Tweet of the Week #127: Comedian’s Advice to Recruits, ‘Don’t Like it? Quit!’

In Japan, April is when companies welcome their yearly batch of recruits, most of which have just graduated university. It’s an important moment because traditionally, works join a company for life.

Quitting for anything other than marriage or pregnancy is frowned upon, even if you discover your work environment is toxic. The older generations expect recruits to push through with a message of “gaman spirit.”

Gaman is a term that comes from Japanese Zen Buddhism and means “to endure the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.”

Comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi has a different message to recruits.

To all the new recruits

明日から新社会人の皆様へ pic.twitter.com/GDh90kxlRz

— シ毎（うみ） (@umi10231023) March 31, 2021

明日（あした）から新社会人（しんしゃかいじん）の皆様（みなさま）へ

“To all the new recruits, starting tomorrow…”

Your value as a human being doesn’t change if you run away.

On a recent episode of 激げきレアさんを連つれてきた (I brought a super rare person), co-host Ayaka Hironaka asks Masayasu Wakabayashi to cheer up new recruits who are starting from April (4月（しがつ）から新生活（しんせいかつ）という方（かた）も、エールを).

To which he replies, イヤなら、やめろ! (“If you don’t like it, quit!)

This raw honesty triggered a wave of reactions on Twitter, with users such as @umi10231023 debating the advice’s merits.

Many approved the need for new workers to escape if they find themselves in a toxic work environment, arguing that quitting does not equate to “running away.”

‘Balance is key’

見捨ててるように聞こえるけど、自分の身を守れるのは自分しかいないってこと考えるとかなり真理だと思う
逃げた程度で人間の価値は変わらない

— まーちゃん (@illbeebac) April 1, 2021

見捨（みす）ててるように聞（き）こえるけど、自分（じぶん）の身（み）を守（まも）れるのは自分しかいないってこと考（かんが）えるとかなり真理（しんり）だと思（おも）う

逃（に）げた程度（ていど）で人間（にんげん）の価値（かち）は変（か）わらない

“It sounds like you’re giving up, but I think it’s true considering you’re the only one who can protect yourself. Your value as a human being doesn’t change if you run away.

Other voices cautioned that work doesn’t always come easy, and young recruits also need to toughen up if they want to advance in life. Like for many things, balance is the key.”

‘Clenched their teeth’

もちろん若ちゃんの言ってることにも一理あるんだけど、今のオードリーがあるのはホントに辛い時期に若ちゃんも春日も歯食いしばって辞めなかったからなんだよね。本当に辛い時は逃げた方がいいけど、頑張るのも大事。その塩梅を見極めるのが必要だと思う。

— 春日亭夢乃小若師匠 (@Kazuma21482472) April 1, 2021

もちろん若（わか）ちゃんの言（い）ってることにも一理（いちり）あるんだけど、今（いま）のオードリーがあるのはホントに辛（つら）い時期（じき）に若ちゃんも春日（かすが）も歯食（はく）いしばって辞（や）めなかったからなんだよね。本当（ほんとう）に辛い時（とき）は逃げた方（ほう）がいいけど、頑張（がんば）るのも大事（だいじ）。その塩梅（あんばい）を見極（みきわ）めるのが必要（ひつよう）だと思う。

“Of course, there is a reason for Waka-chan to say that, but the reason why Audrey [Masayasu Wakabayashi’s comedian group] exists is that both Waka-chan and Kasuga clenched their teeth during a tough time and didn’t quit.

It’s better to run away [from a bad situation], but it’s also important to do your best. I think it is necessary to identify the situation.”

How to use Japanese particle なら?

The particle なら, which translates to “if,” is a conditional particle that follows a sentence gives us the conditions for an event or situation to happen.

• イヤなら、やめろ: If you don’t like it, quit.
• 暑（あつ）いなら、エアコンを付（つ）けましょう: If you are hot, let’s turn the AC on.
• 風邪（かぜ）なら、休（やす）んだ方がいい: If you have a cold, it’s better to take the day off.

なら can also refer to counterfactual conditional statements.

• もしあなたが、王様（おおさま）なら、何（なに）をしたいですか: If you were to be a king, what would you like to do?
• もし私（わたし）があなたの立場（たちば）なら、同（おな）じことをするでしょう: If I were in your place, I would do the same thing.

Vocabulary