‘Too Late’ for Some Tsunami Victims to Rebuild in Japan

[Kadie]

‘Too Late’ for Some Tsunami Victims to Rebuild in Japan
By MICHAEL WINES
Published: March 19, 2011

KESENNUMA, Japan — A week after the tsunami obliterated most of this northern Japanese city’s seafront and not a little of its inland, the first handful of shopkeepers and their employees were outdoors shoveling mud and hauling wreckage from their businesses, signs of rebirth after this region’s worst catastrophe in memory.

Kunio Imakawa, a 75-year-old barber, was not among them.

Mr. Imakawa and his wife, Shizuko, lost his three-chair barber shop, their second-floor apartment and all their belongings in the tsunami. Rebuilding would mean starting from scratch. And he said that simple math, calculated in yen and in years, showed it was not worth the effort.

“Young people would think, ‘Maybe there’s another way,’ ” he said last week as he sprawled with 1,600 other refugees in a chilly local sports arena. “But I’m too old. My legs have problems.

“It’s too late to start over.”

more...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/world/asia/20coastal.html

[Shagbark Hickory]

1. I never like to hear elderly people "give up". Sad story. I kinda wanna unrec this

but I know it's not your fault so I won't.

[Sonoman]

4. Unrec because it's a "Sad story"? To Kill a Mockingbird is a "Sad story".

I write sad songs because I am not into Happy-Happy-Joy-Joy.

I guess I don't get it.

Sonoman

[Wilms]

5. Why would you want to unrec this?

Please don't take offense. I'm only trying to understand how DUers view and use that "feature".

I think some see it as a statement of disagreement. I disagree with what some repukes say, but I'd often rec the post so others are aware of what they said. To me the button is "recommend that you know about this", not "I endorse the sentiment expressed". Some, of course, use it to censor speech. Sometimes they'll even reply to the OP that they are unrecing...sort of an e-slap in the face. That's adolescent.

In the case of this thread, I could see not recommending that an elderly person or a very young child view this. It IS, I know you agree, sad. But all that you'd accomplish unrecing an article is helping to make sure others don't see it. I'm not saying that was your aim. In fact, I'm unclear on the reasoning behind your comment. That's why I ask.

Thanks in advance.

Wilms

[Shagbark Hickory]

7. ...

I understand it to mean you recommend that other people read it.
Unrec, that you don't recommend people read it.

In this case, I don't really recommend -or not- that people read the post, only that it's not an inspiring story, I'm betting there are plenty of people that lost everything that don't have a "can't go on anymore" attitude. I mean just think of some of the major events of the last 100 years.

So when I said "I kinda wanna unrec this", part of me found the story uninspiring and disapproving of it and part of me didn't care one way or the other whether people read the post. Like I also said, it's not really the OP's fault the situation is what it is. Not all news is inspiring.
I didn't unrec this thread. Would I share it friends? No.

e: missing word

[Wilms]

8. Thanks for the reply.

Sort of like my idea of not telling an elderly person or a young child.

Understood.

[GKirk]

2. Yes it is sad...

...I hope they have some type of retirement program that he can fall back on.
At 75 years old he shouldn't have to go back to cutting hair.

[Rex]

3. nt

:cry:

[Melissa G]

6. So many sad stories.

:cry: