Article: “School for Takarazuka Revue trainees abolishes harassment-like rules.” Japan Times.
Excerpt: “KOBE – The school training teenage girls to become actresses in the Takarazuka Revue, Japan’s famed all-female musical theater troupe, has abolished absurd and silly rules observed for decades by students, including bowing to trains that might be carrying senior-classmates, school officials said Saturday.
The Takarazuka Music School spent several years trying to abolish the unwritten rules whose origins are unknown, which also include making prescribed facial expressions toward senior-class members and saying only “yes,” “no,” and several other prescribed words when talking with them.
The school officials said although they still place importance on maintaining discipline, they have decided to scrap the rules in consideration of growing social awareness over harassment issues following a spate of scandals involving punishment and bullying in schools and sports clubs.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/09/13/national/school-takarazuka-revue-trainees-harassment-rules/
May 2021 TOK Prescribed title #1 is centered on the relationship between knowledge claims and trust. This RLE has numerous aspects of trust including the following:
- Trust in the claims that the harsh treatment of younger students is beneficial
- Trust in the claims from the students that their treatment was harsh and unjustified
- Trust that the news article will report the news based on the facts at hand
- Trust that some of the cultural issues and ideas in the RLE can be effectively translated into English
- Trust that the school will make changes and that their announcements is not just to tamper down the scandal