KAHNP@SKIDMORE.BITNET (I Agitate Communists) (04/07/88)
Japan has a radically different system of industry. The have built their
corporations off of the history of Japan. The companies replaced the clans
and Great Ies, and the breifcase replaced the sword. They have a system that
is truely amazing. The problem is that it is their system, it is not and
cannot become ours. It is very society specific. Their way of buisness
has evolved from roots that do not exist in America. Our society is
organized radically differently than theirs. It is easy to see this in the
reactions of Amnericans to Japanese religions, and even more so to the
Japanese educational system.
To me and many other their educational system seems like a nightmare.
The enourmous pressure to succeed and the idea of going to a "cram school"
for four hours day (on top of high school) sounds a little overbearing.
All of this preparation goes towards the big test. The one that if you
do poorly on, not only do you not get into a college, but you bring shame
upon your family. This seems too intensive, but that is because I was not
raised in that society. I am not saying either society is better or worse,
because it would be difficult for anyone to judge who is a member of either.
Their solutions to problems of industry and society are Japanese solutions
not American ones. They cannot be transplanted unless the are modified in
some form. American companies can compete with the Japanese and do well, but
they must find a while to end the alienation between the worker and hir or her
work. This must be done by studying other cultures and adapting practises
we see to meet our culture.
Peter Kahn
Kahnp@Skidmore