Friday, April 23, 2004
And Never the Twain Shall Meet
Here is an example of the difference in cultures between East and West; in Japan, the freed hostages from Iraq are treated as pariahs by their nation. In the U.S., former hostages such as these, who were kidnapped while acting as freelance journalists or as part of humanitarian groups, would be instant celebrities and the toast of the talk show circuit for several weeks. In Japan, however, they are ostracize by a culture that sees them as reckless for ignoring government advisor about traveling to Iraq and for jeopardizing the peacekeeping mission in Iraq. Whereas we would place the blame of their situation when in Iraq solely on the terrorists that held them captive, Japanese culture emphasizes their personal responsibility in what occurred. Colin Powell praised them by stating "if nobody was willing to take a risk, then we would never move forward. We would never move our world forward." Which viewpoint is more right? Or does the truth lay somewhere in between?
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