Cultural Diffrences...

I stop by my local post office usually a couple times of week dropping of ebay packages. There's about 4-5 staff there and they all know me by name. I enjoy going there and giving them a bad time. They're good people.

Many of my packages are bulky and/or whatever boxes I can get from the nearby grocery stores and I'm usually juggling a few at a time getting in through the 3 doors before the counter. Almost every time the local folks will ask if they can help out and hold open a door even though I can get it still with a semi-free hand. Almost no one local to the area does not help out.

Today I did need some help as I had 3 medium sized boxes in tow. As I walked to the first door, a young Chinese guy was also heading to it. He saw me and instead of getting ahead and holding the door open (which most of the other folks would do), he nearly ran to get ahead of me and held open none of the 3 needed doors. Luckily I was close enough behind that I could get a foot in the 2 of the 3 closing doors and push them open.

I don't think this guy was not helping out just to be mean, I just don't think, with a billion+ people running around and tens of millions in the largest cities, they go out of the way to help each other out. Survivial of the fittest I guess. I've also noticed when groups of Chinese are together eating at a long table, that most "power eat" the main food and then relax a bit as they wind down with a fruit or enjoy after meal visiitng. Its almost as if they've learned to get most of your food done first before someone orders you away to work or someone might snipe your food if you linger long. And I'm sure in the past (probably their parent's generation) that was the case. A learned response I guess....

With the taxes and shipping fees, you would think the had automatic doors. I thought all federal buildings were supposed to have handicap access.

I grew up in some group homes not Chinese lol but learned like army to snarf down the first to get seconds or you wont have time to fill up with so many people eating at one time also hording food for later I learned to that's why I have 8 freezers to stockpile food and with coupons and farmers to buy meat from I do it on the cheap as for holding doors I guess I grew up with manners to hold them open even driving I will nod at people here and there

Junkfreak- I thought about the automatic switches when I was writing it but their building doesn't have them. In fact, I don't think they have a cut in the sidewalk for wheelchairs either so they're probably totally non-ADA compliant. The building was probably built in the 1980s and the town has doubled to tripled to size since then (to about 10k). I know the post-mistress is lobbying for a bigger building because they've about out grown this one but they should still get this one up to ADA code though.

travis- i do the same, especially out on rural roads. Lots of index/closed peace sign (not middle!!) finger waves on SD rural highways!

That's interesting, in my area I find that the foreigners(sans many of the older Russian population around here) are much friendlier and more helpful then the "locals".

It's the same here Rog. I remember years back when the economy was booming. There was a lot of work and Russian students would come here for summer jobs. They often commented on how courteous the people here were. It was nothing like the place they came from.

LOL ...I'll never forget "Barbie" the foreign exchange student that worked as a bagger at the grocery store. Didn't do a darn thing but looked great doing it. Her boyfriend explained that in that part of Russia the girls are expected to stay at home and look pretty. It's the man's job to provide.

Quite a contrast between them and the "Harbor Hogs". Maine girls are built rugged. Many of the ones that come from fishing families started working on their father's lobster boats as a sternman by age twelve. Some have even gone on to captain their own boats & pull down serious money.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scrappah

It's the same here Rog. I remember years back when the economy was booming. There was a lot of work and Russian students would come here for summer jobs. They often commented on how courteous the people here were. It was nothing like the place they came from.

LOL ...I'll never forget "Barbie" the foreign exchange student that worked as a bagger at the grocery store. Didn't do a darn thing but looked great doing it. Her boyfriend explained that in that part of Russia the girls are expected to stay at home and look pretty. It's the man's job to provide.


Quite a contrast between them and the "Harbor Hogs". Maine girls are built rugged. Many of the ones that come from fishing families started working on their father's lobster boats as a sternman by age twelve. Some have even gone on to captain their own boats & pull down serious money.

---

BMW [Big Maine Woman]

They call them "stump pullers" around here. Never figured out why.

J.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Scrappah

It's the same here Rog. I remember years back when the economy was booming. There was a lot of work and Russian students would come here for summer jobs. They often commented on how courteous the people here were. It was nothing like the place they came from.

LOL ...I'll never forget "Barbie" the foreign exchange student that worked as a bagger at the grocery store. Didn't do a darn thing but looked great doing it. Her boyfriend explained that in that part of Russia the girls are expected to stay at home and look pretty. It's the man's job to provide.

Quite a contrast between them and the "Harbor Hogs". Maine girls are built rugged. Many of the ones that come from fishing families started working on their father's lobster boats as a sternman by age twelve. Some have even gone on to captain their own boats & pull down serious money.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Immulmen

BMW [Big Maine Woman]

---

my wife is rugged !! She can shovel and snowblow too , she fixed our dryer by herself and repaired the dish washer!! Maine girls are very Smart and wicked nice lol

It is a cultural thing. Without sounding like a bigot, they are also responsible for 99% of the negative feedback given on ebay.

