Recession in Britain

What do you like about Japanese culture?

 

Japan isn't bad, its biggest problem is that its economy peaked in the 80s and it's been downhill ever since. Free healthcare, experimenting with free college and free childcare, and a 56% top tax bracket to pay for it all ... probably fits with what most of the righties here would call Socialism...

 

While Japan definitely has more Socialist aspects than the U.S. I would not call it a Socialist country by any means.

You all want free college without acknowledging for example that it will come with major changes to how higher education in the U.S. functions. The Left are the ones who want to do away with standardized testing and GPA's. Well guess what, Japan relies on a single test each year to by and large decide what students in Japan get to go to the university level. It's one of the reason senior year in high school in Japan is incredibly stressful.

Are you ready to go back to a strict standardized test model to determine who gets to go to college?

Also accept that free college will come with conditions. In Japan the vast majority of students are in science and technology majors. You aren't going to find many universities in Japan that are going to offer majors in History, Music, Photography, Philosophy or Women's Studies.

As a taxpayer I would not support paying free college unless the student, as a condition of the free college, has to have a degree in one of the following:

- Engineering
- Medical
- Sciences
- Computer Sciences / Technology / Networking / IT
- Law
- Business / Finance / Accounting
- Education

Once the government is involved with free college it is absolutely acceptable to place conditions on this. As a taxpayer if I'm paying for someone's college they need to be getting a degree that will allow them to contribute to society and the economy.

If we want to offer free college I'm not against it as long as it's one of the majors above at a four year university or two year university or if it's at a trade school for various trades. But I will not as a taxpayer support free college for someone to get a degree that will largely land them in the same job they could've gotten without stepping foot in a college classroom. I would also, as a taxpayer, demand that eligibility for free college goes back to strictly a standardized test / GPA. That way we ensure that the kids who are being offered free college will actually have a good chance to make it through with their major. If a kid struggles with the biology part of a standardized test, we shouldn't be subsidizing them to try to become a doctor. If a kid struggles with the math part of a standardized test, we shouldn't be subsidizing them to try to be a physicist, financial analyst or an accountant.

So are you ready to make a lot of these necessary changes for a free college program?

 

I like this guy.

 

There are many aspect of Japanese culture that I love. On a general level I love how they are able to mix both modern and traditional aspects and respect both at the same time. This is a hard balance to find but I think Japan finds this balance better than any other country on Earth.

You have traditional Japan with the focus on tranquility and being one with nature and your surroundings. Traditional Japan it is not all about cities, there is a good focus on both urban and rural areas. There is no better context of this than Tokyo and Kyoto, Tokyo of course being mostly about modern Japan while Kyoto honors the roots of Japan with the Shinto Shrines in all their traditional beauty. Traditional Japan you have respect for elders, a more introverted culture (as an introvert I find the extroverted U.S. culture to be tiring and shallow), punctuality, respect for nature (you won't find a cleaner country than Japan and Japan's big cities make U.S. big cities look terrible in terms of cleanliness). You also have a much bigger emphasis on family and honor in traditional Japanese culture.

With modern Japan you have the undeniable technology connection. Many of the greatest technology and auto manufacturers in the world have Japanese roots. Japan is probably the best country in the world when it comes to technology. You also have the undeniable pop culture influence of modern Japan. Modern gaming wouldn't be anywhere close to what it is now without Japan. J-Pop, Anime and Manga have all become incredibly popular around the world. Japanese animation in general blows away Western animation both in quality and depth.

For me personally I find Japanese people to be more polite and approachable than people here in the U.S. I also appreciate that Japan is a more introverted country where quietness is okay, even respected and cherished. The U.S. is a country that really only values extroversion where every second has to have noise, whether's it people talking, a tv on in the background, music blasting, anything. Look at how badly people freaked out after just a few weeks during the pandemic. Part of me loved the pandemic because I went days at a time without forced shallow interaction with other people.

I find there is a good respect for elders and history in Japan. Something that is old (whether it is a person, a building, a tradition) is cherished in Japan whereas it is mocked and discarded here in the U.S. Here is the U.S. we have no respect for old things. The minute a building becomes old we largely knock it down. We don't try to repurpose it or save it outside of a few cities. Look at how the U.S. treats its elders. Japan treats its elders with respect, the U.S. treats its elders with disdain.

Many on the left here in the U.S. say that conservatives just want to go back to 1950's America. While 1950's America wasn't perfect (no time period is of course) and some things from that era need to stay in that era, there are some things from 1950's America that would help the U.S. today. While there were bad things in that time period (racism, sexism and general lack of of opportunity if you weren't a white male) there are also a lot of things from 1950's America that people in the U.S. today should respect (more respect for family time, closer connection to neighbors, more respect for elders, a general slower pace of life). There are aspects of 1950's America we need to bring back, but it won't happen because here in the U.S. we don't respect anything that is old.

I would also say I love that being a more homogenous culture most Japanese truly have a shared bond. There is a true pride in their country and its culture. There is a collectiveness to Japan, a sense that they are all in it together for the good of their country. This is opposite of the rugged individualistic "every man for themselves" mentality here in the U.S. While it's good to have your individual traits it's also important in my mind to have traits and values you share with others in your country.

With the vastly different cultures of the U.S., the vastly different ethnic groups and even the split of people who think the U.S. is good or the U.S. is bad, the U.S. is genuinely more of an economic zone than a true country. Some states can have a collective culture (like my home state Louisiana) and therefore share a true bond but the U.S. will never be a country where there is a shared bond. In Japan the focus on how we are alike. In the U.S. the focus is only on how everyone is different. The fact that hyphenated Americans put their ethnicity (African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans) first shows that the U.S. can never truly be a united country, especially compared to a country like Japan.

 

Yes, I'm good with the US moving towards free healthcare, college, and childcare along with the meaningful regulation needed to prevent abuse, and the higher taxes that come along with it ... so we can be more like the great nation of Japan. Make America Japan! MAJ*!

(*Except without the blurred porn)

 

Well that isn't true at all. Where do you come up with this stuff?

The University of Tokyo

Tokyo University of the Arts

 

2 now equals many?

Anyways
One issue in America is that culture is inherently tied to the past. If I say I value traditional sounthern culture… racists, confederate flag pick up trucks come to mind instead of hospitality, big Sunday dinners, overbearing good manners, sweet tea and rural slow lifestyles.
If you value Northeatern traditions rude honking loud fast talking jerks come to mind instead of neighborhood pride, blue collar workers, local eateries etc..
We can go on and in but over and over the most negative connotations are associated with cultures within the us instead of looking for the best.

 

Lol... agree but, that's the American modus operandi...

The Dems did this for the definition of a vaccine. Lol... Clowns.

 

That’s crazy. If you were to ask someone normal to describe regions of the US it would center around Food, sports, leisure, type of work, type of outdoor activities, local nature and landmarks.

 

I simply chose the top universities in each category. Do you really want me to go through every university and arts program in Japan? I can (they all have History and Philosophy or Music and Arts majors), but do you really need it to prove the point? Let me know how many you need to see to believe that "many" comment is nonsense.