What’s wrong with the Japanese? I have never seen a race or a culture that stunk more at garnering sympathy than the Japanese.
We Americans love to feel sorry for people. It is an American pastime somewhere between baseball and TMZ.com. We raised millions and had telethons for the Indonesians after their tsunami. Likewise the Haitians after their earthquake. Like we even knew where Indonesia is and anything about Haiti other than voodoo.
We love to raise millions for people we have never heard of before, people we can feel sorry for. But when a modern and developed country like Japan has an enormous disaster, we worry more about whether our milk has higher radiation than your average xerox machine more than the 25,000+ dead or missing.
All you disaster prone countries should know one thing. If we can’t feel superior to you, we won’t feel sorry for you. You are on your own.
The Japanese have undergone one of the most horrific and most well documented natural disasters in modern memory. Yet…
Yet…this disaster was the most un-sympathized disaster in modern memory.
Natural disasters for the unsympathetic, along with flash mobs and dancing weddings, are now just another form of internet entertainment.
The Japanese don’t cry on TV or look doe eyed into the camera. They fix roads and get back to business. They leave no room for sympathy.
Kanye West and Fergie simply don’t do star studded thingys for those that help themselves. American sympathy is reserved fo those who ask for it, nicely.
I am not suggesting that Clooney & Co. need to get on the airwaves asap and beg for dollars. Far from it. Nor do I think that the Japanese should do the same.
But if they could just be a little more pathetic, maybe, just maybe we would care–more.
Americans only do bailouts for those little pigs who build with straw, those who build with brick can only rely on God.
April 1, 2011 at 6:04 am
Very well said, Patrick! Apparently in our world the deserving are unrewarded, and the undeserving are rewarded. Those who make messes of their lives get endless sympathy and help, and those who behave with prudence and self-control don't. Kind of messed up.
That said…I do feel terrible for the Japanese (and have backed the feelings up with some action). They are such an admirable lot….
April 1, 2011 at 7:07 am
I admit, I was taken aback by your sarcasm, but despite what we see in the news as the honorable Japanese people not showing a lot of emotion or enough "pain" to move our compassion – we must know that they hurt and are indeed in need of our help!
Hawaii has a lot of Japanese tourist and I happened to meet a genuine, bonified – straight from Tokyo family from Japan just days after the Tsumani. I share with them that America is praying for them, that we support them and we are giving a lot of our money to the cause! The wife/mom of the family stepped forward (I think she was one who knew the most english) and she did a little bow and said "Thank you". It was really, a very sobering experience and I felt a connection with Japan through this family in which they represent.
The truth is, most Japanese people are very thankful even though they don't "show" it. A big wake up call for anyone who refuses to look upon non responsive type of cultures is that not all cultures are like ours. The Japanese people regard honor above all else (they don't even have an actual word for 'love' because how they relate to one another is honor!) And to them, giving honor or gratitude is not in the form of tears necessarily, or press conferences thanking the world – but maybe it's in a "bow" a sign of respect. Or maybe their way of saying "Thank you – we really needed this" came in the form of them persevering, moving forward in which history has proven the Japanese people do so well.
I mean, we can't judge a people by the way they respond. And who said that we give based on responses anyway? Whatever happened to good old fashion "compassion" which has never looked upon the responses or emotions of others but merely due to the fact that God loves them and created them and that they are "human"? What about that?
April 1, 2011 at 7:15 am
Allmost a story here, but you blew it.
They don't want your sympathy, they want to get back their lives and are focussed on that. not the camera for your whiny entertainment.
We donate to make ourselves feel good, like we did something. They're doers – they don't need pity.
We should try that – fixing our problems instead of calling Oprah or political parties and whining – or blogging about it.
April 1, 2011 at 7:26 am
Well said, Patrick. One nice thing is that a lot of foreigners here in Japan (or with past association) are doing a lot to help. Some bloggers put together a book and published it in one week. It's about the firsthand experiences of many people as the disaster was unfolding. Believe it's called Quakebook, and all the proceeds are being donated to the Japanese Red Cross.
And while traditionally Japanese society has valued "honor" above other virtues, I assure you there most certainly is a word for "love" in Japanese. It's just not used as frequently as it is in the U.S. or some other Western countries.
April 1, 2011 at 12:55 pm
o
In addition to being rude, you are also not very bright. That was the point I was making. Try to keep up. This was a critique of our culture, not theirs.
April 1, 2011 at 12:58 pm
No word for love? Someone forgot to tell my girlfriend. I'll remedy the situation.
April 1, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Forgot to mention my girlfriend is Japanese. I shouldn't comment first thing in the morning. 😛
April 1, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Uncanny observation and insight.
April 1, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I think the "o" must stand for "obtuse".
