An assistant professor at one of the most prestigious universities in the U.S. has said that the “clear solution” to Japan’s aging society is for “mass suicide and mass ‘seppuku’ (ritual disembowelment) of the elderly”.
I do understand that the words “tragedy of the commons” are not some magic spell that causes any shared resource to become degraded, perforce, always. I am familiar with the origin of the phrase and how it is used/misused.
I use it only in situations where I do believe that the shared resource would be spoiled, and not simply by virtue of its being shared.
The public cleanliness in Japan would be seriously degraded and there would be significant resentment over it. Even conscientious Japanese would stop trying. It would be an actual tragedy of the commons, not just a nominal tragedy of the commons.
I do understand that the words “tragedy of the commons” are not some magic spell that causes any shared resource to become degraded, perforce, always. I am familiar with the origin of the phrase and how it is used/misused.
I use it only in situations where I do believe that the shared resource would be spoiled, and not simply by virtue of its being shared.
The public cleanliness in Japan would be seriously degraded and there would be significant resentment over it. Even conscientious Japanese would stop trying. It would be an actual tragedy of the commons, not just a nominal tragedy of the commons.