention to herself. I guess she was supposed just to be a cipher and sit there. It is totally a medieval view about women being invisible creatures and ornaments. Not even geishas because geishas draw attention to themselves and the Crown Princess must be invisible.
The sad thing is that, in any other culture, she would have been praised, the way CPss Mary is for the positive attention she brings to the RF. The other sad thing is that CP Naruhito is hardly the sort to be overshadowed because he is quite brilliant in his own right. He went to Oxford where he did brilliantly, speaks lots of languages, and is a concert-level expert musician who is phenomenal on the viola (a bigger, deeper form of the violin). He plays other instruments too.
Actually, the whole family is quite brilliant. Unlike some other royal families <koff Windsors koff> who are not genuinely intellectual or objectively brilliant, the Japanese royals really and truly are. The Emperor is one of the world's two experts on a certain type of fish, to the point that a newly discovered type was named after him by the other big world scientist. The Emperor is a Fellow and member of one of the most prestigious scientific organisations in London, has had papers published (and praised) in his field, plays about 3 or 4 musical instruments, speaks multiple languages, writes poetry, and is genuinely a decent chap who has tried to modernise the monarchy. Well, to the extent possible with the IHA's confines. He has insisted on a number of things to make the Imperial Family more accessible to the public but he hasn't always been successful. Still, he's tried, which is more than his louse of a father ever did.
Back to his intellectual prowess, he has a big laboratory housed in a separate building on palace grounds which is staffed with 3 full-time assistants to help his scientific studies on the fish. He's supposed to be quite a brain. Personally, I think he's the most intellectually brilliant, highly educated and brilliant out of all the ruling monarchs today. And most of his children have his brains. Prince Akishino --- husband to the now pregnant Kiko --- might be the densest one in the family.
Topic? Depending on the source, Masako was either sold into marriage by her ambitious Diplomatic Corps father (who was immediately thereafter promoted) or she agreed because Naruhito promised to let her be a modern princess who wouldn't have to completely give up her work. Specifically, she could continue being a diplomatic agent of sorts, going on overseas trips and extending goodwill for Japan. Only it would be in the context of an Imperial Princess, not as a member of the Diplomatic Corps.
The IHA wanted her to focus on getting a male heir but I truly think they were willing to entertain some sort of overseas travel. At least initially. Prss Kiko and other members of the Imperial Family have done quite a few overseas trips, although such things aren't as frequent an occurrence for the Japanese royals as say, the British, Dutch, Danish or other royals.
Then the Yeltsin/Clinton incident occurred and the IHA concluded that Masako couldn't be trusted to act appropriately because she would outshine everyone else. And women aren't suppose to do that. Especially when their husband is the next Emperor and the descendent of a 2,500 dynasty coming from a God.
So, they grounded her. They also made her go before the Imperial Court every month, get on her knees before the Emperor and tell him whether or not she was pregnant. Month after month, she had to go and confess that she had gotten her period, wasn't pregnant, was hugely sorry and that she would try again.
The humiliation involved is unbelievable for any woman but for someone in the Japanese culture.... ?!?? Huge.
This happened for several years but finally she managed to get pregnant and all of Japan went crazy when the IHA announced it. I can't recall if they made the announcement before the usual end of the first trimester, when most miscarriages happen, or if it was later, but she had a miscarriage. That taught the IHA a lesson which might have some bearing on what they've done in this current situation with Kiko's pregnancy.... (Because why would they announce so soon unless they were sure of what the baby would be. Or maybe they just didn't care because they wanted to scuttle the Empress bill, which they did, regardless of whether Kiko ends up having a miscarriage later.)
In any event, they learnt not to repeat the mistake when Masako eventually got pregnant again. With Aiko. It seems to be a commonly-accepted thing that she only got pregnant with IVF. Which makes me wonder if they tried gender-selection then and failed. I can't imagine the IHA not trying to ensure it would be a boy, so I wonder what that says about gender-selection success rates. Could they really have improved the chances *that* much in just 4 years?
I guess we will see this Fall.... <sigh>
This reminds me of an incident which occurred soon after Masako married. She was at a dinner, perhaps a state dinner or maybe just a political private one, I can't recall. In any event, she was seated between Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton who was President at the time. Masako who speaks about a gazillion languages turned to Yeltsin and proceeded to completely charm him in fluent Russian. She then turned to her partner on the other side and dazzled Clinton in perfect English. She then turned to some other big politician and proceeded to do the same in his language. Everyone was awed by her brilliance, charm, beauty and tact.
