Our Thoughts and Prayers go out to those in Japan

[pyrale]

France is like "LET'S NUKE EGYPT, "
Germany is like "Shutdown 7 Nuclear Plants for 3 months - earn praise - then back to business "

Even funnier :
Germany is like "Shutdown 7 Nuclear Plants for 3 months - buy energy from France's nuke plants - earn praise - then back to business ²"

[Thurrok]

I know this post won't be boosting my popularity but I feel like I have to ask some "real" Japanese:

Is the situation really as FUBAR as international media are claiming it to be?

Over the course of the last 3 or so days, we've spent several hours in university discussing nuclear power, casualties, grieving over losses etc; radio and tv are broadcasting about Japan 24/7 and anti-nuclear protests are assembling all over the German-speaking part of the world. IMO this is complete madness. I mean, why the fuss?

Now, I absolutely love the Japanese culture. Without it, my life would've been / would be a lot more boring. Some might claim this is just superficial and only about hi-tech electronics, anime and weird oddities that surfaced / were created in Japan, but still... No other culture in the world would've been able and/or willing to come up with similar things, and for this, Japan has my absolute respect. Having said that, I have to ask myself...

Would we care that much if such an earthquake had happened somewhere in Africa or India?

I think not.

To me, people are people. Every day several thousand people die of starvation, poisoning or other First World-produced causes. Now a rad cloud is coming towards the US and Canada. A few thousand Japanese have already died, probably the rad's going to mutate / cancerize a few hundred thousand more [worst case scenario, plz don't take seriously]. Where's the difference to last year? Or the year before? Don't get me wrong - I DO feel sorry for the people who've lost their homes, families, belongings - but not more sorry than I feel for every child that dies because of pharmaceutical companies' holding back of severely needed medication, for people who live oppressed by cruel dictators, [insert random cruelty here] etc. 'tis a mad world we live in, and us humans are cause #1.

TL;DR

Media are trying to make us think this is some epic doomsday event. It's not.

As a last word, I wish all of our Japanese players good luck in whatever is to come.

[Garlicman]

I've also heard that as of now, earthquake and tsunami effects are the largest problem, but all media attention is at nuclear plant now.

[pyrale]

Would we care that much if such an earthquake had happened somewhere in Africa or India?

I think not.

Actually, NGOs have trouble collecting funds for japan because people think it's a rich country that can handle the tsunami+earthquake alone. So much for your assumption I guess.
I think the major factor of worldwide interest is the nuclear disaster, the consequences of the natural disaster are overshadowed in medias nowadays.

meanwhile, in Lybia...

[Zampfeo]

I've also heard that as of now, earthquake and tsunami effects are the largest problem, but all media attention is at nuclear plant now.

The tsunami and earthquake is over; they're now recovering. The nuclear plant situation however is still unfolding.

I just find it funny that local news agencies and sending out articles claiming such an accident is impossible in the US because of backup generators. They don't even bother checking the safety measures at the Japanese plant. Diesel backup generators, passive cooling, sea water flooding, it just goes right over the news agency and public's heads.

[sabinati]

Would we care that much if such an earthquake had happened somewhere in Africa or India?

I think not.

i dunno man there was some pretty epic care after the earthquake in haiti. but like zampfeo said, we're not even talking about the earthquake and tsunami that much now as we are talking about the unfolding nuclear disaster.

[Tonkyhonk]

just in case, im one of the "real" japanese who come here regularly to play the game.
(actually i havent been playing the game for the time being, just checking up on the forums trying not to miss some new info for when i can concentrate on playing later on.)
but i cant really speak for everyone in japan, mind you, this is just my own opinion.

