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Comment by smolder | Hacker News Reader

Cultural differences: Japan is pretty homogenous and they seem to see themselves as part of a whole whereas in the US, for example, exploiting your fellow citizens for profit is almost a matter of duty in business.

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Except in areas where citizens are allowed to "exploit their fellow citizens," i.e. markets, things are done in the US and elsewhere extremely efficiently. The problem with public infrastructure spending is that incentive structures are not cost driven, or at least not primarily as a function of cost. There are promises made to unions or contractor companies who pay the politicians or makeup major parts of their constituencies. Then there are other departments that have their say, such as environmental impact analyses. Then there is major price insensitivity, because the funding was guaranteed from taxes with absolutely no implication or responsibility to spend wisely or generate a return.

yakuza would probably be mortified if they were responsible for things going badly.

Seems like a cliched and simplistic explanation to just waive away a large difference with 'culture'.

Sometimes things really are that simple though. Why can you (most of the time) leave your bike outside a store you stop at in Japan but not in America? Because it isn't part of Japanese culture to take what doesn't belong to you, but is normal for a number of Americans. Why can you get relatively wholesome food at a 7-11 in East Asian countries while you get junk and trash at ones in America? Because Japanese people prefer real food over getting chips and a crappy sandwich for lunch. Why are nice public facilities possible in those kinds of countries and not America? Because those people don't wreck, vandalize, and spray grafiti on them, while Americans do.

I'm an American and I don't wreck, vandalize or spray grafiti. I've seen same in Japan, Brazil, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris, etc... (and US). Your generalizations are lazy.

You are one American. Generally, in American culture, the things I described are commonplace and par for the course while in East Asian countries (or other smaller, homogenous countries) not so much. If it does happen sometimes in those places, it is generally far less acceptable while in America you must simply accept it and factor it into the cost of operation. Having lived here all my life, it is funny to see anyone deny it.

And I am not surprised vandalism and graffiti occurs in Brazil, India, and Paris by the way. I would group those places in the same realm as the U.S.

Yeah, I'm American too, and I don't understand why people like the OP are so willing to defend this country against claims that are so obviously true. Vandalism and graffiti are very common in America, though of course it really depends on the area. There's plenty of graffiti in Europe too. Japan, no.

I find it really odd how some people will say good things about other place's cultures, but then deny that culture is a factor when discussing the bad parts about a place. Culture is a real thing, it really does exist, and it isn't always good.

As an Australian who has recently visited both the states and Japan, I can attest that there is a significant difference in the quality and care for the commons in both.

Personal anecdote: I saw a drunk Japanese businessman vomit on the sidewalk outside a bar in Tokyo, who then went back into the bar and collected napkins in order to clean up said puke. After cleaning up the puke, he then walked into a neighboring lamppost and collapsed to the ground, and an onlooker then went to his aid.

Would you steal a bicycle in Japan?

I wouldn't and it has nothing to do with hand-wavy culture.

The reason I would not touch the unlocked bicycle is because I know it is registered with the police. If I got stopped on that bicycle and they looked up the frame number then I would have some explaining to do. Even if I claimed it was mine I could still be prosecuted for not registering 'the change of ownership' with the police. You could imagine the lying, language difficulties and the situation spiralling out of control to end up with time spent in the cells and a few million yen in fines. Could happen.

Note that in America a bicycle is a toy. It has only survived as a vehicle that can be used on the highway by fate, there have been plenty of efforts to fully ban the bicycle from the road and to denigrate it as a toy.

To extrapolate from the bicycle theft situation in Japan to assume that Japanese people are Not Like Us and therefore don't steal is wishful thinking. Personally I believe that Americans are exceptionally unlikely to steal your stuff. I am actually sure that if I did go on a round the world tour that I would find this matter of being honest to be a near universal human trait.

Bicycle theft thing is just one example. I was giving various examples of how culture played a role in influencing the environment. I never said Japanese people are Not Like Us and "therefore don't steal".

Your personal belief that Americans are exceptionally unlikely to steal your stuff is your belief to have. But I would still not leave my bike out for the Americans who do steal to take it and then have the other Americans who don't steal victim shame me "Oh, well why did you leave your bike out?"

It's just totally different man, culture is a hell of a drug. Maybe generally, if you're a lucky person, most people are honest, but A LOT aren't, and I'm not gonna be the one to drop my guard in America. I'll leave that to you and others.

Personally I believe that Americans are exceptionally unlikely to steal your stuff.

I guess the people who stole my former startup's hardware prototypes and thousands of dollars of equipment didn't get the memo, nor did the professionals who broke into the bike lockers at a previous residence and stole thousands of dollars of bicycles.

There is also the matter of pre-emptive multi-karma. If you expect to be mugged then you will be. If you expect people to return your lost wallet then they will return it. Hence life works out better if one sees the nicest people one could wish to meet whilst in America. There is a good and a bad side to all of us, even the worst bullies can be nice on occasion. Same with thieves, there is honour among thieves, if you are in the gang they ain't going to trouble you.

Sorry to hear you have been a victim of crime, but are you sure the culprits were American?

Why blame a local when politicians always present an omnipotent and omnipresent foreign enemy?

The thieves could have been drug smuggling rapists that weren't stopped by a wall at the border. Or they could have been from Liverpool, where a sense of pride exists for being light fingered. I doubt they were true Scotsmen though.

I don't think your personal anecdote is a good indictment of corruption of a country on a statistical level.

> Because it isn't part of Japanese culture to take what doesn't belong to you, but is normal for a number of Americans.

This may be hard to believe if your knowledge of American society is limited to certain strata, but it's absolutely true. If you spend some time on Reddit, on places like /r/AmITheAsshole, you'll find that a vast proportion of people outright justifies theft, shoplifting, cheating and many other sorts of unethical behavior.

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