Editor’s Note: Ayako Doi is an independent journalist and associate fellow of the Asia Society, an organization devoted to improving U.S.-Asia relations.
By Ayako Doi – Special to CNN
In the wake of the massive earthquake, devastating tsunami and nuclear catastrophe in Japan, it's hard to find a silver lining. Most certainly, the people struggling to survive don’t see it – nor do those who are frantically trying to help them.
But watching the unfathomable human tragedy unfold from afar, I can already see some real and potential positives.
One theme that has emerged in the international news coverage of the disaster is how calm, orderly and polite the Japanese people have been, even in the face of unimaginable hardship and deprivation. A radio report said tsunami victims in crowded shelters were sharing scarce supplies of water and instant noodles without fights or complaints. One Japanese observer said it brought tears to his eyes to see an elderly evacuee bow deeply in appreciation as he received a single rice ball upon his arrival at a shelter.
In a week since the disaster, not a single case of looting has been reported, and I haven't seen any scene of people shouting in anger or banging on the table. CNN's Anderson Cooper recently observed a lengthy line of cars queued at a gas station, and he expressed amazement at how no one was grumbling or trying to cut in line. (Here's another post on this from CNN.)
A television viewer in China commented about how impressed he was to see a crowd of stranded train commuters carefully leaving a path so emergency workers could pass freely without stepping on others. "China may have surpassed Japan in terms of GDP, but we cannot emulate the Japanese’s level of politeness," he wrote on his Twitter feed, which was seen more than 700,000 times, according to the Mainichi Daily News.
Another widely circulated commentary was a blog post from a Chinese student in Tokyo, who reported that after the jolt of tremor, his Japanese instructor calmly guided his students on an evacuation path, made sure no one was left in the classrooms and then turned off the lights before leaving the building. Even the fact that many of the shelters in Japan are elementary schools was astounding to the Chinese, who remember that school buildings, because of shoddy construction, were the first to collapse in the 2008 earthquake that struck Sichuan province, the newspaper said.
In the last couple of decades, self-confidence has increasingly been in short supply in Japan. Since its postwar economic bubble burst in 1991, hope for renewed economic growth and political reform have been repeatedly shut off by factional infighting and a lack of political leadership. The country’s senior-heavy demography and a long string of shortsighted, populist policy decisions piled up Japan's public debt to around 200% of GDP, which in turn brought on stagnation and high unemployment, especially among the young.
Homelessness has become commonplace in Japanese cities, and the annual number of suicides has been stuck above 30,000 for 13 years now. Many college graduates have no hope of buying a car or getting married any time soon, and they can't imagine owning a house or having kids one day.
As the younger generation stopped dreaming big dreams and began to concentrate on self-preservation, Japan – once an object of admiration and fear for its economic might and technological prowess – dropped off the radar screen of world affairs.
While China, with its fast-growing economy and expanding military capability, attracted everyone's attention, Japan's clout in international relations diminished markedly, as did the interest of young Japanese in the outside world. And as many Western countries faced similar national-debt crises and population-aging problems in the last few years, Japan has presented a depressing picture of what they might become if they can't get their act together to manage their economies.
However, if the current generation of Japanese successfully overcomes the enormous challenges of reconstruction, they will acquire the kind of self-confidence that characterized their parents and grandparents, who dug out of World War II’s rubble and built the second-largest economy in the world.
But just as Japan's postwar development would not have been possible without the assistance of the U.S. and other countries, Japan today needs the help of the international community, both in the immediate aftermath and for long-term reconstruction.
Many countries already have rescue teams on the ground in affected areas. Hopefully, in the course of a long, hard road of rebuilding their communities, young Japanese people will not only regain confidence in themselves, but also realize that we are in this fragile world together.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of Ayako Doi.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Dear Ayako Doi, you are right, it's impressive that no violence has been taking place. It shows a lot about the people of Japan. I wonder how a similar catastrophe would play out in the United States, where your neighbor might have a gun in his drawer.
We need to learn from this, by not building nuclear power plants and cities that cannot withstand Black Swans. What is now happening in Japan, could happen in New York City or London tomorrow, as explained here, in a post titled "Magnitude 7.6 earthquake to hit New York City: http://www.hansensmag.net/2011/03/16/magnitude-7-6-earthquake-to-hit-new-york-city/.
It's worrying how our lack of understanding of probability makes us plan unwisely.
"What is now happening in Japan, could happen in New York City or London tomorrow,"
Or the Midwestern US, as well, as the New Madrid fault is about 500 years overdue for the next big earthquake. The last larger one was over a 5 magnitude in 2008, but the one in the 1800s was estimated to be an 8 magnitude. That is certainly enough to bring down a few nuke plants there.
Not to mention buildings in the Midwest are not build to withstand earthquakes.
I have to correct you. That 5.4 earthquake occurred on the Wabash Valley Zone between Illinois and Indiana. And if you're referring to the New Madrid Fault, it's been almost 200 years since the series of severe (and devastating) earthquakes. I'd avoid using the term overdue, because we don't know when that fault will open up. Just correcting your facts
The New Madrid earthquakes were in 1811 and 1812, not 500 years ago. It is estimated the fault has a major quake every 500-1,000 years, so don't expect one soon. Could happen tomorrow though.
Or in Arkasas where (for some unknown reason, maybe fracking, maybe not) there have been about 25 earthquakes in the last few months.
coldstine is right – the 2008 earthquake was not the New Madrid fault. However, the two do touch each other, and it is possible that movement in one will cause an earthquake in the other. Forces are building up. Thankfully we've had a lot of small ones lately to release some of that pressure and keep it from being the big one. I do, however, think we will have one above 7.0 from the New Madrid in my lifetime. That's just gut feeling, though.
"What is now happening in Japan, could happen in New York City or London tomorrow,"
Surely you're not referring to the politeness, orderliness, and lack of looting?
It's pretty obvious that you know nothing about the area and the nuke plants in it. There is no way we could ever get hit with a tsunami and an earthquake like what happened in Japan. Their plants are different designs than ours. Our plants are built to withstand seismic events and more. It's people like you that are propagating fear to the masses with unfounded statements. Do some research and get your facts straight please.
Actually, Fred, there have been over 700 earthquakes in Arkansas in the last 6 months. The largest of which was a 4.8. People don't think of Arkansas when they think about earthquakes, but the New Madrid Fault runs through that state.
It would play out like it did after Katrina with lots of looting, raping and pillaging as everyone went crazy and tried to grab stuff that was truly of no value to them in a disaster area. Like those guys on CNN that were walking down the street with arms full of xboxs while people around them were suffering and dying.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. NO and most of the other major citys with a high black population in their inner city would act like this. Sad but true and no I am not racist. Just realistic.
Curt,
What you think happened after Katrina and what really happened after Katrina are two very different things. Take a look at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/us/27racial.html or just Google "Katrina violence." Much of the reported violence at the Superdome and the Convention Center never happened and some of the most eggregious violence was perpetrated by New Orleans Police or white vigilantes.
I am truly amazed about how ignorant people cannot believe the way the Japanese people are responding to this earthquake. They just end up bringing up the past trying to make the Japanese look like monsters. Due to the fact that they know that their own ethnicity would be unable to act in the same way as the Japanese.
StrategicBob,
This would make a lot more sense if images of people treading through water with stolen tvs did not stream live on tv...
@stra – "most" is not the same as none. There is a big difference in our cultures. We need to find out what part is the one that causes some people to loot and other not. Being defensive about is is natural but not really telling us anything.
Agree 100%. After watching a Japanese soldier carrying an elderly woman to safety, and then having her bow multiple times to thank him for his help; I flashed back to the woman at the New Orleans superdome, screaming that the National Guard who were there trying to keep order were Just like the Nazi's.
The animals of New Orleans after KAtrina embarrassed the USA for years to come. No wonder no one in the rest of the country cares about their rebuilding anymore. They don't desrve to rebuild. Why rebuild that slum? They acted like animals from Day 1, beating, robbing raping, killing theri own neighbors. Check the demographics of NOLA. See how many Japanese there were. See who WAS there. Japanese have always had great honor to their country. Right or wrong, that is why they volunteered for Kamikaze duty in WWII. They put country first.
Yes indeed. We can learn an awful lot from the Japanese and how they are conducting themselves. May be some hope for the human race.
Stand up and have some honor yourself. Think of our founding fathers, and compare that to those of Japan's. Ours is a faulty system, yes, but we have many personal freedoms and liberties the Japanese do not have in their strictly confined and restrictive culture. You cannot compare a small island nation of homogenous people to one large, highly diverse and integrated metropolitan city as New Orleans. Americans value personal freeedoms and ethnic diversity which the Japanese DO NOT. It is far easier to corral and direct a group of homogenous people with identical cultural backgrounds, mores, and experoences than it is people of diverse backgrounds with different life experiences (prejudices, etc.). It's apples and oranges.
No, of course you're not racist . . . up until you singled out a single race. Why didn't you just stick to the 'major cities' and leave it at that. Your prediction would have come true at that alone.
@ georges – I'm trying to figure out what freedoms and choice that Americans have that the Japanese don't (other than the right to have a glock in the bedside table). They're a democratic society. They're by no means a police state. I've lived in Japan for a number or years. I see much more respect for individual choices people make. The one thing that most Japanese people have in common is respect for their fellow man. You don't have the right to be an obnoxious jerk but if you were, it would be rare for anyone to call you on it. It is a country and people (to generalize) quite differnt than anywhere else I've lived (Canada, the Middle East and Europe).
The US ia an assembly of pigs, cheaters, fraudsters, and crime ridden uneducated citizens. There education system sucks, can the average American spell China or Italy?
Katrina and camden show the true colours of America. Noone wants to be there. Why would anyone. Wall street fraud. US government fraud. CIA abuses. George Bush Lies and lies from all over the top govenments. Guns everywhere. Even the idea.."Lets arm the Libyans" so so American and stupid.
Cant wait to see China sink the US. haha you pigs.
Yeah, because the gun he may have is a bad thing that will drive him to loot or rob/kill you. More accurately, what will cause the difference is the difference in the cultures. The Japanese are a people of national culture, they see the individual less than the whole when looking at needs etc. The US (most of the western world really) sees the needs of the individual as above the needs of the whole usually. This is why they will calmly stand in line for food/water and we would be fighting/looting/rioting/etc to be first in line because we only think of ourselves. We live in a ME culture, not an us/we culture.
You hit the nail on the head. The Japanese people share a common held ethos, unlike Americans.
That may have something to do with them being a homogeneous society, whereas america is a multi-cultural place.
Much of American is morally bankrupt from the top down, politicians and Ministers leading the way. Greed and entitlement is the new American way of life. Sympathy, empathy and charity are now four letter words.
We did see a disaster happen like this and people behaved so much the worse for it. Katrina did not bring out the best in those who were involved in the disaster with the poise and dignity of the Japanese. We can certainly learn a valuable lesson from them and try to help them as we look at ourselves and our own situation and work toward an understanding that they obviously have.
Why do you have to go right to the "American Gun Culture" cliche? When America has these types of tragedies, Americans respond in admirable ways as well. Don't dog out Americans for bad behavior that you predict will happen........and don't use tragedy to further your political agenda. Just because I have a legally registered handgun in my drawer and you do not does not make you a better person or more likely to behave well in a disaster situation than I. It does make me more prepared in that event if others do not behave well though......
