Show clips from Shomuni and Sarariman Kintaro. 

1. What differences do you notice in the portrayal of the workplace and the worker in these two clips? 
 
2. Japanese television producers injected a social responsibility discourse into popular media by way of social-realist dramas. Do we see the same in North American television programming? Why or why not? Can you think of any notable examples of shows that reflect our own economic situation, currently or in the past?
 
3. In North America, do you think devices like mockery and parody are used as stand-ins for social responsibility discourse? What might this say about our culture?
 
(And…. if we have time:
 
4. The social responsibility discourse in media is not new, but it emerges in new ways context-dependently. Do you think Japanese workplace dramas reflect changing attitudes towards the “freeter” lifestyle, or is the other way around – lifestyles changing in response to what is on television?

5. Lukacs talks about the feminization of men as a reason why Shomuni is popular in the young male demographic. What do you think these shows are portraying about gender?)