Am I the Only One Who DOESN'T Care About Japan?

[Agayek]

While I see what you're saying, I find the idea that it's an evolutionary trait to be an easy out. Sure, our minds can't take in all the sadness in the world so we have to compartmentalise stuff, but that doesn't mean it doesn't ever register. I find it saddening that there are so many people who sound like they didn't even feel a twinge of concern and sympathy, and I can only put it down to the rising tide of narcissism in today's society.

I cared about Katrina, and about Haiti, and about Pakistan, and about Christchurch. Did I let it take over my life? Not at all. Was I able to spare the time I was watching the news to feel bad for the victims of these tragedies? Absolutely. It isn't that hard to develop a sense of empathy - evolution as a species takes a long time, but you can evolve as a person by questioning these basic tendencies and trying to be better.

Eh. It would be awfully depressing to be sympathetic to everyone's suffering. It never ends, and crying about it doesn't help anything.

I'm all for people who want to contribute to the relief effort, however they want to do it, but asking people to be sad about it is kinda ridiculous. Not only will it never happen, if for no other reason than the makeup of the human brain, but you're basically asking people to be depressed forever, and that's just not very nice.

 

[UsefulPlayer 1]

I don't think any of those people "care" anymore than you do. They're talking about it, you're talking about it. But I don't see anyone doing shit about it.

Plus, I don't really see where you are coming from. I heard more racist jokes towards the Japanese these days than I have in awhile.

 

[Peteron]

So as most of you know Japan has had it pretty rough lately what with an earthquake, a tsunami, and some kind of radioactive meltdown happening in pretty quick succession. Hundreds of people are dead and towns have been destroyed. People at my school are all talking about it and debating whether or not we (the USA) should help Japan. But in the midst of all this, I find that I really don't care. I mean, I certinly don't want people to die and I don't wish anything bad on Japan (unlike some crazy people), but I don't really feel any sympathy towards people who I've never met and probably never will. Anyone else feel the same way, or am I just a sociopathic weirdo?

Sounds like your trolling to me. You don't have to care about it, but you don't go around saying that.

 

[WanderingBiscuits]

Yeh i've met alot of people who don't really care. Its pretty commonplace to feel disconnected because it doesn't effect you. I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything though ,I dislike people with this mentality.

 

[Mstrswrd]

I thonk most people are caught in between; they don't really care about the people and the nation itself, so much as they care about the idea of the nation and people. They're aren't sayin "I must help them because they need it (though they do)," what they're saying is "When I try to imagine it, I put myself in the siuation, and now it's terryfying, so in the event some horrible disaster ever happens to me, here's some money now, and you can pay me back later."

It's the same reason I donated; I literally said "Well, what if something like that were to both happen where I live, and I were to survive it, but now had nothing, would I want others to help?" When I came upon a resounding "Yes," I donated some money. Not much, mind you, as I am a college student, and we all know what that means; in debt up to my eyeballs. But still, I gave some, basically because, hey, it couldn't hurt. That was really the extent of my caring, though I have kept up with everything else that's gone wrong just to see what else could possibly go wrong. And then the Volcano starting spewing Ash and Debris into the atmosphere.

Oy.

 

[Darkauthor81]

So as most of you know Japan has had it pretty rough lately what with an earthquake, a tsunami, and some kind of radioactive meltdown happening in pretty quick succession. Hundreds of people are dead and towns have been destroyed. People at my school are all talking about it and debating whether or not we (the USA) should help Japan. But in the midst of all this, I find that I really don't care. I mean, I certinly don't want people to die and I don't wish anything bad on Japan (unlike some crazy people), but I don't really feel any sympathy towards people who I've never met and probably never will. Anyone else feel the same way, or am I just a sociopathic weirdo?

Honestly, I feel for you here. I've got enough of my own problems at the moment. Sure they have it a lot worse than me, but they're not me. Maybe if I were comfortable and fat, sitting on a wad of cash in a nice house watching the news on a tv my monocle would pop out at the sight of the devastation and I'd go "Bolly! This is a down right tragedy right here. Where's me check book?" But right now I'm more worried about where I'm going to live next month when my lease runs out or if my girlfriend will be able to find a job in her field before her college loans start knocking on the door for our souls.

Though I do feel really bad for the pets.

 

[Mcupobob]

I'm sure most people don't feel to bad about it either. Its still nice though to at least pretend to give a damn for the lost of human life. Then again its also no reason to stop the world over and grieve.

 

[Dogstile]

Nope, I don't care in the slightest. What bothers me is that if you don't care, people assume you're a heartless bastard, a sociopath or a psychopath because of it. I'm tired of getting asked about it by people, being honest, and then being told these things because it doesn't bother me.

Why should it?

 

[Verlander]

Well, this guy, even though you might not agree with him...really has a point

He's a good guy, and what he's saying is right...right?

Personally, I say no. Every point he's trying to make is wrong. Don't get me wrong, I believe that he's allowed to not care. That's his right, even if he is a **** for doing so.

The issue with what he's saying is that there is no freedom of speech, and never has been. If he think there is, then he's been misinformed. The next massive mistake he's making is blaming "liberals" for him being censored. Liberals are anti censorship. This is the perfect example of people being intellectually led by the media into a conclusion as to who the "enemy" is. Seriously, I'm surprised the earthquake itself isn't being blamed on the "liberals". It's even more ironic that this "punk" obviously is benefiting so much from the work of the "liberals". Would he have those tattoos, piercings and be allowed to voice those opinions in a overly conservative society? Nope.

