So the sum of all the collective wisdom of the cultural cringe set is better signs at the railway station?
I've got to write that one down before I forget it.

cornonacob,

Lmfao!

Great post!

Yeah! Other places are chock full o' culcha!

I remember once being a bit smug about my travels too, but I found people didn't respond very well to it. All part of growing up.

So cringe-worthy!

A prophet! No less.

I hate the word diaspora too.

All in all, people like this sound like a teenager who thinks he invented getting drunk.

As well as Australia ignoring Japan's rail directions inovations we also ignore China's "thousand grains of sand" information collection tradition. See http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/articles/20061110.aspx

"The China is using an espionage system called, "a thousand grains of sand." It is nothing new. Other nations have used similar systems for centuries. What is unusual is the scale of the Chinese effort. The Chinese intelligence bureaucracy inside China is huge, with nearly 100,000 people working just to keep track of the many Chinese overseas, and what they could, or should, to trying to grab for the motherland.

Chinese intelligence officials try to have a talk with Chinese students and business people before they leave the country to study or do business, and after they come back as well. The people going to the West are asked to bring back anything that might "help the motherland." Most of these people were not asked to actually act as spies, but simply to share, with Chinese government officials (who are not always identified as intelligence personnel) whatever information they obtained."

As in enlightened China information gathering overseas should be an equal opportunity activity for all :)

First two posts tell the story.
Way too cynical and up themselves to listen to anyone younger, or different. "I've seen it all". "Who do you think you are?" and "bugger off you weirdo" are indicative of the prevailing attitude toward *any* wisdom they haven't already picked up.
I just love oldies (more a state of mind than an actual age BTW): for thousands of years they have resisted change because if *they* didn't come up with it it obviously isn't worth doing!
Classic business story: TQM was invented in the US but didn't work because it involved superiors in business actually empowering those "under" them...the idea of doing a managers's job of facilitating without lording was just too radical! (Same in Aus). It did work in Japan though and it transformed their economy for a decade or two until the bankers stuffed things up.

Oz I see that guys picture and he's at least 20 years older than me. I'm very well travelled, but I don't think it's appropriate to come back to Aus thinking you know how the people who live here should do things.

Just look at the idiots pushing the Metro as if we have a population density to fund such a thing.

Nice attempt to turn it around and act as if the cultural cringe lot are actually the victims of condescension.

Building a Tokyo style metro (big$)...yep, inappropriate.
Making signs more useful (0$)...lets do it (next time they need replacing!).

The worst "oldies" are in their twenties...state of mind, not birthday.