Out of The Mouths of Babes

A few months ago, many of my students began the, at first disconcerting habit of shouting 'Yes, we can!" at random moments. Several would continue on with "Big Boss Obama!" to which a very few would counter with "Clinton!" Since then, "Yes, we can" has been fully integrated into my lessons. Instead of asking the students to stand up, sit down, play a game, etc., I ask, "Can we...?" Without pausing and in unison, the entire class will yell "Yes, we can!"

At first, I didn't understand the timing of this "Yes, we can!" outbreak, but I have since acquired a reasonable explanation. Recently, a set of books and tapes have come out using Pres. Obama's speeches as a teaching tool to teach English and they have become very popular here in Japan. No doubt, my students have picked up "Yes, we can" from their family or teachers who have purchased the books and tapes.

Obama started the election season fairly popular with the Japanese people as there is a town in Japan named 'Obama'. And his popularity has only risen since taking office with the attentions his administration has paid to Japan (Secretary Clinton's first official trip being to Japan and Pres. Obama's first White House invitation to a head of state to the Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso). But like many Americans, it is Obama's public speaking that has primarily captured the attentions, both good and bad, of the Japanese people.

On one hand, the Japanese as a society place very little value on rhetoric. They embrace displays of emotion rather than eloquence. In fact, they tend to believe that if someone has the presence of mind to be eloquent, that person cannot feel deeply on which they are speaking. Therefore, the more eloquently one speaks on a subject, the less they must feel about that topic.

But, like many societies, that on which they scoff is often that at which they cannot do themselves and they find themselves jealous of those who can. And so, books and tapes of Obama's public speeches fly off the proverbial shelves beginning a process which ends with young elementary schoolchildren shout "Yes, we can!" to their American school teacher.

Another Americanism that my students have surprised me with is "I'm lovin' it." Several students had to say it a few times before I finally accepted that I was hearing them correctly. It wasn't until one said "Makudonaredo" which is how Japanese pronounce 'McDonald's' before my suspicions were confirmed. I do my best to ignore the sad commercialism represented by this phrase and instead celebrate the fact that they are speaking English.

Album(s) currently playing on my IPOD - David Bowie's 1971 Hunky Dory and Nirvana's 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York.

Current reading material - James Joyce's 1914 collection of short stories, Dubliners. Stewart once talked of reading a book on Norse mythology and being overcome with a feeling of "These are my people. This is where I come from." I understand what he means when I read Joyce's Dubliners. These are my people. This is where I come from. These are not happy stories, in fact many have a certain melancholy about them. But, there is a always a moment where a clarity is found. Often, that moment is brushed over and sometimes willfully ignored by the characters, but in that moment of clarity, I find great hope and in the honesty of Joyce's writing, I find great beauty.

- Jenny