Whose fault - lack of active citizenry or self-check?

• robertteh

  8 Nov 06, 19:47

  Because we are Asians perhaps we are subconsciously compliant by our culture to certain pecking order or seniority and we do not normally want to speak out loud to hurt face of the senior or authority.
  
  We normally give some face to those in authority who did wrong. But people's willingness to respect or give face to authority might be taken for granted as a sign of weakness so that is what happens to the whole political process.
  
  It becomes more and more self-centred as people were deemed to have supported the government who called it mandate and with each turn the leaders became more and more fierce and arrogant.
  
  Regarding people as weak and unable to resist there were more excuses and hypocrisy given as if people are so naive like more good years more long-term gains and asset enhancement and retirement schemes none of which have been fulfilled as planned.
  
  So many valuable years have been lost because of lack of political objectivity and maturity on the part of population due to our easy-going culture.
  
  If it is pure and simple like Saddam Hussein people will know how to react and how to kick back.
  
  When people are so tamed and restrained by our own "Ying" culture full of self-restraint and giving face we might have gone over the limit and unable to check and balance as Westminster is supposed to achieve.
  
  It might take a major revolution of some kind to change such a situation caused by unconcerned attitude of the igorant.
  
  So I agree with you that part of the fault lies with the people.
  
  Sometimes when we give too strong a view on the bigger issues we people who want to say something might not even get supported by our own fellow citizens.
  
  Some people might call our culture as kiasism or hero worship.
  
• LazerLordz

  8 Nov 06, 19:59

  It doesn't apply to all Asians.
  
  Certainly not to the English-educated. I will call this malaise the curse of a consumerist society.
• robertteh

  8 Nov 06, 20:19

  Originally posted by LazerLordz:

  It doesn't apply to all Asians.
  
  Certainly not to the English-educated. I will call this malaise the curse of a consumerist society.

  That is right. Sorry for the generalisation. I agree that Hongkongers and Taiwaners do not belong to this category but Certainly it applies to the Salmans and the many Kiasi Asians of red dot origin.