tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815669116611238697.post3986564979689585401..comments2023-10-23T10:09:53.540-07:00Comments on And The Question Is.....: What Can We Learn From The Japanese People?lokywokyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161829557049639875noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815669116611238697.post-81185085361272102622011-04-26T10:30:13.081-07:002011-04-26T10:30:13.081-07:00@ David
Then how do you explain your cohorts stan...@ David<br /><br />Then how do you explain your cohorts stands on things like refusing to teach kindergartners to 'share' because it is socialism? If sharing is socialism according to your very narrow definition then how exactly are we to succeed as a society. The loosest definition of socialism (the one that I and most folks use) is that we all pool our resources to use for the common good) allows us all to survive with maximum efficiency. After all, I personally cannot afford to build my own car, or my own bridge, or my own hospital. I am physically not able to raise my own food. Under the non-socialist (Ayn Rand) model you seem to prefer - I should be thrown on the dung-heap or allowed to starve due to my "basic unfitness" and not allowed to live.<br /><br />Sorry - but that isn't a world I want to live in. And unfortunately for you, a lot of very wealthy people don't agree with you either - they didn't want the latest round of tax cuts, did't want the estate tax to expire, and so on because the country could not afford it. <br /><br />Your example of hand-outs implies that all people have no basic dignity and prefer to be lazy. While there are always some, that is true - the majority prefer to retain their dignity and provide for themselves if given the opportunity to do so.lokywokyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07161829557049639875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815669116611238697.post-49981331912393381492011-04-26T09:09:48.686-07:002011-04-26T09:09:48.686-07:00Unfortunately, you equate caring to socialism. It...Unfortunately, you equate caring to socialism. It is, in fact, possible to be a caring, thoughtful conservative. Respect for the individual vs the collective IS caring, yet opposite to socialism. Rewarding hard work and freeing the individual to support (i.e. care for) those things deemed important by the individual IS caring yet opposite to socialism. Etc... I believe the main difference is not whether one cares for his fellow man (woman). It is HOW do you execute. Socialism inherently forces a dual class system - which in my opinion - is the exact opposite of which you seek. I value the opportunity for individuals to make their own choices which lead to success and, yes sometimes, failure. The Socialist wants to prevent failure by taking away from the successful to 'care' for those who have not succeeded. Example after example exists where an individual claims his greatest lessons came from failure. But if a Socialist takes away the opportunity to fail, such lessons will go unlearned. (As a counterweight - there is also example after example of when hand-outs are provided, the drive to improve evaporates - leading the collective to be even more dependent on the hand-outs).Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16454375508523770658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815669116611238697.post-59993152394093084172011-04-25T14:36:39.127-07:002011-04-25T14:36:39.127-07:00Having been a student of traditional karate for mo...Having been a student of traditional karate for more than two decades, I am perhaps more familiar than most Americans with some level of Japanese culture. The reactions and behavior of Japanese citizens to the tsunami was and is unsurprising to me, albeit still deeply inspiring.<br /><br />It is fair to say that there is a darker side to utter selflessness and sublimation of the individual to societal good, but the heroism of ordinary Japanese in the tsunami's wake - and especially the TEPCO emergency workers who are laboring with the knowledge that they are almost certainly killing themselves - is anything but that dark side. It truly is beautiful to behold.PBIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05643553811799195520noreply@blogger.com