Is the situation really as FUBAR as international media are claiming it to be?

im not completely sure how international media are showing this to overseas much, i do watch BBC and CNNj at least twice a day, but mostly i watch or listen to NHK (Japanese public broadcasting) and some other Japanese private ones for my convenience. i do read a bit of english newspaper articles when highlighted or linked on internet, but usually i read only japanese newspapers.

that being said, the fuss maybe is due to the big impact this might cause to the whole world.
speculators are now so busy with hearing and deciphering what our silly prime minister says on air and continue dealing with stocks or yens for their best advantages. i cant believe my eyes and ears that a dollar has once hit 76 yen yesterday when japanese economy will be having a big crisis soon, although i did understand the reason and the greediness the speculators got there.
even though there are many corrupted parts, we still offer loads of ODA (official development assistance, or money to aid developing countries), we buy loads of international bonds for investment or for aids or for making friends. we trade many products and resources all over the world, we have so many plants operating in overseas which employs ppl there, and so on and on...

all these activities are hurt, and will be hurt even more, or FUBAR if Tokyo gets damaged even further by this later on which we cannot deny the possibility yet.

i am not going to say our situation is more important than the starvation or wars elsewhere, no way.
(even though im not a saint, ive tried to contribute to many international affairs till now, have been to some different developing countries myself and talked to many different people, have worked as a volunteer in and out of the countries ive got opportunities to know, and i still do what i can at my own hometown. so i hope i do understand what youre trying to say here.)

but taking an obejective view, sad to say though, kids dying somewhere very far or a tyrant far away trying to kill democracy does not directly interfere your daily life, most of the time. sometimes events that disturb you directly can only draw your lasting attentions.

i still hope this will not make an epic doomsday. but if it sounds like that at where you live, then im afraid that your media there believe that this may cause big direct damages to your normal activities in your country.
=to be continued, gtg for a few=

p.s.
unfortunately the earthquakes and tsunami are NOT over yet.

[Tonkyhonk]

(continued from the above post)

the important thing to point out, however, is that media is not holding a contest or competition of which event is more severe and horrible for you to judge. sure, i cant deny there are some who try to bring the most shocking scene as possible like a contest but its about the contest among the media, not among the events.right?

the other night, either BBC or CNN had this live talk show, discussing this disaster. there was this woman from Nepal? (i think she said she was from Kathmandu, but not sure) asking on the phone why they were trying to give help from overseas when japan was a wealthy country. when i heard that on the show, i took her as just a dumb troll, but maybe, now coming to think of it, she might have wanted to point out the same matter as you wrote. like children in her own country are suffering enough and there are more in the world that always needs constant help.

people cant keep on donating everything away just because there are needs, needs exist everywhere all the time. what you priotize in your actions is just your call.

you can look at it like this too. since many jap corporations or government projects cannot assist or send aid or help as much as we used to, you can donate or send some help more in Africa or Asia or MiddleEast or wherever you feel the need, and just send words of condolence to japan to be nice. (actions speak louder than words in many places, but our culture believe in power of words, especially sympathy, when its sincere.) that could ease problems happening in the world and we can feel better about not being able to do what we could before.

now i feel this way because i live in southwestern part of Japan. i can not witness nor know completely how it is like in northeastern part, just like yourselves. i can only imagine that the situation is much worse than what we went thru with Hanshin earthquake in 1995 and we all feel terribly sorry and try to think what more to do to avert any more tragedy. the fact of nature having no mercy and that the human errors hardly played any roles in this disaster (well maybe we may see some coming on the way, but its a different matter atm) make us all shiver. maybe its a karma, nature wanted to warn us we have no chance against her despite how sophisticated our technology could get.

tl;dr
it is your call how you translate what media tells you or how you would act accordingly.
at least it is our worst ever event that has happened in the written history and it was beyond our imagination. we never mean to seek for more attentions, though we do not hesitate to accept sincere words and helping hands.

i am grateful that our existence is recognized as a part of the H&H community.


and to all others,

it is no wonder and natural enough why international media keep talking more about the nuclear plants. earthquakes and tsunami are not common concerns to many countries in general, but nuclear disasters are to all that have or will have such plants.

and Zampfeo, ive seen some shows that did talk about the safety measures at japanese plants, but same old, pros and cons both got their own theories merely to use them to back up their arguments and reasonings.

scientists say we will have continual earthquakes triggered by this for a year or half year at shortest in the area. (we have had more than 200 earthquakes after the biggest one)
we also have Mt. Fuji right by Tokyo which hasnt erupted nor shown any signs of eruptions for hundreds of years. expertise are trying to deny the possibility of its eruption any time soon, but who knows. my area is also predicetd to have the biggest ever earthquake within the century too.

