Posted on 03/14/2011 2:01:54 AM PDT by sushiman
I've been here ( Japan ) a long time , so what I have seen does not surprise me : the people's resilience ; the community spirit ; the never give up attitude ; the discipline ; etc...I would love to hear what your impressions have been , watching from halfway around the world .
THey are disciplined but highly dependent. Watch that help disappear and things will be different. My bet is that these people do not give a crap and would eat each other as canibal cook books have come out of Japan.
Our cities are corrupt. Katrina and Wisconsin riot with cops stealing and cross dressing point to the public unions obsessing hold for power. Yakusa is no different.
I think that what you’re describing is a word in short supply in this country, from a long time ago.
Honor.
Honor is no longer rewarded in this country. Sloth, laziness, and irresponsibility IS rewarded.
You get more of what you reward. There are no rewards for being law-abiding, patient, or selfless.
The only thing that is rewarded is what you can get away with, all the while hoisting the cultural flag of victimhood as your excuse.
Trust me, we’re screwed without the steak dinner.
I’m very impressed. They have responded much like the unentitled, non-welfare areas of our country do in disasters.
People truly do share a bond.
I feel for them and wish that geography did not prevent my taking in a Japanese family.
Handouts turn people into expectant, unappreciative, disrespectful oafs.
That picture of the pile of white cars were most likely 2nd hand for export to 2nd/3rd world countries . White is popular finish , though , as it is the least expensive paint option . It is also said that white cars fetch more on a trade-in. Also lot of companies prefer using white cars for company use.
No looting of TV’s, beer and athletic shoes! No trashing of, violence and rapes in the shelter they are given. No pushing, shoving, violence in lines. No demanding somebody else do something/give them something. No debit cards with people buying Gucci purses with them. And I’m sure there will be no people demanding and getting free housing and money for 5 years afterward. They will pull together, rebuild and help each other. The comparisons are astonishing.
Could not agree more. Mention the word “honor” to a “Liberal” and they will laugh or point to the perversion of the word so common in certain “cultures”. A capacity to feel shame is what enforces personal honor and it must be taught by tough and loving parents who inculcate the child. Not easy but without it the results can be really ugly.
No shopping carts filled with beer or looted televisions, just lines of people who had lost everything. Two little kids, one who had saved her cat and another who had her pet rabbit with her..........
It sure wasn't the embarrassing Katrina crowd.......I'd be more than happy to offer my home to any of those familes for as long as it took to get back on their feet.
Don’t see any “Amish” behavior that is evident in our cities during disasters.
I worked with Japanese companies in NYC for many years. They were very good to work for - no fights, no raised voices, generally very polite and, of course, hard-working.
But after work, they would hit the bars and the whiskey drinking was OUT OF CONTROL.
But I pray for the people of Japan during this disaster.
This is Japan.
This is the Japanese.
Probably the most "Christian" non-Christian people on the face of the earth.
My experience with them is that they are the salt of the earth. Great people.
That, was a great post.
“The USA exhibited the same on 9-11.” Please give me a list of Japanese intellectuals who are celebrating this disaster or who say Japan deserves what happened.
Japan is a very homogeneous society, deliberately so. And if you think about the history of Japan, being a closed society until the late nineteenth century (if I’ve got that right), their culture, etc., the keep calm, follow orders attitude makes sense. Of course there’s a downside, esp. if the govt. lies about events. At any rate, comparisons with La. and Hurricane Katrina are interesting. Maybe we’re not supposed to notice. Another interesting point: CNN didn’t mention Zero for hours over the weekend, simply concentrated on events in Japan, and indeed, had reporters from the WSJ and Human Events on....both highly intelligent, articulate, and informing, by the way.) (Anderson Cooper hadn’t arrived in Japan yet.) What was going on? Well. Of course they couldn’t very well admit Zero was partying on and golfing. I should have known.
Very long suffering and stoic. I could cry.
It’s hard to tell from just TV reports. I don’t watch that much TV, but I’ve hardly seen scenes with people in them, mostly just miles of nothing but wreckage. With that said, here’s what I think:
1) They do a much better job of evacuation. I heard many areas ravaged by the tsunami had a little bit of time to get out before the devestation hit.
2) They were more prepared than average to deal with a mega disaster. This is where I think we seriously fall down here in the US. New Orleans during Katrina is a perfect example of government not being prepared and then trying to deal with it by passing the buck. I am not saying that government is everything in that sort of situation, but it helps when it is not also in freakout mode.
They need more marriages and babies.
Granted the Russian sailor was meant to die under communism, but he did go to pull those rods out of the reactor bravely to save the crew. The Japanese look helpless i comparison to me.
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