China series, Part 4: Education - Part 4

[Prometheus]

What I'm going to talk about isn't just for the Chinese in China, but around the world as well as other East Asian communities.

Before Covid took over the news cycle, there had been much ado in the Asian community, both in the States and abroad, about some seeming "racism" in the college entrance process, particularly in the higher-ranked universities and colleges. There is this notion that high test scores alone should be required for acceptance.

China, and other Asian countries, create cookie cutter students:

Straight A's in school

His entrance exam scores (SAT/ACT/IELTS/TOEFL/etc.)

Plays the piano, violin, or other (classical) orchestral instrument

Wrote an essay about how much they love their family

If they mention any sport at all, it's almost guaranteed to be an individual sport so that they can talk about individual achievement. The Chinese are not big on team sports other than soccer which they suck at*, or basketball which they suck at, or girls volleyball which they excel at (females are naturally more cooperative).

And therein lie all of their problems. Universities in the western world aren't looking to teach a bunch of robots. They are looking to expand and grow skills and talents that will enhance the school community and the global community at-large.

I suggest to students and parents (who ask) that the student study jazz trumpet or something else that makes them stand out from the crowd. I suggest that they become involved in community service. Etc.

"Good grades are the only key to success." is the usual answer, "And universities should only accept the people with the best grades!"

Parents tell me that their children take so many classes so that the children will be "well-rounded individuals" but many of the classes that are not academic (even music is considered academic as the Chinese think it will enhance math skills) are simply life skills such as swimming or riding a bike. Yes. There are schools here to teach children how to ride a bike.

But rarely do I see children learning to cook or sew. There are no Home Ec. classes here. There's no "shop" classes here. Mom or Grandmom might teach you to cook, but only when it's obvious that you are about to get married or already have gotten married and mom moves in with you.

Physical labor is for the lower classes and not high-paying.

An aside:

The kitchen tap broke once and the landlord was unavailable and his "handyman" was otherwise engaged. My gf at the time was freaking out because she didn't know any plumbers. I calmed her down, used tools that I had purchased years before (a man must have tools) to remove the tap, and we went out to a nearby hardware store. They were completely freaked out to see a foreigner walk in. I showed them the tap and they had a duplicate in stock. I bought it and took it home amidst the protestations of the gf and the shop owner who wanted to "call a friend" to help me out.

10 or 15 minutes after walking back through my door with my purchase, the tap was installed and dishes being washed. The gf was amazed that I had such knowledge and skill, but she still called the landlord to let him know what I had done. All of a sudden, neither he nor the handyman were busy and knocked on my door within 10 minutes and came in to inspect my work. They were impressed.

Over the years I have heard many other such stories from other foreigners who performed basic feats of home and car maintenance to the amazement of their Chinese friends. The Chinese simply can't fathom the notion that "rich" foreigners would have such skills or even want to engage in them.

This mindset goes hand-in-hand with the occupational gluts (mentioned earlier in the series) as well as the inability of Chinese abroad to mesh well with anyone outside their own communities. They can figure out the exact angle of any triangle but they don't know how to use a miter box.

*Seriously! 1.4 billion people and they can't find 25 good players to field? WTF? The only way China will ever be in the World Cup is if they host it.

[ant-mac]

"Physical labor is for the lower classes and not high-paying."

Aussie "Tradies" - skilled manual workers in a particular craft or trade - would laugh their arses off at this. They're among the top earners when it comes to salaries and wages.

"An aside:
The kitchen tap broke once and the landlord was unavailable and his "handyman" was otherwise engaged. My gf at the time was freaking out because she didn't know any plumbers. I calmed her down, used tools that I had purchased years before (a man must have tools) to remove the tap, and we went out to a nearby hardware store. They were completely freaked out to see a foreigner walk in. I showed them the tap and they had a duplicate in stock. I bought it and took it home amidst the protestations of the gf and the shop owner who wanted to "call a friend" to help me out.

10 or 15 minutes after walking back through my door with my purchase, the tap was installed and dishes being washed. The gf was amazed that I had such knowledge and skill, but she still called the landlord to let him know what I had done. All of a sudden, neither he nor the handyman were busy and knocked on my door within 10 minutes and came in to inspect my work. They were impressed.

Over the years I have heard many other such stories from other foreigners who performed basic feats of home and car maintenance to the amazement of their Chinese friends. The Chinese simply can't fathom the notion that "rich" foreigners would have such skills or even want to engage in them.

