We all know that "idiot" and "incompetent" are insulting nouns, but we don't know why such words appear, nor do we know what kind of history has led to a group of people being labeled.

This is a sad story and a stigmatization process. We all know that "idiot" and "incompetent" are insulting nouns, but we don't know why such words appear, nor do we know what kind of history has led to a group of people being labeled.

The difference between mental disability and physical disability lies in the difference between internal and external. External obstacles, such as poor behavior, broken hands, and broken feet, can be clearly seen; functional obstacles, such as hearing impairment and visual impairment, are also easier to distinguish based on physical cognition. However, mental retardation cannot be distinguished from appearance, so the process of "discovering" this ethnic group at the beginning was actually a bit ambiguous.

Discovery of mentally disabled people

How did Asian society begin to understand mentally disabled people? This is related to our understanding of Western civilization. When the Meiji Restoration was 6, Fukuzawa Yukiki was the founder of modern Japanese civilization. He introduced Western culture and related concepts to Japan. Among his many works, there is a very important book called "Western Things", which are all observations made by him in European and American countries. Regarding institutions of social welfare facilities, there are also mentions "blind courtyards", "dumb courtyards" and "children's courtyards".

Because "Western Things" became a textbook for schools at that time, it also became a popular concept. In addition to the promotion of Fukuzawa Yukichi, the education system implemented after the Meiji Restoration was mainly dominated by Tanaka Fujiri. He visited the educational facilities and systems in Europe and the United States, and introduced them to Japan. He has visited the "Idiot" school in , Pennsylvania in the United States for mental retardation.

Fukuzawa Yukiki lived in the era when Japan's understanding of mental retardation was mainly introduced by the West. Although it was a reference to the American system, the United States' understanding of mental retardation at that time came from France. France's problem of intelligence disorders comes from the enlightenment thoughts and the French Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, and began to think about the status and treatment of "abnormal" people who cannot work.

At the beginning, Europe's shelter facilities were mainly "poor people", but these people still had to be forced to work to increase productivity. Those who cannot work are classified into "poverty alleviation homes", which may include orphans, physical disorders, blind people, deaf and dumb people, mental disorders, elderly people and intellectual disorders, etc., and are all housed.

Later, in the process of the development of the times, people who need help were gradually subdivided into different needs. For those with intellectual disabilities, they are bound to those with mental disabilities at the beginning. In the 17th century, facilities that distinguish between men and women began to exist.

France’s problem of intelligence disorders comes from the Enlightenment Thoughts and the French Revolution in the 18th and 19th Century Europe.

After the Meiji Restoration, Japanese society adopted relevant measures of Western politics, economy and culture. In the changes of the times, many lower-level samurai and peasants in the past were unsustainable in the new era, and they were given food relief to the elderly, orphans and those who could not stand on their own.

In addition to food relief, social welfare facilities have also been established under the influence of the West. Tokyo "Cultivation Home" is one of the earliest modern social welfare facilities in Asia, built in 1872 (Miji 5th). At that time, because the Russian crown prince was going to visit Japan, the young and poor Japan felt that beggars, refugees, physical disorders or mental patients were "impeded from social viewing", so all the people in Tokyo who had the appearance were locked up and 240 were housed.

However, at the beginning, "idiot" was not among the contained objects. "Western Things" only writes that -

patients are placed in hospitals, and disabled, blind, and crazy people are all stored in different places. Each room has care and care.

This period is actually a bit confused about "crazy" and "idiot" 2 people. "idiot" did not begin explicit containment regulations until 1886 (Meiji 19).

Distribution of obstacles derived from Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration was an era of change. At that time, many people were unable to adapt to the changes of the times. Regardless of whether they had mental problems or were unable to adapt to the new environment intelligently, they were centrally contained in "welfare facilities" and regarded as a disadvantage of society. Because the environment of these people who are rejected by the times changes too quickly, ordinary people cannot understand the difference between them. By the beginning of the 20th century, modernization had already achieved some results, and it was only when these people who were excluded from society that they gradually began to distinguish their differences.

What is the difference between "low-minded" and "idiot"? This is related to the education system. Since Japan introduced the Western education system, it was found that some children could not perform "normal" in the system, so it began related discussions and research. In Japan in the early 20th century, "idiots" were considered uneducated, while "incompetent children" were people who performed poorly in the education system. However, "low-energy" is not like physical disability. It can be seen from the appearance. So how can we distinguish "low-energy"?

starts with the "Cowherding Class". Around the 1890s, after the Meiji government implemented the new educational system for more than 10 years, it was discovered that some children could not keep up with the learning progress, so they specially organized a class for these students. Later, some scholars began to write books to discuss.

