Disaster Strikes !

Even taking into consideration her struggles with the language, Debbi immediately sensed that there was something different when she arrived at the Tokyo office that fateful morning. There was something electric in the air and it had nothing to do with the weather. There was an excited group of workers gathered around a noticeboard and as she entered the lobby, they began talking animatedly, staring, pointing and making gestures. Her faithful interpreter Keiko rushed up to her. Once more Debbi knew this morning was different because there was none of the usual elaborate and confusing greeting ritual of bows and prayer gestures. "Oh Debbi-san, this is so dreadful, the most awful thing imaginable, it is unheard of , unprecedented. Nobody can get over the news. It is so rare anyway but it has never happened to a gaijan before to anyone's knowledge." Debbi did not know what to think. "Keiko what is it ? Tell me." "Oh Debbi-san, it is a disaster, the absolute worst thing. But you must be strong." "Keiko, what is it ?" "Oh Debbi-san, they have posted on the noticeboard that because of serious wrongdoing, you have been sentenced to a week of public shaming !"

Debbi had been completely unaware of the poison that Keiko had been dripping with her constant mistranslations. So effective had this campaign been that when Keiko suggested a limited act of sabotage to the project, there had been several willing conspirators. The damage caused by the hack had been rectified but in the culture of a Japanese company, someone had to carry the can. And that someone was the person with the responsibility for the team, in this case Debbi. A Debbi who had signed up to be bound by the weird and wonderful disciplinary procedures which in a case of this severity carried the sanction of a week of public shaming. It was this contract, unmistakably bearing her signature, that Keiko now waved at Debbi in the room to which she had taken her to explain the procedure. Despite Keiko having told her of the circumstances of the hack and how that was deemed to ultimately be Debbi's responsibility, Debbi was showing **** to comply. Hence the reminder of the signed contract and the entire future of the co-production deal hanging in the balance. "So what exactly happens ?" asked Debbi miserably.

"It starts this morning. The team will assemble and you will be harangued by our managers. You will be expected to humble yourself and to offer the most contrite and complete apology and to beg for forgiveness." That sounded pretty humiliating to Debbi but she could live with that. Keiko's explanation was far from finished, however. "You will then be instructed to strip naked and everyone will be invited to examine your naked body. Your clothes apart from your shoes will then be locked in a safe until the end of the working day." Debbi was dumbstruck. "Each morning for the rest of the week you will strip naked on arrival and hand your clothes over to be locked away. Apart from that, you will work and carry out your duties through the day as normal, attending meetings and so on. You may be expected to carry out occasional menial and demeaning tasks too !" Debbi was thunderstruck.