Britain is bad at returning stolen property. Eg Kohinoor
Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
101–110 of 279 posts
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
Immigration has been steadily increasing in Japan.[1] That homogeneity presupposes trust is a right-wing stereotype used to devalue immigrants in a society and justify harsh enforcement. You can find people of every ethnicity in Tokyo, including many half and full Brazilian people that you could mistake for latinos here in the US[2]. 1. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/03/11/national/japan-... 2. https://en.wik…
>Ethnic groups: Japanese 98.1%, Chinese 0.5%, Korean 0.4%, other 1% (includes Filipino, Vietnamese, and Brazilian) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/...
It's true that Japan has a lot more ethnic homogenity than most countries, but this is is a misleading statistic. The Japanese census considers all people with Japanese citizenship to be simply "Japanese" regardless of their race.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
Another regarding gender expectations is the recent news that a (maybe more than 1?) Japanese medical school's admissions staff were rigging standardized test scores to disfavor women applicants. This is because they were seen as less reliable / career-oriented or productive (or whatever justification) for not favoring them to receive the education that men deserve. Expectations.
It isn't an irrational bias thing. Women in Japan are pressured to stay at home to take care of the kids, so they're less likely to work as much as a men.
Bias is bias. Not to mention this can cause vicious cycles where women don't progress in their career due to a perception they'll become homemakers -> are pressured to work less because the career is going nowhere -> continue to not progress.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
When I was in Japan in 2009, every pedestrian in the cities waited patiently at each crossing until the light turned green, even if there were no cars around at all. However, when the streets were mostly empty, I saw one Japanese man come to an empty crossing, glance around, and cross on red. Can't generalize much off a single example, but it did make me think peer pressure is probably a factor.
In America, the primary "road safety" I was taught as a kid was "look both ways before crossing the road." I think the Japanese priority is based more on obeying traffic lites, though this is just conjecture from media and my experience. This said, when people are around there are more likely to be sudden cars as well. It's easier to justify jaywalking at midnight than noon.
Adhering to crossing lights is a very cultural thing. There was a thread that came up about this a week or two ago. Even within the US, perhaps especially within large northeastern cities like Boston and New York, people will cross if there's no traffic (or even if a driver has hesitated for a moment). Whereas on the West Coast people mostly obey the lights.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
There was a good blog post about a guy living in Japan. Here he was in this clean and crime free place, but his bicycle kept getting trashed overnight. Just his bike parked in a sea of other bikes. He thought it was because he was a foreigner, but finally after he reported it to the police numerous times someone explained the phrase "The nail that sticks out gets knocked down." and pointed out the bikes he was buying…
> "The nail that sticks out gets knocked down." Ever since I first heard this I've kept both this phrase and the phrase "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" in mind at the same time. Basically, both sides of this coin together ask you "should you speak up?" type of thing; substitute "speak up" with whatever the given situation is.
It is interesting to ponder why we do either.
We hammer nails because we want a flat surface. We grease wheels because we want quite wheels.
If you get the hammer or the grease depends upon what is needed to fix the problem. Do you need a punishment or a reward.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
The cultural revolution was not the cause of this. Chinese history did not start in 1966. 1966 was preceded by six decades of brutal military occupation, a complete breakdown of law and order, and civil war. I'm not sure you can point at any country that had gone through such a violent, unstable, and lengthy period of fragmentation and bloodshed, and came out on the other end as a cohesive, high-trust society.
Taiwan and South Korea were both bloody, autocratic military regimes. Many nations have walked the bridge to hell and back, but the cultural revolution meant that China burned the bridge after crossing it.
One of your examples further proves my point - nobody can categorize Taiwan as a high-cohesion, high-trust society, despite not having a 1966 moment.
The other's not a very close parallel.
Korea was under Japanese occupation in that same time period, which was no picnic, but it at least had a functional, centralized government, and at least, was not an active warzone through most of it. (It is more similar to post-war Eastern Europe in that regard.)
It also did not go through a multi-decade-long civil war.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the other hand, the Japanese are inveterate umbrella thieves. So much so that you will find locking umbrella racks in many buildings. The pressure has to go somewhere.
The article hits on this, suggesting that they are viewed as communal property since they're so abundant, cheap and frequently forgotten. Umbrellas are also an on demand item, so can see how this could evolve as a sort of community solution to the rain problem.
What is the rain problem? I live in the Pacific Northwest where it rains for 9 months out of the year. Our solution is to not use umbrellas at all. Everyone has a waterproof rain jacket.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the other hand, the Japanese are inveterate umbrella thieves. So much so that you will find locking umbrella racks in many buildings. The pressure has to go somewhere.
Why umbrellas specifically? I read the article and I enjoyed it, but the question of why umbrellas are not treated the same in terms of being returned was mentioned but not answered. Near the end of the article, there is this sentence > “Communal property is virtually unheard of except for that many people seem to regard umbrellas as up for grabs if not properly secured.”
You can buy them everywhere for 300-1000 yen, those models are the ones that everyone uses so it isn't much of a sacrifice for everyone to buy another umbrella a few times a year.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#109"What’s in it for the finder to be honest enough to hand in the item?" By asking this question, you deny yourself access to its answer.
Why? That's the kind of question that makes up the entire field of game theory. In every situation, the most natural strategy is to maximize personal gains. That's how natural selection works. But when people don't act like that, it means there must be some opposing force, normally one that benefits society. There is a lot to learn here, in fields as diverse as biology, economics, computing, and of course, games.
>Why? That's the kind of question that makes up the entire field of game theory.
I think it depends upon the person who is asking. The average person asking it comes from a different perspective than someone who studies game theory and human nature asking the question.
Re: Why Japan is so successful at returning lost property
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
We Dutch have a similar proverb: "Whoever sticks his head above ground level, his head is cut off. "
Tall poppy syndrome, which can be oppressive in Northern Europe. Germany seems more relaxed than the Netherlands, and France seems to be worse. I've had friends telling me their Mercedes got frequently keyed for no reason, and the old Mercedes star on their classic even got ripped off.
French guy here.
There is a proverb in France that says that to live a happy life, you'd better keep a low profile (not literal translation which would more be to live a happy life, live hidden) "vivons heureux, vivons cachés".
So yes if you own nice things and show it publicly, you'll get annoying comments, have them damaged or stolen. And it is getting worse.
Unlike in Japan, I would not expect a lost wallet to be returned to its owner, never.