in the way the Japanese are dealing with their tragedy when compared to New Orleans and Haiti behaved after theirs?

I actually just read an article this afternoon discussing this very topic. Then of course the discussion afterward by others who had read the article as well. It was interesting, but I'm not sure what to think. Some said it had to do with their cultural upbringing, but also that the policing is very strict, so fear is a factor as well. Also, apparently there is quite a mob presence in Japan. Who knew? And although they are criminals themselves, they have no tolerance for theft. It was interesting and enlightening. I think it was on msn.com.

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Melissa

Got lost one time(pre-hurricane) in N.O. looking for a gas station when traveling through the state....HOLY HELL! That was one scary ass city!!!!!!!!!! I'm surprised I'm still alive to tell about it!

I wonder if there is much left / worth looting?

Maybe there is hope out there in our world that people can be mostly decent and respectful. It sure isn't a pleasant thing after a disaster here in the states to read the reports or see it on tv. It is downright sickening. It is also downright disgusting to know law enforcement has to monitor who come and goes in a devastated area by id to try and cut down the amount of looting.

I believe it's part of the entitlement, giveme attitude we've cultivated so artfully here.

dl

That's interesting, Melissa. I hadn't read that - may have to go looking for it @ MSN!

I have a friend whose mother is Japanese, and remember her talking about an uncle who had a lung disease (I think! Might have been cancer...) and was dying. The family knew of his condition, but he did not know and would not be told. That seemed so, so odd to me - like he had a right to know about his own health! But my friend said that is how it is done in Japan. She said they are very disciplined and private and orderly people who have a cultural structure in which the family members were expected to privately carry such knowledge without emotion.

I don't know much about Japanese culture, but that always stuck with me.

It is just fascinating to me that ... well, for one, when told to evacuate, they did. Not everyplace got warning, but the places that did by and large were empty of people. So many people refused to leave N.O. under similar circumstances, and then were angry that help was not coming fast enough. The Japanese don't seem to be blaming others for being too slow.

The looting and the crime that took place in NO, and issues like rape that were so prevalent in Haiti post-quake seem to be non-existent in Japan.

We've been going through a John Rosemond book in a parenting class at church. I hadn't thought of him for years. I used to read parenting stuff when our kids were small, but we've been on auto-pilot for several years. But the book we are going through (Parenting By the Book) has really reinforced to me that in America, we are instilling the wrong values. We don't teach self-reliance, respect, resourcefulness, and responsibility. We instead stress academic and/or athletic achievement, *being* the best at whatever (first in the class, making varsity, etc.). Back in our grandparents' day, kids were expected first to behave, and were praised not for their appearance or success at an activity... but rather for working hard.

There were high expectations for behavior, and it was shameful to not fulfill your responsibilities to feed and clothe your children, and to have babies without being married.

Interestingly, I read that Japan has the lowest rate of out of wedlock births in the world - 2%, as compared to 40% in the US, and while I can't find stats on Haiti, my understanding is that there, very few children are born to permanently committed, married couples. Among the black community in the US, it is 78%.

It just seems like as a society, Japan has been much more effective at maintaining discipline and family stability, and inner strength that we do not have. We have had a societal breakdown that they do not seem to have experienced, and the way their are handling adversity speaks well of their culture.

It's my understanding that they are, in general, very polite and used to standing in lines patiently. My husband and I were discussing this very issue last night. No looting, rioting, or anything of the sort.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

We had a 2.6 earthquake in my area yesterday morning.I heard and felt it but thought it was just thunder or my neighbors trucks.This is the second time in our area in the past year we've had one.I was looking at the earthquakes listed for central USA and none of ours are listed.But OMG , Arkansas appears to have several of them everyday lately ! I would hate to live there!
List of Recent Earthquakes for Central US

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They definitely think differently than us. I believe because of that, we would have a hard time understanding exactly why they have reacted the way they have. I mean in general I get it, but not on any deep level. Their way of life is so different than ours all the way around it is just hard to compare the two.

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Melissa

Melissa I totally agree with all you said about the way the people of Japan live, from personal experience from having many asian children in our classroom and their parents, they run a tight ship, the children are so advanced very straight forward. Still it must be so sad with all the horror they have experienced since the earthquake and tsumani. I cannot even imagine and may God help them. Catherine

Glenn Beck is addressing this issue with a couple of guests today. Very interesting.

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Melissa

Thanks for the heads up, Melissa - I'll try to watch him late tonight!

LMAO....same thing here, almost. We were dropping off our rental car after picking up our car from being shipped from overseas. Well, DH was in the rental in front of me at the gas station, filling up. This guy walks up to him and starts talking....I had a HUGE machette type knife in the door pocket. Had my hand right on it, I did. It was scary as all get out, and that wasn't even in the worst part of the city.

DH and I still laugh about that incident.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I think it's a cultural thing. I was amazed by their responsible behavior and I also thought about Katrina and how very different that was. Unfortunately our culture has such an entitlement mentality anymore-there's so much attitude about what the government should do for me, what "I" deserve, etc We can learn from Japan.

I totally agree with you Kathy 100 percent, too many people abuse the system and then the rest of us have to suffer, or worse the people who truly need help they suffer the most. Catherine

Why would you be ready to stab someone for talking to you? That seems a bit odd to me. I live in the area and do not carry a knife. You people are really being extreme!

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon