In the absence of multiculturalism

Ed West writing for the UK Telegraph, presents a rather curious conundrum as it concerns the aftermath of Japan's earthquake and Tsunami. 


"Why no looting?"

By Ed West

The landscape of parts of Japan looks like the aftermath of World War Two; no industrialised country since then has suffered such a death toll. The one tiny, tiny consolation is the extent to which it shows how humanity can rally round in times of adversity, with heroic British rescue teams joining colleagues from the US and elsewhere to fly out.
And solidarity seems especially strong in Japan itself. Perhaps even more impressive than Japan’s technological power is its social strength, with supermarkets cutting prices and vending machine owners giving out free drinks as people work together to survive. Most noticeably of all, there has been no looting, and I’m not the only one curious about this.
This is quite unusual among human cultures, and it’s unlikely it would be the case in Britain. During the 2007 floods in the West Country abandoned cars were broken into and free packs of bottled water were stolen. There was looting in Chile after the earthquake last year – so much so that troops were sent in; in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina saw looting on a shocking scale.
Why do some cultures react to disaster by reverting to everyone for himself, but others – especially the Japanese – display altruism even in adversity?

It's really a very simple reality once you think about it. Japan is one of the least culturally diverse nations on the planet. Therefore, their culture and traditions are readily adhered to in the absence of outside influences.

And Mr. West rightly asks the question and is curious what the difference between the cultures is. However, he stops short of arriving at the obvious answer.