Does gender-specific transportation keep women safe, or just unequal?

Since 1912, Japan has offered women-only transit options to curb the problem of sekuhara–sexual harassment.

Countries like Indonesia and Brazil have similar programs, but more women have reported being groped in Japan than anywhere else (around 4,000 cases per year, plus those that go unreported).

“We decided to have women-only cars to protect women from gropers,” Shiei Kotsu, a spokesman for Midosuji, a subway line that runs through Osaka, told The Atlantic this week.

Gender-specific trains and buses seem like a logical resolution, but plenty of people remain skeptical.

One man was quoted in The Atlantic’s article as saying the trains only exist to garner votes for the politicians who support them, as well as for companies to target their products exclusively to women via advertisements on the trains and buses.

But men-only transportation exists, too, for those who want to steer clear of Japan’s harsh penalties for groping (i.e., years of prison time and thousands of dollars in fines).

Being in the midst of Black History Month, which reminds us of some of our country’s most powerful civil rights leaders’ endeavors, the hundredth birthday of segregated transportation abroad seems almost inconceivable. In the past century, our country has come leaps and bounds in terms of social progress for both racial minorities and women (and we’re not quite finished yet). Japan, and other countries who’ve adopted discriminatory transportation options, have not.

‘Separate but equal,’ as we’re constantly reminded, is anything but fair.

Moreover, these transportation plans seem to tidy up the mess that a massive cultural dilemma has made instead of dealing with the actual cause. Attitudes towards women in countries like Japan and Pakistan, where another gender-specific transportation system is being established, translate differently in their cultures. In Pakistan, women are commonly punished for being sexually assaulted. Blaming women for their mistreatment, and exploiting their situations, hardly seems a sound resolution for a much deeper issue: misogynistic practices.

It is not impossible for men and women to safely ride the same bus or train. Japan has lost 100 hundred years of practice, but it’s not too late to start.

Television commercials are the bane of my existence. There’s no getting around it. I watch TV for the mind-numbing enjoyment of it. So when my eyes are glued to the “Seinfeld” rerun that I can recite verbatim, commercials be damned for breaking my focus.

The ones that particularly grind my gears are from the law offices of Peter Francis Geraci, David Gruber and Paul Strouse. If there was any reason to gouge out your eyes and ears, it’s now.

For years, I have watched these three men invade my home. They impress their elevator speeches on the innocent victims of my living room and ruthlessly steal something I will never get back: my time. 30 precious seconds of it!

So, what is it exactly that makes these attorneys the worst candidates for a commercial? Let’s look at the evidence.

Totally milquetoast

This word doesn’t literally refer to dipping a slice of Wonder Bread in whole milk, but I can’t think of a better way to describe the soggy stage presence of Gruber, Geraci and Strouse.  I’m actually offended that men who deliver closing arguments for a living lack the crowd-pleasing pizzazz that wins over juries.  And talk about monotone. These players have one-note, and it sounds like “buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.”

Copy cats

How many attorneys does it take to screw up a commercial? Just one. Take a hint Gruber and Strouse, Geraci paved the way for your cable TV micro-targeting techniques – and I am not fooled. Every good villain has a copycat, and I have no respect for imitators.

Easy prey

OK, I’ll admit it: These guys got game. Gruber, Geraci and Strouse are insanely strategic, and it totally enrages me. I’ve recently developed the cat-like reflexes to change the channel at the drop of a hat. But I didn’t used to be so quick. When these guys run their commercials during Nick at Nite and “Friends” reruns, I’m never ready for it. I mean, really, who’s thinking about bankruptcy at 10 p.m.? And for the kicker, Gruber got someone special to do his dirty work for him. That’s right – Aaron Rodgers. Talk about a low blow.

I must give credit to my girlfriend Emily for always being able to come up with the best date nights.  From magic shows to jazz festivals, she knows how to find a good time.  This Saturday night was perhaps her best to date.

