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| Easton Depp ('19) |
Something I have noticed since my very first day in China has been the stark difference in the McConnell Scholars' decision-making process and that of the Chinese students. Our class has a very democratic way of making decisions, one that was almost too democratic at the beginning of the trip: Everyone gets a chance to give input on each decision. Over the past week we have refined this process to make it more useful and streamlined, but it still stands in stark contrast with that of the Chinese process: one of absolute obedience to authority.
One of our student guides commented on the difference noting, "Why do you all spend so much time on making decisions? Just have the leader make the call and everyone else can follow along."
Time and time again, that attitude has been reflected in the behavior of the guides towards our group. The guides will pick one person who is the leader of our group and will proceed to communicate information only to that individual. That has been immensely frustrating for many of us Scholars because we feel very out of the loop. Nonetheless, the guides have a hard time understanding or conceptualizing our different paradigm of thought.
I think this difference comes down to the difference in obedience to a community versus an obedience to authority. I have seen many videos and signs indicating to the Chinese "proper behavior" as indicated by the government: be respectful of your parents, refrain from littering, stand in an orderly line, etc.. In western society, many of these societal rules are not enforced by the government but instead by the community itself. Several times in the United Kingdom I watched a Brit chase down someone and rebuff them for littering.
It has been interesting interacting in a society so different from my own; even the fundamental building blocks of society are different! Yet, at the end of the day I think I prefer my old Kentucky home.
Easton Depp, of Ft. Thomas, Ky., is a member of the McConnell Scholar Class of 2019. He studies political science, economics and history at the University of Louisville.