100% agreement with your statement.
Thnak You, could not have said it better my-self!
So having a gun automatically makes you a killer? That is an over zelous assumtion on your part. Im sure Japan is having issues with criminals, we just are not hearing about it yet.
The "probability" is 100% that over 100,000 people die every year from exposure to fossil fuel power plants. Going back to the stone age is not in my game plan. The options are come with us or get off the planet.
"Black swans"?? you mean tsunamis? The black swan is a beautiful bird, please don't disparage black swans we have them in New Zealand and Australia ! Thank you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory
Black Swan (Nassim Taleb) refers to low probability-high impact events. Also, it refers to our inability to predict the future: an expected event not happening is as equallly as powerful as an unexpected event happening.
No plan could have prevented this immense tragedy. This tremendous loss of life and property would have occurred even if the country used coal or solar.
No Plan?
Really?
How about this plan. Don't build any houses at less than 200 feet (or pick your own number) elevation or within two miles of the coastline. Build all of the generators and their fuel tanks on 300 foot tall towers. Build the reactors with even more layers of protection and site them so they would receive a gravity-fed water flow by default.
Saying "no plan," is like saying, "no one ever could have predicted that situation." If you watch you will see that in almost every situation someone did predict it.
Well if this ever happened to a large scale of people in the US, or even a small area, I have a sinking feeling people would be breaking into homes and stealing whatever they could. They would probably kill each other for their basic needs for survival. I'm born in the US. And I might still be a teenager, but after experiencing the way people behave to any given stranger, I'm not being prideful or full of myself when I say that I'm more polite, considerate, and caring than over half the people in this country.
And just today, while trying to cross the street to get to a bookstore, a man rolled down his window and cursed at me because he thought that I wasn't allowed to walk across the street yet and that he was allowed to go. But alas, green means go, and red means stop. So I had to endure that just to by a book.
I have nothing but respect for the Japanese people, and I'm truly horrified to see such a great nation brought to a sudden halt like this by one tragedy after another.
I say we take all the ignorant, uneducated racists on here and have them do the clean up. The radiation surely couldn't make you any more sub-human than you already are.
I wonder if the people of Japan that you are so enamored with are sitting around full of hate and ignorance, insulting and degrading their fellow countrymen and women? You people do not display any of the values you claim to admire so much.
And regarding blacks in America – let's set this straight. This country was not only built by genocide, theft, and rape, it was built by ENSLAVING other human beings. They built this country, they fought for this country even when we refused to acknowledge their humanity, then we continued to deprive them basic human and civil rights, killed them, forced them into poverty (and continue to do so). Then, when a natural disaster destroys a predominantly black community, we stand passively by and let them die (didn't you all just say you admired the Japanese for helping one another, not for watching as others died?)...and you people have the nerve to insult blacks? Looks like it's the whites who have the problem...hmmm, theft, the slave trade, genocide...yeah, watch out for the blacks?
You people are destroying this country.
That was beautiful Brooke. Thanks for breaking it down to lowest term. But we both know, it won't change the mind of a person that is being used by Satan to spread such hatred in a public forum.
We still need more Brookes' in the world though!
I still admire the Japanese way of handling their natural disaster, which was 100 times worse than Katrina, over the way your people handled themselves in New Orleans. And by the way, the Japanese didn't have a weeks notice to leave the area. All the looting and violence after Katrina by your people reminded me of the riots in L.A. in the early 90's. How can I be wrong for thinking this way? After all, it's all caught on camera. Just appears to be a fundemental lack of self respect and civility in your people.
It is comforting to see how the people in Japan are behaving under such circumstances. When you think of what usually happens in the States and other parts of the world such terrible events take place. We can all learn from their behaviour.
Well, Katrina was a farely good example of US government & Americans in crisis situations.
Americans value personal freeedoms and ethnic diversity which the Japanese DO NOT. It is far easier to corral and direct a group of homogenous people with identical cultural backgrounds, mores, and experoences than it is people of diverse backgrounds with different life experiences (prejudices, etc.). It's apples and oranges. The Japanese are robotic sheep, plain and simple. Very similar to Germans, if you know what I mean...
I just want to say that Japanese people are some of the most polite people in the world. Even though people are desperate for food, shelter and water, no one is looting or stealing anything. People are not yelling or causing problems for the authority. They are some the most resilient people on earth. They will make it back. Good luck
i am a chinese.of course,some of us have a prejuic about japanese,but when they saw the news about what the japanese did in the catastrophe,they are foul-mouthed but recognized the distance between us the the janpanese,they are really scared.and i have to say the janpanese are really the hero of the world,it will scare the world
Wish people were more disciplined & humane, our children would have a better tomorrow. May be a naive thot but violence begets violence.
India recently signed so many agreements for nuclear power plants.With its dismal record as far as safety goes I hope these agreements will not be honoured by the countries who signed it after looking at the catastrophe in Japan.
Well anything can happen at any time. As far as nukes go redundancy is the key. Obviously back up cooling plans need to be in place. We always learn from disasters. Such as the Titanic. Before that disaster there were no real safety rules for ocean travel. That aside, you have to give credit to the Japanese.
If it happened here I would do like any other American. First I would blame Obama..then I would blame the Dems or the Republicans. After that I would tweet and post how disguised I am at the responce. This is followed by contacting trail lawyers to sue everyone and anything. After I collect the settlement money I would move to Japan.:)
The Japanese response has been awesome. I cannot think of another region that would have reacted with such vigor while not causing utter chaos. Incredibly story but the rebuilding aspect is inspiring.
htt://globalchatter.wordpress.com
Are Japanese boys still molesting Japanese women on the trains? Look at all the dirty filthy Japanese mangas...filled with violence etc.. Not all Japanese are well behaved and respectful of others...
Hey Richard, your friends and family call you Dick?
Cite me some sources on your comment about the molesting, I'd like to read that.
I was in Japan in 2000. I was so impressed I got into the train station where multiple floors, each floor has multiple terminals going to different places much like an international airport. People in the morning men and women dressed up in suit and tire w/ briefcase. So, impressive and people walked fast, timely and very discipline. I felt I was too casual and I felt I was coming from a third world. There were electronic booths you could buy ticket, make phone call, buy drink/food, everything was so nice and advance. The street was clean and safe.
Other places like in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and some part of China. I missed traveling but I haven't been else where yet work. Maybe go to Europe or other part of the world some day. It is just different of course than U.S. Well, I can't complaint I like it here too.
i totally agree. i remember when i went in 2003. so beautiful
Taiwan is not part of China. Now you see why the Taiwanese after 50 years of colonial rule by Japan have been grateful for the many developments Japan has brought to Taiwan at the turn of the century in terms of not only infrastructure, education, but also social changes that were very positive. The Japanese in Taiwan were disciplined and had honor. Thenyou have the corrupt rag tag KMT nationalist army who comes into Taiwan with its carpetbagging attitude and bad social norms. There was a clash of cultures! The Taiwanese realized that they were no longer Chinese but a new national identity called Formosans/Taiwanese for a new nation! You see Taiwanese and Japanese have been close –even today! The pain Japan is going through is felt in Taiwan!
You forgot how the Japanese killed native Taiwanese when they took over Taiwan as a colony. They took all the resources they can from Taiwan to Japan to support their unjust war. And then they force young Taiwanese to serve the Japanese army. A lot of those who praised Japanese in Taiwan today are decedents of Chinese who took benefits from being on the same side as the Japanese intruder in Taiwan. Ask the real native decedents of Taiwan, do they ever miss the Japanese? Did Japanese imperial governer allowed the Taiwanese to elect their own officials? Did they allow them to go to the school where Japanese went to? Did they allow them to do any business at their wish? So all the Taiwanese youngmen were educated to become a good physician, that's the best wish they have. Freemen do not miss colony. Only those who have inferiority inside will miss Japanese colony in Taiwan.
Sadly, there weren't much disciplin and honor shown by the Japanese invaders throughout Asia, just ask any Korean, Chinese, Hongkonger.....
No, your kind of Taiwanese are not Chinese. You just happened to be from on a Chinese Island. I've met enough of your types in the States that turn their noses up to the Chinese think somehow you are better because you were ruled be teh Yamato's a few genrations ago. Guess what, the Japanese don't see you as their peers, you are their former subjects who are still fetishizing about your "gentle masters". You make me sick. Don't be Chinese, don't speak Chinses, don't write Chinese. Just use Japanese from now on. Or did you even learn Japanese from your former masters?
You "American Chinese" are getting your info directly from the Chinese government. There are countless incidents of doctored photos or photos from 50 years prior of incidents committed by the Chinese that were then reported to be atrocities from the Japanese? There were even photos of dead Africans used. Also, interestingly, was that the population of Nanking was almost exactly the same before and after the war. How was there a genocide? I also cannot see the reasoning for a Chinese genocide when Japanese and Chinese relations were high before the war, and Japan wanted to unify the Asian countries and remove Western Influence. True, I'm sure there were atrocities (as in any war), and they had a culture of not caring about people were were captured, but I cannot simply accept what the Chinese government says to be true.
http://www.jiyuushikan.org/e/photo.html
http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL02_3/17_S1.pdf
I am a chinese American but I don't look at the negative history because back in the stone age. Every countries or kings or whatever was for themselve. I am talking about today! NOW!! I am so proud and greatful for the Japanese people how they handle things. If I am a stone age chinese? It's all about revenged!!!! You watch chinese movie and you'll see for yourselve and Yeah!!! I am very proud or my origion. People!!! it's about live and learn!!!!
There are weaknesses and strengths in any culture. Any mature discussion acknowledges both. The weaknesses in Japananese culture are not for me to comment on because I don't understand it, but I can say that the "look after number one" ( one being the family) attitude that is evident in China, will limiit it. Discuss.
My son lives and works in Yokohama, and we enjoyed our visit in 98...the people and the country were beautiful and gracious...he is still in Yokosuka and is in contact daily via fb and blog...he is very much apart of the Gaman culture of Japan...as with the actor George Takeis explaination of the Japanese culture and poise...I feel as comfortable as a mother can when her child is in harms way, that the people, friends and extended family will embrace my son and care for his emotional, spiritual and physical needs...this is one time that Nuture is going to have to overcome what Nature is dishing out...
AgentSmith, is your kid of rud and uncivilized Chinese that kill 30,000 Taiwanese when KMT came to Taiwan. Later ruled Taiwan like an foreign invader that didn't make any investment in the inaustractures and racial bias toward the Taiwanese. Oppressed the people under martial law for 40 year and killed anyone who dared to speak ill of the KMT. So yes we're proud to speak Taiwanese and no need for chinese. We don't need to be identified with your kind of ignorant, uncivilized chinese that cut line and spits everywhere.
neo – I lived in Taiwan for many years. Just want to pass on a relevant saying I often heard there from my Taiwanese friends: referring to the departure of the Japanese and the arrival of the KMT on Taiwanese soil:
"The dogs have left and the pigs have come." But that was along time ago – and unlike China now, Taiwan is a fascinating and thrivingly diverse democracy. Mainland Chinese who think of Taiwan as a renegade Province are simply ignorant – or cynically greedy. And have certainly never been to Taiwan. I fear the new Chinese chauvenism.
