Happier Abroad Forum Community

Here is a link to an article titled "Facebook Imbeciles Think Japan Tsunami Is Karmic Payback for Pearl Harbor." Here is the link: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninsca ... imbeci.php

My God, have Americans lost their minds. How could people be so cruel and uncaring to other human beings. Makes me ashamed to be American. I think it just give further evidence of the cultural decline in the United States. Maybe all the vapid reality TV shows and garbage coming Hollywood and the popular culture have made Americans unable to have empathy towards their fellow human beings.

Other Americans are showing admiration for the Japanese, asking why the Japanese are not looting and such. I see some Americans are praising the Japanese and then blaming multiculturalism and diversity for Americans not being able to do the same. A Yahoo article on this particular topic http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110317/ts_ ... apan_quake is filled with anti-Black and anti-Jew comments. Some sites such as FreeRepublic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-new ... 1&;page=51 and Stormfront http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t786323/ are blaming everything on Blacks, Latinos, and Jews.

It just goes to show you how much division there really is in the country. I can only imagine if a major disaster were to hit the United States, how Americans would react in the same situation. In my opinion, it won't be anywhere near the Japanese response. I see a lot of bloodshed and conflict similar to Katrina in the future for this country....

You know, you should really ignore this junk.

This kind of crap cropped up everywhere when Hurricane Katrina happened... by those who hated the US. You would know if you paid attention to more than just US news sources.
Same junk when the China quake happened...by critics of China.

Some people have a problem forgetting the past. Different generations...different people...and really, the common citizen isn't always responsible for the actions of some warmongering leaders. Most citizenry are just sheep trying to go along with their everyday humdrum lives.

And no, Americans have not lost their minds. Does this make me ashamed to be American? No, it doesn't. Other things may, but not this Every country has a small percentage of idiots. Don't categorize an entire people based on the idiotic rhetoric of some individuals. They do not represent our country. There really is no division about this issue in this country. Go out and ask 50 people in the streets about Japans issues right now and see how many will wax poetic about Pearl Harbor. Most of our younger population couldn't care less about Pearl Harbor....they prob associate Japan with cars, anime, and electronics.

And our response would be another Hurricane Katrina....i don't doubt that for a second. Americans are nothing like Japanese. Take a look at our prisons and compare them to Japans if you doubt that. It's a reflection on our society.

keius wrote: And our response would be another Hurricane Katrina....i don't doubt that for a second. Americans are nothing like Japanese. Take a look at our prisons and compare them to Japans if you doubt that. It's a reflection on our society.

America seems to have a vague contempt for its fellow citizens in the best of times so I don't see how people making stupid comments on facebook about Japan is surprising. There's just lots of nasty A-hole personalities in the U.S. I have been living abroad for years now and I still stand by that comment. There's just a much higher percentage of these types of people in english speaking countries than anywhere else.

America is a junk pile waiting to explode. Don't listen to Anglos explain shit, they aways default to personal attacks when they can't attack you on what your saying.

You also have to remember this love affair the Right has with The Rapture and always looking for signs of the return of Jesus.

Ridiculous...

keius wrote:You know, you should really ignore this junk.

This kind of crap cropped up everywhere when Hurricane Katrina happened... by those who hated the US. You would know if you paid attention to more than just US news sources.
Same junk when the China quake happened...by critics of China.

Some people have a problem forgetting the past. Different generations...different people...and really, the common citizen isn't always responsible for the actions of some warmongering leaders. Most citizenry are just sheep trying to go along with their everyday humdrum lives.

And no, Americans have not lost their minds. Does this make me ashamed to be American? No, it doesn't. Other things may, but not this Every country has a small percentage of idiots. Don't categorize an entire people based on the idiotic rhetoric of some individuals. They do not represent our country. There really is no division about this issue in this country. Go out and ask 50 people in the streets about Japans issues right now and see how many will wax poetic about Pearl Harbor. Most of our younger population couldn't care less about Pearl Harbor....they prob associate Japan with cars, anime, and electronics.

And our response would be another Hurricane Katrina....i don't doubt that for a second. Americans are nothing like Japanese. Take a look at our prisons and compare them to Japans if you doubt that. It's a reflection on our society.

How exactly are Japan's prisons, exactly? Just curious...

horrible. 3rd world prisons are bad beacuse of unsanitary conditions and someone might try to kill you over nothing. but american and especially japanese/chinese prisons are heavily regimented. they target your mind, make you into a machine.

the_hero_of_time wrote:

keius wrote:You know, you should really ignore this junk.

This kind of crap cropped up everywhere when Hurricane Katrina happened... by those who hated the US. You would know if you paid attention to more than just US news sources.
Same junk when the China quake happened...by critics of China.

