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Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
A Uterus Costs 50% More In McCain's Health Insurance Market

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BytheSea
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
I don't really agree with it, but in the case of these athletes, they're not just wearing a uniform, they're representing their entire country to the world. Japan has a very cohesive identity, where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. Every individual in Japan understands the cultural importance of showing pride and respect for the country. (I didn't say everyone DOES it, they just understand it.) Japan is not a country that admires individuality or diversity.

There is a certain school of thought that to be part of a team, to be just like your team members and support one another, is a great source of pride and a very honorable thing. Not just in Japan. i couldn't live that way, but there is cultural necessity for uniform looking athletes. #swimming
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Scoithniamh
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
My coach wouldn't let us wear brightly-colored nail polish to big meets, but it had nothing to do with individuality- he just didn't want any close calls on relay touches being more visible. #swimming
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Sputnik_Sweetheart
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
I am really hesitant to judge the Japanese team with our Western standards. With images of Harajuku Girls (thanks Gwen) and "Ganguro" girls, I think a lot of people people don't realize how conservative and conformist Japan actually is. I don't think this is a bad thing; it is just different than how we in the west often see our place in the world. Japan is a community based society- it is important to fit in and not cause waves for the benefit of the people around you. When I lived in Japan, my coworkers also had very strict rules about their appearances that were very similar to what is described above (no nail polish, no jewelry other than a wedding ring, etc.)

P.S. "Harajuku girls" are generally misfits in their own community, so they dress up and go to Harajuku for the opportunity to fit in with their own group.
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Edited by Sputnik_Sweetheart at 10/21/09 1:15 PM Sputnik_Sweetheart was starred

Le Kangourou de Kataroo
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
Earrings are a normal swimming rule - any jewelry at all (including hair ties on your wrists) can result in an automatic DQ.

The only thing I can think of about the hair dye is if it's temporary it can possibly fuck with the water, and I have never heard of such a thing in my years and years on a pool deck, but maybe the nail polish chips off and is hard to clean from the pool?

If these are all the time rules though, that's obnoxious. #swimming
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hortense
10/21/09

@Le Kangourou de Kataroo: We had an earring ban too--male and female swimmers. #swimming
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hydrogen_jukebox
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
In my old Catholic high school, there are still rules on the books to this day about hairstyles, excessive jewelry, backpack adornment and sweater pins that I put in place.

Though some came after my Senior year, because by then they figured "Geez, she's in NHS, this is obviously not affecting her academics..." and gave my silly eccentricity a pass. I never really understood ultra-strict guidelines about dress code - though in a sport I can see why having something like odd earrings/piercings can be a hazard. It would serve people better if they learned simple rules of situational appropriateness, not of rigid adherence. #swimming
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choufleur
10/21/09

@hydrogen_jukebox: Japan isn't the US though. Different cultural background. #swimming
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hydrogen_jukebox
10/21/09

@choufleur: This is true. #swimming
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SUNNY1
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
I don't really get the hair ban and nail polish ban. The earrings I've heard are a safety hazard, but who really sees your hair and nails when you're in the water? Your hair's all covered by the swim cap, no? #swimming
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girlfriend 6.0
10/21/09

@SUNNY1: I thought nail polish in at least HS level sports (I've heard it in the context of cheerleading/gymnastics) was because if someone passes out, coaches/medics can check fingernails to see if they are turning blue (which I imagine is lack of oxygen making its way through the body).

Can anyone confirm/ deny this? #swimming
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Sputnik_Sweetheart
10/21/09

@girlfriend 6.0: I think it is more about Japanese standards, honestly. Many in Japan see nail polish as unprofessional. #swimming
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girlfriend 6.0
10/21/09

@Sputnik_Sweetheart: I understand that much, but the nailpolish thing can work on another level in other, non-Japanese standards. :-) #swimming
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ncccgirl
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
I dyed my hair purple in high school. The J.V. coach sang that sesame street song, "one of these things is not like the others" and my varsity volleyball coach said I couldn't play until I dyed it back. I argued and waited it out, because we didn't have any rules against "non-naturally" occuring hair colors. [That was what AmeriCorps came up with to make me get rid of my blue and green dreads] Anywho... I played, with purple hair and my serve was still awsome. who'da thunk it, appearance does not affect performance. #swimming
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pear.shaped.Sara
10/21/09

