Okay, this is bugging me. All this "You don't care about Japan, you're so selfish, typical American. How dare you think of your friend who might have been killed? Don't you know what that country is going through?"
Seriously. Who doesn't think "Oh my god, I hope my friend is okay" when something like this happens? I don't know anyone in Japan, but I did have a cousin living in Manhattan ten years ago. And when the twin towers were attacked, the first thing I thought was, I hope she's all right. Why? Because I know her. Not because I didn't care about the thousands who died, but I didn't know them. I feel sympathy for the people who lost friends and family. But I didn't know any of them. Same with Japan. You want to know if the people you know are safe. Not because you don't care about anyone else. Maybe because it's easier to feel sympathy for the people who did lose friends and family if you know yours are safe. Maybe because humans are by nature selfish, though in this case I hardly think selfish is an accurate term. We think of how something affects us first- I prefer to think of it as a survival mechanism rather than selfishness.
/rant
Sorry if this offends anyone, but I really hate it when someone accuses someone else of being selfish for caring about their friends more than a bunch of strangers.