Professor Hitoro Omura, a professor at the University of Learning Institute, said in "Theory of Children's Correction of Disadvantages" that he does not think that "low-energy" is a "disease", but a "flaw". He then puts many personality defects on children with poor learning ability, such as laziness in thinking, laziness, weak resistance to stress, paranoidness, uncleanness, partial food, etc. All bad habits that can be imagined are equated with poor academic performance. However, Hitotaro Omura also noticed the learning disabilities caused by social and family reasons, and did not blame all the problems on the students' personality flaws.

The understanding of mental retardation has gradually formed a set of staged theories. The "Low Energy Education Law" created by Yi Zhuyan has created a spectrum: ordinary-inferior-low Energy-idiot, and this is a system created based on the education system and academic standards. The lowest level of "idiots" are sometimes equated with "crazy", and are regarded as incurable and congenital problems.

The rest of the "inferiority-low energy" are caused by personality defects or problems caused by sensory organs and brain diseases. At this time, some people also noticed the bad habits caused by the family, or factors in the school, such as teachers' educational methods, narrow classrooms, air conditions, etc., and discussed various problems that cause students' learning disabilities, not only the students' own personality.

In order to educate low-energy children, "Shirakawa Academy" was opened in 1909. Through the "Research on Low-energy Education" written by students in the research park, the founder Ryoyoshi Weida divided children into "ordinary children", "low-energy children" and "perverted children", and the division method is similar to that of Otake's system. "Abnormal" cannot be cured. The rest between "ordinary" and "perverted" are "incompetent" and require special education in an institution.

The "low-energy" pointed out by Ryoyoshi Weida is a wide range of "low-energy". From problems with learning ability, weak physical condition, and inability to adapt to group life, they can all be part of "low-energy". The students contained in "Shirakawa Academy" have been part of "low-energy" from low learning ability to animal abuse, including stealing traitors and homeless people.

Is "Idiot" uneducated?

"Idiot" in the Meiji era was a concept of "a child who is completely uneducated", unhealthable and inable of being taught. However, Ryoichi Ishii, the pioneer of special education in Japan, had a different view. He believed that even "idiots" had the possibility of being taught, which we later called "special education".

was born in the samurai class of the Saga Kyoshima family. Ryoichi Ishii grew up in the late Shogunate and the early Meiji Restoration. He received Chinese education when he was young, familiar with books such as "The Analects of Confucius" and "The University", and learned the spirit of Bushido.At the age of 16, he was selected in the vassal state and went to the Ministry of Technology University (which was later Tokyo Imperial University ) for the exam, but failed the physical examination and was unable to enter the school.

Looking forward to studying in the United States, Ishii changed to studying in the private Lijiao University, received 6 years of education, and entered the Lijiao University "English School" founded by Bishop Williams of the American Anglican Church in Tsukiji in 1874. Ishii Ryoichi was also influenced during his studies and was baptized as a believer. The sister school of Rikyu University was established in 1882 (Meiji 15). After graduation, Ryoichi Ishii's first job was to work as a teacher at Rikyu Girls' School. In addition to teaching foreign languages, it also educates women about the development of foreign countries and the ideas that modern women should have. It was the earliest school in Japan to provide women's education.

Meiji About 20 years ago, Japan's welfare undertakings began to develop. The main reason is that after Westernization, Japan lacked traditional organizations to save wasteland and poverty. Units that could be rescued in the villages in the past could not survive in the new era, and welfare facilities in the new era have not yet been established. In addition, many natural disasters occurred in Meiji in the past 20 years, which caused many people to abandon their families and children, and there were quite a lot of orphans in society that needed to be raised.

The " Okayama Orphanage" and "Tokyo Rescue Hospital" that appeared at this time were created for the needs of the new era, and Ryoichi Ishii also became one of the founders of the Tokyo Rescue Hospital. The 1891 Great Oo earthquake caused large-scale casualties in Gifu and Aichi, with more than 7,000 deaths. After the earthquake, a considerable number of orphans were produced, and there was also a phenomenon of economic unsustainability and having to traffic in humans.

After dispatching orphans to rescue orphans from Christian and Buddhist-related groups, Ryoichi Ishii's Tokyo Rescue Hospital also joined the rescue and adoption of orphans. Due to the tragic situation of the Danwei earthquake, Liang Yi deeply felt the importance of the welfare cause, and the unadopted women were even more disadvantaged after the disaster. So he brought some orphans back to Tokyo after the disaster. With the help of the Christian Church, he first established an "orphan school" in Tokyo to educate them so that women can learn a skill and be competent for nanny, teacher, midwife or preaching.

In the process of sheltering orphans and educating orphans, Ryoichi Ishii realizes the existence of intellectual disabilities. At that time, education for intelligent disabilities was considered "unable to educate" and "free from legal liability" and adopted a "quarantine policy". For Ryoichi Ishii, the education of intelligent disabilities also carried out the belief of possible education. He firmly believed that everyone was equal before God.

