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Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

theguardian.com

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Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#11

Post by cannonpr »

shdon wrote: post #7

In Dutch culture it is far more common to keep shoes on literally everywhere, so perhaps I'm biased, but I would think that in an emergency where every second counts, these people can be forgiven for not adhering to the strictest etiquette? I'm not surprised the person last mentioned in the article, who suggests exactly that, got 800 likes on their comment. I am surprised that it even needed to be said. Now I'm sudde…

So, I can’t honestly personally understand taking your shoes off in an emergency, however I am sure they have gotten very efficient at it.. I can say that if they didn’t it would cause damage to the home, many Japanese homes, especially traditional but also in general just aren’t built to take shoes. Tatami mats, and even hinoki floors despite being “hard” for a softwood, is still a softwood, so some level of genuine damage would occur. Again of-course versus the emergency in saving a human life, I’m not quite sure I can understand it.

Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#12

Post by theonething »

tangential, but I don't understand why keeping your shoes on in your house is a thing. It's so unsanitary. The bottom of your shoes are in contact with things like the floor of public bathrooms, animal feces (when walking on grass), dirt, mud, etc.

And it's so much more comfortable to be in your house barefoot, with socks or with slippers.

So much cleaner. I'm disgusted when people try to walk in my house with their shoes on.

Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#13

Post by wpm »

theonething wrote: post #12

tangential, but I don't understand why keeping your shoes on in your house is a thing. It's so unsanitary. The bottom of your shoes are in contact with things like the floor of public bathrooms, animal feces (when walking on grass), dirt, mud, etc. And it's so much more comfortable to be in your house barefoot, with socks or with slippers. So much cleaner. I'm disgusted when people try to walk in my house with their…

I'm the same way but if I pass out in my house I absolutely do not give a shit about any of that and don't want the EMTs wasting time taking their shoes off to save my ass.

Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#14

Post by eqvinox »

LPisGood wrote: post #9
eqvinox wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having been to Japan several times… and actually studying Japanese studies… I can see why you're saying this but it's very superficial. None of the southern "essence" that caused the split & war is there in Japan at this point. Or do you mean it's as if the South seceded, then proceeded to lose anyway due their policies being a natural disadvantage , and then developed, out-northing the North? What is characteristic…

Presumably the characteristic being referred to is superficial politeness mixed with racism or xenophobia.

That does actually kinda make sense, but it works very differently... the politeness is anything but superficial (even counters the racism and xenophobia to a limited degree, but also hides it, coming out to ±0), and the latter two are indeed present but coded as to be ashamed of rather than proud… (unfortunately the coding of shame is also different and doesn't spurn action).

It actually makes it harder to tackle the discrimination, since it's not openly admitted. Glass walls and ceiling.

(Recommended read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin

'There is a "virtual taboo" in the Japanese media against discussing the topic, leading to widespread public ignorance.')

Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#15

Post by bigstrat2003 »

theonething wrote: post #12

tangential, but I don't understand why keeping your shoes on in your house is a thing. It's so unsanitary. The bottom of your shoes are in contact with things like the floor of public bathrooms, animal feces (when walking on grass), dirt, mud, etc. And it's so much more comfortable to be in your house barefoot, with socks or with slippers. So much cleaner. I'm disgusted when people try to walk in my house with their…

There's nothing unsanitary about it. The bottoms of your shoes simply are not that dirty unless you're walking through abnormally dirty situations.

Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#16

Post by rayiner »

swingandamiss wrote: post #3

More Japanese obsessed hacker news posts. What's up with this? There's a daily post on HN of various topics, usually something obscure, about Japan. Why?

Because Japan is amazing. Probably especially so for a crowd that tends towards orderly-minded engineering types like HN.

Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#17

Post by Gigachad »

bigstrat2003 wrote: post #15
theonething wrote: post #12

tangential, but I don't understand why keeping your shoes on in your house is a thing. It's so unsanitary. The bottom of your shoes are in contact with things like the floor of public bathrooms, animal feces (when walking on grass), dirt, mud, etc. And it's so much more comfortable to be in your house barefoot, with socks or with slippers. So much cleaner. I'm disgusted when people try to walk in my house with their…

There's nothing unsanitary about it. The bottoms of your shoes simply are not that dirty unless you're walking through abnormally dirty situations.

That's the whole function of shoes though. If outside was as clean as my floors at home, I wouldn't need shoes.

I have to imagine the person who leaves their shoes on either never goes outside, or just has filthy floors.

Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#18

Post by jankcorn »

eqvinox wrote: post #5
oliculipolicula wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I understand it, Japan is seen to be like a parallel universe where the American South successfully seceded but became technologically advanced, even surpassing the North in some areas (by adopting a Meiji type constitutional monarchy)

Having been to Japan several times… and actually studying Japanese studies… I can see why you're saying this but it's very superficial. None of the southern "essence" that caused the split & war is there in Japan at this point. Or do you mean it's as if the South seceded, then proceeded to lose anyway due their policies being a natural disadvantage , and then developed, out-northing the North? What is characteristic…

When I lived in Japan and was asked "Why are you interested in Japan?", I used to respond "It is the only non-Western country(at the time) where I have seen an extremely high level of technical/economic development and it is interesting to see similiarities/differences". (This is of course, long long before the rise of modern China)

The society is based so strongly on group cohesion and de-emphasis of the individual, the experience of living there is very, very different than the West.

I think that this "deep cultural difference" is what the original comment was trying to get at. Sadly the reference point of "American South" ended up triggering a different (less useful) trajectory for the responses.

Re: Please don't rearrange our shoes when we turn up, paramedics in Japan urge

#19

Post by eqvinox »

Gigachad wrote: post #17
bigstrat2003 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's nothing unsanitary about it. The bottoms of your shoes simply are not that dirty unless you're walking through abnormally dirty situations.

That's the whole function of shoes though. If outside was as clean as my floors at home, I wouldn't need shoes. I have to imagine the person who leaves their shoes on either never goes outside, or just has filthy floors.

> That's the whole function of shoes though.

Nah, the main function of shoes is (to support your feet and) prevent injury. Cleanliness is second on the list.

[ed.: added braces]

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