This mindset goes hand-in-hand with the occupational gluts (mentioned earlier in the series) as well as the inability of Chinese abroad to mesh well with anyone outside their own communities. They can figure out the exact angle of any triangle but they don't know how to use a miter box."

So I always thought I was an Aussie / Dutch hybrid, but it turns out I'm actually Chinese.

By the way, what's a miter box and will it help me play GTAO better?

"*Seriously! 1.4 billion people and they can't find 25 good players to field? WTF? The only way China will ever be in the World Cup is if they host it."

Growing up in Australia in the 1970s, I constantly heard that soccer was only for wogs, poofters and sheilas...

I'm not sure if that opinion is still in the majority or not.

[Prometheus]

Dec 12, 2020 11:02:10 GMT ant-mac said:

"Physical labor is for the lower classes and not high-paying."

Aussie "Tradies" - skilled manual workers in a particular craft or trade - would laugh their arses off at this. They're among the top earners when it comes to salaries and wages.

"An aside:
The kitchen tap broke once and the landlord was unavailable and his "handyman" was otherwise engaged. My gf at the time was freaking out because she didn't know any plumbers. I calmed her down, used tools that I had purchased years before (a man must have tools) to remove the tap, and we went out to a nearby hardware store. They were completely freaked out to see a foreigner walk in. I showed them the tap and they had a duplicate in stock. I bought it and took it home amidst the protestations of the gf and the shop owner who wanted to "call a friend" to help me out.

10 or 15 minutes after walking back through my door with my purchase, the tap was installed and dishes being washed. The gf was amazed that I had such knowledge and skill, but she still called the landlord to let him know what I had done. All of a sudden, neither he nor the handyman were busy and knocked on my door within 10 minutes and came in to inspect my work. They were impressed.

Over the years I have heard many other such stories from other foreigners who performed basic feats of home and car maintenance to the amazement of their Chinese friends. The Chinese simply can't fathom the notion that "rich" foreigners would have such skills or even want to engage in them.

This mindset goes hand-in-hand with the occupational gluts (mentioned earlier in the series) as well as the inability of Chinese abroad to mesh well with anyone outside their own communities. They can figure out the exact angle of any triangle but they don't know how to use a miter box."

So I always thought I was an Aussie / Dutch hybrid, but it turns out I'm actually Chinese.

By the way, what's a miter box and will it help me play GTAO better?

"*Seriously! 1.4 billion people and they can't find 25 good players to field? WTF? The only way China will ever be in the World Cup is if they host it."

Growing up in Australia in the 1970s, I constantly heard that soccer was only for wogs, poofters and sheilas...

I'm not sure if that opinion is still in the majority or not.

1. Yeah. Tradesmen in the US also get paid top dollar. I tell this to the Chinese and they are baffled by the concept. I ask them why they pay so much for a car and they tell me they want the best quality. I ask them why they pay so much for designer clothes and they tell me they want the best quality. Them I ask them if they want to live in a quality-built building and you can almost smell the smoke from their ears as the gears grind in their heads.

THAT happens quite a lot with the Chinese when faced with basic logic....

2. Really? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitre_box

3. Funny. I always thought Australian Rules Football was created for the Special Olympics because the players just seem to runaround, never sure of whether to hold the ball or kick it.

[ant-mac]

Dec 13, 2020 9:32:27 GMT Prometheus said:

Dec 12, 2020 11:02:10 GMT ant-mac said:

"Physical labor is for the lower classes and not high-paying."

Aussie "Tradies" - skilled manual workers in a particular craft or trade - would laugh their arses off at this. They're among the top earners when it comes to salaries and wages.

"An aside:
The kitchen tap broke once and the landlord was unavailable and his "handyman" was otherwise engaged. My gf at the time was freaking out because she didn't know any plumbers. I calmed her down, used tools that I had purchased years before (a man must have tools) to remove the tap, and we went out to a nearby hardware store. They were completely freaked out to see a foreigner walk in. I showed them the tap and they had a duplicate in stock. I bought it and took it home amidst the protestations of the gf and the shop owner who wanted to "call a friend" to help me out.

10 or 15 minutes after walking back through my door with my purchase, the tap was installed and dishes being washed. The gf was amazed that I had such knowledge and skill, but she still called the landlord to let him know what I had done. All of a sudden, neither he nor the handyman were busy and knocked on my door within 10 minutes and came in to inspect my work. They were impressed.

