Eyes East -- China ESL Teacher Blog Done Good
I usually hate English teacher blogs. Sorry, but I do. More often than not those blogs seem to focus on how dirty an apartment is, how cheap their last meal was, how they saw some Chinese guy peeing on the street, how they are having trouble making friends, have too many friends, are treated differently because they are foreigners, miss the people back home (who invariably have trouble understanding why they are in China), etc., etc., etc. They also typically lack staying power.
Eyes East is different because the guy can flat out write and, most importantly, he has something to say.
His post, "We're All on the Same Bus," was the last straw for me. First off, it came recommended by the Granite Studio blog (one of my favorites) as a "thoughtful commentary" and "well worth checking out" on the "great Dalian blog," so that reduced my ESL shield a bit. Then, I loved it. It is indeed a thoughtful post on the Chinese lack of "manners" towards strangers.
It lists three likely culprits:
- Living under the strain of the world's largest population.
- Scraping by, underpaid and underfed.
- The Cultural Revolution.
I think all three culprits are a factor, but I will add a fourth: Communism/big government. Who needs community when the government controls all? Why follow laws/rules/manners when the laws are random and arbitrary?
Comments
Thanks for the endorsement and the too-kind words. CLB and Granite Studio are among my favorites and both daily reads. I agree entirely with what J. said at a similar moment: "The CLB has always been for me something of a model China blog--focused, well-written, topical, and consistently interesting."
One thing I have been meaning to ask, and haven't found the proper context: How exactly do you get so many links into your posts and still have time to write (not to mention, practice law)?
Posted by: Chris | December 20, 2006 11:40 PM
Chris --
Easy.
1. Work ALL the time.
2. Make your staff work all the time.
Posted by: China Law Blog | December 21, 2006 12:13 AM
How about simply living in a dense populated metropolitan as the culprit? I was on a train from Shibuya to Yokohama (Japan) at 11:50 PM. One 20 something drunk guy passed out and lying face down on the floor of the train. He wasn't moving. There were about 12 stops between the two stations and hundreds of people got on and off the train simply went around him. Nobody bother to check if he was still alive.
Posted by: David Li | December 21, 2006 5:44 AM
Good point. Everyone is rude in New York City (except the tourists) and yet most Americans are not. Everyone is rude in Paris, France, and yet there are a couple hundred French outside Paris who are not. Yes, good point.
Posted by: China Law Blog | December 21, 2006 5:50 PM
Great leads as always....
Ya, when DO you sleep?
And what's this about English teacher blogs? The horror....
And just when you guys had restored my faith in Law Blogs...
Posted by: Lon | December 22, 2006 8:06 AM
Lon --
Thanks for checking in. It's English teacher blogs because there are so damn many of them. Mostly because the ESL teachers are so young and have a lot of free time. I have nothing against English teachers (my dear old dad is a retired professor of English Literature), but you have to admit there are a large number of ESLers out there who mention dirty toilets or good noodles (without any of their own personalization of either) as though that is enough.
I am always asked when I sleep and it is true that I hardly ever do. 4-6 hours a night and that's been the case since forever. Just seem to need less than most. Don't know why. Just do. Good for an Asian legal practice though as I do a ton of my work from 10 pm until 2 am when Asia is open for Business.
Posted by: China Law Blog | December 22, 2006 8:13 AM
Agree on the English teacher's websites but I also found a great one that I follow. (Full disclosure I am related, well it is my sister, but I gurantee you will enjoy as she is not your average westerner in rural China)
http://nat-317.livejournal.com/
Posted by: John | December 23, 2006 11:23 AM
John --
Thanks for checking in. I like your sister's blog (yours too), but, man, reading livejournal is difficult on this old guy's eyes.
Posted by: China Law Blog | December 24, 2006 10:08 PM