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Posts: 50

Governor

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Q: How much of 'Western thinking' do you lose as you live here?

Well, they call China "serious" and "formal" while America or any Western place is considered more "unreal" and "fantasy". A Prime example being how many natives look for that 'American'(Western) dream by going abroad.

 

I admit, everything from the west from fantasy fairy tales / western cinema to western people like 'Will Smith' or 'Justin Timberlake' etc. to also sheer convenience in western stores like items you can always get i.e. *Parmesan Cheese*

*ALL* of this including my freedoms back home are totally forgotten when working in a Chinese city?

 

Why is that? Are we so immersed in a different culture that we don't think of it anymore? Sex, drugs, rock n roll are miles behind us, we are so isolated from it.

 

Give your take on what 'Western thinking' you've lost in your daily life here. and why you think that is?

8 years 45 weeks ago in  Culture - China

 
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Emperor

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Firstly:

 

Congratulations. This is the most laughable attempt at being "American" that I have ever witnessed. This degree of incompetence is rarely seen amongst humans. Even brain-damaged children and Chinese trolls.

 

Secondly:

 

Who calls China "serious" and "formal" or the West "unreal" and "fantasy"? What in the name of God are you even talking about?

 

Who on Earth says "sex, drugs and rock n roll"? Chinese trolls in the 1980s, perhaps? But trolling hadn't even been invented then. So confusing.

 

Who uses the term "The American Dream" non-sarcastically? Oh wait, Chinese people. They still believe in dreams.

 

Do you honestly think Will Smith (wtf?) and Justin Timberlake are cultural icons for Western people, and that mentioning their names proves one's Western cred?

 

Thirdly:

 

Admin: Please ban.

 

 

MissA:

Beautiful takedown.

8 years 45 weeks ago
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jetfire9000:

Just lmao. That post almost gave me cancer. Maybe the guy just got off a plane from the 1980s? And made the second leg of his flight from the early 1990s ...  Skipping all the way till now...

8 years 45 weeks ago
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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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Posts: 96

Governor

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Western thinking doesn't work here!

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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I dont lose my western thinking. I just lose my will to live when confronted by Chinese non thinking.

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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My western values imbued from western philosophy are all the more appreciated after living in China, if anything else.

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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The West, it's sex drug and rock'n roll ? More like a baby boom turning into a papy boom, if you ask me...

It's not much about loosing it, more like bottling it. And like good wines, it ages well sometime ^^. There are many things I took for granted back home, now it seems so awesome now I'm back. The list would be very long. The things you could not do in China, the things nobody would say or listen to, well, you don't have them anyway so you are forced to adapt, even if it's with some ranting. It does not mean that you will forget those things, it's just temporally buried. I'm back in France since 2 months, it all came back quickly even I was away for years.

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
Posts: 879

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Firstly:

 

Congratulations. This is the most laughable attempt at being "American" that I have ever witnessed. This degree of incompetence is rarely seen amongst humans. Even brain-damaged children and Chinese trolls.

 

Secondly:

 

Who calls China "serious" and "formal" or the West "unreal" and "fantasy"? What in the name of God are you even talking about?

 

Who on Earth says "sex, drugs and rock n roll"? Chinese trolls in the 1980s, perhaps? But trolling hadn't even been invented then. So confusing.

 

Who uses the term "The American Dream" non-sarcastically? Oh wait, Chinese people. They still believe in dreams.

 

Do you honestly think Will Smith (wtf?) and Justin Timberlake are cultural icons for Western people, and that mentioning their names proves one's Western cred?

 

Thirdly:

 

Admin: Please ban.

 

 

MissA:

Beautiful takedown.

8 years 45 weeks ago
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jetfire9000:

Just lmao. That post almost gave me cancer. Maybe the guy just got off a plane from the 1980s? And made the second leg of his flight from the early 1990s ...  Skipping all the way till now...

8 years 45 weeks ago
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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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cultural thinking is often so subtle that we are unaware of what truly constitutes our way of thinking. China has definitely taught me that deep-rooted habits, concepts and behaviourisms are mostly beyond our ability to percieve.

i could hazard a guess and talk about philosophy, values, education and interactions, but i'd probably be way off the mark. a sociologist would have a better answer, but the question is probably not worth the time to research properly. expats are a small minority after all.

the vague impression i have, is that China has taught me public speaking/entertainment, patience with kids, ability to face the absurd without flinching, be more docile in family life, and not defend people who are trying to abuse the system no matter their background. these skills are not typically western, so you could say i learned "Eastern" thinking.

bayuvar139:

I totally agree with you.

8 years 45 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

Good answer Coin

8 years 45 weeks ago
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bill8899:

So the typical westerner is not patient with kids? You had to come to China to learn to be patient with children? Are you serious? Where are you from? You learn patience with children when you have one, for example. Hilarious post. Great entertainment value, and you learned to be entertaining in China, right? Certainly westerners do not know how to entertain. Hilarious post. I could not have done worse if I tried. 

 

8 years 45 weeks ago
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coineineagh:

what's eating bill? i would never have considered being a teacher in my home country. kids can be real energy drainers. i did it out of necessity, to be with my wife. teaching isn't a popular job in the West either, despite its vital importance. i'm not saying Chinese are more patient with kids: they have them sooner, but dump them at grandma or boarding school first chance they get. i merely said i learned patience here, in the East. it doesn't have to be Chinese cultural thought process to be Eastern Thinking.

8 years 45 weeks ago
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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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huh?  word of advice-  lay off the peyote.

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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Iam still a Kiwi with Kiwi thinking

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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Haha, Western culture can be summed by "Hollywood, MTV lol kk", also every Western countries are a copy/paste of the US and we all eat McDonald's everyday.

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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China opened my mind to the fact that almost every country out there is screwed up beyond repair. I pretty much lost my nationalistic passion because it turned out we were doing most of the same things we accused them of doing. Derpy derpy derp. Regardless, I am still patriotic, I just think we require changes to allow liberty to flourish.

ScotsAlan:

Same for me Hulk. China opened my eyes.

8 years 44 weeks ago
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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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My sanity, more than anything else. 

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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Honestly, when logic and common sense are common traits to you and you come to a place where they are rare...its quite a liberating experience.

 

In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.

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8 years 45 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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strange,  I was just thinking about the sex, drugs, rock, roll, and so on.

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8 years 44 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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really

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8 years 44 weeks ago
 
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