Over the years I have heard many other such stories from other foreigners who performed basic feats of home and car maintenance to the amazement of their Chinese friends. The Chinese simply can't fathom the notion that "rich" foreigners would have such skills or even want to engage in them.

This mindset goes hand-in-hand with the occupational gluts (mentioned earlier in the series) as well as the inability of Chinese abroad to mesh well with anyone outside their own communities. They can figure out the exact angle of any triangle but they don't know how to use a miter box."

So I always thought I was an Aussie / Dutch hybrid, but it turns out I'm actually Chinese.

By the way, what's a miter box and will it help me play GTAO better?

"*Seriously! 1.4 billion people and they can't find 25 good players to field? WTF? The only way China will ever be in the World Cup is if they host it."

Growing up in Australia in the 1970s, I constantly heard that soccer was only for wogs, poofters and sheilas...

I'm not sure if that opinion is still in the majority or not.

1. Yeah. Tradesmen in the US also get paid top dollar. I tell this to the Chinese and they are baffled by the concept. I ask them why they pay so much for a car and they tell me they want the best quality. I ask them why they pay so much for designer clothes and they tell me they want the best quality. Them I ask them if they want to live in a quality-built building and you can almost smell the smoke from their ears as the gears grind in their heads.

THAT happens quite a lot with the Chinese when faced with basic logic....

2. Really? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitre_box

3. Funny. I always thought Australian Rules Football was created for the Special Olympics because the players just seem to runaround, never sure of whether to hold the ball or kick it.

1. Good quality clothes can last for years, a good quality car can last for decades, but a good quality building can last for centuries... although a lot can depend upon the maintenance.

I know where I'd be spending my money.

2. Ah, woodwork... 

3. Whilst Aussie Rules is famous - or infamous - for not having many rules, one of them is Holding the Ball.

This is why players bounce the ball regularly - or try to - when they have possession of it... or try to dispose of it correctly when tackled.

[Prometheus]

Dec 13, 2020 11:08:59 GMT ant-mac said:

Dec 13, 2020 9:32:27 GMT Prometheus said:

1. Yeah. Tradesmen in the US also get paid top dollar. I tell this to the Chinese and they are baffled by the concept. I ask them why they pay so much for a car and they tell me they want the best quality. I ask them why they pay so much for designer clothes and they tell me they want the best quality. Them I ask them if they want to live in a quality-built building and you can almost smell the smoke from their ears as the gears grind in their heads.

THAT happens quite a lot with the Chinese when faced with basic logic....

2. Really? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitre_box

3. Funny. I always thought Australian Rules Football was created for the Special Olympics because the players just seem to runaround, never sure of whether to hold the ball or kick it.

1. Good quality clothes can last for years, a good quality car can last for decades, but a good quality building can last for centuries... although a lot can depend upon the maintenance.

I know where I'd be spending my money.

2. Ah, woodwork... 

3. Whilst Aussie Rules is famous - or infamous - for not having many rules, one of them is Holding the Ball.

This is why players bounce the ball regularly - or try to - when they have possession of it... or try to dispose of it correctly when tackled.

1. But for the Chinese to accept that tradesmen have valuable skills would undo centuries... millennia... of culture.

2. Not a fan of hammer and saw?

3. Like I said, "Special Olympics."

[ant-mac]

Dec 14, 2020 4:02:38 GMT Prometheus said:

Dec 13, 2020 11:08:59 GMT ant-mac said:

1. Good quality clothes can last for years, a good quality car can last for decades, but a good quality building can last for centuries... although a lot can depend upon the maintenance.

I know where I'd be spending my money.

2. Ah, woodwork... 

3. Whilst Aussie Rules is famous - or infamous - for not having many rules, one of them is Holding the Ball.

This is why players bounce the ball regularly - or try to - when they have possession of it... or try to dispose of it correctly when tackled.

1. But for the Chinese to accept that tradesmen have valuable skills would undo centuries... millennia... of culture.

2. Not a fan of hammer and saw?

3. Like I said, "Special Olympics."

[Prometheus]

Dec 14, 2020 6:45:32 GMT ant-mac said:

Dec 14, 2020 4:02:38 GMT Prometheus said:

1. But for the Chinese to accept that tradesmen have valuable skills would undo centuries... millennia... of culture.

2. Not a fan of hammer and saw?

3. Like I said, "Special Olympics."