＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
When you board an airplane, not only on international flights but also on domestic flights, cabin attendants make English in-flight announcements beginning with “Ladies and Gentlemen.”
This was previously a common sight, but it has been reported that Japan Airlines has decided to discontinue using “Ladies and Gentlemen” from October 1, 2020.
The reason given is that “the previous term ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ was an expression that assumed gender,” and “we wanted to avoid causing discomfort to sexual minority (LGBTQ) customers.”
By the way, “LGBTQ” is a general term for sexual minorities, combining the initials of “lesbian (female homosexuality),” “gay (male homosexuality),” “bisexual (bisexuality),” “transgender (female gender identity assigned at birth),” and “questioning (unsure of one’s own gender or the gender of a potential partner).”
From October, flight attendants will be using “Good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening, everyone” or “Attention, all passengers,” and announcements made by ground staff will likely be of similar content.
Rival airline ANA has stated that it will “consider this internally based on feedback from customers.”
Incidentally, it seems that gender-specific titles have also been discontinued on the New York and London Underground, but what about in-flight announcements by Western airlines?
1. Word Substitution Is the Tactic of a Hypocritical Person
I previously wrote an article titled “Word Hunting and Political Correctness,” and I believe that this type of word substitution is the tactic of a hypocrite.
2. Don’t Be Swayed by Minority Opinions
I previously wrote an article titled “Don’t Be Swayed by Minority Opinions,” but it would be counterproductive if it made the majority feel uncomfortable.
The “BLM” movement, which criticizes racial discrimination against Black people, has been gaining momentum recently, but at the same time, “reverse discrimination in favor of Black people” is also occurring in the United States.
I believe we should take a moment to reflect on the current social climate.
3. Japan Airlines’ “Diversity” Initiative
Japan Airlines made its “Diversity Declaration” in 2014 and has been working to create an environment where diverse talent can thrive, regardless of gender, age, nationality, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other attributes. As part of this, they have decided to change the English announcements.
Another move towards gender neutrality was the adoption of pants as part of the uniforms for female flight attendants in 2019.