http://vijaysrinivasan.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/10-things-to-emulate-from-japan/ This is amazing stuff. The Japanese showed real dignity in an enormous tragedy, unlike our own citizens in New Orleans after Katrina. We Americans obviously have some lessons to learn.
On a serious note, when you come from a culture where everyone is of the same, it's easier not to have racial differences (over generations) playing a role. You put a bunch of Chinese or Koreans in there, and it wouldn't surprise me if the results were different.
So the people in New Orleans looted stores after Katrina because of "racial differences"?? Give me a break. That's about the weakest excuse for lawless behavior I've ever heard.
Wow. The people in Katrina were looting grocery stores to fucking survive. They stole bottled water, shame on them! Probably a better thing to let the food rot and have people not eat for a week instead.
What's funny is they've showed Japanese people looting/gathering/foraging/finding whatever you want to call it they were doing it. They had to do it. News coverage showed them breaking into stores and trucks looking for food. They had to. Some groups of people were cut off from any aid or assistance for over a week. To say that Japanese people didn't loot is very naive. They did what they had to do in order to survive after a terrible disaster. And who was the first country on the scene to offer aid, help and supplies? Those fucking ugly, looting, criminal Americans. Damn I hate us.
That part is understandable. But that isn't what we are talking about. More about the pharmacies, electronics, and stuff like that to try and profit off the havoc.
Take a look at sly's post again. White people "find" stuff, black people "loot" it. And I don't know anything about people stealing electronics (for profit) in the aftermath. I think that's a myth.
Ah, but the Japanese are a male dominated culture. Their wimmin know their places! They honor their mother and father!
Wasn't he trying to show the bias/racial profiling of the media? (There were many huge stories on that picture, FYI) Just google Katrina looting electronics. You will find stories of people looting things they certainly don't need to survive, and you will also find essays and articles about the picture that Sly just posted.
The people in New Orleans stole tricycles, TVs, and all kinds of non-essential stuff. I personally saw video of a policewoman looting in a Wal-Mart. It was shameless behavior. It was very clear they were looting for the hell of it, not to "survive."
The people of New Orleans shouldn't have been there in the first place. It's amazing to me that the Bush Administration gets all the blame, when the Federal Government was third in line after the City of New Orleans (Mayor Nagin) and the State of Louisiana (Gov. Blanco). I still have that image of the drowned parking lot full of school buses and I get angry at the incompetence. And where was the National Guard? NO was such an amazing city with its own unique culture. I don't think it will ever return to how it was. If it does come back to its previous population, it will be decidedly more milquetoast than it was before.
I wonder if any bloggers from India wrote about the 10 things we can learn from Americans after 9/11? The dignity? The sacrifice? The bravery? The compassion? Nah, it's clear Americans respond horribly during disasters.
That is interesting to think about, especially given NY had about as much time to prep for the 9/11 attacks as Japan did for the earthquake. During a hurricane, cities are vacated, so it's probably easier to "loot" or rob. I don't think there were many people who were gone from Japan/the area impacted before the quake hit. Personally, I think it's pointless to compare how different groups react to natural disasters/attacks. It can have an unintended consequence of appearing racism by nature.
Look at how the British maintain a stiff upper lip during their tsunamis. I admire a culture that stays pompous during adversity. Control your emotions. As they said in WW1, ours is not to question why, ours is but to do and die. Stand up straight in line as you march off a cliff.
"Okay, here is the gameplan, lads. I want you all to stand in a line, shoulder to shoulder, and march through this field towards the Yanks. They will never know what hit them!"
