tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post1827890688348337928..comments2024-03-27T15:55:32.875+01:00Comments on W-wa Jeziorki: Can human anger ever be positive?Michael Dembinskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-20522927841978574812013-05-30T22:18:13.836+02:002013-05-30T22:18:13.836+02:00I must say, unlike @DC, I quite like 'losing i...I must say, unlike @DC, I quite like 'losing it' on occasions. It provides a sort of release for pent up frustrations. I often feel better afterwards.<br /><br />In my experience of SE Asia (mainly, Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia/Vietnam) whenever I or my young lady partner have got angry it has usually complicated the problem rather than solved it. A measured approach, with half-smiles, and lots of polite pigeon English, always does the job much better and more efficiently, for all parties concerned.<br /><br />Having said that, the one time I did visit Guangzhou, we got vociferously angry with the local touts several times: it was the only way to get rid of the pesky blighters. The phrases "go away", and "please f*** off" just didn't do the trick.<br />Sigismundonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-88808118631845066972013-05-30T14:35:11.999+02:002013-05-30T14:35:11.999+02:00I agree with Sigismundo that sometimes it's th...I agree with Sigismundo that sometimes it's the only way to reach certain people. The only thing is the older I get the more I dislike doing it since I realize the toll it takes on me in the end.<br /><br />As for the Asian anger taboo thing, I wish I understood it better. I can't recall ever seeing anyone express unrestrained anger in Thailand or Japan, but China? Not so hard to find. There have been a number of news items recently of people losing it in airports there. My favorite is when some people got sufficiently irritated about a flight delay in Guangzhou that they marched out onto a taxiway to block aircraft movement:<br /><br />http://www.china.org.cn/video/2012-04/16/content_25154390.htm<br /><br />There was a similar incident at Shanghai Pudong. There have been moments I'd secretly loved to see something like that at O'Hare or Heathrow one time - heh heh.<br /><br />Seriously though, can it be productive? I'm guessing older Poles know better than many what it's like to feel helpless against environmental destruction. Wouldn't it be great if potential polluters in China began to decide it wasn't worth the potential rage of ordinary Chinese people? Maybe a little demonstration of such anger could help them along in their thinking? If the Party wants to prevent such chaos they should be working towards policing and well-publicized prosecution of industrial polluters. <br /><br />Some more airport fun:<br /><br />http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/passengers-take-jetstar-crew-hostage-after-delay-20121030-28hbo.html<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTTLOcu3uwgDCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-76675434091312325772013-05-29T16:26:15.761+02:002013-05-29T16:26:15.761+02:00@ Sigismundo -
It was exactly this comment I was ...@ Sigismundo -<br /><br />It was exactly this comment I was hoping for! Many thanks for the cross-cultural perspective.Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-60534913336150293342013-05-29T16:16:25.634+02:002013-05-29T16:16:25.634+02:00Some people are so thick-skinned that the only way...Some people are so thick-skinned that the only way to get through to them is to get really, snortingly, obnoxiously angry with them. <br /><br />So, I completely disagree that 'losing one's temper to the point of incoherence' is necessarily a bad thing, at least not in all circumstances. <br /><br />There are cultures, of course, such as the Chinese, where losing your temper with someone, even if they deserve it, is a complete no-no, as not only will you lose your argument, but the recipient 'loses face' and so will become your lifelong enemy for ever after. Sigismundonoreply@blogger.com