I am currently writing this post at an Asian-American Leadership Conference which I will be attending for 3 days this week. This is the largest collection of typical asian behavior around. This is also the perfect opportunity to discuss the many asian quirks that are observed on a day-to-day basis by yours truly.
During a seminar on younger-generation future planning, I was introduced to a wonderful concept: Eastern Vs. Western Culture. This post marks the beginning of a series of posts about the differences between Asians (red) and people of European descent (blue).
What do you see in this diagram? If you look past the silly looking dots, you will realize that it is exactly what happens in supermarkets around the world. Asians push and shove, while westerners wait in line for their turn. Although this is not evident in nearly every Asian culture (looking at you, Japan), Asians simply hate being one-upped by another person. They loathe it. They would even nag at it if they could. But why? The fact of the matter is: asians were born to be competitive.
This begins in the womb, where asian babies fight with their mother’s placentas for essential nutrients via the umbilical cord. However, asian mothers (in their native lands) do not receive the proper balanced nutrition that most babies require, and it is only recently in the Americas that asians have made a conscious effort to nourish their offspring. This lack of nutrition in the developing baby causes most asians to fight for survival leading up to birth, which dictates the direction of the rest of their lives.
Asians manifest this into academics, hard work, investing in their children, as well as decorating even their own homes. These areas are where asians strive to be the best. They must preserve face (later topic). They are prideful in basically everything
they do, down to folding their own clothes. Nowhere is this asian competitive spirit demonstrated better than at a typical food stand, where the largest and loudest rule the day. If you are ever in a situation where there are asians waiting for something (try China Town), do not be alarmed if you are cut. Scratch that. Don’t be surprised if you never even get to order your food. Asians serve by demand, so if you do not seem like you want something, they will not accommodate you. The best thing would be to push and shove back, exerting your dominance and immediacy in the situation. If you choose the latter path, remember also to show them what you want and how you want to pay for it. Asians will immediately serve those that wave five dollar bills at them.
Most foreigners are overwhelmed by the amount of pushing and shoving that occurs in Chinese Banks, Buses, Elevators, and pretty much every other place you can think of. Asians see this every day. It’s a dog-eat-dog world to them. This is the mentality that most asians bring to their adoptive lands, leaving many people scratching their heads when they cut lines at Disneyland or Boomers. Try to see it from an Asian perspective, where the skill of cutting people is essential to survival. However, this doesn’t mean that asians aren’t making a concerted effort to adopt the world’s more laid-back standards.
Last February, Beijing decided to clean up their act and announced a National Queue-Up Day once a month in an effort to get people to be more ‘well-mannered’ for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. If this is what it takes to suppress this habit, you know that it is hard coded into asian culture. An inborn survival instinct that allows many asians to succeed in the workforce and life, Cutting in Line is definitely something that asians like.
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21 responses so far ↓
1 Tomas // Mar 26, 2008 at 9:01 am
I would say that Japanese are the exception to this rule. In fact, Japanese probably have even more patience than most western people. You see them lining up for everything from ticket windows, to trains, and opening of stores. Patience is taught as a virtue in the culture.
Usually, I can tell who the Chinese (and some Korean) tourists are in Japan as they will be the ones admonished for trying to sneak up to the front of the line.
It used to be this way in Korea too, but for some weird reason, nowadays, I see Koreans actully understanding the concept of waiting one’s turn in line as well too.
2 Justin // Mar 26, 2008 at 9:04 am
Cool, thanks!
3 Jon // Mar 26, 2008 at 10:57 am
On a real note, Ukrainians and a lot of Eastern Europeans aren’t very good at the whole line thing. Think it’s a hold over from the time of food shortages where if you weren’t in the line near the front, you weren’t going to get food.
4 Jay // Mar 26, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Asians are the **** drivers and the rudest most self absorbed class of ****. Whenever a car cuts into your lane leaving little room or a person walking down the side walk just stops and causes every one behind them to pile into them you can be sure in both cases the source is an Asian. I am racist now but I never was - Asians have made me **** them. I am not proud of this. I **** Asians.
5 Anonymous // Mar 26, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Just so we can be absolutely clear Jay, are you somehow saying you might have a slight problem with Asians? I don’t think your intent comes through quite clearly (no offense!).
6 g // Mar 26, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Not to generalize or anything, right Jay?
7 SumGai // Mar 27, 2008 at 8:04 am
At least Jay is honest (that he’s a racist), even if (now bigotted).
