Posted on 03/28/2011 10:02:21 AM PDT by OldDeckHand
My sister, Amy Chavez, has been living in Japan for 15 years and writes a humor column for the English-language Japan Times. Given her experience in both cultures, she’s been called upon more than once to comment on Japanese culture and speculate on the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.
Her most recent piece at the Huffington Post (not a usual hangout for conservatives and libertarians) makes one simple but hugely important point about why the Japanese have handled the current disaster with such dignity: Their culture values integrity. It’s not that they have faith in government, or even necessarily that their culture is inherently collectivist. (Indeed, the Japanese are deeply skeptical of government as the debate over the nuclear crisis is making clear to outsiders.)
As Amy writes,
An honest society is not unique to the Japanese. Ask your own parents or grandparents and they will surely tell you how it used to be, when there was more respect, less crime and no road rage. But whereas we have slowly lost our integrity, the Japanese have not lost theirs.
Although an individual-based society can also be a good society, when it comes to a crisis, you can only hope that people will be less selfish, and more selfless.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
Didn’t they used to cut off the hands of thieves?
I’ll say it: Our society lost its integrity when certain cultural groups achieved ascendancy in terms of music, dance, clothing, slang, and attitude. They demand unearned respect, but they offer none of that respect to others. It’s all about the entitlement mindset. We’s all livin’ in the ghetto now, bro’.
They looted China pretty good.
. . . owwwwwwwwww, uber-burn! (70’s show)
There was a bank vault cleaned out. I read about it here on FR. Will try to find the link.
Of course there’s looting, but at the moment, they have a whole lot more on their plates.
Because they were never on welfare or from New Orleans?
A few atom bombs nipped that in the bud.
dignity, virtue and kiddie porn
please
And Korea
That's for sure..... but won't talk about it or admit to it.
[ There was a bank vault cleaned out. I read about it here on FR. Will try to find the link.
Of course there’s looting, but at the moment, they have a whole lot more on their plates. ]
Nah, they just do like Ninjas and no one notices it.
They also have that 'cut off the hands of thieves' consequence in the Arab Middle East but the folks their loot even more than inner city folks in the USA.
It is not just the punishment but the respectful culture. Some Cultures don't believe in crapping where they eat and some cultures do.
Jay leno mentioned it. He showed a riot and burning cars and said that’s just when the Lakers win.
Japan is collective society, always has been always will be.
Has nothing to do with liberal v conservative, or black v white.
Japan is more homogeneous, we value diversity more than anything, even if it is detrimental. There was a time when people valued integrity and honesty but we must make all people “feel” comfortable, we don’t want to “force” them into our culture.
How many Japanese or Japanese Americans are there in American prisons? I bet I could count them on my fingers.
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