Visiting Chinese scholars shocked by low American living standards

[DBoon]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-culture-clash-20100622,0,6268455.story

A prestigious American institute, China Project at the Center for Process Studies in Claremont, hosts many visiting Chinese scholars. Upon arrival, these visiting scholars are shocked by the modest circumstances of American faculty and of the institute itself. Having been raised by a myth of American affluence, they find American academics have a lower standard of living than their counterparts in China.

Some quotes:

Take Zhang's other surprise upon arrival at the center, which is located on the campus of Claremont School of Theology. She had been told she would be living with an American host family. She thought blond. She thought rich. She expected lots of children and a pool and many gadgets.

Then she met her host, Madhuri Bhattacharya, 69, an Indian immigrant and a widow living alone in a simple house.

There was no pool, and few modern amenities — fewer, in fact, than she was used to back home. "I even have an HD flat-screen TV at home in Beijing," Zhang said, surprised that her American host did not.

....

"They didn't tell me in person, but when they went back to China they told people they had no idea we lived such impoverished lives in America," said Fan.

...

These days, she says, she thinks Chinese visitors subconsciously feel superior to — not awed by —Americans.

"They feel like the American economy is in the tank and the Chinese have a higher GDP and fewer debts," Fan said. "But what we try to teach them is that there are different lifestyles here in America. Not everyone lives lavishly like they do in Hollywood movies."

[Xipe Totec]

1. Welcome to the worker's paradise! nt

[greytdemocrat]

2. Hmmm...

Feel free to go back to your "Workers Paradise" on the next flight. Jeeze.

[amborin]

3. something fishy; Claremont, CA is a high $$$, new england style town of gorgeous old, well-maintain

homes.....

some of the campus offices are in charming old craftsman cottages.....


"I even have an HD flat-screen TV at home in Beijing"


um, many folks in Claremont disdain 'stuff' like that; they have better things to do with their time than watch the tube or amass toys

[malaise]

8. The nouveau riche often confuse

trinkets with wealth. Rarely are they able to absorb the reality that quaint and comfortable are preferred by those who are less insecure.

Damn I hate pretentious gits everywhere on the planet.

[tabasco]

9. Oh yes, the "old rich" are much wiser and more sophisticated.

That's what dumbasses think.

[malaise]

14. I said nothing about old rich

I was referring to middle class academics, many of whom are very comfortable with quaint and detest trinkets.

[EFerrari]

18. The only thing my mentor showed me the first time I went to her home

was a special bookcase in her kid's room that had been specially built not to fall on him in an earthquake. It was beautiful and massive and safe.

I don't even remember seeing a television in that house, let alone a big flat screen.

[malaise]

19. Bingo

:hi:

[amborin]

10. +1

[JuniperLea]

16. +2

[proteus_lives]

4. Tell her to wait a few years when the Chinese house of cards comes tumbling down.

Then ask them how they feel.

[girl gone mad]

12. Our fates are inextricably linked now.

When the Chinese house of cards comes tumbling down, there will be no decoupling.

[JVS]

5. I can't believe these students are so clueless as to think that well off people with pools invite...

exchange students into their homes. Whereas 69 year old widows with modest lifestyles are perhaps more interested in collecting a small stipend for allowing a student into their homes.

[kirby]

6. They forgot to give them the Athletic dept tour!

That would have shown them where the spending priorities are at!

[Jamastiene]

26. Ain't that the truth?

Well said.

[msongs]

7. shoddy schools collapse in china earthquake kills thousands of children nt

[Uzybone]

11. Dumb article

Hey a 69 yr old widow doesn't have a HD Flat screen TV in her house!!! Americans are paupers!

Those Chinese are quite ignorant. Even Nigerian villagers know that not all of America is Hollywood.

