[ajmurmann]

As a German living in the US I actually had the most interesting experience visiting Japan. I always thought of myself as "liberal" when I lived in Europe. However, moving to the US I found myself often times very annoyed by people not obeying common everyday conventions. A dumb example would be people jaywalking right in front of your car, being fully aware that you have to stop because of their jaywalking. When I visited Japan I realized that I actually appreciate fascism to a certain degree, which is a shocking thing to realize. Having a strong shared set of conventions and shared values that help enforce these conventions make everyday life so much more pleasant. When I use light rail in SF, I am constantly strategizing where to position myself relative to other passengers, so that I can get on the train early in order to get a seat. In Japan there are markings on the floor where you have to stand and no one would dare to skip the line. These are small examples of things that make everyday life just so much more pleasant. I don't give a damn what color your skin is or what country you are from, but I agree with you, you better stick to the rules that everyone else adheres to.