We started off at the Water Street Brewery, a fun restaurant on—you guessed it—Water Street.  It isn’t a place I’d recommend if you are looking for a quiet night out, but it certainly didn’t disappoint.  It’s one of those, “Oh, I noticed your drink was low so I brought you a refill” kind of places.  The food is great, the service is quick and pleasant and price was reasonable.  It’s just a great place to have a friendly, comfortable conversation without the need to get all dressed up.

After a good meal, we walked half a block down the road to the Uihlein Hall to see the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra play two pieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Conducted by Edo de Waart, music director for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor for various other orchestras around the world, the symphony began with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1 in D minor, a four-movement opus that starts off pretty slow but ends with a powerful finale.  After intermission, the orchestra was joined with critically acclaimed pianist Joyce Yang to play Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 in C minor.  The full three-movement piece was brilliant and the incredible virtuoso piano was just the icing on the cake.

Yang performed so well she was called for an encore solo performance of “My Joys,” a piece written by Frederic Chopin and transcribed by Franz Liszt.

Now if our readers are unfamiliar with the Classical music genre, Rachmaninoff is a great person to start with.  A student of the great Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff’s simple melodies and powerful climaxes are incredibly moving. He was a cornerstone to Russian music in the early 1900s and inspired a slew of more modern composers.

What I really enjoyed about my first experience at the Orchestra was how accommodating the directors were for those who are not as familiar with the music as some of the more hard-core classical fans.  Prior to the performance, Assistant Conductor Francisco Lecce-Chong provided an in depth look at the historical background musical qualities of Rachmaninoff’s work.  Certainly without his demonstration, I would not have heard the four note “zinger motif” that Rachmaninoff used to start each movement in his first symphony.  It really did help me to appreciate the intricacy of the music.

Even without the technical information, though, I do think anyone who gave the symphony a chance would find this experience certainly worth the time and money.  The beautiful music Rachmaninoff and his fellow Classical-genre artists left this world is something that I feel is tragically overlooked by people today.

Watching and listening to those 80 musicians produce such powerful work together is one of the greatest feelings.  There is a synergy and an emotional connection that is just astounding.  When they start, there is an exhilarating excitement.  When they finish, there is a pause of silence as if asking for more.  It is truly a spiritually-uplifting experience and I encourage that everyone take a chance to see it sometime in their life.

Overall, the night was a memory I’ll never forget.  I recommend the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to anyone interested in exploring the musical culture of the city.  Yes, it can be expensive, but the experience is absolutely worth it.

Ox in the Box talk

Vander talk

Notre Dame preview

The 4,300-passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian coast on Friday.

When Costa Concordia capsized off the Italian coast Friday, passengers described mass chaos: men pushing past children in attempt to board lifeboats first, men and women fighting over lifejackets, and elderly women being left to fend for themselves.

Newly-released infrared film footage shows crew members securing their own lifejackets before passengers were even notified of the ship’s sinking status. Since the death toll has risen to 11, the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, has been subjected to mass criticism for refusing the Italian Coast Guard’s orders to assist in the evacuation, then ”tripping” and “accidentally falling” into a lifeboat.

But according to the (very ambiguous) laws established by the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, none of the above scenes described are illegal.

Beliefs that “women and children go first” and “the captain goes down with the ship” are mere social conventions mainly upheld by Americans and Brits. In most European countries, these notions do not exist.

Men who boarded lifeboats before women during ship evacuations in the 19th century were deemed “cowards” by society, and after being publicly shamed a few times by news reports, they adopted the prioritization of women and children. Writers of the times called this act “pure manhood.”

Daniele Perruchon, a 68 year-old woman who was aboard the Costa Concordia when it capsized, says she saw no examples of this manhood from fellow passengers.

“At no time did anyone come and help us,” Perruchon, who was traveling with an 80 year-old friend, said. “We felt abandoned. So much for women and children first.”

Our chivalrous conventions–even those regarding life-and-death situations–are falling to the wayside, leaving us to wonder: Is the entire chivalry concept a thing of the past?