TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Scandals are useful in calling our attention to important problems. - revised -

Writing Topic

Consider the following statement. Scandals are useful in calling our attention to important problems. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Support your response by including specific reasons and examples.

 

 

☆Let’s Think

1.       Choose one of the following scandals or a scandals you know, do some research on it, and share what are the important problems about it with your partner or group members.

-        Shinzo Abe’s and other LDP members’ connection to the Unification Church (Moonies)  

Problems: separation of religion from politics, election fraud

-        Tokyo Olympics bribery scandals

Problems: anti-trust, contract rigging, corruption

-        Takaichi vs. Konishi: “I’ll resign if the documents are not fabricated.” – Sanae Takaichi

Problems: suppression on freedom of speech, freedom of journalism, voter suppression

-        Mio Sugita’s “LGBT couples are not productive.

Problems: discrimination, eugenics, hate speech, failure of Abenomics (Neo-liberalism)

-        Prime Minister Kishida’s son’s shopping tour during his official visit to Europe

Problems: nepotism, second generation politicians, hereditary politicians

-        Scenes from “Barefoot Gen” and statements on nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll will be removed from textbooks for peace education in Hiroshima

Problems: militarization, cancellation of human rights, disarmament

-        Yusuke Narita’s proposal of collective suicide of elderlies as a solution to the problem of the aging society

Problems: human rights, eugenics, aging society, failure of Abenomics (Neo-liberalism), elitism

-        PASCO’s announcement that it is going to sell cricket bread

Problems: government subsidies used based on cronyism, food loss

 

☆Hints for Points

Agree

l  Scandals of public figures attract attention to important issues.

When those in power or those who are close to power are involved in a scandal, people will notice their problems.

 

l  Big scandals reflect the problems of the society, and their revelations will lead to soul-searching.

It is said that scandals related to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe show his cronyism and crony capitalism, from aborted charge of the rapist of Shiori Ito to huge discount of the land sale to Moritomo Gakuen to corrupt public money flow to solar energy brokers like Lully Miura’s husband.

 

Disagree

l  The media play down scandals of those related to the administration.

Misconducts of those in power are seldom taken up. Even when there is a scoop, it will be covered up. For example, when TV stations, including NHK, report scandals of the members of the ruling party, they do not mention which party the individual belongs to, and people will be kept ignorant of the corruption. In this way, people will never be educated about what is going on in their society, unless they consciously educate themselves.

s

l  People tend to forget about the issues once the media stop taking up a certain scandal.

Scandals of the Unification Church, such as spiritual sales and collective wedding, were well-known in the 1990’s, when the practices were reported on television and in magazines every week. However, over the past 20 years, the media did not take them up and people forgot them, while the victims kept suffering.

 

☆Sample Paragraph Development

【Main Idea】The media make society consume scandals as entertainment by scapegoating the powerless.

【Supporting Detail (general)】To sell their magazines or raise the view rates, the media play up minor mistakes of those who are not in power and make people focus on the shocking part of the scandal. This distracts the public from important problems like the fact that they are exploited by the vested interests.

【Supporting Detail (specific)】For example, the media wrongly sensationalized the false charge of a Democrat Ichiro Ozawa, then Chief Cabinet Secretary of the short-lived Democrat administration, in 2010 and ended his political life. Ozawa was a decent politician who was trying to allocate the public money to the people instead of the establishment, but the media-driven Ozawa-bashing killed his attempt, the first attempt to make a true democracy in the Japanese history. The public did not even notice that a window of opportunity to improve their lives was lost.

【Follow-up】50 years ago, political scandals would lead to resignation or arrest of those in power and corrupt, raising public awareness of important issues and strengthening democracy, but those days are gone.

【Conclusion】Now, following a scandal is no more than a hideous pastime that can distract attention to important problems.