| This is a really funny comment. But it's entirely from an individualists perspective. Maybe your 'shooting skill' at the end of the day is not as important as your life-long commitment to the cause? You know the African proverb: "If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go as a group" Well, building a nation is 'going far' and can't be done on the basis of individuals all competing to out-do each other. When it comes to 99% of things, surely some are a little better than others, some work harder than others, but really, 'we're all a commodity' in the long run. Even those who are spectacularly talented require legions of supporting people. I'd also argue that they are not putting completely morons in charge, and that in the end, probably the better hands are getting promoted ultimately. Also recognize that even the most nimble and entrepreneurial organizations are inherently pyramid-ish, and it gets really narrow at the top. There's not a lot of room for promotion - and that it might be considered selfish and bombastic to be demanding 'special recognition' for your efforts, if everyone is 'putting in effort'. Consider that it (was) also a Japanese trait to not lay people off: this was shameful. Instead, your dignity was respected on some level, and you got to do a 'nothing job' all day at least to keep up appearances and keep your salary. This is not so much an authoritarian structure as it is communitarian one. Japan is a tiny island with few natural resources and yet somehow is one of the wealthiest and most advanced nations on earth, I suggest that these types of social structures are exactly why this is ... which comes at the cost of individual aspiration. |