What a random link gets you

So I click on this link and get a fascinating article (well, sample chapter really) about our assumptions and perceptions of national cultures and how they are completely shit. Lazy Japanese indeed!

So in the early days of capitalism when most economically successful countries happened to be Protestant Christian, many people argued that Protestantism was uniquely suited to economic development. When Catholic France, Italy, Austria, and Southern Germany developed rapidly, particularly after the Second World War, Christianity, rather than Protestantism, became the magic culture. Until Japan became rich, many people thought East Asia had not develop because of Confucianism. But when Japan succeeded, this thesis was revised to say that Japan was developing so fast because its unique form of Confucianism emphasised cooperation over individual edification, which the Chinese and Korean versions allegedly valued more highly. And then Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Korea also started doing well, so this judgment about the different varieties of Confucianism was forgotten. Indeed Confucianism as a whole suddenly became the best culture for development because it emphasised hard work, saving, education, and submission to authority. Today, when we now see Muslim Malaysia and Indonesia, Buddhist Thailand, and even Hindu India doing economically well, we can soon expect to encounter new theories that will trumpet how uniquely all these cultures are suited for economic development (and how their authors have known about it all along). 

Must remember to keep that prediction in mind and see if the pundits do start declaring the unique aspects of Indian culture that made it destined to succeed.

He also talks about how cultures aren't monolithic and unchanging - I don't think he goes far enough. I think that any trait you care to name is manifested in all cultures - we fixate on what is dominant, or perceived to be dominant, but under the right circumstances traits that are more valuable come to the fore. Thats why cultures can change so radically, so quickly.