Is China's obsession with "saving face" a strength or an "achilles heel"?

Question

*sigh* it's amazing how defensive some people can get. It's funny how you *think* you can offend me by talking about US policy, whereas I am completely against the way the US conducts its foreign policy. It seems your nationalistic little minds can't seem to get around the concept of *critical thought*. US foreign policy sucks, yes. I am from Australia, which has lots of its own problems, yes. But my question here is about *China*. If you want to talk about the US, ask your own question and I will answer it if I come across it. I will be the first to criticize its policies in Iraq.

Answer 1

Neither. Every country has an obsession with "saving face."

I don't think why is wrong.

Answer 2

Is America's obsession with IRAQ war for oil a virtue or a sickness like a worm in an apple?

Answer 3

is US's obsession with the world domination a strength or "Achilles heel"?

Answer 4

I wouldn't call it an "obsession". It's a cultural trait.

Cultural traits are typically neither good nor bad. It's a psychological thing, which always tend to create positive and negative results, depending on the person and outside circumstances. All types of mindsets can be detrimental in certain environments however, they can also be great assets.

With saving face and losing face, the real goal is not to enter into a situation where you need to save face. It keeps people thinking about others and how they are affecting them. When the situation does arise where one must either save face or lose face, it can result in a variety of outcomes. Of course, whenever one loses face, it's negative. Out of losing face, though, one can become determined to redeem himself, which is good. He could also feel too ashamed and become withdrawn or stop caring altogether. With saving face, one can either make up for whatever wrong they have committed, OR they can be so focused on saving face that they simply deceive others. When a person is so desperate to save face that they lie (which actually does happen a lot), it is a bad thing.

But the real goal of saving face is to always put up your best so that you don't have to save face, and that's a good thing.

Answer 5

whom is easier to hurt, the one who has face or the one who has none?