The Changing World of the Geisha

The Japanese geisha is an artist and entertainer, but the word does not mean just any artist or entertainer. The culture and profession of geisha is limited to a very strict and meticulous system developed over a couple of hundred years, in which geisha provided entertainment for parties and events for wealthy people who wanted to impress their guests. The misconception of geisha as sex workers came from the aftermath of World War II, when Western soldiers brought much-needed cash to Japan and sex workers passed themselves off as geisha to attract them. That doesn't mean that real geisha weren't mistreated or abused, and indeed they encountered plenty of sexual harassment. It also doesn't mean there weren't some geisha who used sex to enhance their status or enrich themselves, but it wasn't part of the system as intended.

Learning the profession of geisha takes years of strict education and training, which each woman is expected to pay for in full when she begins her career. Each step in the process has its own duties, curriculum, and expectations, as well as rules for her appearance. In the 19th century, families would sell their young daughters to a geisha house at around age six, and the geisha house would become their family as well as their employer. Now, becoming a geisha is voluntary, and training starts at age 15. But the draw is not what it used to be. There are only around a thousand trained geisha left in all of Japan today, where there were once tens of thousands. Read about the system of geisha and how it's changed at History Collection.  -via Nag on the Lake

(Image credit: OSU Special Collections and Archives)  


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If it's such an advantage, why don't you see able-bodied athletes cutting off their legs (other than the fact that they wouldn't be able to compete due to these stupid rules)? Steroids may give an advantage. But having no legs? I kind of doubt it.

I think Mr. Gailey is right. The other athletes just don't want to be beaten by someone who's less than "perfect".
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How is this fair if the appendages below Oscars knee will never get "tired" and rarely fatigue or break especially in the time period of one race? I have the utmost respect for what he is trying to accomplish but isn't the Olympics about (for lack of a better term) human performance?
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I for one agree with the IAAFs decision on this. The guy TRULY has a serious advantage over others with his artificial legs.

I applaud him for trying, and it sucks that he's a double amputee ... but you've got to keep the Olys pure.
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It seems like everyone has good points. Oscar does indeed have something the runners do not have, but at the same the other runners also have legs which he does not. So we then have to look to oscar's legs vs normal runner's leg. I'd say in that comparison Oscar would win hands down, it seems the best solution would be to give Oscar artificial legs that are comparable to human legs, which don't seem to exist.

It would seem having a handicap is handicapping afterall... go figure.
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the simple fact is that he has a mechanical device that, as LS said, never fatigues or strains to the point of damage (under normal conditions anyway). this has nothing to do with 'imperfection' and everything to do with unfair advantage.
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I think that the issue is not about the able bodies esteem but the fact that the olymics is for the able bodied, paralympics is for the physically disabled and special Olympics is for the intellectually disabled. If someone was fully Able bodied and wanted to do the Paralympics it would be out of the question. Look what happened to spain and a few other countries when they faked intellectual disorders. The INAS-FID is still on probation. The Oscar is an amazing runner and I really do not see why the paralympics is not enough for him. What people should be fighting for is more media coverage of the Paralympics because i love watching quad rugby and those events. I tried to find it on television a few years ago and could not. Maybe more Plublicity would help make the paralympics more popular and more of a common occurance.
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Let him compete with non-mechanical feet! Otherwise don't let any of the other runners use shoes! That is one sure way of winning! Eliminate the competition.

Unless all the runners are going to run barefoot and naked anything can be considered an unfair advantage.

Michael
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