Cultural Hierarchies In Campaign By Khiya Soda

Almost every society fabricates some form of hierarchy. Whether the discrepancy is between old and young citizens, males and female, Christians and Muslims, King and lay people, or more and less economically developed societies, each cultural group often creates an arbitrary system for classifying others. The classification of others can happen within one single culture or between two existing cultures. Ultimately, societies and cultures create hierarchies based on worth, mostly economic, or value to society, often leading to the simplification of and refusal to understand other groups and cultures.
In analyzing the movie Campaign by Kazuhiro Soda, it becomes evident that Japan has a cultural hierarchy based primarily on age and gender. The film is based around Kazuhiko Yamauchi, the Liberal Democrat Party’s candidate, and his campaign for a City Council seat in Kawasaki City. As the film …show more content…
One of the most telling examples given by Chang regarding cultural superiority is the simplification of “all Asians look the same.” Because of unfamiliarity with distinct cultural characteristics and an unwillingness to learn because of perceived economic superiority, White people often claim that East Asians all looks the same. Historically, White people viewed Asian countries and individuals in a negative light due to lack of economic productivity, thus not caring enough to learn about their cultural differences. Relating this heritage of success and hierarchy to Campaign, the citizens of Kawasaki City were unsure about Yamauchi simply because he was not native to Kawasaki City, but rather was born and raised in Tokyo. They did not care to learn about his education, platform, or past successes simply because they viewed his culture as foreign and inferior to