Japan and the Cliché of Stoicism
I am sure it is true that the Japanese are resilient, trained as they have been by a long history of disasters. But am I the only one who finds the reporting on their “stoicism” to be a bit much? Today’s Sidney Morning Herald is just one example of hundreds…
“The stranded hotel guests, consisting mainly of the elderly, nod their heads respectfully, ask important questions and receive detailed and respectful answers. Everywhere, Japan’s stoic resilience and its tightly woven community fabric are on display. Outside the hotel front door is a line of locals waiting patiently, as perhaps only Japanese people can.”
There’s something a touch patronizing in all of this, and I suspect it says more about the rest of us than it does about the Japanese. Namely, that we expect panic and hysteria and are awed when we don’t see it. Indeed, we are awed again and again, year after year, in very different places.
A short (and far from comprehensive) history of stoicism in disasters…
“Stoicism Hides Suffering”—Los Angeles Times, June 5, 1986, referring to Chilean earthquake, which left nearly 1 million people homeless.
“[T]he Cameroonians appeared amazingly stoic in the face of a natural calamity that claimed at least 1,500 lives and virtually wiped out three villages…. As elsewhere in the Third World, black Africans live close to death, and that shapes their attitudes toward it.”—Los Angeles Times, Aug. 30, 1986, referring to a toxic gas disaster in Cameroon
“Her demeanor was as stoic as that of many other flood-hardened residents here. There was no panic and no hysteria…. Mayor Bartel invoked the spirit of the town’s 19th-century founders.”—New York Times, July 10, 1993, referring to a victim of a flood in Hermann, Missouri
“The Chinese can be very stoic in the face of disaster.”—The Irish Times, Jan. 12, 1998, after an earthquake
Why do we expect people to behave otherwise? When humans endure trauma and stress, they are usually quiet, passive and obedient. That’s not because they are superhuman. That’s because in most circumstances, it is in their survival interest to gather information and help each other.
It reminds me of the way some reporters tend to marvel at how “articulate” an African-American official can be, or how “normal” a gay couple turns out to be. We reveal ourselves with words like these.
Clearly, culture matters. And the Japanese are famously resilient in many ways. Their building codes, preparedness drills and support networks have been—and should continue to be—models for the rest of us. But let’s start expecting decency from the public—and planning for it well before we need it most.
Jessica McAuliff said on March 14, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Thank you for this article. I was at the Preparedness Conference in San Diego last year (or was it two?) and I can’t stop thinking about your talk, and how it relates today. I am enamoured by taking this close look at the human psychology of disaster response. I Thank you for your work and writings.
I follow you @jessie034 on Twitter. My Medical Reserve Corps unit is also on twitter. @GSCMRC.
Sincerely,
Jessica R. McAuliff, MPH, Regional Coordinator of Public Health and Preparedness, Greater Sullivan County, New Hampshire, & Director, Greater Sullivan County Medical Reserve Corps Unit # 1558.
Nathan said on March 14, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Having been with my Japanese inlaws through lots of stoic and not-stoic moments, I think you’re right on to call out the weird stereotyping. It also ties into old misconceptions about Asian attitudes toward survival, war and disaster that go back to WWII and Vietnam. Question, tho: how do you plan for decency vs. planning for panic/indecency?
Amanda said on March 14, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Thanks, Jessica. I am now officially following you and your reserve corps.
Nathan, hey my man!! Thanks for the validation. And yes, good question. I kind of left that hanging, didn’t I?
Well, basically, you plan for decency by doing what the Japanese did relatively well: You involve the public in preparedness drills, you level with them about their real risk (this is one we are really really bad at), you pass strong building codes and then…actually enforce them.
In Japan, the vast majority of deaths seem to be due to the tsunami; that’s not a fluke. I am trying to find out if anyone is modeling how many people would have died if the same quake had hit parts of the U.S…
Anyway, the flip side is this: you plan for indecency by withholding information from the public before, during and after a disaster because you are afraid they will panic (this is default behavior of most governments); you halt search-and-rescue efforts due to reports of looting and expectations of mayhem (as happened in New Orleans after Katrina); and you go on TV and tell everyone to stay calm and promise them it will never, ever happen again because Big Daddy won’t let it (i.e. what American presidents do after every terrorist attack/attempt.)
We need to catch up!
Henrik Horneman said on March 17, 2011 at 5:51 am
Given the recent developments in Japan regarding the nuclear threat, I am curious to know, if you still believe that the government is providing enough detailed information to the public? Or is the apparent lack of information and particularly the contradictory nature of it an indication of mistrust in the public and a great fear of a mass exodus?
Arnold D'Souza said on March 22, 2011 at 8:40 am
This is a common topic of discussion in India every time there’s a disaster (natural or caused by humans) in Mumbai. The recent ones have been the floods in ‘05, the train bombings in ‘06, the terror attacks in ‘08. The media normally waxes eloquent on such occasions about the “resilience of the Mumbaikar” until a point where it gets sickening and you can’t take it any more.
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Rob_s said on April 24, 2011 at 5:41 pm
<cite>“When humans endure trauma and stress, they are usually quiet, passive and obedient. That’s not because they are superhuman. That’s because in most circumstances, it is in their survival interest to gather information and help each other.”</cite>
So nicely put. This is the truth of th matter. Every country or culture behaves similarly to a disaster. Just because they are prepared for the earthquake or other disaster does not make them stoic; it makes them clever.
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Geoffrey Bartlett said on June 26, 2011 at 10:11 am
I agree on all counts; however, if ones only context for post-disaster human behavior is the media portrayal of New Orleans in 2005, the Japanese seem downright extraordinary.
Controlling for psychology, I nonetheless think a cultural difference remains. Americans might not have remained calm and dutiful for quite so long, and might have earlier availed themselves of their right to vocal discord in the public forum to remedy the lack of information about the unfolding nuclear incident.
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Tom Tyler said on October 11, 2011 at 11:25 am
Let’s pray for Japan!
Pete said on October 16, 2011 at 12:58 am
Japan is fast grown country people that invent all technology so no doubt Japan can recover from every disaster.
Rintojen Suurennus said on December 08, 2011 at 6:08 am
I was just in Japan and it really seems like things are better now altogether which is definitely a good thing..
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