Study shows that Japanese people are among the coldest people in the world.
Discussion over results of the study. "Japan is a country of self-responsibility, if they're in difficulty then it's because they didn't work hard enough." "Problem with the interpretation of the words."
Last October, the Charities Aid Foundation released the CAF World Giving Index 2018 report which ranks countries on how charitable they are. 144 countries were surveyed.
People were asked if they:
・Helped a stranger, or someone they didn’t know who needed help (helping a stranger index)
・Donated money to a charity (donating money index)
・Volunteered their time to an organisation (volunteering time index)
・Donated money to a charity (donating money index)
・Volunteered their time to an organisation (volunteering time index)
Japan came 128th place overall. They were 99th place for donating money, and 56th place for volunteering. Japan was 142th place for helping strangers, the lowest among developed countries.
Although the report was released last October, it became a trending topic on Twitter on July 10th this year. Arguments also broke out on 2channel threads. Those who agreed with the results replied:
"If you call out to a stranger you will be treated as a suspicious person. Lately, I've started to turn a blind eye [to people who need help]. In the past I willingly approached people because it felt good to do good deeds."
"This is seriously true. When I was sick, collapsed and couldn't move, I asked passersby for help but everyone pretended they didn't see me. It was a foreign convenience store employee who helped me."
"Japan is a country where people take responsibility of themselves. If someone is in difficulty, it's because they haven't worked hard enough."
"This is seriously true. When I was sick, collapsed and couldn't move, I asked passersby for help but everyone pretended they didn't see me. It was a foreign convenience store employee who helped me."
"Japan is a country where people take responsibility of themselves. If someone is in difficulty, it's because they haven't worked hard enough."
Even in previous years results, it is faster to count Japan's rank from the bottom. In 2015, 28% answered that they helped a stranger, in 2016, it was 25% and in 2017 and 2018, it dropped to 23%. 23% is the lowest result Japan has ever received.
On the other hand, many have objected to the results and argued that this investigation does not fit in with Japanese culture, and that "Japanese people do not express their true opinions in this sort of survey."
IT journalist, Inoue Toshiyuki, was among one of the people who expressed doubt towards the survey results. As he often sees Japanese people showing foreign tourists the way, and he himself has done the same multiple times, he suggested,"Rather than not helping strangers, perhaps foreign people and Japanese people have a different interpretations of what they consider 'helping another person'." He also commented, "There are many Japanese people who do not perceive it as 'helping another person', unless they are helping someone receiving public assistance or the homeless."
Nevertheless, recently there has been frequent discussion over the theory of self-responsibility. There are sociologists who believe that the age where "all Japanese are middle class" already is a time long gone. Japan has become a hierarchical society with a fixed wealth gap. In this society with no leeway where you don't know when you will become part of the lower class, one can see why it is becoming harder for people to feel the urge to help others.
The top five countries for the "helping a stranger" index were Libya, Iraq, Kuwait, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Considering the fact that several countries of political instability entered the top five, whether Japan's low rank should be considered an issue or not, remains a question.
Source: Girls Channel
1. [+259 / -846]
[Link to article]
People were asked if they:
・Helped a stranger, or someone they didn’t know who needed help (helping a stranger index)
・Donated money to a charity (donating money index)
・Volunteered their time to an organisation (volunteering time index)
・Donated money to a charity (donating money index)
・Volunteered their time to an organisation (volunteering time index)
Japan came 128th place overall. They were 99th place for donating money, and 56th place for volunteering. Japan was 142th place for helping strangers, the lowest among developed countries.
2. [+1644 / -31]
Indifferent
3. [+2469 / -38]
Okay, let's see which country came first w
4. [+2385 / -43]
It's because Japan is a country where the big-wigs extort the people below them. That's all.
5. [+4409 / -57]
First of all, it's because the country's higher-ups are cold to their own citizens.
6. [+31 / -171]
They're talking about rich old hags right?
7. [+3061 / -166]
There are lots like that even on Girls Channel
You chose that husband/boyfriend so you deal with the consequences yourself.
If that's the case, I don't understand why humans were given the ability to communicate.
8. [+1629 / -19]
I turned into a cold person. The feeling of hopelessness was too much.
9. [+705 / -44]
I understand. I will be careful from now on.
10. [+1162 / -44]
China and Korea aren't developed countries, right?
11. [+3671 / -72]
Really? Wasn't Japan praised for returning a dropped wallet just earlier?
Keeps changing
12. [+1694 / -60]
My hands are full with my own problems, I don't have the time to be nice to other people.
13. [+2766 / -96]
Simply not being meddlesome is already being kind.
Wasn't there an article before that said that Japan was the only country where a dropped wallet was safely returned?
15. [+842 / -41]
It's because Japanese people are suspicious of people's kindness and can't take things as they are.
16. [+1285 / -35]
Come to think of it, overseas, young and energetic kids normally do volunteer work.
17. [+2595 / -53]
Japanese people are too busy.
That's why no one can afford to help.
18. [+1725 / -27]
I don't know about the past but the current Japan is seriously in chaos.
19. [+1805 / -28]
Volunteering is an alien concept. I also haven't had the opportunity to learn the merits of a volunteering society.
20. [+1024 / -182]
The national trait is "so long as the I, myself, am okay who cares about anything else."
22. [+2042 / -26]
If you help, they call you a busybody. If you don't help, they say you're cold-hearted.
23. [+84 / -249]
Even family members don't hug each other.
I'm envious of the affectionate families overseas.
24. [+2148 / -75]
It's true that Japan is a difficult country to live in.
Excessive meddling
Malicious gossip everywhere
You get nothing but criticism when you confidently live your life the way you decide
It's tiring.
25. [+981 / -10]
People are only chummy with you when it's convenient for them
27. [+1314 / -13]
I don't ever come across anyone collapsed on the street but...
If someone drops their wallet, I properly deliver it back to them.
28. [+782 / -31]
Japanese people are scared of strangers.
29. [+1720 / -70]
I think that the idea of "making sure we don't cause trouble to other people" is more ingrained in us than any other country.
That might also be why we prepare for ourselves for when we get old, and our world giving contribution is lower than the world's average.
I think that it would better for people to think of the good points and bad points as two sides of the same coin and not blindly accept this data.
31. [+764 / -93]
When things are smooth sailing and going well, everyone is warm and kind but when things get tough or when there's trouble, people become your enemies.
I have seen many cases when a person is in difficulty after their husband or parents pass away and the people around them suddenly become enemies and treat them very harshly.
Is it a national trait?
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