Cultural Differences

I liked this post on China Rises, by Tim Johnson a Beijing Buereau news chief, about cultural differences between Western and Eastern cultures (using Germans and Chinese as examples in this case).

The examples are very true. I find it amusing that many dual nationality citizens like myself (Born in Hong Kong, raised in UK) find ourselves balancing these cultural nuances on a daily bases without even realising it. By osmosis we learn the differences in the cultures and seem to be able to switch depending on the company we are with - the question is, which culture do we prefer?!

Here are some of the examples, depicted by Liu Yang (German in Blue / China in Red)

Status of the boss:


Attitudes towards children:

A party:

Noise levels in a restaurant:

Problem solving:

Preferences towards transport:

Mood towards weather:

Time keeping:

Networking:

Queing mentality:

Ego:

High streets at the weekend:

Community:

Dealing with a complaint:

PR = Propaganda Retailers?!

I attended Web Wednesday Social Mixer last night, an event founded by Napoleon Biggs the MD of Palava Digital. I was in the company of some of the finest Asian digerati as well as Thomas Crompton (the ex International Herald Tribune and New York Times journalist) and Oiwan Lam (Editor of Global Voices - a non-profit global citizens’ media project founded at Harvard Law School).

The focus of the session was how the Internet has become a battle ground for the Beijing Olympics, both within and outside China. Both speakers track this stream of information on a daily basis and have the journalistic experience to give a measured insight into recent developments.

I found the event enlightening, especially when we looked more closely at the anti-CNN and anti-Carrefour sentiments from China's citizens, and the use of propaganda by the China government to rally it citizens to 'support' the Olympics. For those of you who are a little hazy on the details, you can experience a brief glimpse of the engagement here (anti-CNN website) and here (anti-Carrefour movement).

However, I was left with one question un-answered in my mind.

We, as PR professionals, represent corporate organisations attempting to harness the internet to educate and inform consumers. The issue is that social media is 'un-regulated' (as it should be) and is seen as too much of a risk to embrace. Social media is considered a weapon for the consumers to use, at will, to generate mass attention for a particular cause or issue. Any activity conducted by a corporate is frowned upon and seen as propaganda. How, therefore, can we as PR professionals 'tame' social media to be of benefit to the companies we represent and use it as a tool to inform and educate consumers without being misconstrued for dealers in propaganda?

The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are not too far away. However, it is abundantly clear that there are huge differences of opinion as to how the Games are being viewed across the globe.

I saw a recent comment in an op-ed piece in the WSJ, which I found very interesting:

The Chinese media decry violent Tibetan rioters; the West criticizes the Chinese crackdown. The Western press describes Chinese censorship; Chinese netizens slam Western media bias. A Chinese official calls the Dalai Lama a “political exile bent on engaging in activities aimed at splitting the motherland,” while in the West he is described as a man of “peace” and “reconciliation.” Americans and Europeans debate boycotting the Olympics to protest China’s human-rights record; Chinese commentary describes Western arrogance toward a “developing country that is going to host the games.” Are we all living on the same planet?

Firstly, well done to the journalist for not writing a bias or controversial view - otherwise this post would be ranting at how another Western media outlet is showing its arrogance to wards a developing nation!!!

The entire issue is one that is hard to judge on. This is a great historic moment for China and is much more than just a sporting event for the Chinese people - it is a cultural milestone that has already resulted in enormous national pride and love of a country (I hope the 2012 Games will do the same for the UK.)

I always believed a sporting event should be left at that - do not bring politics into it. Let the athletes do the talking! However, for both 'sides' this is much much more. On an accelerated growth scale, activists, celebrities, government leaders and others concerned about Human Rights, Tibet, the evironment, and other issues are using this 'sporting event' as a platform to voice their own agendas - be it right or wrong, factual or subjective.

My main concern is whether some of this attention is creating apathy towards each side. Will these 'advocates' turn people off their cause? Will these 'advocates' change the true meaning and worth of the Olympic Games for all future hosts? Is this going to widen the gap between China and the West even more?

Time will tell. I personally hope the Olympics are a great success in that the athletes are able to live their dream and that we remember that the Summer Games is a great occasion where records are broken and medals are won. Leave the politics at the gates please…