the Japanese people

[Incontinentia]

I think people rise to these sorts of challenges remarkably well wherever they happen in the world.

The Japanese generally are very disciplined (historically not always a good thing, but certainly helps in this sort of situation). But even in Haiti which has, to say the least, a very different reputation, in general people rallied round and focused on their own and their neighbours' survival. There were some reports of looting and fighting in the early days after their earthquake, but a lot of that was journalists anticipating a degree of chaos which didn't in fact materialise in any widespread way.

 

[ecfc01]

Today Ive decided i'm not going to donate any money to help the japanese. Ive seen them on the news and there loaded, every house has a boat or two on there driveway

 

[Grecian_In_Exile]

Today Ive decided i'm not going to donate any money to help the japanese. Ive seen them on the news and there loaded, every house has a boat or two on there driveway

I saw that too, and wasn't that guy arogant? what was his name, ah yes, So Kin Whet

 

[EdwaltonGrecian]

I think the Japanese are a credit to the human race - if only more of the world were like them.

 

[shabbashaz]

I'm not sure you can call it panic buying. It was, on the whole, stupid people who didn't want to go without chocolate for more than a day.

You cannot even begin to compare the situation some people in Japan now face with us having a bit of snow. They are buying to survive. People here were buying because they are selfish and greedy.

Indeed you are right, although some people were stocking up on daily basics such as milk, bread etc.

Never understood that, I do my weekly shop and never have the need to go back to the shop til the following week. Working in co-op and tesco's over the years. You see some people who must feed an army spending over a 100 quid on a big shop, then coming in everyday topping up :S

 

[Snakebite]

As some may know I work with a lot of Japanese people and I am most impressed by the way they have just seemingy got on with things and helped each other out with no complaints since the earthquake/tsunami.

It is very odd in work this week as we don't really know how our supply chain has been affected due to it taking around 6 weeks to get parts from Japan to the UK, so we may have a major panic on in the next few weeks trying to source supliers in case the supply runs out.

It's strange how the previous earthquakes and tsunami's seemed bad, but when you deal with guys who have been directly affected it brings it that much closer to home.

Still, I'm rambling, thankfully everyone I work with (bar a few minor injuries) is ok, but it is going to take a long time to fully recover from this.

 

[tavyred]

Strange people the Japs, never been able to work them out, tbh.
On the face of it, this disaster has shown them to be disciplined and stoical in adversity, but their collective passiveness to their apparent flawed contingencies and reaction to the nuclear issue is odd.
I would much prefer a ballsy Anglo-saxon attitude to authority, than a benign Jap one!

 

[Ian Sideman]

. I have a friend in Tokyo and she said the shelves were completely bare.

That's cos all the stuff is on the floor.

Apologies to all our Japanese readers

 

[Ian Sideman]

different bread of people then ,times have change over 60 years.

Yes, we have a lot more dough now.