Couldn't agree more. I think Oriental peoples have lived in crowded, less affluent conditions for a very long time and have developed ways to do it, OR ELSE. They respect each other's privacy even in subways, not just elevators. I look around, inspect packages, wonder what they do for a living, smile, nod, wonder how many kids, whether they live in an apartment, house, and so on. Wouldn't do well long-term over there.

I posted on here a while back what it's like in Japanese prisons. The prisoners NEVER look at anyone else, or it's punishment. The first level of punishment is a week of sitting on a bench for 12 hours a day, hands on knees, staring at a wall. No sleeping, no fidgeting.

They can never look around even when working, not even a glance. Can only talk to other prisoners on breaks at work, can never look around. That's for as long as the sentence, and there are a couple of Americans in Japanese prisons who are there for life. That's until they die. They will never know another existence.

Might be why there are something like 6 people in Japanese prisons for everh 100,000 people, compared to 672 per 100,000 here.

It might take a while for all US folks to get used to considering other people. If it all works well, the people who "inadvertently" pass a slow line in order to crowd ahead will not be allowed to breed, for instance.

Arf