“The only time you can get things done is in moments of genuine crisis and catastrophes -- there’s a small opportunity to do an extraordinary amount,” Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point,” who writes for New Yorker magazine, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “Japan -- a country whose politics were in deadlock and sluggish for many, many years -- I hope they can seize this moment and accomplish a lot.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-30/japan-urged-to-seize-this-moment-or-risk-another-lost-decade.html
How come gladwell shows up everywhere?
i agree with his statements, but, there will be no tipping point in japan.
there is no leadership and no on really cares. coastal communities in the north west were impacted. some factories have been affected.
the only catalyst: a bunch of soccer players shouting "gambatte nippon" on television and an endless stream of j-pop clones doing benefit concerts.
the wealth (and wealthy) of this country is unaffected. it didnt hit kanto, kansai or aichi, just some farmers and fishermen.
the event is equivalent to hurricane katrina (new orleans) and three-mile island. were there "tipping points" as a result of either of these incidents? different country, different culture i realize.
Japan is an aging salaryman - a heavy drinker and a heavy smoker who's now being treated for lung cancer. the tohoku quake is just an added case of appendicitis.
Every day and every yen spent away from truly addressing the real issues is another day that korea, china, taiwan, singapore, US, Brazil, India, Germany eat Japan's lunch just a little more.
kan and gladwell can hope all they want.
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