Thank the heavens for the Taiwanese (of both parties).
Why let a shared heredity stop you from being racist? Just make up different races and have at it!
I HIGHLY SUSPECT you are NOT Chinese-American, but a JAPANESE, telling by your tone syntax, and choice of words.
Georges, please grow up. You post like an arrogant know all illiterate ass, and it makes all Americans look bad. Unless you have 15 visa stamps on your passport or some qualification to comment like you know.... Please be kind. The devil is watching you,
))))
Comparing this with katrina in new orleans, where mass looting and rapes happened not so long after the disaster.
This kind of story seems to be a PR tactic to divert attention from the real problem. Nuclear radiation is being released that threatens the health of thousands of people. This was TOTALLY AVOIDABLE. To build nuclear plants on fault lines is insanity. To construct an entire industry which threatens people with its toxic radioactive waste alone is insanity. Why we don't shut every nuke industry down right now is beyond me.
The reason we don't shut down every nuke plant is simple–we need the electricity that they produce. While nuke plants pose potential risks; so do coal and natural gas plants. I suppose even wind and solar pose some risks–if not the panels and turbines themselves then in their production. Almost everything we do has the potential to harm the environment. We need to re-evaluate our entire system and at least understand what we're doing and the inherent risks involved.
The entire country of Japan is on two different fault lines. They went ahead and built the safest reactors they could. A reactor from anywhere else in the world would have cracked like an egg during the earthquake, never mind the tsunami afterwards.
Ann: It isn't a PR story designed to take the focus off of the nuke problem. Given the scale of the problem and the fact that it is far from over you can rest assured that this incident is going to place the safety of nuclear power, the wisdom of taking the risks despite the rewards and pluses of nuclear power, and the financial aspects of nuclear power in the forefront for the rest of time.
What is amazing about the Japanese people is their civility. All of the rest of the world can and should learn from it, and aspire to emulate the calm and collective coolness and the sense of community the Japanese have shown in the face of multiple disasters occuring near simulataneously. What the experience in Japan also does is put into a remarkably bright contrast, and draw attention to, the extremely poor way in which other people react in times of calamity – particularly with regard to the looting so prevelant elsewhere. It all largely comes down to values – and the ugly truth is that far too many people have little or none.
Ann, I don't think anyone is trying to gloss over the folly that has produced this disaster. The real silver lining here is perhaps everyone will have a long and hard look at the aging reactors in North America. Oddly enough, it's possible that this particular disaster could have been avoided if the diesel back up generators had simply been put on the roof of the buildings. At least for this particular disaster.
There will be much discussion about current and future nuclear power generation. But I commend the writer is conveying to us the grace under pressure the Japanese are displaying.
Insanity is reading this article and not seeing that the author has the intention of uplifting and consoling those ,who have been affected by this tragedy, and anyboby who has just a drop of sympathy for another human being
Ann – you're so right! We need to replace each and every one of them with coal and oil fired plants – far more eco-friendly, right? Really – think next time before you put anything in writing...
"The entire country of Japan is on two different fault lines. They went ahead and built the safest reactors they could. A reactor from anywhere else in the world would have cracked like an egg during the earthquake, never mind the tsunami afterwards."
What an absurd comment. Who in there right mind would count on cooling pumps working in a crisis? The only rational emergency cooling would be a gravity-fed system. All that's needed is building a water tank that's slightly above the level of the reactor.
I am sure there are many things "beyond" you. You assume any technology that has danger should be shut down? If that was the case airline travel would not be available today. Cars would of been banned shortly after they were invented. It is a technology that needs to be perfected. To assume that the alternatives such as coal and oil have no downside is silly. We are fighting a war in the middle east due to oil and Iran is becoming a nuclear threat due to our involvement there.
We need to perfect the technology and make it safer. The problem in Japan could of been avoided with more redundant back up systems for cooling. To close every nuke plant would be an economic disaster. Oil would soar so would gas prices and our economy would come to a stand still.
This is the difference between the blacks and the asians... Blacks loot, Asians help each other out...
That was a very rude statement. The people of Japan have put America-black and white and any other race-to shame. With almost every catastrophe we've had, a lot of people have acted like animals. I've often said if we have a catastrophe, we will kill each other from panic.
wow
Haiti and Katrina mostly blacks. IQ scores from around the world: Asians > Whites > Blacks = more civilized society. Genital Size: Asians < Whites < Blacks = less animalistic nature.
KELLY....you're a spaz...what are you, European? Tragedy and catastrophe has always brought out the best in Americans: generosity, heroism, our innovative spirit, sense of community. Try concentrating on the overwhelmingly positive nature of Americans rather than a few examples of stupidity.
You are a fucking idiot.
Not eveybody in America, or in New Orleans for that matter, is black...
Sad but true. And they are always the 1st to cry racism if they dont get what they want right away. Blacks are the reason for 75% of the crimes in the US. Of course blacks wont admit it. They like to blame everyone else but themselves for being at the bottom of pretty much everything except rap, NBA and NFL. What a legacy.
It's the culture.....not their race. This does not say much for the United States. You are a very misguided individual. So,so sad.........
so basically your saying the same thing idiot. They are their culture.
True, it's their culture – it is still based on cohesion of a homogeneous people and not on Western ideas of individualism. That has its good and bad sides of course – but now is one of the times its showing its merits.
I have been to China and Taiwan. They are pushy liars and no different then looters
Exactly. Remember New Orleans/Katrina? All blacks! Look at the result.
You cannot compare a small island nation of homogenous people to one large, highly diverse and integrated metropolitan city as New Orleans. Americans value personal freeedoms and ethnic diversity which the Japanese DO NOT. It is far easier to corral and direct a group of homogenous people with identical cultural backgrounds, mores, and experoences than it is people of diverse backgrounds with different life experiences (prejudices, etc.). It's apples and oranges. BUT i sure as heck would rather be living in AMERICA with our individual freedoms and expressions. The Japanese are robotic sheep, plain and simple.
I couldn't agree with you more...Americans think the Gov't. should do everything...no one in Japan is saying "Where's Fema"..the hurricane didn't tear New Orleans apart..the levys broke....horrible things happen, but the way we handle things here, has got to change !! New Orleans residents were TOLD to evacuate...and they didn't !! My heart goes out to eveyone in Japan...just heart breaking !!
Being a black brother I is embarrrased that I agrees with these comments.
I am with you Sissy, our wonderful country of the USA..is built on all cultures, nationalities and religions ....the only ones that have a natural say about who came first are the American Indians and if you go back and trace their migration to the North Americas , it was from Asia...so if you look closely at their cultural practices you will see it is more with nature and principles of the Buddhist and Shinto practices...it is sad that our young country can only cast dispersions on others through racism, bigotry and ignorance...we all have a history whether it is from our country of birth or ancestry...it is time to come together and use compassion and logic when dealing with disasters and all reporting agencies....
And that was just from the police!
If you watched this disaster happen in the US it would be a gunfight. All the low lifes would be looting and pilfering as in Katrina and Rita..... It has been refreshing to watch how the Japanese people have held up under such tremendous pressure of this disaster!
U VERY WRONG
The Japanese are robotic sheep, plain and simple. You cannot compare a small island nation of homogenous, ethnocentric people to one large, highly diverse and integrated metropolitan city (as New Orleans). Americans value personal freeedoms and ethnic diversity which the Japanese DO NOT. It is far easier to corral and direct a group of homogenous people with identical cultural backgrounds, mores, and experoences than it is people of diverse backgrounds with different life experiences (prejudices, etc.). It's apples and oranges.
"But watching the unfathomable human tragedy unfold from afar, I can already see some real and potential positives."
The only positive is if we learn from their mistake and shut down all the nuke plants. Otherwise, there isn't any.
MY GOD! You people are absolutely ridiculous.
Get informed before you spread this kind of nonsense around and encourage other uneducated fools to join your call.
Nuclear is the future... period!
It's the only thing remotely close to being green that can satisfy our power requirements without suggesting ridiculous alternatives, such as us simply using less power... not gonna happen without devastating our economies and creating failed welfare states around the world.
Nuclear power is clean... yes I said clean, and it is safe... yes I also said safe, and it is only going to improve. Todays reactors and recycling processes eliminate almost all waste and their designs are far superior to these reactors which you seem intent on judging all by.
Now before you go touting solar and wind energy you need to understand that these technologies, even fully funded, won't even come close to generating half of what we would need. The main problem being these are only commercially viable mainly in remote locations and transmitting power over long distances isn't very efficient... at least until someone comes up with a superconducting material with properties that can be maintained at room temperature. (Don't hold your breath.) While slapping a solar panel and windmill on everyone's home sounds like a great idea, it still won't reduce our reliance or need for nuclear energy to a point you would find acceptable, if total elimination is what you are calling for.
Save your breath, quit calling for silly things, and invest your energy and protests in something realistic and useful. Call instead for a more thorough review of new plant designs and changes to existing plants. Lets learn from this and improve our technologies instead of getting caught up in the flood of people who are running from things they don't understand.
Awesome post, I commend you.
Dave from Canada: Going green and conservation is not an all or nothing proposition. Yes, conservation alone won't eliminate the need to use nuclear power, and yes, solar and wind have limitations and will not provide a panacea that would allow an end to reliance on fossil fuel or nuclear power. But there is a lot to be said for designing to achieve optimal efficiency in our products in the first place. There is a lot to be said about taking small steps that will on a cummulative level make a major difference. A PV system on our roof-top provides for about 70% of our electric use. High efficiency gas boiler and a hybrid heat system uses about 1/3 less natural gas than a comparable sized home using a conventional heating system. If enough small steps were taken, the need for other forms of power generation would be reduced. If a hard look at the true costs of nuclear were examined, and some of those costs put into alternative energy promotion, even larger steps on the renewable front would happen.
I can't disagree with a thing you've said Evan.
My apologies if it seemed I was implying we leave alternative energy sources completely out of the picture.
Keep in mind however residential power consumption accounts for only around 20-25%(being generous), with commercial and industrial making up the difference. Private PV systems like your would go a long way in reducing residential power consumption as residential housing has a relatively high square footage that can be used for solar panels vs. their power consumption. Commercial and industrial power consumption per square footage is much higher meaning the amount of room they have for solar generation is limited compared with what they use... so we are back to commercially producing solar power in deserts, far from population centers, to meet this demand.
well said..........
Nuclear may be the next energy source but here is an idea.........maybe lets not build the plants on the pacific ring of fire.
Airplanes crash...so we stop flying??? Busses crash every day..thoudands are killed in automobile accidents everyday..should you stop driving...Of course not !!! Fires destroy homes thousands of acres of forests..should we not re-plant the trees so they won't catch on fire again?? Of course not !!We NEED nuclear power to get away from the billions of $$ we spend every year on barrels of oil...
Here's an idea. Let's get Brothers Hezekiah and Jeremiah from the Amish community to show us how to use energy. When the sun goes down, YOU GO TO SLEEP! If you need to be up during the night, use a kerosene (nowadays solar) lamp. No need for laptops if you're out planting/harvesting your food! No need to drive a gas guzzler if you have Ol' Nellie in the barn! The Amish have it right!
