Japanese and American Reaction to Disaster
- Thread starter Trident1
- Start date
meesterperfect
Hiliary 2020
centrist my ass!
hey ragincuacasion, look who's on your side.
you must be proud having such intellectuals with ya.
There's a word for "coming together" in Japan. Apparently that's how everyone is greeting each other currently due to the disaster. Individualism is looked down upon in Japan, instead the group is what matters.
Here in the US our culture is the opposite, the individual is the center. There are stories about the victims waiting for hours for food/water without fighting.
We'd have a near riot here.
Despite the differences both US and Japanese get through the crisis it's the way of doing so that is fascinating.
I'm not comparing the physical damage. However, a disaster is a disaster and it's interesting to see how two cultures deal with it that is interesting and quite revealing.
Here in the US our culture is the opposite, the individual is the center. There are stories about the victims waiting for hours for food/water without fighting.
We'd have a near riot here.
Despite the differences both US and Japanese get through the crisis it's the way of doing so that is fascinating.
I'm not comparing the physical damage. However, a disaster is a disaster and it's interesting to see how two cultures deal with it that is interesting and quite revealing.
Last edited:
:nanner:
I'm yet to discover any area of agreement with T-dent but I must credit him for one thing; he can take a joke. :hatsoff: :hatsoff:
:1orglaugh
in all seriousness, what did I write that was incorrect?
I'll concede (if it truly was an forthright attempt to actually discuss something rather than just to goad folks into reactionary angst) this is worth investigating Western SOCIETY as a whole, as an institution, and taking a deeper look at what / who we are as a people (so long as we begin without an assertion in mind). Was the goal of the OP meant to appreciate the structure of the Japanese leadership? Was it to an attempt to stroke self-righteous scapegoating at "those people" (not us) for being disgusting animals? What is the motivation behind presenting this topic? How much of what we believe about these events is actually shaped by what we see and hear everyday through media and social interaction? How much is based on what we've come to experience and live through as a result? Much of this influences how we respond (none of this is taking place in a vacuum with controlled subjects).
I will say that I'll take civil anarchy in times of crisis every day of the week if it means the choice between overly-implanted, fake-tanned sluts over flat-chested women and tentacle porn with blurred dicks.:dunno:
I think it would be more useful to compare a Russian reaction to disaster than American.
Anyway, T1, don't forget to provide your conclusions after all is said and done here @ FreeTown.
That should be interesting. :2 cents:
Anyway, T1, don't forget to provide your conclusions after all is said and done here @ FreeTown.
That should be interesting. :2 cents:
The Soviet reaction was under an authoritarian system. The public might grumble, bitch and moan, but they knew that there was the ever present KGB willing to put down any open dissent, or riot.
Privately I would imagine most Soviet citizens knew that whatever came out from official channels concerning the crisis was bull.
meesterperfect
Hiliary 2020
What made the 9/11 US public reaction(specifically New Yorkers) so similar to that of the Japanese?
We know the victim's reaction to Katrina in New Orleans. Why was that(reaction) so different from those in New York? Both are American, same culture etc?
Was it because in 9/11 for instance it was an attack against Americans and those in NY were all lumped together as such regardless of race, ethnicity, religion etc?
How does Japan's reverence for the sea play into the mindset of the people after the devastating tsunami?
Just throwing out questions and ideas.:dunno:
We know the victim's reaction to Katrina in New Orleans. Why was that(reaction) so different from those in New York? Both are American, same culture etc?
Was it because in 9/11 for instance it was an attack against Americans and those in NY were all lumped together as such regardless of race, ethnicity, religion etc?
How does Japan's reverence for the sea play into the mindset of the people after the devastating tsunami?
Just throwing out questions and ideas.:dunno:
:clap:
I'll also be serious for a sec here too. There is also the problem of accessing the information provided by the news media. Japan is a good "friend" of America so if there was a lot of BS going on they are far less likely to report it than if it was a less friendly nation like North Korea. I did watch a news reports that mentioned that there was a lot of panic buying etc.
If you do your research I think you'll find your average Japanese person has a lot more in common with your average American than you think.