I don’t know how cutting in line could ever be seen as a virtue, even in the starvation situation mentioned by Jon (Darwinian survival?), and I can tell you that it’s not only Asians who do this.
I think it’s a civility issue, something that is sorely lacking in today’s “me-first” society. What gets me are the people who let other (unconnected) people cut in front of them. Especially if the cutters had previously tried to cut in line further back but were rebuffed, so they try somewhere further ahead. >:<
Karma better be the real deal!!!
8 Penis McNickels // Mar 27, 2008 at 12:29 pm
So… I was in Beijing looking to get a ticket for the subway… I look around and see the ticket booth with a man buying a ticket. I walk up behind him and take my place in line. As soon as the man infront of me finishes his transaction out of nowhere this **** comes flying in and cuts rigth in front of me!
There was no one else there… just me… Anyways, I let it go because you can’t expect find people with manners in Beijing… so as the line cutter is finishing up his transaction I spot another asshole coming in for the kill (again, no one else in line) I give him a really dirty look and he hesitates and decides it is best not to be such a rude ****….
I finally purchase my ticket and live a bit miffed at what just happened…
Of course, my favourite part of my China adventure was witnessing full on public urinating on several different occasions.
9 dagbrown // Mar 27, 2008 at 5:31 pm
When you say, “(looking at you, Japan)”–you’re not kidding there. There’s nothing that Japanese people would rather do than wait in line for something.
Once I was going into a railway station and there was a long line of people in front of one turnstile. Maybe the other turnstiles were broken or something, I thought, and wandered up to one of the empty ones.
There was nothing wrong with it, of course–it’s just that there was a LINE there, so you have to go and WAIT IN THE LINE. I’m not sure what the This Is A Queue critical mass is–I think maybe a family tried to go through the same turnstile together setting off the big lineup.
As soon as I went through the empty turnstile, the big lineup dissipated, of course.
10 strmbkr // Apr 4, 2008 at 12:16 pm
In Toronto, Canada, tons of white people, black people, as well as Asians don’t wait in line anymore (and frequently cut in), very rude. I don’t think it’s a “culture” or “race” thing anymore. It’s about respect for others.
I am one of the few Asians that actually stand in line.
11 chiff // Apr 4, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Italians don’t care for lines either, sorry.
12 Anonymous // Apr 5, 2008 at 4:35 am
hong kongers are known for lining up for anything at anywhere. although people in hong kong generally queue up some tend to stand uncomfortably close behind you. everyone is busy to do whatever they’ve to do..well at least they queue up unlike many mainland chinese tourists in hong kong who cut in line all the time. the concept of proximity is not like in american society. i find americans tends to repsect private space/physical proximity in public space more then let’s say, australians or italians or russians..
correct me if i’m wrong
13 gweilo // Apr 5, 2008 at 8:59 pm
This is crazy, stereotyping yourselves, thats a new one! you should put “low self estime” on top of your list. You are sad.
14 Justin // Apr 5, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Try to read it as a joke/satire (making fun of oneself)…it’ll help you get the style of the site more.
15 Ashley // Apr 9, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Hey Jay makes no sense. What’s up with the expletive placement? I **** Asians doesn’t even make sense. What word are you supposed to put in there? If you’re going to cuss, you might as well do it right.
16 john c // Apr 12, 2008 at 3:07 pm
have you ever been to france? they push and shove just as much as anyone else.
17 Humming // Apr 13, 2008 at 8:15 am
Cutting queus is very useful thing bt its old fashioned.
Usually what I do if here’s a big queue eg in the health centre to get an appointment, i just get out ofthe building, phone thme up, make my appointment and thne go to whereve the doctor’s office is. Thsi only work with NHS in spain, mind you.
18 Humming // Apr 13, 2008 at 8:16 am
sorry for the bad spelling, im typing lying on the floor so its a bit hard
19 Syrob // Apr 14, 2008 at 10:25 pm
“…lot of Eastern Europeans aren’t very good at the whole line thing. (…) it’s a hold over from the time of food shortages where if you weren’t in the line near the front, you weren’t going to get food.”
Actually in those times cutting in lines could result in being stabbed by women umbrella or other serious injuries.
But that’s a fact - i can speak for my (Polish) nation - discreet cutting in line is our national sport.
20 sam // Jul 5, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Hey, I was at the SDAALC. How did you like the conference?
21 Peter // Jul 5, 2008 at 2:15 pm
There was an AALC in SD? I enjoyed it a lot but the one I went to was in Fullerton.
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