On Japanese culture

In the aftermath of the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami, one of the more interesting dynamics for me has been the series of reports that essentially no looting whatsoever has taken place in the affected areas. This is definitely a remarkable observation, especially in contrast to the widespread looting following dramatic disasters in other nations (most notably the Chilean earthquake and Hurricane Katrina).

The apparent show of solidarity certainly speaks well of the Japanese people, and it also seems to present a learning opportunity for the rest of the world. The question for all of us is, what makes the Japanese different? Jim Picht at the Washington Times passed along a provocative--and somewhat controversial--take on the matter.

There's substantial internet chatter on the subject, and the chatter is disturbing. The answer most people seem to settle on is, "race." Many argue that Japanese homogeneity is a strength, diversity a weakness. The Japanese aren't looting because they're all one big happy culture with none of the predation that occurs when people of different cultures look longingly at each others' possessions.

I'm not sure I completely buy the underlying thesis here; I think that there are factors far beyond simply race and ethnicity that explain the dramatic difference between Japanese self-sacrifice and team emphasis (the "bushido" code) and America's "rugged individualism". That said, there's something to the idea that "same likes same", and Picht's piece got me to think more broadly about the role of American multiculturalism, and whether the myth of the "melting pot" has indeed been a net positive for our country at large.

Throughout our nation's history, we have struggled with issues of race and ethnicity (not to mention religion), often pretending that we are tolerant when in fact we display quite the opposite in our actions. One of the perceived benefits of diversity and multiculturalism--whether in an academic, cultural, or professional setting--is that the fusion of different ideas can breed innovation, creativity, and productivity that would otherwise be impossible. And having spent a lot of time in diverse environments, I have definitely seen and experienced the diversity "idea cauldron" at its best.

But at times, these varying "different ideas" simply breed conflict and resentment, and can in fact be counter-productive to the task at hand. Just staying in the business world, homogeneous Japan is by many measures light years ahead of the United States in terms of innovation, especially in the technological realm (most notably robotics and consumer electronics). Could it be that we in the United States are overstating the benefits of cultural and intellectual diversity? If multiculturalism doesn't help us to innovate and progress as a society--but does breed racism and resentment--what's the point? Does it just mean we have a better selection of restaurants?

Throughout our nation's history, we have in fact generally been quite suspicious and dismissive of the immigrant class--we treated the post-potato famine Irish as if they were less than human, and today we deride Mexicans and other Hispanics as "wetbacks", often assuming they are illegal immigrants even if they are in fact legal and hard-working.

The more I thought about the matter, the more I began to wonder if the benefits to our society from immigration and multiculturalism might be purely economic. The fact is, a large portion of this nation was built and developed largely on the basis of free slave labor, a dynamic that has become even more clear to me since I moved from New England to Virginia. Many of the South's most beautiful buildings were either directly built by slave labor, or at the very least built using financial gains from the tobacco business, an industry made lucrative by that same unpaid labor class. (Yes, I spent the weekend at a wedding at Duke University, a beautiful campus and institution financed in large part by tobacco money, so my mind was already on this topic).

I wonder whether our nation has ever really recovered--economically speaking--from the abolition of slavery. Whether or not we like it, we NEED an underpaid working class in order for the rest of us to profit and prosper the way that we are used to. But as that working class grows and develops in power and influence--like the Irish so famously did--we need to find a new underclass to fill the thankless jobs they once performed. Naturally, we typically turn to the newest immigrant class for that role--and when they're not available for some reason, we look overseas to China or India or name-your-oppressed-impoverished-country.

I really hope that our history of immigration and multiculturalism aren't so crass and simplistic as my last paragraph may have suggested, but I do wonder if America is less of a melting pot and more of an economic exploitation machine. You work hard at a slave wage, I profit and enjoy the fruits of your labor. So I put it to you--what ARE the long-term benefits of American multiculturalism?

[Washington Times]