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Let's Make Facts Fun Again

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,235
20,019
Sleazattle
Your subjective opinions are not facts and far from being fun.

The typical Japanese school year is 240 days long, giving the student about three years more years of instruction over the typical American.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,032
7,553
Your subjective opinions are not facts and far from being fun.

The typical Japanese school year is 240 days long, giving the student about three years more years of instruction over the typical American.
Not to mention that most kids will do "cram school" after regular school is out to get an extra edge on entrance exams.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,235
20,019
Sleazattle
Not to mention that most kids will do "cram school" after regular school is out to get an extra edge on entrance exams.
American cram schools will most likely include either assholes or food, or both.

Sad fact: Japanese suicide rates are about 60% higher than the rest of the world.

Subjective personal anecdote: Part of me respects the Japanese way of life. But from the 20 years I have worked with Japanese companies along with the few months I have spent there, I am pretty sure had I led the life of an equivalent engineer in Japan, I would have sought treatment from a high velocity lead pill dispenser long ago.
 
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Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,032
7,553
Yeah, that system has no sympathy for those who fall by the wayside, and the suicide rate reflects that. Death by overwork once one "wins the game", as it were, too. Japan has some issues. On the other hand, they also have a super clean country, public transit that works, polite (if xenophobic) people, and a general culture of competency at all levels from the janitor through the C suite that we lack here.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,235
20,019
Sleazattle
Yeah, that system has no sympathy for those who fall by the wayside, and the suicide rate reflects that. Death by overwork once one "wins the game", as it were, too. Japan has some issues. On the other hand, they also have a super clean country, public transit that works, polite (if xenophobic) people, and a general culture of competency at all levels from the janitor through the C suite that we lack here.
I enjoyed the clean and safe environment during my time there. I can even say I enjoyed the xenophobic aspect, it was always nice having the extra personal space on a packed and stifling subway car because I was the sweaty white guy. The "conform or else" attitude in the professional world I couldn't deal with. Not that I am some rebel, but I have made a career ignoring what I am told to do and doing what is right instead. I've left two good jobs because obedience was given priority over performance. Still adjusting to my new gig but I am pretty getting paid to show folks how to get shit done instead of just following procedure.
 

ALEXIS_DH

Tirelessly Awesome
Jan 30, 2003
6,147
796
Lima, Peru, Peru
facts and logic are way overrated.
the world just doesnt care about them. the average human operates by "feels".
irrefutable evidence presented by a dubious or arrogant man fall in a void for most humans.

I consider accepting that "reality" of the wisest things i learned in my 30s.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,235
20,019
Sleazattle
facts and logic are way overrated.
the world just doesnt care about them. the average human operates by "feels".
irrefutable evidence presented by a dubious or arrogant man fall in a void for most humans.

I consider accepting that "reality" of the wisest things i learned in my 30s.

Suspected fact: Societies that repress feelings are more successful at the cost of quality of life.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
When I was in the Hospital in Pittsburgh I went for for a walk. They had a Burn Treatment Center. It was a big huge building. I was bewildered to think that Pittsburgh has so many fires they had to build a section of the Hospital for Burns.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
Japan, England, Northern Europe. Countries that punch well above their weight class.
Who represses their feelings in Northern Europe? England yes, but that part of the continent is one of the most liberated, emotionally liberal and self-aware places on the planet IMO. For more a generation most countries have self-understanding as part of regular school life, psychological therapy is totally normal and taking a mental health day has zero stigma. People will send a group email saying they’re taking one.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
Some thoughts about the antidepressant list above: I recon the middle of that list represents ‘good normal’ — functional healthcare systems where people who need it get access to high quality healthcare. The top of the list has reasons like: Far northern countries are slightly over-represented but they have 9+ months a year where they would be naturally highly vitamin D deficient, which is a solid way to feel shit and get sick real fast. Straya and Merica are up there because their health systems are incentivised to medicate rather than cure.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
Some thoughts about the antidepressant list above: I recon the middle of that list represents ‘good normal’ — functional healthcare systems where people who need it get access to high quality healthcare. The top of the list has reasons like: Far northern countries are slightly over-represented but they have 9+ months a year where they would be naturally highly vitamin D deficient, which is a solid way to feel shit and get sick real fast. Straya and Merica are up there because their health systems are incentivised to medicate rather than cure.
I would say a solid '0' represents a 'good normal', everything else is too high!
Living in the country that has apparently the highest quality of life, I just can't see it. There are so many things that speak against it. Alcohol use is seriously high, there is a long waiting list for therapy if you have depressions (had friends and colleagues try to get help, all they got were drugs, which just cover the symptoms), a health care system that is under-treating, high cost of living, ...
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
I would say a solid '0' represents a 'good normal', everything else is too high!
Living in the country that has apparently the highest quality of life, I just can't see it. There are so many things that speak against it. Alcohol use is seriously high, there is a long waiting list for therapy if you have depressions (had friends and colleagues try to get help, all they got were drugs, which just cover the symptoms), a health care system that is under-treating, high cost of living, ...
If you look for perfection, you might go blind...
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,853
9,557
AK
Ian Fleming who wrote James Bond also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Actor Gert Frobe played Goldfinger and in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang played Baron Bomburst in the film versions
I don't even have to look this part up: Actor Gerb Frobe didn't speak a lick of English in Goldfinger. All of his "talking" was dubbed, provided by another actor. I think he was Hungarian?
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,777
4,700
Champery, Switzerland
I would say a solid '0' represents a 'good normal', everything else is too high!
Living in the country that has apparently the highest quality of life, I just can't see it. There are so many things that speak against it. Alcohol use is seriously high, there is a long waiting list for therapy if you have depressions (had friends and colleagues try to get help, all they got were drugs, which just cover the symptoms), a health care system that is under-treating, high cost of living, ...
I´ve lived 21 years in the US and 21 years in Switzerland. I definitely feel like the quality of life is incredibly high here in Switzerland compared to anywhere else but sadly most people here don’t have that perception.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
I´ve lived 21 years in the US and 21 years in Switzerland. I definitely feel like the quality of life is incredibly high here in Switzerland compared to anywhere else but sadly most people here don’t have that perception.
I know, the grass is always greener...thing. One thing to keep in mind though is that most of us are privileged, so quality of life is different for us than the average Joe. I have quite fond memories of the US and think my quality of life there was better or equal to here (for sure better mountain biking, which is part of quality of life, right?), but I appreciate that overall the population is probably better off here. However, there are also quite a few indicators that show that these surveys that come up with the rankings might miss some crucial points. If quality of life is so high, why do so many people have depressions, is alcohol consumption so high, etc.?
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,853
9,557
AK
Fucking Alps. I would kill for those. And you got trains running everywhere, through the mountains, on top of the mountains, under the mountains.

We have nothing like that.
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,504
In hell. Welcome!
Fucking Alps. I would kill for those. And you got trains running everywhere, through the mountains, on top of the mountains, under the mountains.

We have nothing like that.
We don't have fucking train services from suburbs to city centers. 3rd world countries have better infrastructure than the mighty US.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,032
7,553
Seriously - our "infrastructure" peaked in the 50's.
I follow an American train photo twitter account, and so many of the photos have captions saying that the line is now abandoned or that the bridge is no longer present.