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少年によるナイフでの刺殺事件、金融機関の破たんと、嫌なニュースが続くが、必要以上に不安をあおる報道も多いという認識も必要だ、と筆者は語る。
Since the bankruptcy of Hokkaido Takushoku Bank and Yamaichi Securities, the media have been filled with reports titled "Is Your Money Safe?" or "Secret List of the Next Banks to Fail." But is there really any risk? No depositor, even at a failed bank, has ever lost money, thanks to unwavering government support.
Reports in December and January of the new "chicken flu" in Hong Kong suggested that if the strain made it to Japan, "thousands could die," and urged the Ministry of Health to take urgent steps. As it turns out, the disease is not nearly as bad as reported, and only a handful of people have died, even in Hong Kong.
For the last 18 to 24 months, reports of O-157 food poisoning have terrorized Japan, with some schools cutting off hot lunch service, worried parents switching over to box lunches, and very costly changes being made in the way food is handled. Still, the number of people killed by the bacteria remains fewer than 20, and those were generally individuals in relatively poor health to begin with.
An even bigger story, globally, has been the presence of "mad cow" disease. Public panic in the United States and Britain over the safety of beef sent meat sales plummeting. Well-known U.S. television personality Oprah Winfrey is being sued by cattle farmers over comments she made on the air about beef safety
Import restrictions on beef remain in place in many countries. But around the world, fewer than 10 people have even been diagnosed with the disease.
More recently, two knife attacks, one fatal, by junior high school students grabbed headlines here in Japan for several days. Reports covered how some municipalities were considering bans on sales of knives to minors and how school administrators were wrestling with the decision of whether to search students' personal belongings, as if school yards around Japan had suddenly turned into blade-filled war zones
What most reports missed is that while the so-called butterfly knife may be relatively new, boys (myself included!) have carried around knives for ages in countries all over the world. Schoolboys' fascination with weapons is nothing new at all.
So what am I trying to say? Not that the issues described above are not worthy of concern, but that when you watch the news, you should put things into perspective before you panic. Ask yourself if the situation being reported is really putting you at risk personally or is a threat to society
For comparison's sake, keep in mind that the number of people killed every day in traffic accidents here in Japan is roughly the same as the number of people who have died from all of the diseases mentioned above. But when was the last time you saw a panicky report about traffic deaths? Perhaps the news media need to refocus their priorities if they genuinely hope to help society.
It seems like there's been quite a bit of alarmist and sensational news recently, that is, news that makes a much bigger issue out of things than is necessary. Sure, frightening or shocking stories draw more readers or viewers, but it seems like we've had more than our share lately.
Since the bankruptcy of Hokkaido Takushoku Bank and Yamaichi Securities, the media have been filled with reports titled "Is Your Money Safe?" or "Secret List of the Next Banks to Fail." But is there really any risk? No depositor, even at a failed bank, has ever lost money, thanks to unwavering government support.
Reports in December and January of the new "chicken flu" in Hong Kong suggested that if the strain made it to Japan, "thousands could die," and urged the Ministry of Health to take urgent steps. As it turns out, the disease is not nearly as bad as reported, and only a handful of people have died, even in Hong Kong.
For the last 18 to 24 months, reports of O-157 food poisoning have terrorized Japan, with some schools cutting off hot lunch service, worried parents switching over to box lunches, and very costly changes being made in the way food is handled. Still, the number of people killed by the bacteria remains fewer than 20, and those were generally individuals in relatively poor health to begin with.
An even bigger story, globally, has been the presence of "mad cow" disease. Public panic in the United States and Britain over the safety of beef sent meat sales plummeting. Well-known U.S. television personality Oprah Winfrey is being sued by cattle farmers over comments she made on the air about beef safety
Import restrictions on beef remain in place in many countries. But around the world, fewer than 10 people have even been diagnosed with the disease.
More recently, two knife attacks, one fatal, by junior high school students grabbed headlines here in Japan for several days. Reports covered how some municipalities were considering bans on sales of knives to minors and how school administrators were wrestling with the decision of whether to search students' personal belongings, as if school yards around Japan had suddenly turned into blade-filled war zones
What most reports missed is that while the so-called butterfly knife may be relatively new, boys (myself included!) have carried around knives for ages in countries all over the world. Schoolboys' fascination with weapons is nothing new at all.
So what am I trying to say? Not that the issues described above are not worthy of concern, but that when you watch the news, you should put things into perspective before you panic. Ask yourself if the situation being reported is really putting you at risk personally or is a threat to society
For comparison's sake, keep in mind that the number of people killed every day in traffic accidents here in Japan is roughly the same as the number of people who have died from all of the diseases mentioned above. But when was the last time you saw a panicky report about traffic deaths? Perhaps the news media need to refocus their priorities if they genuinely hope to help society.
Shukan ST: Feb. 20, 1998
(C) All rights reserved
- alarmist
- 人騒がせな
- that is
- つまり
- makes a much bigger issue out of things than is necessary
- 物事を必要以上に大問題として取り上げる
- frightening
- ぎょっとさせる
- draw
- 引きつける
- (have)had more than our share
- もう十分に聞かされている
- bankruptcy
- 倒産
- depositor
- 預金者
- unwavering 〜
- 揺るがぬ 〜
- "chicken flu"
- 「鳥インフルエンザ」
- if the strain made it to Japan
- 病原菌が日本に上陸したら
- urged 〜
- 〜 に迫った
- Ministry of Health
- 厚生省
- take urgent steps
- 緊急の措置をとる
- As it turns out
- 結局
- a handful of 〜
- 少数の 〜
- food poisoning
- 食中毒
- have terrorized 〜
- 〜 を恐怖に陥れた
- cutting off 〜
- 〜 をやめる
- hot lunch service
- 給食
- switching over to 〜
- 〜 に変えて
- box lunches
- 弁当
- costly
- お金のかかる
- way food is handled
- 食品の取り扱い方法
- in relatively poor health to begin with
- もともと不健康だった
- "mad cow"disease
- 狂牛病
- sent meat sales plummeting
- 食肉の売り上げを急落させた
- is being sued by 〜 over 〜
- 〜 に関して 〜 に訴えられている
- cattle farmers
- 畜産農家
- on the air
- 放送中に
- Import restrictions on 〜
- 〜 の輸入規制
- remain in place
- まだ残されている
- fewer than 10 people have even been diagnosed with the disease
- 狂牛病のの疑いがあるという診断だけでも受けたのは10人に満たない
- fatal
- 死に至らしめた
- grabbed headlines
- 新聞で大きく取り上げられた
- municipalities
- 自治体
- bans on 〜
- 〜 の禁止
- minors
- 未成年
- school administrators
- 学校の上層部
- were wrestling with 〜
- 〜 に力を注いでいた
- personal belongings
- 持ち物
- as if 〜 had suddenly turned into blade-filled war zones
- まるで 〜 が突然ナイフでいっぱいの戦争地帯に変わったように
- so-called
- いわゆる
- relatively
- 比較的
- for ages
- いつの時代も
- fascination with 〜
- 〜 に魅了されること
- weapons
- 武器
- Not that 〜 are not worthy of concern
- 〜 は懸念するほどのことではない、というのではなく
- (is)putting you at risk personally
- あなた個人を危機にさらす
- threat
- 脅威
- For comparison's sake
- 比較のために
- traffic accidents
- 交通事故
- roughly
- おおよそ
- panicky
- 慌てふためいた
- refocus
- 焦点を定めなおす
- priorities
- 優先事項
- genuinely
- 心から