Ann...Instead of pontificating about something you know nothing about. Do some research. This liberal mentality of banning things will make it go away doesn't work. Doesn't work for nuke weapons, guns, drugs whatever. The genie is out of the bottle. Either perfect it or some other country will.
This has nothing to do with the disaster hitting. Forgive me if I misunderstood their culture, but aren't they in general a very polite people as a whole?
Yes, but the poster's point was that good manners can often be tested by disasters like this. The Japanese sense of order and politeness is so deep and so strong, that even this catastrophe has not, to date, buckled them under the stress.
Yes. They are very polite. They will politely occupy your country and kill and rape your civilians (China, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. – http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101111232821AAz8uH8).
But it's ok because they have Hello Kitty!
Good point.... And historically accurate...
Everyone knows in times of war anything goes!
@jim bob
...get over it. Everyone, and I mean everyone has skeletons in their clost, whether we want to admit it or not. What's your solution? To rape, torture, and murder the Japanese in the name of Justice? They're less than human right? How could they do such horrible things; they need to die right? That's the same attitude the Japanese had in WWII. Everyone else was less human and the Japanese people deserved what everyone else had. Its the same attitude people have always used to justify their crimes. And it will continue to be used until people like you SHUT THE HEII UP!
Yes, in war pretty much anything goes. But their government actually endorsed the genocide: http://www.gendercide.org/case_nanking.html (see the "who was responsible?" section)
@Kjcube: lol! You're hilarious. No one said anything about them being less than human and killing them. Just saying they aren't all angels.
@jim bob
... Many people would... But why bother speaking about history the way you do if your not trying to contstruct a useable past, a particularily sinister useable past? If I went around preaching about how the british did nothing to prevent the irish potato famine or how they've occupied Ireland for 800 years and continue to do so, you'd probably be able to see the anti-british hatred there. If I were to talk about America's wars in the middle east and how they've raped the islamic people you might see jihadist sympathies. So when you speak about the atrocities the japanese people commited during WWII I wonder exactly what you're getting at, especially since this article has nothing to do with WWII or even war in general.
That's rich. An American complaining about how Japan acted in the 30's and 40's. How many people has America killed with bombs?
Kettle meet pot.
I'm not American...Also, I love the way Kjcube jumps to conclusions. She should tell me what else I'm thinking.
I think the Japanese willl eventually prevail over the crsis, but let's hope it won't take too long. In the meantime, our prayers are with the Japanese nation.
Even better point, and I hope so as well...
Beautifully written. My heart goes out to the Japanese and others immediately affected. Even amongst such suffering it is good to actively have hope. Thank you for this, I hope we can together help the Japanese realize their potential.
The 2010 Nashville floods did a billion dollars in damage. There was also zero looting even the most expensive shopping areas and countless homes. The local churches volunteered so many people so quickly to help rebuild that the Red Cross and FEMA initially were irrelevant. Because these were 500-year floods, few insurance policies covered commonly what were often total losses. Yet, the good collective character of Nashvillians and their endless gratitude just to be alive, despite their terrible losses, I found inspirational – and I was just visiting Nashville during that time.
It's all about the culture of the people. USA is great because it's a multi-cultural melting pot that can benefit from the best ideas and people from each sub-culture. Unfortunately, that also means that some sub-cultures expect the government or others to do everything for them and don't take pride in their own community or ownership of their own problems. I'm American, but I worked in Japan for 8 months and have traveled extensively around the world for both business and pleasure. Although there are many other cultures & sub-cultures that are polite, responsible, and duty-bound, I still believe that Japan has the most polite, responsible, and duty-bound society.
ok JAY,I agree but you have a California approach with "melting pot". The US is very diverse! If Hurricane Katrina had struck the North East, it would have been an entirely different approach by the citizens. I have lived in the North East, South East, North West, and South West of the United States. I lived in Iceland when Katrina hit New Orleans but I new exactly what would happen there; and it did. I lived in Northern CA when LA was hit with catastrophe shortly after; it was the exact opposite of the Katrina citizen's reaction's. No one expected to be handed food, clothes, a house, or a job; but the Katrina "victims". The people of Japan were raised with honor; more so than the majority of the US. However, the southern states (not everyone, but the majority of people broadcasted) were a disgrace in how they responded to their disaster. Internationally, it made the American people look like egocentric toddlers. "I'm the victim, where's my reward"
I used to live in East Nashville about fifteen years ago. While it certainly has its problems, it is truly one of the more diverse and tolerant places I have lived. You can go into a taco bar and find a redneck and a Vietmanese immigrant sitting next to each other and grinning like each knows what the other is saying. It seems to be a city that is composed of many close knit communities, each with their own proud identity.
Show your support! http://www.japanation.org it's an open gallery for you to share with the world your support to japan. Don't forget to donate.
How can you loot a grocery store that's been washed away? I'm just sayin...
If this happened in Newj Orleans, those people would swim down the Mississippi River to steal..
..."black man can't swim" (obscure Tosh.0 reference for ya there)
@yani: Nuclear power is completely "clean" and the ONLY risk is if it is treated poorly it can cause some damage to cells. Instead of a new fuel source we should just realize that we need to perfect and respect nuclear power. I mean, we love our Sun so much but it is just a huge nuclear reactor and it seems to be fine.
The suicide rate in China is higher isn't it?
They have a bagillion more people than japan of course its higher!
Rate, not absolute number of suicides..
The person said "rate," not number of people.
"where there is love, there's hope–where there is hope there's life–where there is life there's mankind–where there is mankind–it's because of God's love". J.D.LC.
God has nothing to do with it.some want to give god credit,and othes say it is divine retribution.it's just life,and us human beings have to do the best we can and help each other.
Katrina was a terrible tragedy and Americans acted insanely. But in many ways we are kind and considerate like the Japanese. During 9/11, people descending the narrow staircase in the north tower from many floors above, were quiet, disciplined and kind. Even though death was burning just above their heads and the south tower had already come down, nobody jumped the line or pushed anyone out of the way. People carried those who could not walk. Our citizens handed bottles of water to firefighters and police who were climbing the stairs (many to their deaths) beside them. For those terrible, tragic moments, Americans demonstrated selflessness and grace, and for that I am proud to be an American.
See my earlier reply to Robert regarding the Nashville floods.
During, and several days in the aftermath of Katrina-there were no firemen to handout water to/, as there were no firemen, period! No one to lead stranded AMERICAN citizens to safe ground/no policemen to guide them to shelter. No, just 10 feet of dirty, chemical polluted, gator/snake infested, water. Yeah, I can see where you would expect them to be like you. BTW, while 9/11 was an unfortunate event that took out two buildings, Katrina was an unfortunate event that took out half of a city. Get a grip and get over yourself!
There's been a lot said on various forums and articles lately that seem to admire the Japanese' grace and their goodwill toward those around them, etc. Before we go fawning all over them, please remember that while Japan may care very much for Japanese, this sense of responsibility evidently does not extend to other nations or what they do abroad. While Japan may be lacking in confidence for the moment, we have seen what their confidence translates into a sense of superiority. This explains the reason that Japan is still resented in many countries around Asia for not even apologizing for things like:
- Killing more Chinese alone than Hitler killed Jews during WWII.
- The Nanking massacre:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre
- Occupation of Korea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_under_Japanese_rule (see japanese brutality)
- Occupation of Indonesia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_Indonesia
etc. etc.
So while we do need to help the people of Japan at this time. Let's not get carried away with our admiration for their graceful, humble, peace loving culture. They're just as blood thirsty, as a culture, as everyone else.
How long will it take you to forget what your grandpa did with your grandmom.Look forward & help people in trouble.
You're saying that if someone raped and killed your grandparents, stole their money, burned down their home, and never apologized about it, you would just someday be ok with that? I'm all for helping people in need but what you're saying doesn't make sense.
The alternative is to let your hatred for them fester until it results in more death and violence...
There are no other alternatives? You mean you can't be civilized to them and help when needed and yet still not revere them? It's one thing to be decent human beings and help people who need it. It's another to pretend that you're ok with those people never being sorry for the things they did.
I agree with you from a historical perspective. Even today, their sense of superiority is still evident. Today, Japan only has a self-defense force (equivalent to the National Guard in the USA). The USA is their military because the Japanese believed that the Hiroshima & Nagasaki tragedies were punishment for their erroneous imperialistic & conquering ways. Although I'm American, I have Chinese ancestry who also suffered during the Japanese invasions and occupations. One relative's home was obliterated in a Japanese bombing. However, that does not change my viewpoint that they are the most polite, responsible, and duty-bound society even if it only applies internally to their own society.
See my earlier reply to Robert regarding the Nashville floods.
I agree that they are polite and responsible to each other. I didn't say otherwise. What I'm saying is that we shouldn't suddenly think they're a wonderful culture that we should all aspire to become. Certainly every culture has its strengths which we should look up to, but Japan has a terribly dark side as well.
Good job, Negative Nancy. Inferiority complex much? Can't have something good pointed out without trying to point out something bad? Why don't you make like a tree and get outta here.
All I can say is God help the USA if we ever had a massive catastrophe effecting most of the country, needed help from other countries and people started counting up all our past transgressions! Would be interesting to see what would happen then.
I agree. Every country has done some rotten stuff. But, while we should definitely help those who are hurting, I don't think that means we should begin talking about them as if their people and culture are perfect.
Just want to say u r in my prayers each day and and thank you for for showing the class that you are with all the adversary thats been put in your path may Allah bless you
This is not just calm. This is also cold. While maybe thousands standing in line to get rationed food and water. All foods have to stocked by citizens as far as Kagoshima. In 2008 China's Sichuan earthquake you will see some chaos (no looting) as 10000s of Chinese volunteers jammed the road trying to get to the epicentre to rescue total strangers, You will not see this in Japan, everyone will just calmly sweap the shelves of Supermarkets and leave the North-Eastern Japanese in cold and hunger.
Which is better? Your choice.
... Japan... Bigot
GFYITA. Why are you even there....
WE ARE WITH YOU ALWAYS
At this time, we specially pray for our brothers and sisters who have died in Japan from the earthquake and Tsunami. Myth says that the Japan was made by a sword; They say that the old gods dipped a cold blade into the ocean and when they pulled it out, four perfect drops fell back into the sea and these drops became the islands of Japan;but we believe that Japan was made by a handfull of BRAVE men and women.
Beneath their economic prosperity and high standards of living, we detect a deep reservoir of hardship, passion for perfection and a shared sense of unity even in the face of tragedy.
Kami sama ga mamoru youni- YUUKI O DASHITE; which means
"May god bless Japan" "Be brave !"
For this we pray and sing.
GOO GOO GA GOOEEY!
BTW. In 2008, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao was on site the very next day while the after-shocks were still strong, he sit right next to a half buried little girl, encourged her to hold on. You will not see this in Japan, you will lso not see a neighbour rushes in to a collapsed home to carry people out, live or dead. Japanese PM just sits in his office and gives orders, Japanese Amry will just bail out as radiation gets too high (hello soldier!!!), Japanese volunteers will just stand by waiting for government orders....This is the foundamental difference between Chinese and Japanese. Japanese is cold, to enemies, to loved ones, even to themselves. But I am not sure coldness is really a great thing right at this moment.
