Things I’ve learned part 3. Face.
The concept of is super hard to understand. I don’t even get it all. It’s like, not wanting to be embarrassed. So don’t do anything that’s embarrassing nor do anything to embarrass others. Something like that. Also it’s a game. You can give people face. Let’s say that you are negotiating with a Chinese person. They want to seem like they have power or what have you. You get the price you want but yet you have to give them something in return. Like, they get to control a little more. Something. This gives them face. Even know you don’t care about whatever you gave them, they do. Now they feel like they won something and didn’t just get argued with.
If they have a son that goes to the States for school. Lots of face. Going to Beijing University, lots of face. Face is like a social status tab. Hell, everyone seems to keep track of it..
It gets interesting. I’ll tell you why. In the States we don’t care about this at all, if any. Yes we are embarrassed but not to the extent of people in Asia. This face issue causes problems, here’s how.
I need something done. I ask someone if they can, oh I don’t know, to make me a American style suit. The tailor guy would be like. Yeah sure.. No problem. Maybe he has never made a suit this way before. But he sure is not going to tell me. I come back and it’s trash. Why, because he has never made an American style suit, doesn’t know how and didn’t tell me because he would lose face. So now I would have a crap suit and lost a bunch of time.
So that’s just one part of face. I don’t want to appear wrong or incapable. I’m sure I will write more on this when I have a little more time.
Peace.