Drawing the Sad Line

Very soon, the municipal governments will begin defining what constitutes a “victim” of the tsunami and who is eligible for which level of support.  There will necessarily be a line drawn somewhere and families living 1 meter apart may be given different levels of aid.  I know this is not how anybody wants to do this but also that it is unavoidable. There are limits to what can be done. It is a sad struggle, both for those drawing the line and for those waiting for the line to be drawn. 

(Original Japanese Text)

http://twitter.com/#!/y_hollow/status/55178863524851713

これから、「被災者」「被災地」の定義が始まる。例えば、１m向こうに住んでいただけで、そこに線が弾かれるかもしれない。そのやむを得ない暴力は、誰かの意思によるものではない、システムの限界。線を引く側にとっても、引かれる側にとってもつらい、憂鬱な戦い。