ひきこもり:日本の社会的問題 (Hikikomori: Life Behind A Closed Door)

This video cracked me up and I just wanted to share it with everyone here.
Looks like it was a project for a first year Japanese course.

Ericさん, かわいそう！

Nice.

He just wanted to play computer games...


...why did this have to happen to him? Why? WHY???

I think "people with no life" is a bit harsh. They have a real problem, and by the time they are labelled 'hikikomori', they can't fix the problem on their own. They're a product of some stresses in Japanese society that don't exist in America.

Oh plenty of shut ins exist in America I'm sure. Japan isn't really special. (most of these hikikomori seem pretty coddled and stress free anyway)

wccrawford Wrote:I think "people with no life" is a bit harsh.

Right, too harsh. They have a life and that's one in their very own computer, whatsoever-world.

Tori-kun Wrote:

wccrawford Wrote:I think "people with no life" is a bit harsh.

Right, too harsh. They have a life and that's one in their very own computer, whatsoever-world.

Having "no life" is commonly used as a derogatory term, making it unsuitable unless your purpose is to offend or discriminate against someone. Thus it can be seen as insulting when used about people who have a genuine problem. EDIT: I can only think of one situation where you could say someone "has no life", and that's if they're dead. Otherwise I'd put it in the same class as words like "n***er" and "f***ing j*w".
EDIT2: That was perhaps a bit harsh. But it's not a term I like, given how it's used in the infamous youtube comments section.

While I'm sure sure it's a genuine problem, I really think part of the reason it occurs is that the shut-ins themselves aren't actually forced to face their issues by their parents, probably a by-product of a society that tends to avoid confrontation. If I had done the hikokomori thing during my teens, I'm pretty sure my parents would have forced me somehow to get off my arse rather than bringing food to my door. They'd probably have cut off my internet or confiscated my computer at the very least.