Call me a snob but I'm not comfortable with this thread. I'm sorry.

jonnyjeb- I wasn't trying to offend anyone, just telling of my observations. If AuburnEwaste has the data to back up the claim about the disproportionate percentage of neg feedback on ebay is from one cultural group, then maybe its important to know. I personally work with about 15 Chinese immigrants at my location, about a third have become naturalized U.S. citizens and the rest are on work visas. Most are great people and I'm pretty good friends with a couple of them. A couple I rarely talk to because their English is so poor (and my Mandarin is nil). Not that a Chinese can't be here on a work visa and working in the U.S with poor English but considering where I work (I won't go into much details but its not a private company but most of the Chinese work for private companies) I find that a bit bemusing. I guarantee that the reverse is not happening in China where a couple dozen Americans are working for the .....(again I won't fill in the blanks here).

All I'm saying, with my personal experiences, its easier to understand culturally a Brit, a guy from France, or a Norwegian than the Chinese because we have centuries of shared and similar history. The Chinese culture is very old and very different than the West. Its doesn't mean its bad, just that its different. We are all people, we all bleed red, and we're all God's children in my belief. But just because we have shared humanity doesn't make me bad in noticing differences. Some differences may be perceived on my (or others) part, some may be actually true. In my business, observations are tested. If they lead to various conclusions you go with it until proven otherwise. You just don't cook the data because a person just doesn't like the way its leading. Sure, such work is still being done by humans and people are fallible but I wouldn't last long in my community if I couldn't back up my questions with defensible methods and data.

Again, I'm sorry you're uncomfortable with this thread.

I'll always hold a door, I waive at people I know, and I try to be friendly.

I think that it's a farming community thing. When our Audi had two flats in one day, we were stuck at the side of the road waiting. About 10 people stopped- all of them had plates from the farming areas and small towns. Nobody from the "big city" could bother to stop.

I think that people being around too many other people makes you more cynical. In our area, everyone is friendly and nice. Where I work though, it's not the case. There's a huge difference between our towns with 10k people and those with 2k people.

matador
You should try Milwaukee county with about one million.
It,s a matter of dog bite dog.:mad:

Its a Dog eat Dog world over there!

Lyrics for Dogs By Pink Floyd

You gotta be crazy, you gotta have a real need.

You gotta sleep on your toes, and when you're on the street,

You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed.

And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight,

You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking.



And after a while, you can work on points for style.

Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,

A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.

You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,

So that when they turn their backs on you,

You'll get the chance to put the knife in.



You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder.

You know it's going to get harder, and harder, and harder as you get older.

And in the end you'll pack up and fly down south,

Hide your head in the sand,

Just another sad old man,

All alone and dying of cancer.



And when you loose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown.

And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone.

And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around.

So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone,

Dragged down by the stone.



I gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused.

Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used.

Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise.

If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this maze?



Deaf, dumb, and blind, you just keep on pretending

That everyone's expendable and no-one has a real friend.

And it seems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner

And everything's done under the sun,

And you believe at heart, everyone's a killer.



Who was born in a house full of pain.

Who was trained not to spit in the fan.

Who was told what to do by the man.

Who was broken by trained personnel.



Who was fitted with collar and chain.

Who was given a pat on the back

Who was breaking away from the pack.

Who was only a stranger at home.



Who was ground down in the end.

Who was found dead on the phone.

Who was dragged down by the stone.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DakotaRog

jonnyjeb- I wasn't trying to offend anyone, just telling of my observations. If AuburnEwaste has the data to back up the claim about the disproportionate percentage of neg feedback on ebay is from one cultural group, then maybe its important to know. I personally work with about 15 Chinese immigrants at my location, about a third have become naturalized U.S. citizens and the rest are on work visas. Most are great people and I'm pretty good friends with a couple of them. A couple I rarely talk to because their English is so poor (and my Mandarin is nil). Not that a Chinese can't be here on a work visa and working in the U.S with poor English but considering where I work (I won't go into much details but its not a private company but most of the Chinese work for private companies) I find that a bit bemusing. I guarantee that the reverse is not happening in China where a couple dozen Americans are working for the .....(again I won't fill in the blanks here).

All I'm saying, with my personal experiences, its easier to understand culturally a Brit, a guy from France, or a Norwegian than the Chinese because we have centuries of shared and similar history. The Chinese culture is very old and very different than the West. Its doesn't mean its bad, just that its different. We are all people, we all bleed red, and we're all God's children in my belief. But just because we have shared humanity doesn't make me bad in noticing differences. Some differences may be perceived on my (or others) part, some may be actually true. In my business, observations are tested. If they lead to various conclusions you go with it until proven otherwise. You just don't cook the data because a person just doesn't like the way its leading. Sure, such work is still being done by humans and people are fallible but I wouldn't last long in my community if I couldn't back up my questions with defensible methods and data.

Again, I'm sorry you're uncomfortable with this thread.

---

No need to apologize and i don't think you are necessarily wrong. I just thought the thread had the potential to go out of control and that's where my discomfort lies.