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Yearly Successions Sustain Our Double Standards

Kagawa National College of Technology, Takuma Campus

A：You know, these past couple of years, I think the underclassmen are getting lazier and lazier. They always complain about dorm rules and never follow them. They should follow the rules the same way that all the upperclassmen had to.

B：Even if that's so, I think the underclassmen dorm rules are way too strict anyway... and way too lax for the upperclassmen. There is too much difference between the under and upperclassmen rules.

A：So, what! It's normal to have different rules. Plus, it's good life-skills experience for the underclassmen. Life is full of rules that we have to follow for the good of everybody.

B：Huh? To me, it just looks like the dorm rules make the underclassmen do all the chores the upperclassmen don’t want to. Most of the rules only apply to the underclassmen. All rules in the dorm are on a double standard anyway and it's not fair.

C：Well, now that you mention it, I think so too... like the greeting rules.

B：Yeah! The upperclassmen make the underclassmen greet in a loud clear voice and bow at a perfect 90 degrees angle. But, the upperclassmen don’t even have to acknowledge it. Why don’t THEY have to greet each other that way? That's not right!

C：Well, we did, when we were underclassmen. But, when we became upperclassmen, we didn’t HAVE to greet like that anymore, so we don't, now. We just bow and greet the normal Japanese way. But if you are worried about it, why don't we just change the rule so everybody just bows the normal Japanese way?

A：No! They should greet the way they are supposed to do now. Every year, the underclassmen have to learn the manner of greeting the way it is handed down from the upperclassmen. The most important thing is that, thanks to the dorm rules, they learn the proper way to greet. Even though they are forced, it helps the underclassmen gain it as a good habit so that it becomes automatic later.

C：But most of the upperclassmen don’t bow or reply back. If they are just going to forget about it then it just proves that's wrong.

A：Well... You know....

B：Right!! Most of the upperclassmen, including you, don't bow or reply. But you always tell the underclassmen, “All underclassmen must properly greet upperclassmen!” If you're gonna demand something like that, you should be greeting everyone properly like that too...as a good role model for the underclassmen. You need to lead by example.

C：Yeah, I don't think that the upperclassmen are very good role models.

B：Yeah, not bowing back is kind of bad. Also, because we don't have to, lots of upperclassmen take advantage of it and just don't. Heck, we are the lazy ones now. The underclassmen follow the rules better than we do! That's why they think it’s not fair.

A：Hey, when we were underclassmen, it was tough for us, too. All of us upperclassmen followed the same dorm rules when we were underclassmen. As underclassmen, all of us thought it was tough at first, but in the long run it was good for us, and, thanks to that, we've had lots of great experiences in the dorms. I don’t think anyone regrets it at all.

B：But it ends up maintaining this cycle of changing double standards. When students became upperclassmen, they are freed from the upper class control and forget everything they learned from the rules. And worse, they make the new underclassmen do the same things they had to. See?

C: Yeah, as upperclassmen, we get more power. We gotta be more responsible. We should treat the underclassmen better. OK!! But, YOU want to reinforce this mess by passing it on to the next generation of students. It just maintains these under/upperclassmen double standard rules.

A：So, what? I think we should follow the rules just like we have been. These rules are tradition, and we should keep up with this school dorm tradition.

B：But that is just depending on some old tradition, and we don't even think about reforming the rules for changing times. As upperclassmen, we have a duty. But only a few of us carry out that duty. You should carry through with what you are saying if you really have that opinion!

C：Calm down!! I see where both of you are coming from. Don't get so worked up about it!! Just a second... What is the actual reason or meaning of “rule”?

A：What?

C：I think that a “rule” provides MEANS to obtain a goal. But, I think you're mixing up “rule” and “goal”.

A：That's stupid! A “rule” is something to follow. And following the rules is the important thing.

C：Just listen, “proper greetings” can make daily life nice. But underclassmen just think of it as another dumb rule to follow. They just follow the rule without thinking. They don’t think how proper greetings will affect their lives or job in the future.

A：Well, what should we do? Should we scrap that rule?

B：No, that rule is good for the dorm. Is there any way we can change the rules to ones that cultivate the underclassmen growth?

C：That's difficult. When people don’t get clear feedback as the outcome of following some rule, they won’t follow it.

A：Then, you mean that the underclassmen need to get some type of reward or be granted privileges for following the rules. So is it the upperclassmen’ responsibility to set up something like that in the dorm?

C：Yeah. But, there is a big difference between talking and doing. How about the greeting rules again. What is the aim of the rules?

B: Proper greetings are good for the group atmosphere and good for making dorm life nicer.

A：So, should upperclassmen have to return greetings to the underclassmen?

C：Yes, they should. If the greeting rules work smoothly, everybody will be happy. That way we can keep the greeting rule for tradition sake, but as a “refined” version.

A: What about extra privileges or perks for upperclassmen? What should be done to keep the hierarchy of the dorm intact?

C：I think that senior students have right to be well-treated. We have to think more about seniority privileges.

B：Yeah. The rights and duties for dorm students should be different because seniority is important. I think that seniority should determine rights and duties. A balance of both responsibility and power is very important. Rights are powers, and duties are responsibilities.

C Yeah!! And if upperclassmen stop acting so bossy, living in the dorm will get even better!

Conclusion
A: A double standard is when the same rule is applied differently to different people or situations. Differing seniority at the school has set a double standard in how rules are followed.

B: As a result, students began to complain about each other. If people notice a double standard and discuss the problem, or receive advice from other people, the double standard can be corrected as in the case of our dorm example. The upperclassmen will be able to maintain their status and the underclassmen will feel more like they are being treated fairly.

C: We don’t realize that there are also double standards all around us in the world. People should think carefully about these double standards. Many do not notice or just disregard that there are any inconsistencies there. If we continue to just disregard them, those kinds of inconsistencies will remain. To solve the problem, we have to take notice of the double standards around us. We have to consider to maintain or to challenge them. But, it IS possible to correct many of these inconsistencies in our world. Do you notice any double standards around you?