Being Rude.

There are two sounds that ubiquitous all throughout China.

One is the honk.

The other is the clearing of the throat. Followed promptly with a lump of green/white/bubbly freshly excreted spit on the floor.

What annoys me is that a country that is home to one of the earliest forms of civillization, art and commerce has degenerated into this. A grand empire that fought wars to defend their civillized way of life against barbarians have now turned into barbarians themselves.

And being of Chinese descent, i am saddened by the country's state of affairs. In my history books, i've learnt that China is the "sick man of the East". I hope what i'm seeing now is a China that is undergoing serious therapy.

The shoving, the pushing, the queue cutting, the shouting....all multiplied by 2 billion.

You don't order your food and service, you demand for it. You don't ask for a discount, you insist on it. You don't queue up for a taxi, you walk right up in front of the next person and snatch for one.

There is just so much road rage everywhere. You drive like you literally owned the road you're driving on. The right of way goes to the person with the fastest accelerator feet. Accidents happen everyday and are a common occurance. From mild fender benders to cars turned topsy turvy.

I won't even buy from local establishments, i'd rather pay more money for international brands. False bargains, cheats and questionable discounts exist everywhere.

The key is this: the more money you have, the more you can behave like a son-of-a-bitch.

The locals think that while they're working, they're "obliged" to perform service for you and will put up with your abuse. I've been in customer service before and i know that i'm not there to do no god damned service for nobody. At the end of the day, i work for my pay and i respect the person who respects what i'm doing.

I've delighted so many people and have enjoyed free food, friendly service, smiles and phone numbers just by using two words; "please" and "thank you".

It's important to be polite, considerate and civil. It is the basic restraint that humans have over themselves. Otherwise, our behaviour is actually very animal like.

For China, it's probably because the country is accelerating full throttle from third world to first, carrying in it's load two billion citizens who still have in their minds a long history of civil unrest, poverty, repression and occupation.

I believe that one day, with the proliferation of education, we will see the return of a great empire, a stunning culture and the return of one of the most civillized people on the planet. The Middle Kingdom as it truly is.