Lessons from Japan.

I didn't mention any third world countrys struggling without leadership and laws and used the word "seems"to be,Not is.I'm sure there were and still are alot of good folks in New Orleans and the whole country.
My point is post Katrina didn't surprise me which is sad and as I see it Civility and just plain good manners aren't on the rise here.I think culture has alot to do with behavour.That is the difference.
 
hayseed1 said:
I didn't mention any third world countrys struggling without leadership and laws and used the word "seems"to be,Not is.I'm sure there were and still are alot of good folks in New Orleans and the whole country.
My point is post Katrina didn't surprise me which is sad and as I see it Civility and just plain good manners aren't on the rise here.I think culture has alot to do with behavour.That is the difference.
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True, but Japan also is able to have a homogenous culture, which is an even BIGGER difference. In the US, in any city of some size, you will find an elite that values order, education of their children, organic foods, keeping healthy and active, etc. You will also find an underclass that lives day to day, and finds pleasure in small, unhealthy pursuits that do not increase their lot. The difference between cities is how big each population is relatively.

The US, for better or for worse, has a less homogenous culture than nearly anywhere in the world- there's more cultures, subcultures, and the like stacked on top of each other than anywhere. Thus, a homogenous response is much harder over here. That isn't to say the Japanese are not to be commended, but the US is so radically different culturally, including the number and freedom of cultures to be themselves, it is completely incomparable.

Zero
 
Very true, I should have left it with I admire the way the Japenese people are dealing with such a catastrophe.
 
HornyToad said:
It is truly amazing the civil order that the Japanese people display. I hate to say it but a non-diverse culture of a thousand plus years is probably a big factor.
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Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

People that adhere to different cultures, and different values tend not to work as well with each other. So what do we promote here?
 
Japanese people are not that well behaved nor prepared as said in news or comments.
I, living in several hundreds miles distant from the devastated area, can find no quick
food or cell batteries in store. Completely nothing!
People got upset by the nuke plant news and planned blackout that they bought all of them.
I'm pretty sick of it.

In short, I think we both are just human beings and have good thing and bad thing simultaneously.
 
fujita yuji said:
Japanese people are not that well behaved nor prepared as said in news or comments.
I, living in several hundreds miles distant from the devastated area, can find no quick
food or cell batteries in store. Completely nothing!
People got upset by the nuke plant news and planned blackout that they bought all of them.
I'm pretty sick of it.

In short, I think we both are just human beings and have good thing and bad thing simultaneously.
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You underrate your country Bro

I have never seen Japanese people go LOOTING like what happened in New Orleans

I have stidied martial arts for over 40 years-and KNOW-your country places a MUCH greater importance on Honor and self control than we do.

You teach it at a much younger age and value it more.

I'm glad we are able to help you during this time and I hope my counrty learns from your country how it should behave in times like this.
 
jackknife-Thank your niece for her service to our country and may she stay safe. Watching this tragedy unfold underscores the need for preparedness at all times.
I have worked all over Japan and like the people. I pray my friends at Nippi Corporation are all well.
Fred Carter
 
Well, I have to say the only lessons we Americans can learn from the Japanese, are lessons in morality. Everything about our tragedy in New Orleans was an embarrassment in front of the rest of the world. It wasn't just the criminal element that shrouded the whole event. And I am not talking about the people that looted for food, I'm talking about the people that robbed banks and stole electronics, etc. It was also the way we handled it. The media, FEMA, the whole thing.

Other than all of that, I learned a few facts about the Japanese, now earthquakes, that made me realize that there is no level of preparedness for an event like that. Here are some facts that I learned today in my world geography class: 1 the earthquake actually moved the island 8 feet!, it moved the earth off axis by 4 inches!, and shortened the day! I know that is hard to believe, but it is true. Also it left a trench on the ocean floor 50 miles wide, 150 miles long, and something like 200 feet deep. When I said the island was moved 8 feet, I meant that part of the island is now permanently under water, and on the opposite side land that was sea floor is now surface land. Japan is now changed forever. Some people may be under the wrong impression that the water will receide and things will go back to normal when the clean up/reconstruction is done. Not so, this will be studied in the history books by my son and grandchildren. I am eager to learn what geologists are going to discover from all of the incredible footage of the catastrophy. I know that there was another earthquake in Tokyo just a little while ago, but that is not it. The fault line under Tokyo is still due, and has been for quite some time now, for a massive earthquake. My professor and I agree, that we are entering a very dangerous epoch in plate tectonics (movement of the earth's crust). Another major problem of this is the activation of volcanoes. One in Japan has already been activated as a result of this. My professor and I are looking for several more to go active in the Pacific Ring of Fire soon. If we start having volcanoes going off, we are looking at the making of the next ice age.

