Ladeer&Co.

A while ago there was a public lynching on a college student who led her dog poop on a Korean subway train and upon being confronted by an elder she refused to clean up. Because her act was caught on a mobile phone camera and shared online, the transpired aftermath included a joint identification effort, countless harassment, public exposure, sermon illustration in North America, international news and finally the separation from her college. I mentioned it in this post.

Privately I believed Near Eastern Asian Culture is more susceptible to this kind of public behavior. Due to compact community and a socialistic culture (the disfavor of individualism), people in Near Eastern Asian Culture tend to become demagogically chauvinistic. For example I had observed pulsatile yet ephemeral crazes for certain trend in Taiwan that could only be characterized as fanatical or plain crazy--people queued for hours to buy: the new donuts, the new egg-tart, the new Milk Ramen, the new lottery ticket, or even the new Hello Kitty from McDonald's Happy Meal.

Several news today however, made me question perhaps my idealized faith in the maturity of American education and culture was flawed.

• The public lynching and eventual arrest (in a rather positive, though intrusive, way) of a girl who possessed a stolen cell phone. here
• The cold blood murder staged as a medal worthy fight by seven Marines. here
• Six wardens (correctional officers) traded drugs with female inmate for sex by force and intimidation. here

Or perhaps, American is just like any culture of its collage, vulnerable to sin.