May 8, 2011
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Epicness
There’s something about Chinese culture that is about being the best and greatest in everything. We all saw it during the open ceremony and the awards ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics. There’s traces of it in the Shanghai Expo, and most importantly, the way the Chinese are developing their economy. They’re all full force and pollute the environment until it’s done right.
Just think about it. When have the Chinese done something mild? It’s either outstanding or appalling. It’s an entirely Machiavellian society. But this push for the absolute best mentality, is it good or detrimental? It’s apparent in all aspects of society, as Amy Chua duly noted.
It’s much different than the utilitarian view of America, where mediocre is okay. America is about “be happy with what you have,” whereas China is “you can do better.” I mean, this is a legitimate statistic, but I read somewhere that 90% of Chinese women feel they need to lose weight, but 90% of American women feel that they are healthy.
Just something to ponder.
But one question still remains, why doesn’t China have the biggest, best burrito? Chipotleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Comments (13)
I would think a hispanic country should have the biggest best burritobut yeah, what you pointed out is more or less correct, so any further thoughts on this? like would you apply this kind of ideal into your own life sometimes, or is this an observation that just seems worth pointing out? maybe I’m thinking too much…
From what I understand the culture is that they’re willing to become a superpower at the expense of everything else.. their people, the environment, human rights, etc. And if you think about it that way, it’s more just the choice of government to go in that direction. Where we fundamentally differ in the west is that we’re unwilling to sacrifice personal happiness for the “greater achievement.”
to answer your question: because China doesn’t want a mass toilet destruction epidemic.Yea I agree, sometimes our culture goes out-of-hand. My mom goes buy a LV bag for special occasions and then she’ll hardly ever use it again! I think it goes back to the concept of saving “face.” Americans are more inclinded to the down-to-earth, “just be who you are” ideology.
A good burrito joint would make bank in China with all the ex-pats and tourists lining up for carne asada fries.
I always saw China as a center of Asian Culture, hence zhong – center, guo – country/world.I admire China for it’s martial arts and having such an impact all over the world, even today. As far as China being the best? I would say they are the best in mass production.And remember, there was a point in Chinese history where they tried to wipe out their own unique culture(s) throughout China. Buddhists were targets, religions were targets, daoism, and confucianist beliefs as well.Glad they’re reviving their ancient culture, though.
it’s the Asian ego
@BenelliMan - Wasn’t that cultural revolution? Yeah, I think China should embrace their diversity. They are one of the oldest civilizations out there.
@Hinase - yes, it was. I like how they try to cover it up as if nothing happened. 18 million Chinese were starved to death by Mao… but I digress. China is not the same country it was 40 years ago. It’s a global power house and if it wasn’t for the stupid cultural revolution, China would have so much more diversity today and I believe with all my heart that it’s diversity that makes an organization powerful and grow to it’s full potential.
@BenelliMan - So very true!
I think there are still lots of things China, as a country, needs to improve upon from human rights, the environment, ethics and what not. for news we dont see in mainstream channels….http://www.chinasmack.com/
The differences you see in the way America and China operate is the difference between our Governments. China is authoritarian, as in the will of the government is absolute over the rights of the individual. With that kind of rule, it’s far easier to get things done efficiently and effectively. The dark side of this is it steps all over individual rights. For example, when working on building event centers for the Olympics, entire communities were uprooted from their homes and paid just a pittance from the government as the land was claimed. Any individuals that complained against this edict were arrested and put in jail. There is no free press in China, so individual opinion and expression is heavily suppressed.America’s Government operates as a democratic republic where the will of the people is the prime mover of how the government operates. Having to coordinate voting to determine to overall consensus is a time consuming effort that keeps America from moving with the speed/efficiency of China.For example, changing/updating Health Care in America turned out to be a nightmare for Democrats as Republicans fought back with a divided public. If this were China, the Government could just dictate what the health care system would be overnight, and that would be that with no recourse.Ideally, America should have the advantage since the best ideas should rise to the top levels of government through the voting process, whereas China is limited with just the top government officials making all the decisions. If Chinese officials decide on a wrong path, there is no one stop them and the results can be severe. As you have said, China’s actions can be either great or appalling depending on their actions – that is the risk/reward of limited rule or dictatorship. America’s problem is that the best ideas have great trouble rising to the top due to corporate influence in subverting those ideas. If a good idea comes out that will result in some companies losing some of their profits or growth, they will spend lots of money to influence politicians and voters to go against it. With all the corporations fighting for their best interests instead of what’s best for the country, you get the mediocre mess you see today. If America can solve its corporate influence problem, the mediocrity problem will also be solved.
The quest for excellence is all American! And the Chinese are known for their subtlety and finess, too.Just mix that with Buddhist or Christian values and you have a wonderful culture.I think communism is what severely damaged Chinese culture.
Well, I do think you presented slightly skew statistics. I mean, maybe those 90% of American women thought they were healthy, but of course also thought they could lose some weight. So it’d be good to compare apples to apples. I’m still suprised that 90% actually think they’re healthy given the obesity rates.Whether you prefer the best or mediocrity, I guess it depends on you. We can look at this another way: Would you settle for a mediocre guy? Or would prefer the best guy in the room?If that’s the case, then that motivates all the guys in the room to either be mediocre or the best they can be.