Let elderly people 'hurry up and die', says Japanese minister

[Unkotare]

and you seem to be impressed with Japan specifically and not 'The East' in general.

Which is fine, by the way.

 

[Againsheila]

Meaning what, exactly?

Meaning taking care of our families. Grandparents babysitting while the parents work. Taking care of the grandparents when they can't take care of themselves anymore. Clean up after ourselves, Tokyo is the cleanest city I've ever seen. Very few trash cans but no trash on the road or sidewalks, people took their trash home. Bicycles lined the sidewalks at night without being locked and no one stole them. Great public transportation system in Japan. People riding bikes in the city. The taxis were so clean there were white linen doilies on the seats and believe me, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. Heck, even their graffiti was better than ours. It looked more like artwork than gang tags.

We could learn a lot from them.

Taking care of our families is not an Eastern vs Western values issue.

Bicycles are stolen in Tokyo everyday. If they are left on the streets overnight and not stolen they will be confiscated by the authorities. There are massive impound lots where people go everyday to pay a fine and collect bikes they left out.

"Clean" is a relative measure. Very many Japanese people would not agree with you that Tokyo is so super clean.

Loads of people in Western Europe ride bikes in cities.

You seem to be suffering from 'The Grass is Always Greener' syndrome, and you seem to be impressed with Japan specifically and not 'The East' in general.

I was in Tokyo, the were bikes everywhere and the cops weren't confiscating them. It was actually safe to walk the streets and night. And yes, I'm impressed with Japan specifically because that's where I visited and that's were so many of my friends live.

As for clean, I have been all over Tokyo and it is clean, I've been over a great deal of New York city and it's filthy.

I don't know what "many Japanese people" you are talking about but I deal with hundreds of them that come here every year. Their biggest complaint is that our cars are dirty. Some complain about our dirty houses. Yes, these Japanese students come for English Immersion programs and stay with American families. I've not really heard the complain about our dirty streets but they do complain regularly about our dirty cars.

 

[Unkotare]

Meaning taking care of our families. Grandparents babysitting while the parents work. Taking care of the grandparents when they can't take care of themselves anymore. Clean up after ourselves, Tokyo is the cleanest city I've ever seen. Very few trash cans but no trash on the road or sidewalks, people took their trash home. Bicycles lined the sidewalks at night without being locked and no one stole them. Great public transportation system in Japan. People riding bikes in the city. The taxis were so clean there were white linen doilies on the seats and believe me, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. Heck, even their graffiti was better than ours. It looked more like artwork than gang tags.

We could learn a lot from them.

Taking care of our families is not an Eastern vs Western values issue.

Bicycles are stolen in Tokyo everyday. If they are left on the streets overnight and not stolen they will be confiscated by the authorities. There are massive impound lots where people go everyday to pay a fine and collect bikes they left out.

"Clean" is a relative measure. Very many Japanese people would not agree with you that Tokyo is so super clean.

Loads of people in Western Europe ride bikes in cities.

You seem to be suffering from 'The Grass is Always Greener' syndrome, and you seem to be impressed with Japan specifically and not 'The East' in general.

I was in Tokyo, the were bikes everywhere and the cops weren't confiscating them.

Thousands of them are collected everyday. There are huge lots where people can go to look for their bike if they left it out overnight or parked it illegally. If the police don't have it - it was stolen. It happens.

 

[Unkotare]

As for clean, I have been all over Tokyo and it is clean, I've been over a great deal of New York city and it's filthy.

As I said, it's a relative measure. Lots of folks in Japan complain about how dirty Tokyo is.

 

[Unkotare]

I've not really heard the complain about our dirty streets but they do complain regularly about our dirty cars.

In addition to societal expectations, auto inspections in Japan are very, very strict compared to ours.

 

[Unkotare]

And yes, I'm impressed with Japan specifically because that's where I visited and that's were so many of my friends live.

Great, but then you are not really comparing 'East vs West' in general.

 

[Againsheila]

Taking care of our families is not an Eastern vs Western values issue.

Bicycles are stolen in Tokyo everyday. If they are left on the streets overnight and not stolen they will be confiscated by the authorities. There are massive impound lots where people go everyday to pay a fine and collect bikes they left out.

"Clean" is a relative measure. Very many Japanese people would not agree with you that Tokyo is so super clean.

Loads of people in Western Europe ride bikes in cities.

You seem to be suffering from 'The Grass is Always Greener' syndrome, and you seem to be impressed with Japan specifically and not 'The East' in general.

I was in Tokyo, the were bikes everywhere and the cops weren't confiscating them.

Thousands of them are collected everyday. There are huge lots where people can go to look for their bike if they left it out overnight or parked it illegally. If the police don't have it - it was stolen. It happens.

I do not know what you are talking about but I can tell you that we walked along the sidewalks in Tokyo at night and there were hundreds of bikes parked along the sidewalk that were not locked, about every hundred or so, we'd see one with a lock and we'd think "hmm, must be a European or and American". We sure as heck didn't see any cops picking them up. This I can tell you from experience. I once saw a woman on a bike with a child in a back carrier, a child in her basket and a child sitting behind her and she was still riding the bike, with three kids, in Tokyo. They get to ride their bikes on the sidewalk too and you have to be careful and get out of the way if you hear one of those bicycle bells because they aren't slowing down for anyone.

 

[Unkotare]

I was in Tokyo, the were bikes everywhere and the cops weren't confiscating them.

Thousands of them are collected everyday. There are huge lots where people can go to look for their bike if they left it out overnight or parked it illegally. If the police don't have it - it was stolen. It happens.

I do not know what you are talking about .

I know you don't, that's why I'm informing you. I lived in Tokyo for over a year. Trust me on this. It is the most common of common knowledge.


Meet the bicycle parking enforcers | Mutantfrog Travelogue


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Bike prison in Setagaya | Tokyo Green Space

 

[Gracie]

While I find this a bit funny, there is a serious side to the issue. We tend to keep people alive for a few extra weeks, or in some cases a few extra months when we know the end result will be death. Now, if that added time is time that can be even slightly enjoyed by that person, then I think everyone would agree that it is worthwhile to keep that person alive. However, if we keep someone alive just so they can suffer a little longer before finally dying, are we doing them any favors? Do they really want this? And is the cost justified?

It's a funny thing, our not being able to accept death. So many who have faith that they shall go to Heaven after their death, yet everyone is afraid to die. In many cases though, it's not so much the person dying who is afraid to die. Most of them have already come to terms with their own demise by the time they reach those final stages. It is the families of those people who so often refuse to let them go. If you want a case in point, look no further than Terry Shiavo, and she was just one of many. Hers stands out because of her parent's unwillingness to let her go, even though she had been dead for years.

I know where I am going when I die. It's just the GETTING there that freaks me out. I wish I had the right to choose when I take that path and not having someone force me to stay put when I don't want to stay put.

 

[Unkotare]

I was in Tokyo, the were bikes everywhere and the cops weren't confiscating them.

Thousands of them are collected everyday. There are huge lots where people can go to look for their bike if they left it out overnight or parked it illegally. If the police don't have it - it was stolen. It happens.

I do not know what you are talking about .

Do you understand now?

 

[Unkotare]

Thousands of them are collected everyday. There are huge lots where people can go to look for their bike if they left it out overnight or parked it illegally. If the police don't have it - it was stolen. It happens.

I do not know what you are talking about .

Do you understand now?

I suppose she does.