Some people have a problem forgetting the past. Different generations...different people...and really, the common citizen isn't always responsible for the actions of some warmongering leaders. Most citizenry are just sheep trying to go along with their everyday humdrum lives.

And no, Americans have not lost their minds. Does this make me ashamed to be American? No, it doesn't. Other things may, but not this Every country has a small percentage of idiots. Don't categorize an entire people based on the idiotic rhetoric of some individuals. They do not represent our country. There really is no division about this issue in this country. Go out and ask 50 people in the streets about Japans issues right now and see how many will wax poetic about Pearl Harbor. Most of our younger population couldn't care less about Pearl Harbor....they prob associate Japan with cars, anime, and electronics.

And our response would be another Hurricane Katrina....i don't doubt that for a second. Americans are nothing like Japanese. Take a look at our prisons and compare them to Japans if you doubt that. It's a reflection on our society.

How exactly are Japan's prisons, exactly? Just curious...

From what I gather, they are quite harsh but safe. I think if you Google Japanese prisons you will find am article from the NY Times "Prisons in Japan Are Safe but Harsh." Too many Americans are in jail for stupid things though. It's like the
military industrial complex, instead I call it the prison-industrial complex that profits from putting people in jail. I think I saw on the news a couple weeks back where a judge was caught in a "kids for cash" plot to send youth offenders to a
for-profit detention center and getting money in return. Crazy.

LinuxOnly wrote:horrible. 3rd world prisons are bad beacuse of unsanitary conditions and someone might try to kill you over nothing. but american and especially japanese/chinese prisons are heavily regimented. they target your mind, make you into a machine.

I've read many first hand prison stories involving stays by foreigners at prisons in Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Venezuela, and Brazil. I've also read accounts of Americans locked away for long periods in the US Pen system (max and medium security). One American guy (a haole) I just read about did years of time both in Hawaii and Thailand. And I've heard a bit about a Japanese prison from a short 2 page account several years ago.

I would say you probably stand a much greater chance of being raped, violently beaten, or killed in the US medium or maximum system than the others even if you are the type who tries to stay out of trouble.

But physical conditions of US system as compared to most of the others, even Japan and Korea, is night and day, relative luxury.

The Korean prison I read about seemed very spartan and extremely boring. In the winter months, you also have to deal with harsh cold. Your best hope there is to get accepted into one of the day jobs. Otherwise, you could lose you mind doing nothing. Better learn to meditate. Violent incidents are very low but you are expected to follow the cultural rules of respect, how to address various people, etc. I believe prison in Japan might be somewhat similar.

Thai prisons sound tough in that you sleep in sardine can like conditions (dozens of people in a room sleeping on the floor side-by-side). But there is a big social community in the huge yard and building complexes with underground economies, various shops, and many diversions. As long as you have a bit of access to outside money (many foreigners do), you can eat decent food and hire prisoners from the poorest countries in the region as personal servants. Threat of violence as a foreigner again not too serious as long as you don't piss off the guards or break any of the unwritten rules. I think you get around 8 hours per day outside your cell in the yards and makeshift structures. Drugs used to be freely available too but I believe that's changed.

In US prison system (med and max), you will be pushed into a corner very fast. If you are not affiliated with a gang or respected group from the outside with members inside who can bring you in their fold, you are on your own. You will be tested. Likely scenario is someone will try to rape you or publicly diss you. If you or weak and afraid and cannot stand (respond instantly with extreme and credible violence) you will constantly be abused until you are 'owned' by someone who may look out for you. But, as you can imagine, the price of being owned is not pleasant. It can be very tough for younger white collar financial crimes felons on long sentences (security level highly dependent on sentence length). And if you go down for some sort of child molestation charge, you best request private custody from day one.

The social system in the Venezuelan prison I read about seemed better than I expected. But living conditions were 3rd world style. It sounds like an easier place to avoid dangerous conflict if you have decent political common sense and the will to avoid trouble. I've heard less about Brazilian prisons but what I have read about them sounds pretty scary.

If someday you are wanted or are desperate and must take extreme risks, learn from Nigerians. I've heard some of them intentionally get busted in countries like Norway and Sweden because those prison systems are so soft and comfortable, almost like staying at a college dorm. Relative luxury combined with lower threat of violence. The general attitude seems to be that society bears a portion of the responsibility for somehow failing the individual and pushing him to commit criminal acts.

djfourmoney wrote:America is a junk pile waiting to explode. Don't listen to Anglos explain shit, they aways default to personal attacks when they can't attack you on what your saying.

You also have to remember this love affair the Right has with The Rapture and always looking for signs of the return of Jesus.

Ridiculous...

I know, right!!!!!! Excellent post. +1