Monday, March 24, 2014

Let me tell you why I came to refuse to sing the anthem

  Hello everyone, today I am graduating from high school.  After careful deliberation, I decided to refuse to sing the national anthem at the commencement we are going to attend, where all are supposed to stand up and sing. I am very pleased if you listen to my voice.
  It has been my resolution not to sing the anthem at commencement ceremony since I was a middle-school student. I must add that it was from my own will, and I was not advised to by my parents nor by anybody else. Until the day before the ceremony at the middle school three years ago, I had been bothered and worried over whether or not I should remain seated instead of standing up and singing. It was because I was the very person who was extremely afraid to do something different from others just like so many others. I was the one who knew more than anybody else the fear and consequences of sticking out. I used to be bullied. From my experiences of being bullied, I knew that I would be retaliated against if I did something different from others. It means if I said or did something out of the norm, people would make fun of me and accuse me of spoiling the atmosphere. However sincerely I tried to speak to them, I was downtrodden each time and ignored.
 Experiencing this has encouraged me and helped me express my conscience.
(Excerpts from a flier made by the graduating seniors on March 6); Blog "zaza"
See photo: a handout delivered in front of the high school on the day of the commencement on March 6. The student who wrote it carried out the resolution.


「卒業生の声も聞いてください」~「君が代」不起立の決意をビラにして

 こんにちは。私は今年○○高校を巣立つ三年生です。まず最初にことわっておきますが、私は、親に言われて君が代の不起立を決めたわけではありません。私は卒 業式での君が代の際、不起立を貫こうと中学生の時から決意しました。そんな私ですが、実は中学生の卒業式の直前まで私は不起立をするかしないか、とても悩 んでいました。なぜなら私は、何処にでもいる、自分だけ目立つのが怖い人間だからです。いえ、周りにとっての普通以上に私は怖いと感じていると思います。 それはイジメを受けた経験があるからです。人と違うことをすればどうなるかわかっていました。人と違うこと、多数の常識や雰囲気から外れたことをすれば、 イジメられる、馬鹿にされる、責められる。私がどれほどの思いを持っていたとしても、どんなに正直に話しても、それを無視する程の数によって踏みにじられ る。そんな経験を昔味わったことがあるからです。(3/6卒業生のチラシから)
 記事・ZAZAブログ(全文掲載)
 *写真=3月6日府立高校前で配布されたチラシ。本人はその後卒業式で不起立を貫いた

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