07-21-2008, 05:10 AM | #21 |
Elf Lord
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You two, get a room already!
I agree that gangs are very damaging, and that the harm they do is mostly to the very poor and the already criminal. That's not a reason to sweep it under the carpet. The feeling I get is that as long as they don't interfere with nice middle class people too much, they will be tolerated. They may even be seen as an important law-enforcement agency: having one powerful gang ruling the underclass is far better than a miscellany of petty gangs all killing each other and extracting protection from the same (poor) people. |
07-21-2008, 02:04 PM | #22 | ||
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It seems that the Yakuza (which Mari already mentioned) operates this way. There is not a lot of violent crime. IIRC, the Yakuza mainly engage in white-collar crime.
I'm not saying that an organization that punishes mistakes by having you cut off your own finger is a positive force, but they might have something to with the low crime rate. I think, though, that the low crime rate is because in Japan (as my friend who lived there for a while said), "Everyone has enough." There are hardly any homeless people, some of the most vulnerable of society. This might be one factor. <edit> Another thing about the Yakuza is that they're all tattooed. Therefore, having a tattoo is very frowned upon in Japanese society, to the point where you might not be allowed in some bath houses if you have one. (I think they'd cut a tattooed foreigner some slack though.) </edit> Correct me if I'm wrong Mari.
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Last edited by Nurvingiel : 07-21-2008 at 02:05 PM. |
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07-21-2008, 02:18 PM | #23 |
Elf Lady
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Hehe, thank you. Just wanted to say there are a lot of homeless actually. Many of them are between 16 and 40 years old and live in internet-cafes or manga-cafes. However they are often registered as having a temp-job and mail-boxes can be rented. Therefore they don't show up in the official homeless rates.
It's quite sad. Tattoos are indeed associated with the yakuza, though it is not true that all members of the yakuza have a tattoo, or miss a finger. Plus, I should have made a distinction between yakuza and 'bouryouku gangs', the latter typically resorting to violence and also being politically active. Sometimes as enforcers, sometimes for their own ideas. Very very simply put, the 'b gangs' kill you, but the yakuza make you want to kill yourself just to get out of your (financial) misery.
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07-21-2008, 02:27 PM | #24 | |||||
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Are there any government programs to help the uncounted homeless people? How does one live at an internet or manga-cafe anyway? (At least there's a roof over their head..?) Quote:
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"I can add some more, if you'd like it. Calling your Chief Names, Wishing to Punch his Pimply Face, and Thinking you Shirriffs look a lot of Tom-fools." - Sam Gamgee, p. 340, Return of the King Quote:
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07-21-2008, 02:32 PM | #25 |
Elf Lord
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Similar to Citibank in that, then.
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07-21-2008, 02:38 PM | #26 | ||
Elf Lady
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Quote:
A lot of youths who got kicked out of school or from home live like this. Quote:
Yups. >_<
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07-22-2008, 04:39 AM | #27 |
Elf Lord
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Blimey, what an existence.
It's important to distinguish between official crime rates and people's experience of it though. Usually the latter is very different from the former. Though there is a distinct lack of rational thought about crime generally. Despite all the evidence that crime is falling, the papers are fully of scare stories. Our gangs are mostly petty and disorganised. They don't usually have guns and tend to keep to their own little turf, preying on the most vulnerable. |
07-22-2008, 06:20 AM | #28 | |
Elf Lady
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Quote:
But actually, the rate of solving crimes in Japan is really high. The rate of solvings of murdercases is almost 100%
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