@ncccgirl: I dyed my hair fuscia while I was on my college dance team. There were no rules on the books regarding hair/appearance when I signed on for my 3rd year, but they bullied and intimidated me about it so much that I quit over it even though it broke my heart. I felt it was discriminatory and unfair for them to try and pull a fast one by amending the team's bylaws mid-year. The one blonde girl stood out, the one Hispanic girl stood out, the one big breasted girl stood out... we only danced at home games where all the students knew us. If we were a competitive team I wouldn't have done it, but we weren't. They didn't say anything about my bleach blonde being "unnatural". Fuckers. That still pisses me the hell off. #swimming
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evilqueenmagda
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
The earring thing was as safety issue on my high school/college teams. They didn't want anyone leaving an earlobe on the lane dividers. #swimming
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TRexstasy
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
But who doesn't want to root for the rebel?

I didn't realize quite how "Western" that sentiment was until I went to Japan in 2001. They have a saying, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered in." And they're pretty damn serious about that. #swimming
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Mireille is German for the Bart, the.
10/21/09

@TRexstasy: Yes, that is exactly what my Japanese language teacher told us and he was Japanese. Japan and America have very different ideas about being part of the time vs expressing yourself. #swimming
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applejuice
10/21/09

In reply to Lots Of Ways For Japan's Swimmers To Get In Hot Water
When I was in high school a couple kids on our swim tea had tatoos (Our senior year, when they were 18), but it was against our district/state rules. They weren't allowed to compete with it showing, but no lifetime ban! They had to tape/bandaged over it for meets. (And one kid had this huge ass thing across half his back, he looked like he'd had a gunshot wound or something!) #swimming
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Flackette Goes Retro
10/30/08

In reply to A Uterus Costs 50% More In McCain's Health Insurance Market
My brother had to self-insure for awhile, and even as a young 20-something healthy guy it cost way more than the $2500 McCain is talking about per person. I have fabulous insurance through my university employer, which I could never ever afford on the open market. I'm sure they would claim my antidepressants as well as my fibromyalgia-like stuff and migraines were all pre-existing.

The way I see Obama's plan is this: I have good insurance, so I get to keep it. Some people don't have insurance, so there will be a federal safety net system to help them out. Makes sense to me. If I'm going to be taxed to support something, I'd much rather send my tax money to universal healthcare than to Iraq.

Also, last year I got sick with horrid food poisoning type stuff while on vacation. I had to go to the ER because I was becoming severely dehydrated. My old insurance didn't want to cover it because it was out of area. I was looking at a FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR charge because I was puking myself into danger of passing out. Five thousand dollars, people. The nurses agreed that I absolutely did the right thing by coming in. But if I hadn't had insurance (they did pick it up after much dickering) I would have been completely screwed.
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sybann
10/30/08

In reply to A Uterus Costs 50% More In McCain's Health Insurance Market
McCain's karma guarandamntees he'll come back as a lower income female. Often. Hopefully by then we'll have cleaned up his collegues' messes and he/she won't have to suffer as much as he seems to think we should. Wait. I've done it again haven't I? Curse you LOGIC!
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exelizabeth
10/30/08

In reply to A Uterus Costs 50% More In McCain's Health Insurance Market
Like Samantha Bee said, we can all agree on the unimportance of women's health.
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JinxyMcDeath
10/30/08

In reply to A Uterus Costs 50% More In McCain's Health Insurance Market
Also ladies, go to Planned Parenthood if you need gyno stuff and don't have any health insurance. I did and it was WAY cheaper than anywhere else and they hook you up with the birth control ($20 for brand name!) and free condoms. Now that I have health insurance, I donate $25 every other month to Planned Parenthood to pay it forward. We need to stick together ladies.
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Jack_Burton
10/30/08

In reply to A Uterus Costs 50% More In McCain's Health Insurance Market
McCain is taking another page from Homer Simpson here:

"How can you be so selfish - it's uter-us, not uter-you."
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