Everyone that is except the IHA, who flipped out totally. Their rationale: she shamed the Crown Prince, showed him up and was brazenly forward in drawing attention to herself. I guess she was supposed just to be a cipher and sit there. It is totally a medieval view about women being invisible creatures and ornaments. Not even geishas because geishas draw attention to themselves and the Crown Princess must be invisible.
The sad thing is that, in any other culture, she would have been praised, the way CPss Mary is for the positive attention she brings to the RF. The other sad thing is that CP Naruhito is hardly the sort to be overshadowed because he is quite brilliant in his own right. He went to Oxford where he did brilliantly, speaks lots of languages, and is a concert-level expert musician who is phenomenal on the viola (a bigger, deeper form of the violin). He plays other instruments too.
Actually, the whole family is quite brilliant. Unlike some other royal families <koff Windsors koff> who are not genuinely intellectual or objectively brilliant, the Japanese royals really and truly are. The Emperor is one of the world's two experts on a certain type of fish, to the point that a newly discovered type was named after him by the other big world scientist. The Emperor is a Fellow and member of one of the most prestigious scientific organisations in London, has had papers published (and praised) in his field, plays about 3 or 4 musical instruments, speaks multiple languages, writes poetry, and is genuinely a decent chap who has tried to modernise the monarchy. Well, to the extent possible with the IHA's confines. He has insisted on a number of things to make the Imperial Family more accessible to the public but he hasn't always been successful. Still, he's tried, which is more than his louse of a father ever did.
Back to his intellectual prowess, he has a big laboratory housed in a separate building on palace grounds which is staffed with 3 full-time assistants to help his scientific studies on the fish. He's supposed to be quite a brain. Personally, I think he's the most intellectually brilliant, highly educated and brilliant out of all the ruling monarchs today. And most of his children have his brains. Prince Akishino --- husband to the now pregnant Kiko --- might be the densest one in the family.
Topic? Depending on the source, Masako was either sold into marriage by her ambitious Diplomatic Corps father (who was immediately thereafter promoted) or she agreed because Naruhito promised to let her be a modern princess who wouldn't have to completely give up her work. Specifically, she could continue being a diplomatic agent of sorts, going on overseas trips and extending goodwill for Japan. Only it would be in the context of an Imperial Princess, not as a member of the Diplomatic Corps.
The IHA wanted her to focus on getting a male heir but I truly think they were willing to entertain some sort of overseas travel. At least initially. Prss Kiko and other members of the Imperial Family have done quite a few overseas trips, although such things aren't as frequent an occurrence for the Japanese royals as say, the British, Dutch, Danish or other royals.
Then the Yeltsin/Clinton incident occurred and the IHA concluded that Masako couldn't be trusted to act appropriately because she would outshine everyone else. And women aren't suppose to do that. Especially when their husband is the next Emperor and the descendent of a 2,500 dynasty coming from a God.
So, they grounded her. They also made her go before the Imperial Court every month, get on her knees before the Emperor and tell him whether or not she was pregnant. Month after month, she had to go and confess that she had gotten her period, wasn't pregnant, was hugely sorry and that she would try again.
The humiliation involved is unbelievable for any woman but for someone in the Japanese culture.... ?!?? Huge.
This happened for several years but finally she managed to get pregnant and all of Japan went crazy when the IHA announced it. I can't recall if they made the announcement before the usual end of the first trimester, when most miscarriages happen, or if it was later, but she had a miscarriage. That taught the IHA a lesson which might have some bearing on what they've done in this current situation with Kiko's pregnancy.... (Because why would they announce so soon unless they were sure of what the baby would be. Or maybe they just didn't care because they wanted to scuttle the Empress bill, which they did, regardless of whether Kiko ends up having a miscarriage later.)
In any event, they learnt not to repeat the mistake when Masako eventually got pregnant again. With Aiko. It seems to be a commonly-accepted thing that she only got pregnant with IVF. Which makes me wonder if they tried gender-selection then and failed. I can't imagine the IHA not trying to ensure it would be a boy, so I wonder what that says about gender-selection success rates. Could they really have improved the chances *that* much in just 4 years?
I guess we will see this Fall.... <sigh>