While watching "The Horse Whisperer" with my wife, and approaching a state of catatonia undreamt of even by a U of U alum, I happened to hear the following dialogue:
City-Slicker Lady: My, the bulls on your ranch must have a wonderful life with all these cows around!
Cowboy-by-way-of-Ralph Lauren played by Robert Redford:
Well, ma'am I'll tell ya, 90% of them get castrated and end up as hamburger.
At this point, dingo had another of what Taro would call an epiphany:
Robert Redford could've been talking about the Japanese male! Sure, it'd seem to be paradise to grow up in a seemingly patriarchal society surronded by millions of fox-AY J-babes, but 90% (or more) of the guys get their balls cut off by a combination of school and work/slavery.
And ending up as hamburger must sound pretty good compared to a life of sabisu zangyo, sweaty suits, fluorescent lights, and 500-yen-per-day allowances.
-dingo
-always thinking of the deeper issues