Why isn't broadcasting this sort of material acceptable? Because those people are dying now. When you make a joke or insult in retrospect, it's usually more acceptable as there has been some work done to improve, repair or at least apologise to those who have been wronged. It may be in bad taste or make a joke about child murder or similar, long after it's happened, but if you were to do so during the event instead of helping out, then you are a ****, and should be more respectful. End of. I don't particularly care about the treatment of animals by fast food restaurants, but I don't find a platform to preach about it.

This guy is an attention seeking troll. If you can't tell that by his choice of body arts and his "oh so cool, smoking because he's soooo passionate", you can tell by his "hard ass northerner, live on the edge, wanna cool guy" attitude, and his need to vent by filming his face, and posting it on the world wide web. Seriously, fuck this guy. If he doesn't care, fine, he's a dick. This is just another Chris Crocker whinge fest. "The world is going to shit" yeah because there are people like you in it, more bothered about sucking your own dick than other people's lives. "I stand by everything I say" yeah because there is no chance of reprimand.

Sorry dude, went off on a bit of a tangent there

 

[Byere]

I wouldn't say I don't care about them... I really feel sorry for them... but sh*t happens. It was a natural disaster. Like the media has constantly stated, they're used to earthquakes. Unfortunately, this was just a particularly large one. We all knew it was only a matter of time before a really large quake was due in that area or along any of the tectonic platelines.

 

[shaboinkin]

but I don't really feel any sympathy towards people who I've never met and probably never will.

It was like this for me before. It's kind of hard to step in someone else shoes and understand what they are going through...until I stumbled across this video

Spoiler

It's pretty graphic

Yah...with headphones on in a dark room, it kinda makes you feel like you're there.

 

[ph0b0s123]

So as most of you know Japan has had it pretty rough lately what with an earthquake, a tsunami, and some kind of radioactive meltdown happening in pretty quick succession. Hundreds of people are dead and towns have been destroyed. People at my school are all talking about it and debating whether or not we (the USA) should help Japan. But in the midst of all this, I find that I really don't care. I mean, I certinly don't want people to die and I don't wish anything bad on Japan (unlike some crazy people), but I don't really feel any sympathy towards people who I've never met and probably never will. Anyone else feel the same way, or am I just a sociopathic weirdo?

Nope, I don't care in the slightest. What bothers me is that if you don't care, people assume you're a heartless bastard, a sociopath or a psychopath because of it. I'm tired of getting asked about it by people, being honest, and then being told these things because it doesn't bother me.

Why should it?

Don't care.

Dumbest thread ever. People who don't give a sh!t asking others to give a sh!t that they don't give a sh!t. My head hurts.....

 

[warprincenataku]

I hope someday you are faced with a serious problem, catastrophe or the like and some stranger who has never met you donates their time, money or aid to help you out of whatever you faced. Then maybe you can see why humanity occasionally looks after one another and it human nature to care about someone other than yourself.

 

[GreyKnight3445]

So as most of you know Japan has had it pretty rough lately what with an earthquake, a tsunami, and some kind of radioactive meltdown happening in pretty quick succession. Hundreds of people are dead and towns have been destroyed. People at my school are all talking about it and debating whether or not we (the USA) should help Japan. But in the midst of all this, I find that I really don't care. I mean, I certinly don't want people to die and I don't wish anything bad on Japan (unlike some crazy people), but I don't really feel any sympathy towards people who I've never met and probably never will. Anyone else feel the same way, or am I just a sociopathic weirdo?

no your not. I mean I`m saddened about whats happening there, but its another major disaster, they happen from time to time.

 

[GothmogII]

Err...wait, so to understand...to the OP (and others who are posting to state that, and their reasons for not caring.) Why make a thread just to point out that fact?

You obviously do care, else you'd not be posting such threads! Geh, utter pointlessness. It's a self-indulgent steaming pile of crap is what.

 

[Areani]

Now you know how I, and probably a bunch of other europeans, felt during 9/11: I just couldn't bring myself to care about the victims or anyone affected or involved for that matter. Now, I'm not saying this to offend or anything, I'm just telling the truth.

It just feels so distant and it doesn't really affect me in any direct way, but I do however recognize the severity of the situation.

 

[Jonesy911]

It's not within human nature to care about someone we've never met, I still do though

 

[Callate]

I don't feel the kind of immediate sorrow/frustration/anguish that I have felt when those closer to me suffer. But I do care. I do follow the news. I do plan to make some sacrifices to help out.

There may be some accuracy to the complaints of those who claim that a 24-hour news culture combined with short-attention span media and a constant stream of information from the Internet has served to make all of us a little numb. Someone is always suffering somewhere.

The question may be, then, do we still recognize rationally that people much like us are in the grips of a tragedy that is no fault of their own, and that we have a moral obligation to do something, whether we feel the immediacy of grief or not?

 

[MinchMan]

So as most of you know Japan has had it pretty rough lately what with an earthquake, a tsunami, and some kind of radioactive meltdown happening in pretty quick succession. Hundreds of people are dead and towns have been destroyed. People at my school are all talking about it and debating whether or not we (the USA) should help Japan. But in the midst of all this, I find that I really don't care. I mean, I certinly don't want people to die and I don't wish anything bad on Japan (unlike some crazy people), but I don't really feel any sympathy towards people who I've never met and probably never will. Anyone else feel the same way, or am I just a sociopathic weirdo?

that's kind of how I feel. For me, it's just the feeling of "I don't really need this in my stressed out life right now". Too much crap going on in America for me to worry about. I don't really need all of the piled up on top of everything else.
I'm not saying that the event that has taken place isn't a disaster, or that it isn't horrible or terrifying, but that's just it. I don't like acknowledging it because of that reason.