The Chinese and instant gratification
Here is an excellent essay about Chinese culture, focusing on the ethos of “screw everyone else.”
[T]hings are so fashioned in China that oftentimes narrow-minded selfishness is the most reasonable choice. In simple terms, the culture rewards immorality.
From birth to old-age, the lesson of base selfishness is reinforced again and again. Your physical needs should be taken care of as soon as possible. If you are at a train station, screw everyone else and jump the queue because you want your train ticket now. As a government bureaucrat, steal as much as money as you can as quickly as you can because you might not have another opportunity at the trough.
(Via The Peking Duck)
Cultural Elitism corner: I remember being shocked at some of the basic rudeness we saw over there. Sometimes the only response to line-jumping is a hand gesture accompanied by a properly enunciated “dui bu qi [buddy].”