[Thurrok]

but taking an obejective view, sad to say though, kids dying somewhere very far or a tyrant far away trying to kill democracy does not directly interfere your daily life, most of the time. sometimes events that disturb you directly can only draw your lasting attentions.

This is actually what I was trying to point out - us humans are nothing but (highly?) evolved animals, and animals don't care about anything other than their own survival. Some might argue we've come a long way since then, but IMO this is not the case. Sure, there is some kind of "racial awareness" (referring to the human race as a whole, not single ethnicities) - but this is actually just what we learn is "good" from our parents, society etc. If some kids die overseas, we don't even get to know about it, it has no impact on our lives. However, if neighborhood gets struck with an earthquake, things are of course different.

you can look at it like this too. since many jap corporations or government projects cannot assist or send aid or help as much as we used to, you can donate or send some help more in Africa or Asia or MiddleEast or wherever you feel the need

Donations actually don't change anything. I've almost joined a professional (PAID JOB, mind ye) group of donation collectors in Germany, blinded by the promised (and realistic!) payment that would've been more than you earn doing a regular, well-paid job. At the organization, we were told that over 10% of what they take in goes directly into administration, further parts into advertising, and only a fraction would remain for the organization to be used for charitable purposes. This is where I swore never even to think of sending money anywhere.

Another point is, sending the poorer countries money isn't going to help them in the long run. Unless the system changes as a whole (Utopia, right?), pumping money into these states will just increase the injustice. Poor people getting money will turn lazy, not evolve/improve/invest in their techniques like we get to see in those touching TV ads. Money for healthcare gets lost among the billions of people in need. It is just useless. The system, however, is not going to change, banks are not going to lessen their grip on international loans, and dictators will keep pillaging the poor. IMO donating 30$ and thinking "I'm such a saint, I just saved an African kid" is a bit hypocritical. What kind of life will they have, now that you saved them? Slavery to a dictator, military or forced prostitution/rape? Drug plantations? Or working with highly toxic chemicals to farm cheap bananas for our consumption? Sounds promising! The way things are now, I'd rather let them die, it's far more humane.

The true criminals here are those who have 100x as much money/influence as regular people and don't give a single fuck about the rest of the world. Why the hell should I give 1%, if they don't even contribute .0001% of theirs? The very values that make up common morals are nothing but a PR factor to them, essential to increasing their customer base and brand loyalty.

Ofcourse I think I am derailing here... STFU time for me I think.

Anyhow, I have a strong belief that even though this is a big obstacle, our race will sooner or later recover from it. These are hard times, but it is these hard times that forge true bonds between people, families, and nations, I think.

[Tonkyhonk]

please excuse me for my walls of texts, i know i talk too much (edited a bit more, too redundant)

Thurrok, i do understand where youre coming from. maybe "donating" wasnt a good thing to pick.
i am aware how horrible many of the charity groups are. not only the groups, but also the donated sides faults exist too. ive witnessed some evils behind the scenes and i totally agree that just sending money is never a solution. humans can be incredibly smart when it comes to cheating and being lazy.
(if you have no trusting groups that you know, just donating J&L could make things much better and easier and many can see the difference straight away ...well, sorry J&L, i havent donated and i cant for another while again.)

however, i cannot agree to another point you mentioned. it seems to me too naive to call that totally useless. compassion can be quite contagious worldwide.

IF you are looking for your friends or relatives but having hard time searching info in Japanese, feel free to pm me, ill see what i can do.
many local governments are starting burials very soon for hundreds of the unidentified or those with no receivers; bodies have started to decay and crimation is almost impossible, most crimatories in the area are broken.

best wishes for peace all over the world...disasters caused by human are so heartbreaking too.