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Phrase: Up in arms
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
At the moment, women and men around Japan and perhaps even the world are up in arms about the uneducated and discriminatory remarks about women made by Yoshiro Mori.
OK, sure, there seems to be no direct intent to disparage women.
However, men in powerful positions make discriminatory remarks and take discriminatory actions against women in Japan every single day.
There is no excuse for ignorance of the fact that women are people too.
Not one person on this planet would be here if there were no women to bring them into the world.
So, what does up in arms mean?
It means to protest loudly.
The word ‘arms’ means weapons.
True, women in Japan are not driving around Tokyo’s streets in Toyota Land Cruisers with AK-47s or AR-15s sticking out of the windows.
They are, however, spreading the word on SNS and with an online petition.
The pen is mightier than the sword is an old proverb.
It means that communication is more powerful than violence.
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Yes, of course, each form of protest has its place, and there is a need for both.
We are fortunate to live in Japan, and that means we have to use our voices to force outdated thinking and patriarchal hierarchy out of politics and all positions of authority.
Perhaps Japan is on the cusp of radical political change.
Maybe this time, women will finally get through to the men who fail to realize the 1950s ended more than 40 years ago.
I cannot vote in Japan, but I can still have my say.
I can use my company to show my support for equality and ask you to visit the webpage for the petition and sign it if you think we should be up in arms about Mori’s comments.
I’ve done my part.
Will you do yours?
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least an 8th-grade education (age 13 – 14).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 68.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.