Ryoichi Ishii, a pioneer in special education in Japan, but Ryoichi Ishii did not simply believe that these intellectual disabilities could be taken care of by miracles. Because his English is good, he actively referred to foreign literature at that time and knew that the practices in the United States were divided into large-scale shelter and isolation, and there were also small-scale institutions.

In the reference materials, the most important thing for research on intelligent disability education is that the first intelligent disability education created by French physician Edouard Seguin in the 19th century, becoming a pioneer in special education in later generations. He later went to the United States to open a small intelligent disability hosting agency, and through education and working methods, the disabled have a certain degree of productivity.

Ishii Ryoichi wrote his research into the book "Idiots' Research and Education" (1904), believing that the characteristics of "idiots" are abnormal in both body development and movement, and also have sensational obstacles, such as vision, hearing, taste and smell. Mental problems can lead to language barriers, paranoia or lack of attention. Since "idiot" and "crazy" were often mixed during this period, Ishii was the first scholar to try to distinguish between the two. He believed that "crazy had general intelligence at the beginning, but then disappeared." Relatively speaking, "idiot" was a very poor consciousness at the beginning, but could gradually improve to a certain extent.

Ishii Ryoichi's idea was later implemented in the Honokawa Academy he opened. His wife Watanabe Bizi also supported his philosophy, and the two worked together to educate people with mental disabilities.Born in Nagasaki in 1861, Watanabe Biko is a promoter of Japanese women's education and pursues the right to education of women. She was originally a director of academic affairs at the Chinese (noble) girls' school and also served as a French teacher. Before she met Ryoichi Ishii, she had three children and she was quite familiar with the French doctor Seguin's educational method of mental retardation.

Ishii couple 2. They both visited the Irwin Intelligent Disability School in Pennsylvania, USA. They founded Honokawa Academy after returning home. Since Japan has very little understanding of mental retardation, the Ishii and his wife are also responsible for the cultivation of teachers and the preparation of educational facilities and textbooks.

The schools established at the beginning include farms, dormitories, classrooms and research rooms. In addition to hosting people with intellectual disabilities, Ishii also wants to study related issues for people with intellectual disabilities. However, this era was the end of Meiji, and it was just beginning in the 20th century. The government did not provide funding for related facilities and research, and most of the funding for property came from loans from the Ishii couple and sponsorship from the Christian Church.

But Honokawa Academy was unable to operate it in the end and had to close temporarily. As the times progressed, Japanese society began to pay attention to the establishment and organization of consortium legal persons. In the early 20th century, some universities, such as Tongzhishe University, were established by legal persons, and relevant laws were gradually established. The Ishii couple initiated their first board of directors in 1919, and later they also found the sponsorship of the chaebol Eiichi Shibusawa, who served as the third chairman.

As fundraising is helped, the school’s related facilities are restored, and research institutions that Ishii wants to develop have also been established. Originally, I was at the Tokyo Suaga Academy, but later I moved to Tama, a suburb of Tokyo, which is more in line with Ishii's ideal school. On the Musashino platform, the air is quite fresh, and facilities such as farms, workshops, chicken coops, chapels and accommodation can be established, including life, education, training, labor and medical care from young children to the elderly. Ryoichi Ishii's treatment and education for "idiots", therefore gradually became a pioneer in Japan's special education.

When education changes, will "idiots" and "low-energy" still exist?

Through the concepts of "idiot" and "low-energy", we can see that the understanding of these two concepts during the Meiji Restoration in Japan was formed with the transformation of Japan's politics, society and economy, which is a new ethnic group discovered after the Meiji Restoration. With the new political system, a considerable number of lower-level warriors and peasants became extremely poor, unsustainable, and wandered everywhere. The education system established by the Meiji government also produced quite a lot of unfit school children. This group of ethnic groups that could not enter the standardization of the new era was gradually classified as special ethnic groups from madness, intelligence disabilities, poor people, etc., and then classified, contained and studied according to different situations.

"Idiots" and "low-energy" can be said to be the product of the changes in the times and society. Through the formation of related concepts, perhaps we can think about the impact of modern civilization on us, what kind of differentiated treatment has been caused, and even the education system distinguishes those people. After Ryoichi Ishii, with the discussion of "idiots" and "low-energy", relevant physicians and psychologists also entered this field. Through pathology research and interviews, they later developed a scale that measures mental retardation.

Of course, this article does not deny that there were people with lower intelligence in the past, but before the Meiji Restoration, they might have just lived in the countryside, and were responsible for the labor service (a certain amount of unpaid labor undertaken by the feudal ruling class), and lived a "normal" life of farmers, and would not be classified as "low-energy" or "idiot". Some people have entered a new education system in the new era. Because of poor academic performance, they are classified as "low-energy" and have become targets that need "correction".

If "idiot" and "low-energy" are created by the education system, when the education method changes, will such a group disappear? History is difficult to deal with assumptions, but we may think about it.