By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: about the old generation..
talking about those aged 50 to 60, from my experience I found many of them much more open minded and rather impartial regarding the west than the younger generation.....
I am not sure what question you are actually asking but, in my opinion, two groups of Chinese citizens stand out as being more obnoxious, xenophobic and racist than the rest (obviously generally speaking. It doesn't apply to every single Chinese person I have met in these categories):
Firstly, teenage between about 18 years old and 30 years old. They are the first generation of the one child policy and act like it. They seem to only have respect for themselves and act totally immaturely. I just don't have the time of day for this kind of person, their stupid sniggers and immature "helllooooo's.
Secondly, males above 55 who seem to think we are invading their territory and have had a lifetime of mind propagation related to different and foreign being bad.
By and large, the more moderate Chinese males for me are those that fall between these two age groups. Females tend to be more moderate and more polite in the way that they express themselves and most appear to feel some shame and embarrassment when their kids make some kind of comment about "waiguorren".
The kids range from overly respectful to annoyingly cheeky but I can tolerate that because, in their case, it is just naivety. Kids tend to have that kind of naughtiness and cheek irrespective of what nationality they are.
I am not sure I have made the link to specific generations. I agree with Kaiwen that there is a generation of snotty brats in the one-childers, but being a snotty spoilt arsehole does not exclude being open minded (but the extreme selfishness makes it very difficult to tell if a person is open minded)
Generally across the board I think Chinese people are very "Chinese is better" on all topics. Some will stray from this, e.g. "I think Chinese tea, food, education, weather, clothes is best, but I want to go to the US to give birth as the doctors there are better" Probably to some, open mindedness comes one "crazy idea" at a time.
Some of the most open minded people I know here are impossible to judge how they feel about the west simply because they don't know basic facts about the rest of the world.
i met some old folks both in beijing (around 67yo) and shanghai (54) that were rather straightforward and very unbiased about china and the west. Some of the topic I had covered in my talks include; Tibet, Xinjiang, the party and so on, i found myself most of time agreeing on how ignorant are young chinese and how chinese society is at its lowest level.
Anyway what I am trying to say here is that my experience differs pretty much from kaiwen and while talking with this old generation I felt like i was talking with a countryman, not someone coming from another planet, like instead im feeling with most chinese, also in my age.
Kaiwen:
But as I pointed out, I have made broadbrush generalizations.
I too, have met some very open minded and gentlemanly older generation Chinese. As I have met many open minded, thoughtful and respectful twenty somethings.
My answer expresses the "by and large" or majority situation from my own personal perspective.
nicholasba:
sure. I believe it but for same reason i believe that the propaganda works not that good with people that had experiences Mao policies...
Some kid looked at me on the bus and kept smiling. I smiled back. He was sat in his grandmothers arms. She didn't politely say 'stop staring', she just said to the kid 'laowai'.
Us and them, I just wanted to punch her in the back of the head.
Scandinavian:
this happens to me at least 3 times per day (except on days with slight rain or a lot of sun) when I pass the typical grandparent/child combo they will always say "laowei" or "waiguo ren" then they will also point out my "puppy" (it's 5 years old, just a tiny animal)
It is impossible for them to just pass on the streets. And this is inside the community I live in, there are plenty of other foreigners here, I cannot believe the novelty hasn't worn off. Of course maybe the supply of new grandparents is endless, would fit with the constant sound of renovation overshadowing the birds tweeting.
the indoctrination of the citizens was not at full throttle until the mid 70's, those who went to school before that, many did not go at all, did not receive the party line drilled into their head day after day,
young people today ignore politics and the west and the generation is the "me" generation, they just dont care about anybody or anything.
sadly i have seen this in other countries as well, but if you have no voice in policy, why bother to care.
In my opinion... The old folk are the most ignorant and I have no time or respect for them. They spit,stroll around like they are the Queen and Prince Philip with their hands on their hips .. as though they own the place.
They seriously do my head in.
teggsnose:
Cheers my friend... They are by far the worst in every respect. Self centred.. stupid .. behave like idiots - when they should know better.
I really can't deal with them.
Imagine if Hitler was on all the money in Germany, or Stalin was on the Rouble. Or Pol Pot was on the money in Cambodia?
-Nope. Nothing to see here. Move along.
Thats BS. most of the old people I know are so ignorant they don't even know how to turn on the phone. The younger generation has figured many ways around any problem that they come up against.
Oh, it's a small thing, but one of the things that really gets me about the old people is their lack of ability to use sidewalks. When they are out walking their grandchildren they walk on the streets. It might have been OK when they where young and there were no cars, but today it is just stupid and shows they have not adapted to modern society at all (despite cars being common for a decade)
