Hi Robert, enjoyed the article. I just want to mention that there is a repeated set of sentences in your quote of my text that isn't in the original, possibly a cut and paste induced error.
Separately I'm constantly amazed at the degree of trust Chinese corporations put into Microsoft, considering that Microsoft is a major vendor to the US CIA, DOD, NSA, as well as laboratories and foundations charged with both sabotaging China's competitiveness and stealing China's IPR. That might somehow fit into the trusting too much category.
“This over-trust of “old folks” come hand in hand with under-trust of new guys, like two sides of the same coin. How it comes to be, I am not so sure. But I just know it exists.”
Maybe you just have to trust people in order to function, and with strangers ruled out, you have to trust familiar people more than you otherwise would?
In Cantonese, there is a saying that translates ROUGHLY into “it is not worth being a Good Samaritan.” Its usage applies to when you see an opportunity to do some good, you do it, but then as a consequence, some bad luck befalls you. This aphorism could be interpreted to have roots in a low trust society. It is an example of similar ideas that can be used to describe a low trust society. However, I think we are reading too much into this or over-interpreting that this is characteristic of a society. My recollection of my parents using this phrase was often in situations involving bad luck. It was just a cultural expression of life that happens. A western expression would be “shit happens.” It was never a guiding principle of how we should treat others with distrust.
I am from the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up, I trusted only my family and teachers. Otherwise, I was wary of trusting anyone else.
On the other hand, I had cousins who were raised in rural California and noticed that they would trust almost anyone who looked and acted like them. Someone's familiar appearance was sufficient for them to lend that person trust.
Stereotyping certain traits as typical of the "West" doesn't serve penetrating the sore of the issue.
Hi Robert, enjoyed the article. I just want to mention that there is a repeated set of sentences in your quote of my text that isn't in the original, possibly a cut and paste induced error.
Separately I'm constantly amazed at the degree of trust Chinese corporations put into Microsoft, considering that Microsoft is a major vendor to the US CIA, DOD, NSA, as well as laboratories and foundations charged with both sabotaging China's competitiveness and stealing China's IPR. That might somehow fit into the trusting too much category.
Sorry, fixed it.
“This over-trust of “old folks” come hand in hand with under-trust of new guys, like two sides of the same coin. How it comes to be, I am not so sure. But I just know it exists.”
Maybe you just have to trust people in order to function, and with strangers ruled out, you have to trust familiar people more than you otherwise would?
Perhaps
In Cantonese, there is a saying that translates ROUGHLY into “it is not worth being a Good Samaritan.” Its usage applies to when you see an opportunity to do some good, you do it, but then as a consequence, some bad luck befalls you. This aphorism could be interpreted to have roots in a low trust society. It is an example of similar ideas that can be used to describe a low trust society. However, I think we are reading too much into this or over-interpreting that this is characteristic of a society. My recollection of my parents using this phrase was often in situations involving bad luck. It was just a cultural expression of life that happens. A western expression would be “shit happens.” It was never a guiding principle of how we should treat others with distrust.
Curious to know the exact words/characters of that Cantonese phrase!
I can’t read or write Cantonese. Using a translator gives this 好人唔好做
做狗好過做人 is another Cantonese expression。 It's similar to 好心沒好報 with a bit of 塞翁失馬 randomness thrown in。
I am from the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up, I trusted only my family and teachers. Otherwise, I was wary of trusting anyone else.
On the other hand, I had cousins who were raised in rural California and noticed that they would trust almost anyone who looked and acted like them. Someone's familiar appearance was sufficient for them to lend that person trust.
Stereotyping certain traits as typical of the "West" doesn't serve penetrating the sore of the issue.