[dangus]

Exceptionalism is still a terrible argument.

These examples heavily downplay the public health, safety, and behavior progress the West has made. In the US, litter, graffiti[1], and smoking were all greatly reduced over the past half century. The male smoking rate in America is half of the male smoking rate in Japan.

I think the idea that the Japanese form of capitalism is more benevolent than the rest is also a bit rosy-eyed. Statistics on hours worked aren’t great for Japan. It’s arguably not a good thing that low wage workers are prioritizing work. You say that there’s an aversion to screwing people over but in the same sentence you’re saying that low wage workers are being exploited and convinced to work unbilled hours.

[1] Jusr do an image search for “New York Subway 80s”