No one in East Asian culture will loot after an natural disaster, regardless you are Chinese/Korean/Japanese. People are considered the worst sort (even by themselves) and will not be accepted by any community. That may be an eye openner to westerners but just a norm for us.
...bull...
Kjcube has a japanese fetish.
What about the Japanese Red Cross and Army working tirelessly to try and get to these people despite almost impossible travel conditions? They are not leaving them for dead – quite the contrary. You do realize that a tsunami also hit here, flooding roads and almost literally spreading entire buildings across pathways, which did NOT happen in China. It is extremely dangerous to attempt travel to that area (and as a result out of it, too) and they are doing the best they can to help people get out of there. Their efforts to get help to that area should be commended, as should the many donations, artistic contributions, and patience from the rest of Japan.
There are many other things that are worth mention – one example is that many music companies and other industries delayed their releases until late April JUST so that the postal services can concentrate on getting food and essentials delivered, not because they were at all personally affected. They gave up their potential profits to delegate services to where they needed to be. You would rarely see this in the US.
Trying to push Chinese superiority at a time like this is a disgusting affront to their hard work.
I am not the one who mentioned China first. The author did, he/she is the one who tried to sneak a Japanese superiority over Chinese. IMHO this is pretty pathetic: showboating the nation's greatness while the disaster is still going on – even the communist China does not do that.
Can we bring all of them here?? And ship the angry extremist muslims over there to clean up the mess. I love the humble and respectful people of Japan. I am a white polite canadian who loves her country.
They were here, and I believe white polite Canadians round them up and send them to concentration camps after Pearl Harbour.
Haha, true story! Amazing how times have changed. America shouldn't have been occupying the nation of Hawaii in the 1st place! America is like a nosey neighbor.
Touche! Smartest comeback I've read on here today. Conveniently selective memories are an interesting thing.
About the Japanese, their dignity, strength and grace in the face of such overwhelming tragedy is inspiring. Acknowledging that doesn't change the fact of their history in certain countries, but it seems a little crass to keep harping on those events at a time like this.
What a wonderful idea !!!!!
ARE YOU PRETARDO
Guatonamo bay has a lot of crazies who love explosives. Why waste japanese lives. Send them over to fix the nuke plant....instead of costing taxpayers dollars
Hmmmmm...........
Well It's nice to see the people of Japan is makeing it thru these tough times may god bless them all!
Lets face it, the only time a mass disaster or event turns into a complete joke of human morality is when there are black people involved. And all the examples listed above are examples of that. Katrina, had lots of blacks and had lots of uncivilized chaos. in regards to the mention of 9/11, that was in the financial district of ny, not so many blacks.
This list could go on forever, the rodney king riots in LA, the earthquakes in LA, even when the raiders went to the playoffs and then the supper bowl; black people tore appart their own beloved- crap hole of a town- Oakland.
The Japanese society will come through this great problem. They will rebuild and move forward in life. The economic issues that face Japan are now here on our shores in the US. The fact is that countries such as the US, Japan have taken production to Red Communist China whereas they can reap higher profit margins based on the labor of slaves. US/Japan and other capitalistic countries must change trade policies or continue to the race to the bottom. Look at Germany which maybe in the best economic shape in the entire world... The Germans do NOT reward company leaders for offshoring their manufacturing. Today they are enjoying the rewards as a nation NOT just a few rich people watching everybody else scramble for scrapes at the table.
Nature has a way to control issues such as over population, abuse and destruction of the environment and its occupants. Japan got a reality check. Plenty more of these conditions going on other parts of the world. Enjoy every beautiful and peaceful day since it may be your last. Basic wisdom.
Maybe people will condemn me saying this – but don't forget that this nation of calm, orderly, peaceful people is the same people who slaugthered, raped and savaged innocent and defenseless people throughout much of Asia, china in particular, just a few decades ago. And Japan, as a nation, has not really shown remorse over that aggression.
Germans too have a bad seed in them. However, in times of tragedy one must overlook that flaw and show compassion just as one cannot withhold food to a mean dog.
Just as one cannot withhold food from a mean dog? Interesting analogy. I think it's kind of mean to call the japanese mean dogs though.
Why do all these people here keep saying that they are praying for the people of Japan? If there is a god, then this was an "Act of God" since god knows everything and controls everything.
Why would you pray to a malevolent, crazy god to help those whom he has just slaughtered or harmed? After all, he caused this if he really is in control of the universe. Further, he knew he was going to do it long before it happened. What kind of a god is that? God thinking to himself: "Let's see, I'm bored today, so I think I'll murder a few thousand innocent Japanese. While I'm at it, I think I'll maime a few thousand more, and create havoc in a few of their cities. An earthquake isn't good enough...what else can I do today? I know! How about a giant wave of water to really screw them over! Ahhh...isn't being god fun?
Wake up religious zealots...religion is a fairy tale.
...Theosidies... read them if that's your only argument, Because as it stands its not very good.
Haha, it is nice to see how people other human beings, can have compassion for others. No matter what the race. Reading these blogs, most of the negative reactions are from Americans. Just think, one day you will need some compassion. But when its not their you will once again be angry its a whole foolish cycle. Anger and violence.
There is ONLY ONE WAY to put an to END all global natural disasters
that come upon us and ONLY ONE WAY to END all WARS and
the creation and accumulation of nuclear weapons which
brings DESTRUCTION upon mankind.
PLEASE!
Let us all, I am speaking to EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD,
LEARN AND PRACTICE APPLYING the easy to use
PRINCIPALS found and taught to us in the:
"PEACEFUL SOLUTION CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM" found at
PEACEFULSOLUTION.ORG and
YAHWEH.COM
YISRAYLHAWKINS.COM
PLEASE!
It's the only way to TRUE LASTING PEACE and because it WORKS!
It will bring an end to all WARS among nations. The Natural Disasters also will eventually
stop coming upon us because we have LEARNED TO CONSISTENTLY APPLY
in our daily interactions the EASY to UNDERSTAND PRINCIPALS found in:
"THE PEACEFUL SOLUTION CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM" -PSCEP
WHICH TEACHES us in easy detail how to shop bring harm to OURSELVES AND OTHERS.
THIS IS WHAT TRUE LOVE IS ALL ABOUT...
Natural disasters are just that: natural. I dont know who said but it goes something like" as long as there are men,(human beings) there will be wars"...
Dear Ayako,
As so many people reading and watching the news unfolding daily about the environmental disaster in Japan, I am impressed by the how the average Japanese react to calamity and disaster with calm, poise and a general acceptance of fate, yet never lose hope for better days to come. We should emulate the fact that people can be brought up to respect and have reverence for their elderly, for another person's mental and spiritual privacy, for other people's posessions, for social status and community, like the Japanese are taught to do, and not violate those under any circumstances. In many Western countries, including US, too much emphasis is placed on individual achievements and values, and not enough on community wellbeing and progress, that is why there will be people that will loot and victimize others in times of tragedy because they are not taught of belonging to the community and contributing to it. It is sad, that so many European and US comemntators are astonished at the order and lack of violence and looting in Japan's disaster areas. Why? Please think of it-the Japanese cherish family values especially which helps to consolidate bonds, raise children with a greater sense of duty, respect and identity with their elders and ancestors, and contributing to society-that is why, in shelters for example, there is probably a greater sense of a "family" unity, mutual support and respect. Being polite is a virtue and a cultural trait in Japanese society that is part of their dentity and part of the social etiquette-it definitelly helps to introduce a sense of morality and norms of behaviour that helps to unify and maintain order in society, especially in times of tragedy. It also helps to maintain a sense of order in dire situations for the mutual benefit of all concerned. In US for example, we need more of a similar attitute towards each other-more respect towards our elders, our educators, our families and our communities to name a few, where being polite is part of being human and civil and nota only business approach. I am perhaps old fasioned, but I was brought up by my parents to curtsy before a senior person, when I was a child!
I sincerely hope that the Japanese will be able to resume again their lives and overcome the present calamity, and bring smiles back to their faces soon enough. Thank you.
There is ONLY ONE WAY to put an to END all global natural disasters
that come upon us and ONLY ONE WAY to END all WARS and
the creation and accumulation of nuclear weapons which
brings DESTRUCTION upon mankind.
PLEASE!
Let us all, I am speaking to EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD,
LEARN AND PRACTICE APPLYING the easy to use
PRINCIPALS found and taught to us in the:
"PEACEFUL SOLUTION CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM" found at
PEACEFULSOLUTION.ORG and
YAHWEH.COM
YISRAYLHAWKINS.COM
PLEASE!
It's the only way to TRUE LASTING PEACE and because it WORKS!
It will bring an end to all WARS among nations. The Natural Disasters also will eventually
stop coming upon us because we have LEARNED TO CONSISTENTLY APPLY
in our daily interactions the EASY to UNDERSTAND PRINCIPALS found in:
"THE PEACEFUL SOLUTION CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM" -PSCEP
WHICH TEACHES us in easy detail how to STOP bringing harm to OURSELVES AND OTHERS.
THIS IS WHAT TRUE LOVE IS ALL ABOUT...
Take the penis out of you mouth. For God sakes, have the thing surgically removed if necessary. You sound like a crap salesman with a mouthful of samples.
I love your screen name. Perfectly true.
You know the greatest thing about Japan? It's lack of negroids and beaners. It doesn't have to deal with subhuman animals like we saw in katrina.
I hate to say it, but this is true.
At least the beaners actually work in america. Whereas the blacks just sit around reproducing while waiting on welfare checks and ebt cards. Lol.
Maybe you should go there... I saw a nice spot for people who think like you right next to a nuclear reactor on CNN...
"I like it. Very well put!"
Same thing with all those Euro-trash descendents. The fact is that the descendents of those water-logged Euro-trash are pretty much at the bottom of the heap as spreaders of disease (small-pox, typhoid fever, gonorrhea, syphilis, etc.), as barbarians who only learned to bathe regularly or eat with something other than their hands in the last 50 years and progenitors of such gutter trash as NASCAR, reality TV, horribly mutated forms of Christianity (that have no resemblance to what Rabbi Jesus actually taught), deep fried Twinkies and no talent bleach blond entertainers like Brittany Spears…Obviously you agree with me as we Native Americans have more in common with the noble Japanese than all those Euro-trash descendents combined!
...nope, you pretty much have everything in common with the racists who stole your land, and the racists who instigated the Nanking massacre, and the ones who carried out the holocaust, and the ones who committed the Rwandan genocide. They just weren't quite as pathetically lazy as you and actually acted on their convictions ... hatred knows no boundaries bigot.
Plenty of comments on how Japan getting their dues for all the violence they inflicted on others. And just how did the the United States come about? We killed, raped, stole, and grabbed the land from the native Americans. We just did it using Gods name as some kind of badge of authority and entitlement.
Humans will always use any justification necessary to force their own agenda on others, be it peace, democracy, religion, dictatorship, business, or any other thing necessary to control others. When we use up the natural resources in this country, deplete the fisheries, spoil the land, and over-populate every inch of it, we will be in the same boat as every other once great nation, overtaken by invaders, and the cycle will start again.
You sound like a typical mindless, weak, pale, scared, and pathetic excuse for a man. Youre probably black too.