So, my point still stands. There is no level of preparedness that an individual can achieve. My best advice would be, hone your skills, and know what to do when it hits the fan. I'm looking into the possibility of having to relocate as for south as Brazil. Randel's Adventure Training, here I come!
 
Why can't the rest of the world act like that when something horrible happens? Wishful thinking I guess.
 
fujita yuji said:
First of all, I would thank all the help given to us including the United States.
I'm very much impressed with the work of U.S. forces.
They've extinguished fire of fourth nuclear reactor located in Fukushima.
Absolutely hazardous job.

I cannot thank enough for your help.
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We are keeping you and everyone in Japan in our thoughts and prayers! I wish there was more that we could do.
 
fujita yuji said:
Japanese people are not that well behaved nor prepared as said in news or comments.
I, living in several hundreds miles distant from the devastated area, can find no quick
food or cell batteries in store. Completely nothing!
People got upset by the nuke plant news and planned blackout that they bought all of them.
I'm pretty sick of it.

In short, I think we both are just human beings and have good thing and bad thing simultaneously.
Click to expand...

Question: what's the news like in Japan? Heard that the national/Japanese news is conflicting with what the foreign news is saying... which do you trust? I'd be terrified that the national news is reporting less than the international news, or that international has more details. This is what I've read. Any insight?

Blessings and safety upon all those in Japan, and that means you Fujita!

Have a friend whose fiancee is based in Okinawa (Marines). Thoughts with you guys!

Zero
 
I've lived in many areas of the world where natural disasters happen yearly. I've also done search and rescue work internationally, I've been in the military and I've travelled extensively so I've seen how some different cultures react during a time of crisis. It's my experience that the average person will band together with his or her neighbors and help out. When I went through Hurricane Fran I was very pleased to see that people were going around the neighborhoods checking on each other and helping to cut down trees. With the lack of power people emptied out their fridges and brought food down to the local churches to cook up and feed each other. It was a very heartening thing to see and I was very pleased because I was prepared for looting, etc.

Looting, murder, etc. is very big news. As I'm sure everyone is aware the media likes to latch onto sensationalism and blow things out of proportion. No doubt looting, etc. occurs, but I think it's the exception not the rule, but it's what is reported the most so theft and violence seem disproportionately high in America. Looting occurs in most countries. Where you have society you also have parasites and opportunists waiting to prey on those around them. It's your responsibility to know how to protect yourself and loved ones from them.

I lived in Japan for several years. The news reports of order out of chaos and people helping each other and following the rules no matter the situation is not in the least bit surprising to me. The Japanese are an amazing and resilient people. After the dust has settled you'll find that most Japanese will take lessons away with them from this, will say "Ganbatte!" and will move on with life, making things better than the way they were before.

Hopefully all of these recent natural disasters and social upheaval around the world has opened the eyes of the masses and they will take personal preparation to heart. Probably just wishful thinking on my part, but a nice thought nonetheless.
 
From my experiance, how people react depends on the confidence and belief that they will be helped.
The more authority based and homgeneous the society is the more control in disasters.

In the last war, 30,000 folk in my town left, and were absorbed by open houses and hearts. Those that remained were taken care of by civilan aid folk.

But if you are living in slums and have no confidence in being helped, and the actions of the authorities bear this out, then you will shift in to taking care of yourself.
 
ikuyadas said:
[EDIT]
Shinichiro Ishihara, the Governor of Tokyo said at 3/14;
"This is a devine punishment from our greed. we need to wash out our greed by utilizing this tsunami"
(might be incorrect translation, not be used the word NOAH)
He retracted and apologized at 3/15.
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He said,,,,天罰　”てんばつ”　"tenbatsu" which means "heaven's judgement"!
 
It's too bad the American media doesn't give equal press to the good that people do during natural disasters. I know, good news doesn't sell or boost ratings. New Orleans was a worst case scenario, likely to repeat itself in any number of cities around the nation. However, there have been several examples of Americans pulling together during a time of crisis in the past ten years...New York during 9/11, Grand Forks ND during severe floods, the Northeast during severe ice storms that left a million+ without power for weeks, etc.

I applaud the Japanese for their civility and courgage during this catastrophic event. I wish them a rapid and healthy recovery.
I also hope the OP's niece and her shipmates are safe and out of harms way. This nuclear reactor business is scary stuff.
 
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If you have ever walked in a city after a battle was faught it is a sad lonely feeling my friends. I would assume the Japanese feel that way now.
 
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