Posted on 03/14/2011 7:30:40 AM PDT by NCjim
The landscape of parts of Japan looks like the aftermath of World War Two; no industrialised country since then has suffered such a death toll. The one tiny, tiny consolation is the extent to which it shows how humanity can rally round in times of adversity, with heroic British rescue teams joining colleagues from the US and elsewhere to fly out.
And solidarity seems especially strong in Japan itself. Perhaps even more impressive than Japan’s technological power is its social strength, with supermarkets cutting prices and vending machine owners giving out free drinks as people work together to survive. Most noticeably of all, there has been no looting, and I’m not the only one curious about this.
This is quite unusual among human cultures, and it’s unlikely it would be the case in Britain. During the 2007 floods in the West Country abandoned cars were broken into and free packs of bottled water were stolen. There was looting in Chile after the earthquake last year – so much so that troops were sent in; in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina saw looting on a shocking scale.
Why do some cultures react to disaster by reverting to everyone for himself, but others – especially the Japanese – display altruism even in adversity?
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...
Japan isn’t diverse enough to create rioting or looting.
Based on the reports I’ve seen there isn’t a whole lot left to loot anyway.
Do we really want looting? Just asking... Why was there no looting after 9/11?
Some would say they are more like sheeple. Used to accepting things. Used to dependence on the government to take care of them and to sit quietly and wait.
It’s called dignity.............
I don't think I'm allowed to state my answer to that.
Excellent phrasing. I was looking for a way to make the same point but just couldn't find it.
How many Japanese have been on welfare for two or three generations?
Read shogun. You’ll understand the japanese culture.
A culturally cohesive society that they have managed to preserve through firm limits on immigration.
They are a different class of people in that they have "class." Were this New Orleans, St. Louis, Chicago, etc., the result would be much different. The Japanese have not yet introduced "tribalism" to their culture.
In a CNN interview, the reporter asked a Japanese student if there was looting. He looked puzzled and then said there was no word for “looting” in Japanese because their citizens would never do that to their community. Sadly, the USA cannot match that standard.
Mike
Japan is awesome.
So clean, polite, orderly... it’s the Disney World of countries.
Because Lootie can’t swim that far.
I cant think of any nation that has done as much to distance itself from its past and toward peace with her former enemies. It is really sad that this happening to them.
There were some funny answers, but I can't recall them off the top of my head.
Japan well has a different demographic makeup than New Orleans... maybe a lack of footlockers because remember that looting accorded IN... Oakland, CA over a police shooting trial. Instead of having a political rally, the thugs in Oakland raided every store they could.
Nanking got all of their looting out of their system.
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