I might be offened by this if i wasn't, an intelligent, repectful, educated, young Black man, with a huge penis, no children and without a criminal record....
Well said! The same thing goes for all those Euro-trash descendents. The fact is that the descendents of those water-logged Euro-trash are pretty much at the bottom of the heap as spreaders of disease (small-pox, typhoid fever, gonorrhea, syphilis, etc.), as barbarians who only learned to bathe regularly or eat with something other than their hands in the last 50 years and progenitors of such gutter trash as NASCAR, reality TV, horribly mutated forms of Christianity (that have no resemblance to what Rabbi Jesus actually taught), deep fried Twinkies and no talent bleach blond entertainers like Brittany Spears…Obviously you agree with me as we Native Americans have more in common with the noble Japanese than all those Euro-trash descendents combined!
"ever since the dawn of man , when our ancestors first learned the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything from God, to justice, to simple psychotic rage..." -Ron Pearleman Fallout 3 prolouge
Wonderful piece. If I might add one difference between Japan and west is their underlying religion shinto (budhism is just layered on top) has more of a "world"/natural view. Here in the west we rely on man-made constructs of a single god who punishes sinners but could act to protect its believers. There is no single god in shinto so people have to rely on their own efforts.
Susan, WILL YOU MARRY ME?!
That's good for them to be acting like that...maybe we(USA) can learn alittle something from them, instead of acting like some little brats when the sh*t hits the fan.
I have long admired and appreciated the manners and sense of respect that permeates Asian cultures. When I was teaching college some years back, I had newly arrived students who would work until the last minute on a test and then present their work to me with a bow. One day, as I was leaving the building, an Asian student I didn't even know saw me coming and rushed to open the door for me. She bowed as I went by. Let's hope some of their culture rubs off on the native-born American culture.
Japan is a wonderful country with exemplary citizens. Their actions during this crisis should be respected. Recognize it for what it is worth without making derogatory comments. There are reasons why people react. Suppose if you are in a middle of a crisis and you have faith in your government will come to your aid. The general mood will be more cooperative due to reduced fear levels. On the other hand, increase the fear level add to that, panic and watch out. Emotions run high with fear, unfortunately the fear factor is well known and abused by many people in power. Fear is like a cattle prod to move the masses, and in the hands of power can be very effective.
"Suppose if you are in a middle of a crisis and you have faith in your government will come to your aid"-
Sincerely,
Katrina Victims
In the last couple of decades, self-confidence has increasingly been in short supply in Japan. Since its postwar economic bubble burst in 1991, hope for renewed economic growth and political reform have been repeatedly shut off by factional infighting and a lack of political leadership. The country’s senior-heavy demography and a long string of shortsighted, populist policy decisions piled up Japan’s public debt to around 200% of GDP, which in turn brought on stagnation and high unemployment, especially among the young.
This disaster might just pull them out of the funk. Nothing like a crisis to bring people together as a whole.
in the event of having to evacuate millions of people from japan, i am all for having them immigrating to the US, maybe this country would become more civilized, just don't let them build more nuclear plants here
If the Japs come herre, they should bring their high tech companies and jobs with them.
Sad but true. And they are always the 1st to cry racism if they dont get what they want right away. Blacks are the reason for 75% of the crimes in the US. Of course blacks wont admit it. They like to blame everyone else but themselves for being at the bottom of pretty much everything except rap, NBA and NFL. What a legacy.
Rap was taken over by eminem, the nba is still owned whites, an all the polynesians are taking over the nfl.
Really? I won't call you a racist (the word has lost its sting from being applied to so many people like you) because, to call you a racist would be demeaning to all the good racists of the world!
Let your people get kidnapped/murdered/raped/rounded up/shipped halfway around God's Earth/stripped of their religion/traditions/family structures/land/language/etc., and see how it feels.
Thanks for the entertainment though!
We are talking about the Japanese. What are you talking about? What do African Americans have to do with the Tsunami and the Japanese handling of the situation. Focus on subject.
They have already begun cleanup, while victims of katrina are still waiting on someone else to do it for them.
This catastrophe happened b/c Mother Nature has had it....She has been firing warning shots for years and noone is listening. She has everyone's attention now! Love & light goes out to the people of Japan. Mother nature has decided to take her frustration out on a country that will rebound with an over abundance of honor & respect. Hopefully the rest of the world has decided to start tuning in.
Thank you Japan.
Your sacrifice is very great, but you are teaching the world an incredible lesson in how to respond to emergencies. In your time of great suffering you show us all how to be.
Well said. I have studied and followed Japan and its culture for more than 35 years, and have often found it difficult to explain to others what it is that has drawn me to Japan and its people for so many years. It’s not better. They have their own share of problems and weaknesses as a people, but they have wonderful qualities that we can learn from that would improve the quality of our own lives. The stories you relate in your article are good examples of the characteristics of Japan and the Japanese as a culture that should be admired and respected and we would do well to emulate. I feel even more sorry for the people that have responded in anger, self-righteousness and fear to your article, unable to see and learn the extraordinary courage, strength and forbearance being demonstrated by the Japanese people
I am shocked at how ignorant the world is of the behavior of the Japanese, ask any foreigner who has been here (tokyo) a long time like me, 40 years, and they'll tell you the Japanese are so anal retentive, educated never to think for themselves
they cannot do anything but go along with whatever everyone else is doing. thousands are injured /killed annually because they insist on 'bowing' even on crowded streets, In this article an old fellow is praised for bowing to accept a ball of rice, what if there were freezing dying people lined up behind him waiting to enter he facility but his stopping to bow blocked the doorway? I've seen it thousands of times, no brains, only rotely memorized responsive behaviors. I was at Meguro station yesterday with my 2 babies and hands chock full of bags, got a cell call from airlines, there were 4 empty seats at counter
so I sat for a second in one to jot down urgent flight information, An anal clerk cameup and said the seats were only for those purchasing a ticket!! The Japanese teacher who stopped to turn off light is another exmample, he did this not out of consideration but out of an anal pattern so deep he could not have done otherwise. Wake up world, learn more.
I you hate Japan so much why do you live there? 40 years and you still stay? WHy, why why?????????
You forget back in the states you probably would of got jacked for your seat. Quit complaining that people have manners sheeze. I mean some people are never freaking happy.
In the face of unimaginable horror, the people of Japan has set an example for the rest of the world on how to conduct ourselves in a dire emergency. My highest respects, love and prayers go out to the people of Japan for their deep sense humanity and high civility in the midst of great loss, fear and hunger. The Tibetan people in diaspora, around the world, are gathering to pray for the great nation and people of Japan.
I have been to Japan and can say this doesn't supprize me. The people of Japan are the nicest I have ever encountered. I pray for all of them.
So true. My brother has lived in Japan for 15 years, has a beautiful young japanese family, and this is what he said to me last Friday... Don't worry or pray for us we're fine, pray for those who they can't find. That's an American who obviously has gained some of the culture and outlook of Japan. I love you dearly Ian and you have taught me something..
This is a pathetic attempt to "spin" the news about Japan's mulitiple (not one) catastrophic events: Mega quake, tsunami, and nuclear power plants basically out of control. Why is this spin necessary? Because the power elite KNOW that much worse than this is on the horizon, world wide. They want YOU to think there is a silver lining to such catastrophes when basically there is none!
The difference between the US and Japan is that the Japanese people are driven by honor, committment, and accoutability. Unfortunately most of us in the US we are solely driven by the almighty dollar. We see tragedies as something to explote for finacial gain. I have been to Japan on more than one occassion. The people are kind, gracious, generous, and forgiving to a fault. They will give you the shirts off their backs. We in the US should learn a few things from the Japanese people and how they handle themeselves in these times. I do not think we would handle it the same. They are the first to help and the whole world needs to step up and help them get back on their feet again. They are perhaps our greatest friend. Japan is a Great nation and the Japanese people are a great people. God Bless them all and may they emerge even stronger from this great tragedy.
The Japanese are our asian family as far as I am concerned, we need to help them as much as we can.
The difference between the US and Japan is that the Japanese people are driven by honor, committment, and accountability. Unfortunately most of us in the US are solely driven by the almighty dollar. We see tragedies as something to explote for financial gain. I have been to Japan on more than one occassion. The people are kind, gracious, generous, and forgiving to a fault. They will give you the shirts off their backs. We in the US should learn a few things from the Japanese people and how they handle themeselves in these times. I do not think we would handle it the same. They are the first to help and the whole world needs to step up and help them get back on their feet again. They are perhaps our greatest friend. Japan is a Great nation and the Japanese people are a great people. God Bless them all and may they emerge even stronger from this great tragedy.
Who gave you people permission to include the rest of us in your feelings of self loathing. "most" of us are NOT "solely driven by the almighty dollar".
Yes! We must worship almighty Japan! They are better than we are!
Japan is our greatest friend? No...I think you mean the UK. Japan is our greatest source of reliable cars and fun electronics.
Every culture has its problems but great respect for the people to not descend into social chaos when the world around them has crumbled.
How would Americans act in a crisis? Are you serious? Americans are always quick to respond whenever there is a crisis, here and abroad. Sure we have people who try to capitalize during times of hardship and suffering, but they are the minority. Anyway I feel sorry for them, because they really believe happiness is found in getting more stuff, while the people who are helping know where true happiness is found-and that is in giving.
Beth I totally agree that we always help other countries, but not sure how we would react if it was happening to us right now
Since the end of WWII, Japan has always been a Kicka** partner of the U.S. We gotta help them rebuild ASAP and keep them our great friends. The behavior of the Japanese is great. I am totally embarrassed at how quickly Americans turn into savages in situations of adversity. Sometimes, like 9/11 we can rise up, but too many times, like Katrina, we turn into whiners or worse- looters/thugs. Again, great respect to Japan and wishes for a speedy recovery from all this disaster.
Tragedy seems to bring out the best in people sometimes, and even Americans can be kind to one another and care for one another in a time of crisis. What makes me so sad is the way we treat one another in the average day. The anonymity of our car or computer bring out truly awful intolerance, disrespect, and rudeness. I wish we could care about and respect each other on a daily basis, not just during troubled times.
How true you are
ALL THE HATE FILLED PEOPLE THAT POST NEED TO REALIZE THAT THE BLACK-WHITE DIFFERENCES IN CRIME ARE NON-FACTORS IN SUCH A CRISIS AS THE ONE IN JAPAN, NOW IN YOU GAVE OUT FREE CRACK BLACKS MIGHT GET A LITTLE CRAZY AND THE WHITE SIDE OF THE COIN? WELL PUT IN CHILD PORN WITH LITTLE BOYS YOU WHITE MEN WOULD GO CRAZY FROM LUST YOU SICK F%&$S SO ALL PEOPLE HAVE THEIR PROBLEMS BUT A WELL EDUCATED RICH WHITE BOY ON HIS OVERSEAS SEX TOUR IS MUCH MORE OF A SUB-HUMAN POS THAN SOME VIOLENT NIG%&$ ON CRACK
Talk about hate filled geez
Over here in America we should convert to Buddhism or Atheism and just be more decent. You can't do what you can't do. Don't expect real miracles. If it seems like a miracle accept it is only random luck. If you look History it is obvious there is no intervening caring God, and I think this disaster is additional proof of that. The reality is our actual existence and that we live in a limited environment and have to share resources and think ahead a little. Think community. Be intelligent and sensitive to others. It seems these realizations are ingrained more in some cultures than in others. But anyone can be a savage. The Japanese can be like savages as well like anyone else (for example how they treated American prisoners in WWII – even we'd consider it extremely barbaric and cruel beyond words). America is constantly under attack by the knowitalls of Europe and Middle East so sometimes I feel defensive but there are many cultures over here. Not just one. But underneath all these cultures in the world we are all human beings. Sometimes I feel there is a little too much selfish materialism and ego whenever the possibilty exists, and not enough humility (sense of community). But I think that can be said about all humans. No one is all good or all bad – but I think a good rule is to try for 51% good. Can you imagine a world where everyone was at least half decent?
