http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/ed...ting-in-japan/
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?
That's a bit of an exaggeration. Media outlets in the West tend to focus on the abnormal. No doubt there was plenty of "altruism" during and in the aftermath of Katrina and the other disasters mentioned.
A better question would be why the Japanese response seems somewhat more orderly...
Does Japan have a "me first" societal at ude? America tends to.
Not always a bad thing.
Not saying it is. The "me first" at ude is also what drives many people to do better. Could just be a societal difference; it's why I asked. (Never been to Japan.)
Duh. It's obviously because they don't have any liberals or muslims.
I'm sure there is some looting.
The Japanese culture is still largely rooted in honor and unity - it's how they survived a nuclear bomb landing on them after they acted dishonorably. They know what's up...and I think America is capable of shedding the "me first" at ude in a similar nationwide struggle. If people want to be selfish and endanger the greater survival of everyone, we'll have our trusty militias to put bullets in the domes of selfish pricks.
or blacks
Why did Darrin post this?
I'll go ahead and blame its universal health care system.
To remind us about Restoring Honor and using the Sacred Fire of the Founders to light the way...just the like Japanese are doing right now!
in chile this is a hot topic. the dominant perception is that Japan is a more egalitarian society (it is), though personally having spent some time there I think the genous nature of the society and the culture that stresses community and discipline play a larger role.
I'm sure there is some looting going on there as well, but the difference is that we here in America have the worst thing in the history of mankind, 24 hour news channels that are constantly competing with one another over who can 'create' the most news, rather than just report it.
I think Americans gather together in a way that is tough to replicate. Remember the superbowl after we went to war with Saddam (the first time)? Remember the tales of heroism and support after 9/11? , look no further than what the people of Nashville did together just this last year. We have the ability to unite and serve one another when all else seems lost.
We are still human beings in America. We have the ability to empathize with one another and at no times has that been more true than when faced with adversity. This was still the case in New Orleans as well, we just happen to have a certain kind of cancer that "reports" that news to us and therefore, we heard very little about it at the time.
Also, I find it funny that the users on this site are so conditioned to automatically disagree with certain posters that they immediately come in and attack the OP when I think this is a valid topic........even when done passive aggressively.
Don't get me wrong though, I 100% of the time hate everything boutons posts, so I'm just as guilty.
This is an interesting topic. I didn't even consider the possibility that there would be no looting.
Can the reports of no looting even be trusted?
What's to loot?
advanced society
except when the food and water run out
greedy "me first/ all y'all" in charitable, Christ-obsessed America? nah, can't happen.
Predictable.........not shocking.........
That's not happening. It only affected a small portion of Japan.
not to be a prick, but the US is not the only country in the world with media. Do you really think Japan doesnt have 24 hour news channels? Even if they didn't, the world media wouldn't report looting? Maybe I'm missing the meaning of your post but the difference is not media coverage.
Having looters doesnt mean the whole country is heartless. It doesnt even necessarily mean that the looters themselves are evil, as there are definitely gray areas (for ex, there are no legal alternatives to acquire essential items; or a person has lost literally everything in the disaster and cannot use the legal alternatives).
Here in Chile however you had people breaking into the local walmart / costco type stores and leaving with champagne and lcd TVs. Some were breaking into the homes of their neighbors and stealing their jewelry and electronics. and some who were caught doing this kind of stuff were white collar professionals with multiple cars and salaries hundreds of times over the local average. it is interesting that this happens most everywhere, from England to Haiti, but not in Japan. that is why i think the difference is more cultural than just socio-economic or political in nature (I read after posting yesterday that japanese law is quite severe with criminals), though those are factors to consider as well.
It's been reported that some Japanese supermarkets have cut prices to help people buy necessities.
"Plumes of smoke are still rising from the wreckage and the roads all lead to nowhere. But nothing was going to stop this Japanese businessman arriving at the office as usual. Walking through the ruins of the port of Sendai, the unnamed worker symbolised a whole nation’s determination to get back on its feet in the aftermath of the disaster. According to reports in Japan, many workers turned up as normal yesterday, even in the devastated coastal areas, offering to do whatever they could to help rebuild. Toshiyo Shishido returned to the agricultural supply store that he manages in the coastal village of Yamamoto even though he knows it may be months before business is back to usual. ‘We have to rebuild,’ he said. ‘It’s the duty of those of us who are left.’ Unlike in the U.S. in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, there have been no reports of looting in Japan. Some supermarkets are said to have cut their prices to help survivors buy supplies and vending machine operators are giving out free drinks from the steps of their crumbling stores. Schools close to Sendai also opened for classes yesterday to keep life as close to normal as possible for the traumatised pupils.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1GfrGsAVe
"The police were found innocent, lets start a riot and loot."
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