Risutora

     The title, "Risutora" means "corporate downsizing" in Japanese and it is from the Japanese pronunciation of "restructuring." Massive job cuts are under way in Japan as well as in the U.S. and the financial crisis is awfully serious. The other day I watched a movie, "Mad City", starring Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta, focusing on unreasonable firing. In the movie, Sam, whom John is playing, is axed and goes to the library which he used to work in for more than 5 years to have a talk with his former boss. He didn't accept his layoff and wanted the backing off of his pink slip. That's it. That should be it.
     However, Sam unexpectedly ended up shooting his colleague on accident and holding children hostage in the library. This originally little incident gets bigger and gets to be watched from all over the U.S. This movie climax with the news that his colleague, whom Sam shot, made a sudden change and died in the hospital.
     I know for a fact that this story is fiction, but it might happen in present Japan. I felt how heavy and serious the responsibility of the government is.
     I wish that one of the world leaders, Mr Barack Hussein Obama will do a good job. However, his inauguration address sounded to be lacking in concrete plans and it was just idealistic. I'm wondering if he can do it, a man who conceded his own second name, "Hussein", during the presidential race. 

(Vocabulary)
corporate downsizing / restructuring    リストラ
mass firing / massive job cuts / wholesale   大量解雇
banking crisis / financial crisis / financial meltdown  金融危機
climax with　　～とクライマックスを迎える

タイトルは　corporate downsizing の意味でrestructuring を日本語読みにした言葉から来ている。日本でも労働者の大量解雇が続いており、金融危機は深刻である。先日、ホフマン、トラボルタ主演の映画　Mad Cityを見た。時給８ドルの警備員が雇い主の都合で解雇され、抗議をしている最中に偶然が重なり大変な事態になっていく。フィクションではあるが、今すぐに日本で起こっても不思議のない話であった。為政者の責任の重大さに思いを馳せた。自分の名前を伏せて大統領になったオバマさん、大丈夫だろうか？就任演説に具体性がなかったことが気になる。

Comments

[Sarah]

I like how you tied the movie into your opinions. It gives the reader an image to relate your ideas to. Good job.