I don't need religion to teach me right from wrong.
Yes we are all human beings, but culture has a lot to do with it. If respect, committment, honor, and accountability are part of your culture (as in Japan) you have a head start.
I personally thank god the whole world is not as full of hatred as some of you people.
Contrary to your delusions or perhaps desires, the "American Culture" is not to rape, pillage and loot. It was something done by a few degenerates and even fewer desperate people who had NOTHING to start with and then made some bad choices. If you want to consider YOURSELF part of that "culture" be my guest, just keep your bad opinion of YOURSELF to yourself and don't include the rest of us.
The whole idea of the post was that we need to learn something from the Japanese and the way they handle situations. If you think you are perfect and the culture in the US is perfect and you can not learn then I give up and you are hopeless. No words!!
You do not see any looting or violance amoung the japanese people after the massive earthquake and devastating tsunami. Unlike here is America where looting and violance were all over the place after hurican kitrina or any other major national distraster.
I can't even begin to imagine the level of devastation left behind after earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and freezing temperatures along with snow and rain. Add in the possibility of radiation leaking from more than one nuclear facility and one wonders where you would even start to recover, let alone figure out how. I watched Alex Thompson's video this morning, where a tsunami wall failed, and the eeriest part is the absence of people amid the village ruins. Are they all just gone? And that was just one small area.
Having true grace under these conditions is amazing and your perspective here does give hope that the recovery will be equally so.
Lol white folks kill me. Inferiority and superiority complex all balled up inside – lmao! Fill in the blanks.
Not speaking about race speaking about the culture. Japanese is a culture not a race. Does everything have to devolve to race? Nobody owes anyone anything. You earn things like a living and respect. The Japanese people earned the world respect!!!
The world can learn from Japan's triumph and tragedy ! What a great example of a civilized society. My heart breaks out when I hear about corruption and spineless politics taking control over this country.
A competitor like this is worth more than a friend like China. Ha ha !!
Japan puts the spoiled lazy Americans to shame. They are civilized..we are not. Here ends the lesson. Wake up America
Yes! You are correct! Japan is the best! They are much better people than we are!
"Mexicans" are mostly Asian and White some have black. There are more "Whites" in Mexico than in America. Get over it. There are only 3 races. White/Black/Asian. Then you have Sub races. So stop throwing around the word beaner. There Asians. have some respect.
You sound like an idio... Stab yourself please.
Regardless of what all of you people think, a terrible tragedy has occurred and many PEOPLE (regardless of race or religion) have died or lost everything that they own. I wouldn't wish this on any country. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan. They did not deserve what happened to them, and I hope that in time they can recover as best as possible.
I lived in Japan for three years, and this behavior doesn't surprise me one bit. The Japanese have very strong social norms that are uniform throughout their country. The individual is not as important as the family/community/country. In times of crisis, they solidify.
Americans are much more individual by nature. In a crisis, there will be a lot more people looking out for #1 which leads to looting, violence, selfish behavior. There will be instances of people helping one another unselfishly, but there will also be those who will try to take advantage of others.
The grace, dignity, and honor with which the Japanese citizens have faced this tragedy is awe-inspiring. -Holly Hovore
Yes. We Americans would, and have, come together like they have. After the 9-11-01 attacks in New York the entire nation came together. There was an outpouring of donations and people from all over the country headed to New York to help in any way they could and, for the most part, we as a nation were united. The same occurred, although to a smaller extent, in New Orleans after Katrina.
Tragedy brings people together because it overcomes political and social boundaries.
God bless the Japanese people for coming so far as they have and to never give up. Just keep your head about you and things will turn around. You will see. They will manage this disaster and come out on top with better sea walls, better warning systems, and a safer society in the future because of it. Have confidence!
I hope Americans take a lesson from this. God forbid we have a disaster here like that.
The on thing that troubles me about this article is the claim they have disappeared the past few years off the world stage. They have struggled like many people, but as I work with Japanese companies every day, I disagree. They have remained int he top 5 economic powers ad the amount of business I do there alone would boggle the mind. I do not feel they have been away at all! But rest assured, Japan will come back bigger and better than ever. that is what they do best!
Calm and Collective..the Japanese show the honorable side of humanity...take a good look New Orleans.....this is how you should act during a crisis...oh Katrina Victims...how you embarrass me even more
Really Chris-funny how you would except foreigners over your own fellow Americans! I applaud the "survival tactics" of my fellow Louisianians. Japan (a nation) is receiving assistance from other countries in the wake of this unfortunate disaster. 9th Ward (a poor, urban blighted section of an AMERICAN city) residents couldn't even receive help from THEIR OWN government! OK Chris, let's put you in the same situation, see your behavior, and compare it to Katrina VICTIMS. My money's on the great people of New Orleans!
All this WW II stuff-of course those atrocities are unforgettable. But all the ones who "did it" are either dead or beyond ancient. Issey Miyake did not "do it". Michael Schumacher did not "do it". Giorgio Armani did not "do it". We are 66 years past the Axis Powers. The citizens of these nations are not inclined to Fascism, war-mongering or genocide in 2011.
No need to ask where the new Job Market is these days. There'll be so much new construction, infrastructure and private building that they'll be pleading for workers. Time to brush up them resumes.
I just don't care.
I am tremendously impressed with the dignity of the Japanese people and I pray they recover quickly from this ghastly, ghastly trauma. God bless.
Very encouraged by the composure of the Jananese and their good conduct during these very trying times. Too bad other societies learn from them.
@davethecanuk
"Nuclear is the future… period!
It’s the only thing remotely close to being green that can satisfy our power requirements without suggesting ridiculous alternatives, such as us simply using less power… not gonna happen without devastating our economies and creating failed welfare states around the world.
Nuclear power is clean… yes I said clean, and it is safe… yes I also said safe, and it is only going to improve. Todays reactors and recycling processes eliminate almost all waste and their designs are far superior to these reactors which you seem intent on judging all by."
Finally – someone with common sense!
The point of the article was not to start a debate on nuclear energy. The point of the article is that the Japanese people have shown tremendous grace in the face of overwhelming tragedy, loss and fear. Instead of bashing each other, we should perhaps learn from the Japanese culture, and embrace the grace, patience and determination to work with instead of against each other that the Japanese are exhibiting.
@davethecanuk – just to clarify – the latter half of my comment was not in any way directed at you. My intention in mentioning your post was only to whole heartedly to agree with the view that nuclear energy is the future ...
I have been to Japan and I did not experience any discrimination even if I am an Asian.
Japanese do things in order. Japanese have the asian way of thinking that a person is part of the group and the greater group is imore important more than the individual need.
Unlike in the west, where people think superiorly and considers the need of the individual is more important than the group need. Many people in the west are also rude
I'm calling BS here kuz in less than 5 hours help arrive for the people in this area of Japan meanwhile it took 5 days for help to arrive in New Orleans let see if the japanese would have been so "civil" in that situation and FYI "looting" didn't start until day 3 in New Orleans
Please explain why "looting" and uncivalized behavior displayed by the black after sporting events and concerts in black populated areas. Even the marches organized after the ocsar grant case turned into complete chaos!
Just a FYI. Culturally speaking Japanese as well as a number of Asian countries pride themselves on self control and minimal emotionality. They are a collectivistic society which is very different from an individualistic society such as the U S. It is no surprise that the stoic and respectful manner of it's citizens are clearly showing but make no mistake just because they don't show it doesn't mean they are suffering terribly and are in need of assistance.
I agree. This is a galvanizing moment in Japan's history.
- A
Im sure some saw this report but I wanted to flag it again. They are truely special people. – A radio report said tsunami victims in crowded shelters were sharing scarce supplies of water and instant noodles without fights or complaints. One Japanese observer said it brought tears to his eyes to see an elderly evacuee bow deeply in appreciation as he received a single rice ball upon his arrival at a shelter.
Americans don't need to reassure the Japanese people's greatness. They are smart, hardworking people. It's just nations should get ready for more mega-size calamities as man-made pollution has covered the Earth.
I'm just concerned and hope no people in responsible positions would commit suicide after this crisis is over. May God save Japanese people.
You cannot compare a small island nation of homogenous people to one large, highly diverse and integrated metropolitan city as New Orleans. Americans value personal freeedoms and ethnic diversity which the Japanese DO NOT. It is far easier to corral and direct a group of homogenous people with identical cultural backgrounds, mores, and experoences than it is people of diverse backgrounds with different life experiences (prejudices, etc.). It's apples and oranges. BUT i sure as heck would rather be living in AMERICA with our individual freedoms and expressions. The Japanese are robotic sheep, plain and simple.
The comments by Ayako Doi on the current economic situation in Japan and the younger generation's lost of confidence and dreams is indeed worrying. Japan is not the only country that suffers from this syndrome. Many countries in the Western hemisphere are too. All these were due to the misjudgement and greed of these advanced economies. China would not have been able to get to where it is today if it had not been for companies in the western hemisphere. These companies sort to make more profits by transferring their manufatcuring, supply chain dependency and development to China over the last 2 decades. The amount of foreign reserves that China hold today is testimonial to this fact. Now the whole world is at the mercy of China for the bulk of their supplies. China kept its currency artifically low in order to continue in its quest to block any attempts by any countries to take away their advantage on the entire supply chain. If half the foreign companies currently operating in China were to more their operations back to their home country or else where, China will definitely have no choice but to slow down on their relentless quest to conquer the rest of the world. Without the much needed foreign reserves, it would be unable to increase its military might, nor they go around the world to buy up numerous companies. Other countries should not blame China for their rise to power, especially Europe and the US, because they are the very countries that helped to build up modern day China to what it is today. They only have themselves to blame for their shortsightedness and greed. And now their younger generation may have to pay for this grevious mistakes. However, not all is lost. If the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea start to reverse this situation now, they may still help to regain some of the losses. In turn this will help their own economy and in turn this will put life and hopes back into millions of people around the world. Then the young will dare to dream again, as there will be hope!
Japanese self control and social respondsibility are the byproducts of thousands of years of very harsh social pressures.
There is the same kind of social pressures inside most religiuons that can produce such selfless and simply wonderful examples of decent humean behavior.
However,the Japanese have earned their social habits through living in a social pressure cooker the likes few western people could stand for a day much less a lifetime.
There are reasons they act the way they do and the basic tenent is-"I m part of where i live and who I live next to."
The Japanese do not hold some sort of divine monopoly on decent behavior under duress.
In every society on this planet-when hell strikes-if you are looking-you can find examples of such decent and wonderful behavior.
Sadly,this lack of protest may guarantee that ,many Japnese citizens that could have left the contaminated areas did as they were told and sat as the radioactivity rained down on them,their homes and eventually into their lungs and it killed them.
IMAGES OF JAPAN ESTO ES JAPON IMAGENES
http://lugaresfavoritos.blogspot.com/2011/03/esto-es-japon-imagenes.html
IMAGES OF JAPAN ESTO ES JAPON IMAGENES
http://lugaresfavoritos.blogspot.com/2011/03/esto-es-japon-imagenes.html
IMAGES OF JAPAN ESTO ES JAPON IMAGENES
http://lugaresfavoritos.blogspot.com/2011/03/esto-es-japon-imagenes.html
http://WWW.LUGARESFAVORITOS.BLOGSPOT.COM
I have learned much from watching the people in Japan react to these very difficult calamities. They seem to rise to meet these tests and bow to the life in others. I am amazed by this, have not seen this before, and want to be more like that in my life and in my dealings with others. I wish the very best to all the people in Japan and will do whatever I can think of to help them. I see how hard it is for them to be on the world's stage in this terrible condition and yet even their humility has a certain grace to it. They are quite remarkable teachers.
I think we can all take a lesson from the Japanese here and also listen to the famous words of Spock off Star Trek 2. " The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few or the one." Let's stand as a United world and help those in need like New Zealand, Japan, and Haiti. Why so much hate in this world. We all bleed the same color. Let us join in hands for a common goal and move the human race forward. After coming from the generation who has known nothing but war and national debts and the modern technological marvels of today. I can only say that it would benefit us more to stand together than to be divided by a past that has taught us pain and suffering and by sticking to past hurts no one moves on. Like my father always said forgive those that hurt you and always put out your hand to those that hurt it for a better world.! Let us move forward with haste to a better and more loving world.
I have lived overseas for many years. I have struggled to find the Japanese identity over the years. Now I have discovered it. I am glad I was born a Japanese. Although I am living far from my home country, I would like to do my part as a Japanese by spreading some of the Japanese values that can help the world become a better place to live in.
Obviously none of you have seen "The First 48". I have yet to see one white killer on it. Stop looking into the past...and besides the way blacks act, not being racist, but its a wonder why we had them slaves. Look what they do with free will....
What an uplifting article! The Japanese response is a model of the utmost grace and forbearance in the face of unfathomable catastrophe. In addition, their culture has the most refined aesthetic, I feel, of all. My gut feeling is that they should evacuate the whole island, it was an insane mistake to put nuclear reactors on faults in an earthquake prone area full of volcanoes. Instead of using deadly technologies, we need to focus on sustainability.
Ivory Coast/Haiti/New Orleans/Rwanda-Dead BLACK bodies shown on TV killed by gunfire/under rubble/floating in flood waters/lying in bushes and floating down rivers, respectively.
New Zealand/Japan/Any tragedy not involving people of color-NO DEAD BODIES SHOWN ON TV.
Are you trying to show that there is no value/honor/worth if the skin has color to it. Are you trying to program children of color into thinking that they have no worth, just another black body?
"Things that make you go, HHHHHHMMMMMMM!!!!!"
STOP THE DOUBLE STANDARD CNN/ALL MEDIA OUTLETS!!!
People of color, DEAD OR ALIVE, deserve the same respect as all of GOD'S other children!
The way the Japanese people have handled this , says alot about them. If it would have happened in America there would have been Rioting in the streets and the sso called civil rights leaders would have been crying poor mouth.
lol, you've got people on here saying the Japanese are superior because they didn't loot...then saying they are polite, then the Taiwanese and Chinese and whoever comes on down and bam! let the racism start. Chinese are dogs and line cutters...Taiwanese are Japanese shills or Chinese bootlickers...the Chinese say the Japanese are foul mouthed.
Here's a thought...
take the Japanese and Chinese and Taiwanese and stick them in a flooded city with no food or water and confine them to a building with no where to sleep for a week and let's see what happens?
This should be interesting.
Whoever said homogeneous societies have it easier is right.
When you think everyone around you thinks like you, acts like you, and is as worthy as you...it's easy to stand aside and give.
If you think the people taking precedence are beneath you....well, all heck breaks loose.
Let's all stop idealizing people and take it for what it is.
Preach it! America Rules!
EarthQ @ tsunami that befell Japan is a human tragedy, for us to share & to learn & to be prepared. UN must set up a Relief & Rescue body for special missions worldwide. May God bless them at this time of trials & tribulations.
Salute all those who at least give their prayers for the Japanese at this time of trials 7 tribulations. UN must set up a disaster team for relief & rescue for future needs. Time is running out for humanity.
Another silver lining could be the increased use of robots for nuclear safety.
Japan is very advanced in robotics, and it is difficult to understand why, in this day and age, people have to risk their lives laying cooling pipes to the spent fuel pool.
If we can build Rovers to explore Mars and robots to disarm IEDs, why don't we have robots that can carry pipes, solder and do the necessary hookups, either autonomously or through telepresence ? Japan certainly has the technology to built such robots, and this whole crisis could have been averted.
Obviously you haven't seen the Terminator movies. They seem harmless at first till you give them artificial intelligence. Next thing you know, you're in a mental institution trying to convince the doctors you're sane while some liquid metal killing robot from the future is breaking in. Then just when you think it can't get worse, a younger android version of the former governed of California shows up saying "follow me if you want to live".. I would think twice about perpetuating a "robot future".
there is one thing that all you nay sayers are forgetting about all this. Japan was prepared for this!! They built their buildings for the sole purpose of withstanding an earthquake, they happen frequently, not of this magnitude but they still happen. The tsunami is rather unfortunate but they have typhoon season there, which at anytime could result in a tsunami, it's all expected, so of course they are going to be level headed about the aftermath. In the U.S. when a disaster happens, that's exactly what it is, a disaster because nobody here knows how they should react when something happens. They think that the end of the world is coming and they should suddenly live life the way they want and do what they want completly void of respect of the law or human nature for that matter.
Accumulation of information is a big one of the issues related to your case. Can you, as an American, say you know what to do if you are in a worst-case-scenario? Maybe kindergardeners have that somewhere circling in their heads, but nowadays we do not have the time to worry about safety. We have jobs, money problems, and do not even get me started on our social lives! (Facebook) Safety awareness, if not survival awareness is undeniably crucial! Nothing we do is relevant if we are not alive!
Japanese are arrogant and self-possessed. Years of atrocities they committed in neighboring countries may explain the God's wrath. They are the third largest economy and yet they almost never assume their share of responsibilities in world affairs. I doubt this natural disaster will change their atttitude. Their handling of nuclear disaster is amazingly amaturish. I never held Japanese in high regard and I am even more so now than before.
The Japanese has shown us how civilized people should behave. It should shame us when we look at the victims of Katrina and compare them to these people.
We could all learn something from the Japanese..........amazing!!!!
So many bizarre, hateful and/or off-topic comments from people following these articles. Pick any article on CNN and then follow the comments... It only takes about two posts for things to deteriorate badly. It makes me pray that the authors of these comments aren't a good representation of the American population... I'm beginning to fear otherwise. Thanks to those of you who read the actual article and then seem to have based your comments off of the content. It was actually a fairly inspiring story.
Japan, with its majority political party being one of the most rabidly conservative on earth (despite its name), outside of the religion-based ones in the middle east of course, gets hit by a large earthquake and tsunami, followed by radioactivity problems. Enough to drive a bible-thumper conservative to take up a little bit of earth science?
Having lived briefly in Japan I came to know the Japanese people as humble, honorable and polite. Having said that, I am still amazed by the order the people have maintained in light of this horrific tragedy. The rest of the world can certainly learn something if they only take the time to watch.
I want to move there!. I mean after seeing how they handle themselves how can you not be impressed with the Japanese people. Their strength along with their civility should be copied by every nation. Go Japan!
Hopes for a quick recovery of the spirit, people, and the country:
http://www.youtube.com/user/imenevazno2#p/a/u/1/kwqhd-b05Gg
The nuke plant in Japan seems so close to the water, have they thought about useing a fire tanker ship to cool down reactor #3??????
Ethics, Pride, Respect...these are values that should be found in every society, whether they be homogeneous or herterogeneous in their ethnicity. These values should be taught to our children and upheld by their society. We are responsible for our society. We need to take credit or fault. Yes I am an American.
*heterogeneous...sorry for any spelling errors.
In the recent days I continuously watching horrifying Double Disaster happened in Japan through various TV channels like CNN , BBC , AL JAZEERA TV etc.
The surprising thing that I had noticed even before I read your article that, I couldn't find a single protest from Japanese people. That is why I take your article very seriously.
If it happened in any were in the World especially in India, we can see series of protest from people , politicians, journalists and TV Channels. Hence we cannot open TV sets due to series of discussion.
I think that Indian Politicians and Journalists must learn a lot from the People of Japan.
Interestingly , now a days I seriously think about Nation Building and the contribution / role of each people for it. From this double disaster I can learn lot from it.
Hence I salute Japanese People and its Leaders for your greate Courage and Patience.
And I assured all the Japanese people that, I will continue my sincere pray in the coming weeks and months.
I takes this oppourtunity to appeal the people around the World especially to the various Religious Leaders across the Globe from Muslim , Christian, Hindu, Buddhist to Sikh etc., pray seriously for the sake of Japanese People in the coming weeks and months. And also wanted your communites around the world to do the same.
For that we can select next Three Fridays ( 25th of March, 1st of April and 8th of April ) as fasting pray days for Japanese People to quickly overcome from the Worlds worst Double Disaster.
I promise you all that I will do. I hope that others will do the same.
And finally, I bow head to Japanese People for your great patience. Our silent pray always with you, in ahead. Wish you all the best.
Jolly Mampilly,
India ,
Kerala.
N. B. :-
I don't have any idea how it is to inform it to various Religious Leaders and the people around the world. I hope that those who are read this will take it seriously, and inform it to the religious leaders and people around the world though various advertisements and e-mails.
The teachers of our military families' children on military bases in Japan are not being allowed to evacuate with everyone else! Schools on the bases are closed, but their jobs are being threatened if they leave on their own. Teachers are being given conflicting and confusing information several times per day. They deserve better than this!
Stars and Stripes are the only ones talking about this:
http://www.stripes.com/news/dodds-teachers-hired-in-the-u-s-told-to-stay-in-japan-1.138215
gandoman
What have we learned from the earthquake?????
The PLANET HAS A SOUL & Japan is being punished for slaughtering WHALES & DOLPHINS.
It is a fact, not a coincidence.
The Japanese deserve the same treatment they accord other intelligent species.
INJURY, SUFFERING, DEATH, DESTRUCTION OF HABITAT, FAMILY TORN APART!
That's what the Japanese do to WHALES & DOLPHINS & now they are reaping the rewards.
What goes around eventually comes around & it could not have happened at a better time!
Great article. Out of the ashes of tragedy rises a new hope and a vision for a brighter future. Perhaps one day, we will all learn, hopefully, it will not take a tragedy that affects us all that is the catalyst.
Great Articule! I know they will rise from this.
We make the chicken planks ALL the time! My husband just LOVES them. That and your strawberry cake.
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