$5 says that in 3 years he’s enrolled at UCIrvine.
I am more and more impressed with the impact of Chinese netizens.
Speaking (very) broadly, China is a shame culture, rather than a guilt culture. What this means is that pressure to “do the right thing” tends to be more external than internal. Roughly, rather than asking “How can I sleep at night after what I’ve done,” it’s “How can I show my face in the morning?”
Both shame and guilt cultures have their good points and bad points, but one of the big problems with shame cultures is that once you are out of the view of whoever is putting shame on you, it can be taken as license to do whatever you want. But it seems like the internet, and microblogs especially, are really shaping up to broaden the moral range and bring more accountability to stuff that previously would have been ignored or shrugged off.
I remember being in the tower of London, and seeing a plaque sternly warning against vandalising the tower - right next to a windowsill where some guys had carved their names into the stone in the 15th century.
I mean, yes, this is an example of why the human species as a whole Can’t Have Nice Things, but on the other hand, if nobody fixes the grafitti in the next five hundred years, this kid’s name is going to be part of our collective historical heritage.
Why does this remind me of a Simpsons episode?
People have been writing graffiti on those pyramids since they were built. Why assume this generation is any different?
Perhaps he was dictating.
Shut up.
You what ?
Whatever one may think of Anonymous, at least they like cats.
all this tells me is that 15 year olds are assholes no matter what country they’re from.
thanks, but I already knew that.
Yup. Another example: the temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, as defaced by various nineteenth-century travelers including Lord Byron.
(Granted, the chances of this kid’s growing up to be the next Byron are slim to none.)
(the ancients even beat us to the stupidest of graffiti subjects.)
Yeah…
Please expound on this. The Pit has gotten dull lately and this has so much opportunity to get 50 shades of ugly.
Thing is, a 3000 year old thing with graffiti from 3000 years ago isn’t the same as a 3000 year old thing with graffiti from 3000 minutes ago.
Not sure what y’all are bringing up old graffiti on old stuff for; it’s a completely different subject.
The Egyptian Temple at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC is covered with graffiti and no it wasn’t done by New Yorkers.
There’s a difference between an ancient Egyptian scribbling graffiti on one of the local buildings and a modern tourist scribbling graffiti on what is explicitly described as a precious and protected cultural heritage site.
And that goes for Lord Byron too.
Yes, graffiti itself inevitably becomes part of the precious and protected cultural heritage once it gets old enough, but that’s no excuse for being a douche in the here and now.
You’d lose your shirt on that bet. Hong Kongers have been complaining a lot for the last few years about Mainlanders as have Japanese, Koreans, etc.
I’ve read your link, then a couple related articles. Maybe we’ll soon hear about the “Ugly Chinese Tourists”. Yet another evidence of America’s decadence.
I don’t think it is. I’m a firm believer in individual responsibility hence sternly opposed to collective blame, including self-loath, or apology on behalf of someone else who happens to belong to same group you do.
Especially when the news are “Some 15 yo did something really stupid”. It’s not exactly as if this only happened in China, is it?
“Ingigerd is the most beautiful of women”
“I screwed the barmaid”
“Marcus loves Spendusa”
:D:D:D