April 1, 2011 at 4:14 pm
I know there's not the orgy of death pictures that always seem to happen, along with begging for cash, but the folks who get things done are working to get things done.
The base in Misawa has a connection to the local orphanage, and one of the ladies there is from the North West, so she contacted the local talk radio and asked for help, since they had taken in a lot more kids than they usually have and were days from running out of food.
She just wanted to go on and ask people to support Japan relief services and hope that would get them help, but the radio guys (who I generally can't stand, but are good folks) jumped at the chance to DO SOMETHING.
They're taking collections to send out on the 4th, and there's the military address if you're not in the area. (Packing might be an issue, since it'll go through the military shipping setup and that means a LOT of security.)
Everything from things they need to thinks that will brighten their lives.
April 1, 2011 at 4:38 pm
There is a media bias that comes through loud and clear concerning the 'haves' and 'have nots' (think class warfare)especially in the event of disaster. I think (but can't put my finger on it) it has something to do with the materialist/humanist approach to the world. With enough money and technology then even natural disasters can and should be avoided…. So people with money and technology have only themselves to blame when disaster befalls them — or so goes the narrative.
April 1, 2011 at 5:20 pm
I don't what the rest of the world is doing but where I live we have sent same donations to Japan as other countries. as for feeling good Bull! that is the only option we can do.
April 1, 2011 at 8:48 pm
First Lady, Wisconsin, Mrs. Walker presently heading a drive to send relief aid to stricken Japan. Also, second collection at Holy Mass this past Sunday was taken for Japan; and people were generous. The "there but for the grace of God…." sentiment is still strong here.
April 1, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Wm, thanks for reminding me!
25% of our Catholic Charities drive this year is being earmarked for Japan.
April 2, 2011 at 2:07 am
Well, my understanding is that the Japanese don't really need our help. Think about it. A very well-off, "first-world" industrialized country, with a strong family ethic, and a good dose of pride. Why let the Yank's on the island?
CRS is not doing direct work in Japan, as I understand it, as they do not fit their mission which is to third-world countries. To shuffle aid bucks to Japan when there are much more desperately worse-off places all over the world doesn't make sense.
That is not to say that they did not suffer a tragic disaster– we should pray and offer spiritual sacrifice for them. But they have ample means to take care of themselves… probably even much better than we do for ourselves. The bucks need to go places where people have no chance to dig out and keep from starving.
Their soverign debt is about twice as bad as ours is vs. GDP, but the people there save and save and save for rainy (and earthquake-y) days like this.
April 2, 2011 at 5:16 am
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April 2, 2011 at 5:17 am
Hmm… Not to come off as an internet know-it-all, but the Japanese absolutely have a word for love. They may appear robotic since they don't cry on the news, but they're still people just like you.
I can think of 3 words for love off the top of my head… ai, koi, and daisuki. "Ai" translates most directly to "love" such as the love of parent to child or between husband and wife. "I love you" = "ai shiteiru". Koi is more like "loved". As in "a loved one" = "koibito". "Daisuki" is also used to say you love someone, but can also be used to say you love a certain movie or place.
I think your heart is in the right place for this article… I'm pretty sure what you're getting at is that was should help the Japanese even though they don't beg for it. Still, the way this was written, it comes off a bit like you're bashing them.
April 2, 2011 at 5:26 am
Maybe this is the CRS not being involved you are talking about? http://crs.org/japan/
Not sure what it is you read in that link that screams "Japanese don't need our help."
The area those people are from is not a wealthy are, and many of them are elderly. Everything they have is gone. First world or not. Where will they get the money to rebuild? Their government that you pointed out is in twice as much debt as we are?
You did, however, psychologically profile an entire country and determine that they probably saved enough money to make up for losing everything.
Family ethic is great, unless your family was washed away. Family ethic doesn't quite expand past the family a lot of the time.
Maybe you are right, and you are some kind of Japanese socio-cultural scholar. But all I got from your post was "don't help the Japanese, they don't need it" backed up by some vague reference to what CRS is or isn't "directly" doing and a few anecdotes backed up by…nothing. If you've determined that they don't need money then fine. I'll wait for the Japanese people to tell me that (none of the ones I know are saying that, and I know a lot) and not some random comment in a combox.
April 2, 2011 at 5:29 am
Joe,
I don't think he was bashing Japanese people, just offering an indictment of American navel-gazing.
April 2, 2011 at 3:04 pm
The question we have to ask, as modern Americans, is what can we *buy* to help. What products are willing to do flashy commercial support for a fundraising event we can text our donation and vote to? If we can't write a check to get a t-shirt showing we participated in a cause, if we can't buy a crockpot with a ribbon on it, if we can't buy a pin made in China showing our patriotism, we're kind of lost. We went out and bought iodine tablets in solidarity, we tried, but we're seriously out of options here so you can't blame us if we move on. . . . .