Posted on 04/29/2020 8:17:58 AM PDT by Steve1999
“As far as I can tell, the Japanese are more patriotic than Americans.”
I read or heard this morning that the first three years of a Japanese child’s education is devoted to teaching manners. They don’t get grades during those three years.
Someone correct me if I got this wrong.
The good policy side of this pandemic is that it shines a light on our out-balanced trade with China.
If Chinese thought infecting the West was a good idea, they bought the wrong horse.
We’ve had our decades of “welcoming China into the Western business and political fold”. And it didn’t work. They may be a more committed Communist/totalitarian State than they ever were in Mao’s days.
Plus today, they have tremendous surveillance over their citizens.
Now is the time to drastically cut our exposure and let China fail on its own. No more propping up the country with our Western money.
The risks of a collapsing China are great today. That’s what thought leaders like Kyle Bass are saying.
Japan is the #3 economy in the world. The U.S. is #1.
If both do the same this will have a major impact on China.
India is beginning to emerge as a far more stable trading partner. Other nations in Southeast Asia stand to benefit from this - Vietnam, S. Korea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Laos. There is a distrust of China throughout the region.
Trump has a massive amount of leverage. China is shooting themselves in the foot. They have threatened Europe, Australia, the US, and others in recent days. Their behavior is alienating a lot of people who are already angry about how they foisted this upon the world even as they took steps to protect themselves.
The potential to realign Asia has never been better than it is right now. Even some leftist in Europe are suggesting they need to divest themselves from China. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out over the next few years, but for the first time there is a real chance in my opinion that the Chinese economy is in serious peril because they are so reliant on exports and their “economic proxies” in the 3rd world can not even make up a 10th of the potential lost revenues.
There is also a chance that China will lash out either directly or by using North Korea. You can usually see a rationale in their behavior which sticks to their long-term script, but this pandemic has thrown that out the window.
I might suggest that you insert "Blue States" for Americans. IMHO, no state is as patriotic as Texas.
Here's a guide to Northerners if you're planning a trip to Texas:
Issued by the Southern Tourism Bureau to ALL visiting Northerners and Northeastern Urbanites:
1) Don't order filet mignon or pasta primavera at Waffle House. It's just a diner. They serve breakfast 24 hours a day. Let them cook something they know. If you confuse them, they'll kick your ass.
2) Don't laugh at our Southern names (Merleen, Bodie, Ovine, Luther Ray, Tammy Lynn, Darla Beth, Inez, Billy Joe, Sissy, Clovis, etc.). Or we will just HAVE to kick your ass.
3) Don't order a bottle of pop or a can of soda down here. Down here it's called Coke. Nobody gives a damn whether it's Pepsi, RC, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up or whatever - it's still a Coke. Accept it. Doing otherwise can lead to an ass kicking.
4) We know our heritage. Most of us are more literate than you (e.g. Welty, Williams, Faulkner). We are also better educated and generally a lot nicer. Don't refer to us as a bunch of hillbillies, or we'll kick your ass.
5) We have plenty of business sense (e.g., Fred Smith of Fed Ex, Turner Broadcasting, MCI WorldCom, MTV, Netscape). Naturally, we do sometimes have small lapses in judgment (e.g., Carter, Edwards, Duke, Barnes, Clinton). We don't care if you think we are dumb. We are not dumb enough to let someone move to our state in order to run for the Senate. If someone tried to do that, we would kick their ass.
6) Don't laugh at our Civil War monuments. If Lee had listened to Longstreet and flanked Meade at Gettysburg instead of sending Pickett up the middle, you'd be paying taxes to Richmond instead of Washington. If you visit Stone Mountain and complain about the carving, we'll kick your ass.
Note: the Democrat controlled large cities have lost their minds over Civil War monuments.
7) We are fully aware of how high the humidity is, so shut the hell up. Just spend your money and get the hell out of here, or we'll kick your ass.
8) Don't order wheat toast at Cracker Barrel. Everyone will instantly know that you're a Yankee. Eat your biscuits like God intended--with gravy. And don't put sugar on your grits, or we'll kick your ass.
9) Don't talk about how much better things are at home because we know better. Many of us have visited Northern hell-holes like Detroit, Chicago, and DC, and we have the scars to prove it. If you don't like it here, Delta is ready when you are. Move your ass on home before it gets beat!
At least the quality seems to be a little better in India, Taiwan & SK. I'm tired of junk. What I'd really. like to see is the quality of Made in USA from the 1940s-1960s. I've got a 1970 Sears Garden Tractor with a Tecumseh engine that still runs and cuts grass, has a little three point hitch with manual lift. I made my gravel driveway with it. Carved out of woods, graded and spread the gravel with the grader blade for it. How many "new" garden tractors would I need to last 50 years?
Really makes no sense. All the big companies have "green initiatives" while pumping junk made in China. Wanna save the planet? Make shit that lasts for generations instead of disposable after 2-5 years. Make parts available again so we can repair instead of throw it away and buy again. But of course that wouldn't keep the big money machine rolling. Wouldn't keep enough people busy.
Good points and I agree. My 1987 Kubota will still be running after I am long gone!
Yes.... Make China Shit#ole Again! #NoChineseImports
I read or heard this morning that the first three years of a Japanese child’s education is devoted to teaching manners. They don’t get grades during those three years. Someone correct me if I got this wrong.
Kids are expected to be polite. After lunch in elementary schools all children are expected to clean up the school. With my own eyes I’ve seen 1st graders mopping the school’s floors on their hands and knees with damp towels. They seem to love it. A big part of school is learning to read and write. I think by the end of 6th grade they should know how to read and write over 1000 kanji (Chinese) characters. There is only one ‘correct’ way to write the characters so that takes more time to master than just being able to read them.
The Japanese school year is longer than ours 240 days per year verses 180. And they go to school for a half day on Saturdays. In big cities admission to the best high schools is competitive. Because of this many or most parents enroll their kids in ‘cram schools’ which is a school after school.
Japan has the right idea. We need to follow suit.
“After lunch in elementary schools all children are expected to clean up the school.”
Your description of Japanese schooling is amazing. Do you think they come out better equipped for a good adulthood than ours? Are there dirty little secrets about their education system? Suicides?
They top the world in suicides.
There are also what we would consider an alarming number of young men who drop out. Not just quit school but become total shut ins. They are unable to deal with the pressure.
Half of all pregnancies end in abortion.
For everything there is a price.
“Half of all pregnancies end in abortion.”
Is that related to the high pressure upbringing?
So you should not have a child unless you have everything already arranged.
Your description of Japanese schooling is amazing. Do you think they come out better equipped for a good adulthood than ours?
Office ladies can leave work at quitting time. But they are not expected to work very long. Their job is to get married and have a family. Young women indulge themselves in things like cosplay. You might call it a form of arrested development.
There is much to admire about Japan. Crime is very low. The place is clean and orderly. That said, America is a better place. I taught Jr. High for a long time and I’d much rather teach the much less polite, much less disciplined, much less respectful American kids.
“I’d much rather teach the much less polite, much less disciplined, much less respectful American kids”
It’s nice to hear that. Your firsthand description of Japanese life is quite interesting.
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