[smoogatz]

13. Academics don't get paid shit in this country.

If we had to live on just one of our salaries from the local U, we'd be hard-pressed to get the bills paid and food on the table. We teach at a regional public university, the second biggest campus in the U of Wisconsin system--and no, we don't own a HDTV (or care much whether we do or not). We haven't had a raise here in five years; the only way to get a raise, in fact, is to get a competing offer from another school. I don't know what it's like at the Claremont School of Theology, which appears to be a private Methodist college--probably not a whole lot better.

[iamtechus]

15. Propaganda Alert!

I call bullshit on that report.

Per-Capita Car Ownership in China to Climb 67% by 2010

24 May 2006

The per-capita car ownership ratio in China will increase by 67% to 40 cars for every 1,000 citizens by 2010 from the current 24, according to a report by Chinanews. By contrast, the US has 765 vehicles per 1,000 (2002 data), while Europe (including the FSU countries) has an average of about 300 vehicles.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/05/percapita_car_o.html

When was the last time you saw a photo or video of a busy street in China? What was the ratio of cars to bikes? They weren't riding those bikes for environmental reasons!

A friend of mine recently went on a church-sponsored tour of China and he was surprised by the large number of uniformed and armed troops everywhere he went. He says that one must have a special tour guide's permission to take photos. They aren't allowed many places.

Your friendly search engine will reveal much about living conditions in China.

[Hannah Bell]

22. The small class of nouveau riche in china live very well. The majority don't.

[JPZenger]

17. Still poverty in many parts of China

There are still poor parts of China.

Most of the high profile economic growth has been along the coasts, vs. the inland rural areas.

The low skilled factories are closing down along the coasts to go after cheap labor in the inland areas.

Because of global climate change, large areas of China are turning into deserts.

The unions in China are fake unions that are controlled by the government.

[TexasObserver]

20. In the past, more affluent Americans were more likely to be host families.

In the past, it was considered downright American to host foreign students and persons. Now, many of such families line up with the jingoistic right, and that means fewer hosts families.

Need a host family for a foreign student? My money is on calling the folks at the UU church. They still get it.

[Heywood J]

21. To me, this seems like more of a story about

preconceptions being knocked down than about the Chinese standard of living being better or worse. I expect better from an "academic" than to think that everyone on this continent looks like Brad Pitt and has a mansion with a pool and gadgets.

[skipos]

23. I spent some time in China

and while the poverty I have seen in the US is bad, the poverty I saw in China was much, much worse.

[JCMach1]

24. Most are missing the point of the article: American academics are typically paid less

and have less prestige than in many other countries.

That's certainly one of the main reasons I teach abroad.

[DBoon]

30. That was the point of the article

That and the days of American affluence are long past

The "wealthiest country in the world" isn't anymore.

[Warren DeMontague]

25. Dudes, you are in Southern California, land of the million dollar 2 bedroom ranch fixer-upper.

I mean, Claremont? C'mon. Those people aren't exactly living in tin shacks.

[Jamastiene]

27. I'm thinking that is one individual I would not want to know.

1. Snobby attitude
2. Closed minded about how MOST people (all over the world including China and America) live
3. Places too much value on money
4. Places too much value on stuff

What an asswipe.

[XemaSab]

28. If they had a free internet there she would know that there are Americans of all classes

I mean, hell, I have DU friends and facebook friends from EVERY continent except Antarctica (but I have several friends who have been there).

If I want to know what life is like in South Africa, New Zealand, Peru, Finland, Israel, Cambodia, or wherever... I just ask.

[DFW]

29. If affluence is some kind of badge of honor, how about people in mud huts in Sinkiang?

All those families who lost children because their homes collapsed on them in that earthquake, and
it took rescue teams days to get there? So not everyone in America lives like the Beijing elite.
We'll get over it. After all, 95% of China doesn't live like the Beijing elite, either. The Beijing
elite should worry more about whether their own 95% will get over it as easily as we do.

[KillCapitalism]

31. Let's bring some visitors from different countries.

How about we bring visitors from Haiti, Sierra Leone, and Somalia?

Even they would see us as being impoverished.