mean, they’re too sides of the same coin. Authority capitalizes on bigotry (and division, more broadly) to avoid accountability.

Not really, it seems sane, but not always true. Bigotry should be replaced with xenophobia. A phobia of any other group or opinion or anything you haven't accepted before.

That is - when you call someone a bigot (suppose they are certainly a bigot, a confident Nazi) with the meaning that you don't have to conduct yourself honorably with them, as if they were guilty just by association, you are likely doing same amount or more of xenophobia than that bigot.

So - EU and USA have plenty of xenophobia which doesn't fit into their narrow ideas of bigotry. Much more than Japan or any East Asian country, in my subjective feeling.

And, if you have met some real-life nationalists, they might be pretty tolerant people in the sense of xenophobia. Having some idea of society they want to build, but no hate, hostility and dehumanization against you (suppose you are of a different ethnicity). They usually have a project of what the nation looks like, not a cleansing rage.

Those are a really distasteful association, but some of the "separate but equal" types I've met were like this too.

In general, the western idea of bigotry has lost its meaning completely. It started with Voltaire, Christian love, openness of mind and preference for resolving conflicts peacefully and with dignity.

Now there are lots of arrogant apes thinking they are enlightened people, sorting everyone around into groups by markers and deeming some unworthy of understanding, attention or honorable conduct. There's literally nothing in them of the philosophical traditions of liberalism and humanism they pretend to follow.

That's not what an enlightened human is. And since most people wouldn't even understand what I said here, I'd say the civilization we took for the final step before some heaven in the 00s is over.

And yes, this means that acceptance of bigotry is clearly good, if it means acceptance of all other similarly divergent ways of thought.

As opposed to the shorter term?

Japan Not Entirely Stupid Fucking Morons

ftfy

Japan has always been behind most of the world in software advancements. They built their reputation on hardware, but even there they’re significantly lagging.

It was weird watching the divergent development of cell phones in Japan vs the US. The US cell phone industry went all in on software advancements. Japan had phones with all of these weird attachable hardware modules. I remember Japanese cell phones looking like an old gameboy with every attachment accessory on it.

This is incredibly reductionist. Wow.

The irony.

Work culture all over the world regardless of culture is fucked up.

Like most things, there isn't an a/b divide but a spectrum between the two, and in this case it's even more complicated because a society could take a collectivist view about one thing and an individualist view about others.

Because they're not brain dead idiots perhaps ?

I suddenly have a love for Japan and want to live there among my 2000s tech hoard

Japanese people tend to make a big deal out of the "human touch," especially when it comes to service

Aren't they the ones that first came up with robot servers in restaurants? Or maybe that was South Korea?

Japan also started the whole emoji thing, though.

I like the work culture in the Netherlands, on the whole, there's a focus on work/life balance. I get to spend a day per week with my kids and I only lose 30% of the pay of that day.

After I spend those days, which are 45 total, I can still spend a day in the week with my kid, unpaid. But my boss cannot block me from doing that and needs to keep my 40 hour contract intact for when I want to resume my full-time work.

Also I don't actually lose 20% of my pay, but due to government help I lose about 12% doing this unpaid day.

Japan is the only place ive seen ai ads and posters around town though

Shorter term: less foreign investments in the speculative industry casino of AI in their country

Longer term: A less brainrotted workforce

Like I did not already like the way that country does things enough.

Yeah, their work-the-workers-literally-to-death culture is top notch.

And when the power goes out during fax transmission, they could use one of those portable power stations from GearScouts to keep the legacy tech running - some of the LFP battery ones have gotten really good price per watt-hour latlely.

thing | thing, japan

Japan’s cautious approach to generative AI is not a sign of technological hesitance, but rather a reflection of a culture that holds itself, and its creations, to a higher standard of beauty, meaning, and care. In a world increasingly driven by speed and shortcuts, Japan stands apart, guided by a deep cultural instinct for precision, elegance, and harmony. Where other nations may celebrate the novelty of AI-generated content, Japan asks something more essential: Is it right? Is it worthy? Is it beautiful? This is a society where a single word misused or a brushstroke misplaced can dishonor the entire work. In such a context, the clumsy, often soulless output of generative AI feels crude, even offensive. Japan’s reverence for form and function in perfect balance naturally breeds a resistance to technology that values convenience over quality, volume over virtue.

At the heart of this resistance lies the soul of Japanese culture: the shokunin spirit. This is not just about craftsmanship, but a sacred devotion to mastery, humility, and purpose. Whether it’s a tea master preparing a single cup, an itamae slicing fish with centuries of tradition behind the blade, or an animator hand-drawing frame after frame with tears in their eyes, Japanese creators imbue their work with heart, history, and honor. In comparison, generative AI, with its detached algorithms and instant results, feels like an insult to that sacred process. To take shortcuts in creation is, in this worldview, to disrespect the soul of the craft itself. AI may be able to mimic styles, ape voices, or mash up aesthetics, but it cannot dream, reflect, or suffer for art. That absence is not neutral. It is a kind of aesthetic blasphemy in a society where effort is beauty, and spirit is inseparable from form.

Moreover, Japan’s collective approach to decision-making, grounded in harmony and consensus, reflects a profound respect for social cohesion and interdependence. Unlike more individualistic cultures that rush to adopt the newest trends with little reflection, Japan moves deliberately, ensuring that any change honors both tradition and people. The introduction of generative AI, with its potential to destabilize labor, creative norms, and human dignity, is not taken lightly. In the West, disruption is seen as exciting. In Japan, it is measured against centuries of wisdom. This isn’t resistance born of fear. It is the patience of a culture that knows that not all progress is good, and not all that is fast is wise. As the world races ahead with AI-generated noise, Japan listens more deeply to the silence, to the soul, to the subtle art of doing things right. And in that restraint, there is not backwardness, but beauty.