{"id":15404,"date":"2017-11-16T18:54:12","date_gmt":"2017-11-17T02:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=15404"},"modified":"2017-11-16T18:54:12","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T02:54:12","slug":"caution-society-is-closer-than-it-appears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/caution-society-is-closer-than-it-appears\/","title":{"rendered":"Caution: Society Is Closer Than It Appears"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cChristians in China Must Replace Jesus With Pictures of [China President] Xi Jinping or Lose Social Services\u201d1<\/sup><\/a> This was the headline this week after the President of China announced a call to help lift rural impoverished Chinese out of their way of life. He wants them to begin putting their faith in the country rather than in Jesus. In a country influenced b\"\"<\/a>y both Confucius and Marxism, the people are called to more than patriotism but to social harmony. How do we understand this country with it’s collective thinking, where many give up of personal desire to facilitate the collective interest? It is a country that emphasizes hierarchy and harmony within the group. A major decision is made only when considering the implications to the wider collective.2<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

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Craib is not a fan of Elliot’s books believing he brings confusion rather than clarity to his explanations.<\/span><\/span> He claims <\/span><\/span>Elliot<\/span><\/span>‘s writing can be compared to the<\/span><\/span> Biblical <\/span><\/span>story of the tower of Babel <\/span><\/span>where people could not understand each other because of pride. He states, <\/span><\/span> \u201cThe more enthusiastically we try to build up one approach (whether it be Marxism, psychoanalysis, postmodernism or anything else) into a totalizing theory, the more likely we are to end up not being able to understand each other. It might be that what is most needed in social theory at the moment is modesty.\u201d 3<\/sup><\/a> <\/span><\/span>I wonder if confusion in the world of <\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>ocial theory has more to due with the complexities of culture <\/span><\/span>and our lack of understand<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span> of th<\/span><\/span>em<\/span><\/span>?<\/span><\/span> Globalization <\/span><\/span>makes studying societal norms a challenge.<\/span><\/span> The influence from one culture to another i<\/span><\/span>s <\/span><\/span>more significant today than ever.<\/span><\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Whether reading Elliot’s description of Marxism’s freedom and constraint dichotomy, Fromm’s Theory of Self-hood, or Foucault Power Discipline,5<\/sup><\/a> they all reminded me of some aspect of contemporary Chinese society. <\/span><\/span>Jeffrey Prager <\/span><\/span>states, \u201c<\/span><\/span>It is an age which externalizes the self and, in so doing, subdues subjectivity.\u201d6<\/sup><\/a> <\/span><\/span>This is seen in countries like China where<\/span><\/span> self or individualism is seen as it is related to the collective. The Chinese collectivist mindset creates a society that is supportive and protective while sacrificing the individual’s independence and subjectivity.<\/p>\n

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Social theorist Eric Fromm said, \u201cWhat is so deceptive about the state of mind of the members of a society is the \u2018consensual validation\u2019 of their concepts. It is naively assumed that the fact that the majority of people share certain ideas or feelings proves the validity of these ideas and feelings. Nothing is further from the truth. Consensual validation as such has no bearing whatsoever on reason or mental health.\u201d7<\/sup><\/a> This could remind us of the motherly question that if your friends jumped off the cliff, would you do it as well? Collective thinking doesn’t mean not thinking, rather thinking of more than oneself and one’s happiness. This is not just validation of thoughts rather community focused actions.<\/p>\n

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Westerners often have difficulty grasping the structure of Chinese society. It seems so radically different from their own. Individuals are never encouraged by parents, teachers, bosses or leaders to define themselves as separate from society. Free thought is thought to be inherently destabilizing, it is a threat to order. Government, industry, even the courts serve the interests of the state. Success comes from recognition from family, your village, work unit or the government. \u201cSelf-expression is not equal to independence of thought. Chinese society has never celebrated the liberation of individual potential.\u201d8<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

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Geert Hofstede might not be a social theorist yet he describes the effects of a society’s culture on the values of its people and how these values relate to behavior. Culture effects every aspect of society. One of Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions is called individualism vs. collectivism. He says, \u201cPeople are supposed to be loyal to the group to which they belong, and, in exchange, the group will defend their interests.\u201d9<\/sup><\/a>One aspect of Chinese society that is pivotal in the discussion of individual or collectiveness is the word, \u201cGuan Xi\u201d. It literally means \u2018interdependent relationship\u2019. 10<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

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\u201cGuan Xi\u201d permeates all relationships in China. <\/span><\/span>In the community of Christ, this is expressed as loving one another. <\/span><\/span>W<\/span><\/span>hen <\/span><\/span>the church <\/span><\/span>gathers together for support and like-mindedness, there is strength. How do Chinese handle policy directives like the changing of the picture of Jesus <\/span><\/span>to the president?<\/span><\/span> There has been a strong resistance from groups of believers to any policy that seeks to control who and how they worship. <\/span><\/span>Many times, these groups will publicly support the government while privately looking out for their own community. Understanding the complexities of how this relationship work<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>, helps one navigate this society’s structure.<\/span><\/span>\u201cUndeniably, the global challenges we face demand global solutions\u201d11<\/sup><\/a> yet each of those problems are reflected in local communities we all live and work. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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W<\/span><\/span>hat <\/span><\/span>social<\/span><\/span> subtleties<\/span><\/span> need to be known<\/span><\/span> in <\/span><\/span>each of our<\/span><\/span> communities <\/span><\/span>so we can effectively influence without unknowingly offending<\/span><\/span>? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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1<\/a>\u201cChristians in China Must Replace Jesus With Pictures of Xi Jinping or Lose Social Services\u201d, <\/span>Last modified November 14, 2017, <\/span>accessed November 14, 2017, http:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/china-christians-jesus-x-jinping-social-services-welfare-711090<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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2<\/a> \u201c<\/span>Global Cultural Dimensions\u201d, Last modified December 30, 2016, <\/span>accessed November 16, 2017 https:\/\/www.laowaicareer.com\/blog\/global-cultural-dimensions-collectivism-vs-individualism\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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3<\/a>Craib, Ian. \u201cSlouching Towards Babel.\u201d History of Human Sciences<\/em>. 13. no.2 (2000): 116<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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4<\/a>Elliott, Anthony, Bryan Turner, and Philip Smith. “Profiles in Contemporary Social Theory.” Thesis Eleven,<\/i> 70 (2002): 124<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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5<\/a>Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory – Second Edition An Introduction<\/i>. (Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014), 37, 67,122<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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6<\/a>Craib, Ian. \u201cSlouching Towards Babel.\u201d History of Human Sciences<\/em>. 13. no.2 (2000): 112<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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7<\/a>Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory – Second Edition An Introduction<\/i>. (Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014), 69<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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8<\/a>\u201cAmerican-Style Individualism in China? Looks Deceive,\u201d Last modified May 2012<\/span>. <\/span>Accessed November 16, 2017 https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/tom-doctoroff\/chinese-conformity-_b_1355122.html<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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9<\/a>\u201c<\/span>Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, Understanding Different Countries,\u201d<\/span> accessed November 16, 2017. https:\/\/www.mindtools.com\/pages\/article\/newLDR_66.htm<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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10<\/a>Qi, Xiaoying. \u201cGlobalized Knowledge Flows and Chinese Social Theory.\u201d Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought<\/i>; 83.(New York: Routledge, 2014):50<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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11<\/a>Elliott, Anthony. Contemporary Social Theory – Second Edition An Introduction<\/i>. (Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014), 385<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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