The media have already admitted that they have not been reporting the full story in Libya, so let's wait for the dust to settle b4 we jump to the wrong conclusions here. :2 cents:
I see where you're going, Mr centrist. It's all about making a BS comparison to "the victim's reaction to Katrina in New Orleans". I was right not to take this thread seriously. He's up to his old centrist tricks again. :horse:
more racist bullshit - hooray!
:clap:
You were right. He can't resist. He's a sneaky rat. :2 cents:
You're obviously going down another road. Please show where the comparison is BS?
All of my questions/points are valid.
qinson mistakenly believes the topic is "racist". Interesting how some here make it so. Read what I have written.
well goddamn those people drowning in their attics, there's motherfuckers taking TV sets, Margaret!!!!
We see where the priorties were at.
cry us a river with your self-righteous bullshit. You're certainly one to talk about getting personal. I responded to an OP that wasn't based on any sort of intellectual honesty with like manner.
It's the usual suspects too
They have never read the facts & based this BS upon initial unconfirmed & UNTRUE reports from New Orleans.The two(2) articles linked BELOW confirm the lies that were told about New Orleans & Hurricane Katrina.For the most part they are not even dealing in facts as most of the BSabout New Orleans/Katrina (besides some so called 'looting' with Cops blessings ) is absolutely false.
Headline NBC:
"Post Katrina crime May Have Been Overblown" / "Most tales of Civil Unrest Appear To Be Untrue"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9503449/ns/us_news-katrina_the_long_road_back/
Quotes from New Orleans police about KAtrina:
..."It was an URBAN MYTH. We HAve No(zero) official reports to any murder. Not one(zero) was assaulted".
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/world/americas/29iht-katrina.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
Headline New York Times:
"After Katrina; Crimes of the IMAGINATION"
"A review of the evidence shows that ...the most alarming stories (about Katrina)were FIGMENTS of FRIGHTENED IMAGINATIONS"
The artice here tells of how an idiot/cowardly Deputy called the NAtional Guard & told of how he was under attack by snipers. They surrounded the area only to find out it was a gas tank release valve
This type of shit was reported as 'snipers shooting at cops in ravaged katrina'
Most of the stuff reported from New Orleans was confirmed to be untrue over years ago ,but someone decides to start a thread
I have my suspicions why the stuff was being said about New orleans ,but it unfortunatley has given the most racist & vile ammunition to go after blacks.
BAsed upon falsehoods. Read the links.
http:www.nytimes.com/2005/09/29/world/americas/29iht-katrina.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
"After KAtrina; Crimes Of The Imagination"
"A review of the EVIDENCE shows that....the most alarming stories(About Katrina) were FIGMENTS OF FRIGHTENED IMAGINATIONS"
New orleans Police:
..."It was Urban Myth"(stories about Katrina).
NAtional Guard:
"We have no reports to document any MURDER(Zero). Not one(zero) rape or sexual assault reported".
Yet guys like the one who started this thread love to revel in the falsehoods about Katrina to fit some narrative of what they think of Blacks/minorities.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9503449/ns/us_news-katrina_the_long_road_back/
"Post Katrina Crime May Have Been Overblown
Most Tales of Civil Unrest at Sites Appear to be Rumors"
A Florida Detective who was stranded in the Dome the entire time:
"The Incidents were highly exaggerated. For the amount of people(tens of thousands)....it was a VERY STABLE ENVIROMNENT.
The Florida Detective only admitted to seeing one fist fight between two(2) teen boys.
