The Pros and Cons of Name Tags on School Athletic Wear
Table of Contents
Preface
#What got me thinking about this was news from Lawson convenience stores.
Regarding name tags worn by store employees, we have been basically requiring real names (surnames) to be displayed. However, considering the current situation and privacy protection concerns, we have now made it possible for stores to choose "position + optional alphabet letters or initials" format.
https://www.lawson.co.jp/company/news/detail/1487981_2504.html
Considering the trends of our times, I think this is a correct revision. There were probably cases of stalking where people memorized faces and names... That's disgusting... It's insidiously malicious enough to surprise even Ryuk (from the manga Death Note).
The name tag issue isn't limited to convenience store clerks - it's the same for students (including pupils and children). Since they wear name tags even during commutes to and from school, privacy considerations are necessary. In fact, some local governments seem to be addressing this issue.
From the perspective of personal information and privacy protection, we eliminated embroidered names starting this year.
https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sougou/202111/0014860949.shtml
While the general trend is toward abolishing name tags, I want to consider the pros and cons of this issue.
The Pros and Cons of Name Tags on Athletic Wear
#The reason for abolishing name tags is privacy protection and safety considerations, but are there any problems that would become apparent if name tags were actually abolished?
When I researched this, there seem to be several new issues.
Mix-ups of Athletic Wear and Uniforms
#Mix-ups of athletic wear and uniforms apparently happen frequently. I can understand that to some extent. During sports festival season, there are especially many opportunities to take clothes on and off, so this could easily happen. If it's just a mix-up between two people, that's manageable, but when multiple people's clothes get confused, it becomes really troublesome...
However, regarding this issue, I think it could be solved by writing names in inconspicuous places. We tend to think in terms of 0 or 100, right? Name tags or no name tags. No, no - just write names in inconspicuous places.
From Teachers' Perspective, It's Tough During the Period When They Haven't Memorized Students' Names
#There's a group of people who would be troubled by names written in inconspicuous places: teachers.
The period when faces and names don't match must be tough... Once you get a student's name wrong, the trust relationship falls into negative territory. I can imagine their inner turmoil...
While you could say "just memorize them quickly," relying on individual effort is dangerous. Organizations that can solve problems through systems and mechanisms tend to survive longer in the long term.
As a solution to this challenge, there seem to be approaches like this:
The most common recent approach is to put a "short tape" for attaching name tags inside the chest pocket. When needed, you pull out this tape from the pocket like a tongue, and pin the name tag to this tongue.
Good initiative! This achieves show/hide functionality in a simple way. This would work well from teachers' perspective too!
I guess this is the current optimal solution, the best practice.
P.S
During my research, I found an opinion that "whether name tags are visible or hidden, you can't read unusual creative names anyway." Ah, there's that approach! (Leaning toward "not really")
