...it doesn't take genius to see that anyone who invests in good, sound Japanese companies now, while the market is in a panic, will either make a killing or have acquired durable assets cheap.
Amanda Lang, the anchor of the program, gave him a look like "how can you be so insenstive" and started to object, but he cut her off saying it was true and it was obvious.
Slightly different note, have you heard anyone else refer to the events of last week as "3/11" or is it only my young American friend living in Japan?
As for the insensitivity, you are showing your confidence in the Japanese people, in their ability to carry on, rescue, reconstruct and improve. Which has already impressed me - no looting, peaceful queues even for evacuation, and occasional displays of immense personal courage (beginning with those 180 workers who remained there to fight with fire and snow and the shadow of death).
Not to mention that by investing, you're making working capital available for the rebuilding process. Charity pulls people through that initial period when they've lost everything but the clothes on their backs, but to rebuild a functional, prosperous society and economy long-term, they need investments that will enable them to rebuild factories, restore jobs, etc.
Being willing to make a long-term investment (as opposed to a speculator merely looking for a short-term gain) in the ability of a people rocked by disaster to recover is the opposite of insensitive -- it helps preserve their dignity in the process of getting them back on their feet.
Yes, but it's really an instance where blinkered ideology prevents people from seeing how actually useful and efficient this will be. Sending physical aid creates more problems for the recipients (after the 2005 tsunami, the Red Cross had hundreds of tonnes of stuff in hangars in Thailand that it was unable to deliver to afflicted communities because they created a costly logistics quandary. I would assume that a Japanese corporation will, actually know where money is needed for relief and job creation. The money will trickle into communities, and also go to pay tax. An investor is not a profiteer.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 11:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 11:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 11:53 am (UTC)Slightly different note, have you heard anyone else refer to the events of last week as "3/11" or is it only my young American friend living in Japan?
no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 12:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 12:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 01:27 pm (UTC)Not to mention that by investing, you're making working capital available for the rebuilding process. Charity pulls people through that initial period when they've lost everything but the clothes on their backs, but to rebuild a functional, prosperous society and economy long-term, they need investments that will enable them to rebuild factories, restore jobs, etc.
Being willing to make a long-term investment (as opposed to a speculator merely looking for a short-term gain) in the ability of a people rocked by disaster to recover is the opposite of insensitive -- it helps preserve their dignity in the process of getting them back on their feet.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-17 08:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-18 12:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-18 12:41 am (UTC)