Mayumi Kurata
Manga artist “Kuratama” known for “Damens Walker” (Fusosha)Mayumi KurataMr. (51) istwitterSo, to a medical workerangerIt was on August 14th that I posted a hit. The tweet caused a stir, and as of the 20th, it was quoted tweets more than 5,000 times, making it a riot that was picked up by various news media.
What was Mr. Kurata’s true intention when he became a person in the middle? Mr. Kurata, who responded to the interview for this magazine, spoke of his bitter feelings toward modern society that has lost its tolerance.
“I’ve experienced flames several times, but this time it was a little bigger. I think it’s the biggest flame in my life.”
Mr. Kurata laughs, but what prompted him to post was a tweet by a medical worker that happened to catch his eye on his timeline.
“One medical worker posted a post saying, ‘We want to play, but we can’t allow people who got infected from playing around or going home to fill up the hospital beds.’ I used to post. Therefore, I felt a sense of crisis regarding blaming infected people and saying that who was the source of infection.”
Controversy over vaccinesmaskSlander regarding the right or wrong of … The division of society by the new corona knows no bounds. Kurata points out the dangers of Japanese society, citing as an example the cluster of cases that occurred at an infant health checkup venue in Naha City, which was reported by newspapers and other media in August of this year. The report noted that one mother’s mask had been left unworn for regarding 10 minutes because the strap had snapped.
“No one really knows where the infection came from, and anyone can be infected. However, if such news is reported, it’s like saying that a woman with a broken mask string is the cause of the cluster. In May of last year, a woman in her 30s from Fukuoka committed suicide, leaving a suicide note stating that she was infected with the coronavirus and passed it on to people at work. It’s a witch-hunt, treating people as criminals just by contracting the coronavirus.It reminds me of wartime Japan, when no one might object to the war.”
Kurata also feels uncomfortable with the fact that everyone is wearing a mask.
“Unlike Asians, Westerners have a strong sense of aversion to masks, so they remove them in any country. This disease doesn’t choose a particular country to be infected, so the conditions are the same everywhere. Doesn’t anyone feel uncomfortable?”
When Mr. Kurata walks around town without wearing a mask, he is sometimes yelled at.
The reaction on the timeline was explosive, saying, “I’m a medical worker, but I’m working in a situation that is many times busier than before, with people in the same department getting sick of COVID-19 and retiring. I saw this tweet in an online article, but it made me want to cry because I thought it was ridiculous that he was trying so hard.” Among them, there were a large number of messages such as cursing and threats, and there were also strong abusive words such as “The world does not need Mayumi Kurata”.
“I generally ignore it, but when I look at it occasionally, it’s shockingly bad. Especially with medical workers who have written threatening tweets regarding my child. It’s pissing me off.”
Mr. Kurata, who expresses his anger, says that he has reflected on the content of the post.
“I regret that I should have properly quoted the original post. I don’t want to expose the general public, so I basically don’t quote. In 2015, the medical staff were summed up by saying, “You’re getting money, so go to work.” My point is not that, but that people who are sick should not be blamed. I want to say
“You should quit (your job). But shouldn’t people who are engaged in medical care take their anger out on their patients? In the first place, there is a tendency to deify medical workers who fight once morest corona, but everyone who works is a treasure of society. There is no honor in your profession. Everyone is sweating and working hard in this society. Despite this, I think it’s terrifying that a medical worker who can become a tengu appears and attacks an infected person.”
Kurata continues to warn people who become aggressive due to the sense of blockage caused by the spread of the coronavirus.
“Nowadays, I think there is a social tendency to regard people infected with the coronavirus as ‘evil.’ No one wants to get sick. That’s not the point.
In fact, I think that people with more say must raise their voices. People who have a better voice than me, celebrities and politicians…anyone is fine, but I would like them to raise their voices. Japan, which has become this abnormal, may never return to its original state. If you don’t raise your voice now, when will you raise your voice? ”
( Weekly FLASH September 6, 2022 issue
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