No looting in Japan: An interesting take

Column on The Washington Times' website notes the conformity of the Japanese culture.

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/stimulus/2011/mar/14/where-are-japanese-looters/

I admittedly went in expecting him to scream "blacks! blacks! blacks!" and I was pleasantly surprised.

 

I was in Japan during the 95 Kobe earthquake and recall reading and hearing the exact same sentiments: Americans astonished by the complete lack of looting and predatory behavior that seems to follow catastrophe elsewhere in the world.

Without getting into discussion of the cause, I'll just say that it does seem to be an admirable trait of Japanese culture--they won't prey on each other in times of crisis and won't tolerate shysters that attempt to do so.

 

You do realize that the homogeneous nature of the populace of Japan as compared to the ethnic makeup of the US has something to do with it, right?

 

This is pretty interesting: Two years ago, Japan's government released a "poverty line" for the first time. The rate -- 16 percent -- was roughly the same as that of the United States, to the shock of many (including most of the poor) who never considered themselves to be in poverty.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/world/asia/22poverty.html

Clearly the lower class thought it had a stake in the country's fortunes, even though that wasn't true. Huge cultural difference from the U.S. The middle class doesn't loot, and Japanese mostly all think of themselves as middle class.

 

Qtlaw, yes, I do realize that's a commonly hypothesized reason for it, but chose not to bring it up for fear that it might draw this thread into some sort of "is diversity good or bad" type debate. That's a pandora's box I've no interest in opening.

 

Who cares what race the people are? I just think it's an interesting social phenomenon.

 

I do not mean to pick a fight. I am pointing out that when you compare two different societies, you need to look at the makeup of those societies to draw accurate comparisons; racial, religious, etc. The US is more diverse than any other country on the planet and with that comes less harmony, less congruence on social norms and mores.

 

I'm pretty sure you're saying the same thing - the Japanese, regardless of what country they're in, won't loot.

 

Jeez, quit beating around the bush.

Their citizens have more character and integrity than Americans as a whole.

 

And if blacks are such notorious looters, it sure was dumb to haul shiploads of them over here to the U.S.A.

 

What I'm saying is if 80-90% of the populace are from the same race and share the same religion, the likelihood of crime, including looting, decreases relative to a more diverse populace.

With respect to Japan, I'd say the crime rate, including looting, is likely to be much less than the US.

 

Cappie Pondexter would say they're behaving as a result of their punishment.