I'm sorry the facts don't jive with your racist agenda dude. :dunno:
I think it's more to do with the cultural difference, the Japanese are a resilient, hard working, patient, determined, cultured people and it's only a matter of time until they are back on their feet. I feel we in the west have lived in comfort for too long and it's affected our mental strength, we find it hard to deal with death despite it being part of life, we can't handle illnesses or disabilities (people almost die when they have the flu), floods like Katrina (it was no tsunami) or heavy snow bring the nation to its knees and people become so melodramatic. I've even heard of people killing themselves because they were dumped by their partner, someone called them fat ot they received a nasty facebook message. Our ancestors worldwide have survived through so much hardship, disease and early deaths worldwide, war or independence and civil war in the states, much of Europe has battled each other with countless religious wars and anti-monarchy revolts, the jews got through the holocaust and now prosper, germans got through being ruined by the nazis and then the east/west tug-of-war and they now are again a powerful nation. I think the Japanese never lost this ability to bounce back from anything the world threw at them, they got through the atomic blasts and do they constantly blame the US or seek everlasting sympathy, NO. Even in WW2 whatever your feeling on the matter it takes some mental strength to become a kamikaze pilot as well as the tens of thousands of troops who jumped to their deaths of cliffs rather than face the humiliation of being taken alive by the Americans, at the risk of sounding unpopular I doubt we in the west could ever attain that level (myself definately included). I've already posted them but here are some pics to show what I'm talking about:
Joy: The member of Japan's Self-Defence Force member holds the four-month-old baby girl in Ishinomaki, northern Japan after her rescue
... And fear: Upon hearing another tsunami warning, a father tries to flee to safety with the baby girl he has just been reunited with
Cataclysm: Local residents look at debris brought by the huge tsunami in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture
Duty: Self-Defense Force officers rescue people from the flood waters by boat in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture
Rest: Elderly residents of a nursing home that was evacuated amid fears of a nuclear fallout from the Fukushima Daini plant sleep on their duvets while one man in his mask appears bemused by everything
Villagers carry relief goods in Minami Sanriku, the worst-hit area where almost 10,000 people have gone missing
Nowhere to go: A woman stops to study a framed picture found amongst a mountain of rubbish in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, while a dazed man (right) searches for his home in the neighbouring town of Rikuzentakata
Close to the edge: A patient in a wheelchair is helped by attendants as they evacuate from a tsunami-affected hospital at Otsuchi
Screening: A mother tries to talk to her daughter who had been isolated for signs of radiation after evacuating from the vicinity of Fukushima's nuclear plants (left). She then drops down to talk to the family dog
Squatting amid the ruins: A woman cooks for her family in front of their devastated house in Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture (left) while an older survivor swaddles herself in blankets and gloves at makeshift shelter at Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture
Right: An old man is piggy-backed to safety after surviving the tsunami in Tagajo near Sendai
Joy: The member of Japan's Self-Defence Force member holds the four-month-old baby girl in Ishinomaki, northern Japan after her rescue
... And fear: Upon hearing another tsunami warning, a father tries to flee to safety with the baby girl he has just been reunited with
Cataclysm: Local residents look at debris brought by the huge tsunami in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture
Duty: Self-Defense Force officers rescue people from the flood waters by boat in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture
Rest: Elderly residents of a nursing home that was evacuated amid fears of a nuclear fallout from the Fukushima Daini plant sleep on their duvets while one man in his mask appears bemused by everything
Villagers carry relief goods in Minami Sanriku, the worst-hit area where almost 10,000 people have gone missing
Nowhere to go: A woman stops to study a framed picture found amongst a mountain of rubbish in Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture, while a dazed man (right) searches for his home in the neighbouring town of Rikuzentakata
Close to the edge: A patient in a wheelchair is helped by attendants as they evacuate from a tsunami-affected hospital at Otsuchi
Screening: A mother tries to talk to her daughter who had been isolated for signs of radiation after evacuating from the vicinity of Fukushima's nuclear plants (left). She then drops down to talk to the family dog
Squatting amid the ruins: A woman cooks for her family in front of their devastated house in Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture (left) while an older survivor swaddles herself in blankets and gloves at makeshift shelter at Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture
Right: An old man is piggy-backed to safety after surviving the tsunami in Tagajo near Sendai
larss
I'm watching some specialist videos
I just HAVE to point out that the OP did not raise ANY racist issues. The only people who have done, it seems, are those that are intent on denying any differences between the response of the people in Japan and the Americans in New Orleans. These differences are to do with the cultural differences in the Western and Japanese way of life. Westerners cover all racial groups INCLUDING Japanese, African, Indian, Far and Near Eastern. Some of these "minority" groups, having left their cultural homes, have embraced Western mores, others have kept their cultural identities.
The big question posed by this thread is - In times of disaster does our culture teach us to look out for ourselves and our own families to the expense of others, or do we band together to try and help all of our neighbours?
If you look back at disaster movies and books, it could be said that both are seen in our own culture. For example, look at "Day of the Triffids". There are groups of people who help all comers and those that capture and enslave others to ensure that they survive above all others.
The OP has made a thought provoking post. It is not racist, it is just posing a question and maybe getting some of us to think.
Last edited:
