We could learn a lot from the Japanese...

[highland145]

They make up for it by their sense of entitlement....

Ooh, look. I am entitled to the clothing display in that locked store.:thumbsup:

 

[SlowSpyder]

Did the Japanese get $2k debit cards?

 

[chalmers]

The people starting to argue in this thread similiar to the comparisons made to Americans by the OP. Angry people love to argue and stir up trouble. Calm polite people generally don't. You can see examples of both in here, and it only took 2 pages.

 

[darkxshade]

I think at its core, it's about respect. The Japanese respect each other, that's all there is to it. It's just that simple. You can spend all day arguing about history and make comparisons all you like but in the end, we are still assholes to each other all the time and like to justify if by explaining it away with whatever reasons we can come up with. So what if we *arguably* had it worse historically, we don't do shit about it. Meanwhile having been devastated by WWII and now this, they take their hits and don't whine about it. I admire them.

 

[Ricemarine]

Not exactly. Individualism is highly discouraged by the Japanese society. So it is more of a hive mind if you will. It is more stable, yet it is also stagnant and less innovative.

There is a price to be paid no matter what kind of society you have.

One thing USA is lacking a lot though is personal responsibility.

QFT. The average Japanese would have been disciplined enough where through effort they can easily make things we never thought we could.

Conformity is the keyword that I think bests represents their society however. If a person does not conform, they'll be considered an outcast and be left in the dust. But usually, other people will have a say and show them the right way. "Peer pressure?"

I think stability does have a cost to them however. About 50% of college graduates actually get job offers (the other 50% delay graduation to remain competitive) and it's getting lower. The reason for the low percentage is because with the way the hierarchy works, the older people get better jobs and get to better maintain them. So, since the hierarchy is oriented towards the older people (they stay longer too), it leaves fewer and fewer jobs for the young college graduates.

 

[zerocool84]

It's because of all the sava......err low income people in the bad areas that riot or loot. They did it in LA, New York, New Orleans when things happened. It probably won't happen in other areas.

Japanese are too polite and structured to do anything like that. It's how they're raised.