[cm2012]

It's true that not putting up road signs doesn't tie clearly to education and resources.

It's also true that societal education and resources over time correlates strongly with putting up road signs, as the Japan anecdote suggests.

[sonnyblarney]

They are all correlated and I'm not pointing fingers. A society in which nobody give a crap ... it's hard to find people that will consistently rise above.

[dmix]

Indeed, it's also dangerous to be so passe about everything. Especially construction. Just because it's a cultural phenomenon doesn't make it an admirable one or one that should just be accepted as 'how it is'. Plenty of cultures have evolved and changed for the better.

A subset of Scots from an area near the border on England used to be known for having a culture where fist fighting over disputes was common and education was looked down upon. Many of these groups migrated to the American south and eventually moved on from violence and education rates have since drastically improved.

You can be critical or concerned about a culture phenomenon without dismissing the culture outright like some racist book in the 1920s about Japanese...

[cm2012]

Completely agreed. Didn't mean to imply otherwise!