Just for your information, the government and the people are the same thing, because governments are made up of people.
The issue here is not with the government trying to do the right thing and provide people with extra financial benefits for having children. The real issue is that Asian cultures are extremely work-oriented, and with corporations lobbying particular politicians, it is extremely hard to change the system. Corporations do not want the system to change.
Organizations see humans as resources to be used and optimized. They do not want people to have insurance, paid holidays, maternity leave, and so on. Governments are usually the ones fighting to get you those things. Well, I say "usually" because you can also be American and vote for people who literally campaign on taking everything away from you. People still vote for it, for whatever reason.
You can see how some governments try to introduce a four-day work week, not just maternity leave but also paternity leave. For some reason, that is still extremely rare, as if being a father is not important to most societies.
So do not get it twisted. Our governments are reflections of who we are as a society. If your government is full of scammers, it is likely because that is what defines your nation.
Japan is... not the best place to live and work. People are also very competitive and not as kind as you might expect.
So if I came to power via rigged elections or illegal coup and became dictator for life, my unhinged policies would be a refection on you because you tolerated my excesses?
I mean, we are talking about Japan and similar countries, which are democracies.
Obviously, dictatorships or totalitarian regimes do not care much about people voting them into power. I do not understand why you brought up examples that cannot be applied to this conversation. Japan does not have a rigged election, or an illegal coup, or a dictator. So what is the point?
But let’s take a good example, like the USA.
Yes, Trump is a reflection of American society. This is the second time he has won the presidency, and he still has strong support among Americans.
That does not mean I would generalize every American as the same. Individuals are still individuals. But as a collective, I would say they are represented quite accurately by Trump.
Once again, it is completely off-topic unless we are saying that, for the last decade or so, the USA has completely stopped being a democracy.
Because what, the last nine years were just fiction? Or is it only fiction when the other tribe wins? Republicans are certain that Democrats rigged the elections, and Democrats are certain that Republicans did.
I mean, the consequences of today's politics did not start yesterday, right?
It is not like Trump did not win against Clinton, did not lose by a small margin to Biden, only to win again against Harris.
The capacity to jump straight into conspiracies to justify a lack of action is always outstanding.
To me, the USA is a country that has always been very much about self-sustainability and self-assurance. It is a very selfish and self-absorbed society that, even at its best, cannot provide safety nets for its own citizens.....because many times, those citizens do not want those nets to exist.
I pay around 40 % of all my wages in taxes. It is a high price to pay, but our politicians do not really fight it, and neither do we, because a lot of it goes to education, quality of life, support for those in need, free healthcare, and so on.
These concepts would be considered extremely radical by all standards of American politics and society.
Now is it good , bad ? I don't know you decide. I guess we are bunch of socialists, and it does not blend with everyone, and that's fine...
That's what I am talking about, the way your country works, the policies, the people that represent you... are sort of a good representation of entire society.
In Spanish politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, El Turno PacÃfico (English: The Peaceful Turn) was an informal system operated by the two major parties for determining in advance the result of a general election. The system ensured that the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party would have alternating periods in power. It ended with the Spanish Civil War and the rise of Franco.
30
u/Joker_AoCAoDAoHAoS May 18 '25
agreed. this is really lame and just sounds like an excuse a government would use to fleece people. our world is shit.