An Asian American’s View On Why Asians Save And Earn So Much

[GBCW 397]

Culture takes a back seat to a nice paycheck and keeping up with the jones's.

But keeping up with the jones's is a cultural attitude. Culture isn't just what's old. Culture is contemporary, too.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Here in Japan the older generation (Ww2) are frugal and save like crazy, but not so for the younger generations... A lot of people living beyond their means. Interestingly enough with the economic downturn people in their teens and early 20s are becoming more careful with their money than their parents. Kids in this generation are more likely to buy Uniqlo than Gucci/LV.

[Teddy B 17,252]

The focus is on why and how it is achieved, .In many cases They come with almost nothing parents with limited english Every Chinese that my wife knows works .. the majority more than one job, Work a full time day job then find a house to clean or yard work to do ... Work in a chinese kitchen or whatever. If a home is bought often it will have an apartment to help pay the taxes. one thing I found that is in place in major cities.... Rooms in the home are rented to arriving chinese immigrants. . Get off the plane find a Chinese newspaper.. It is filled with rooms to let. One or two weeks max that you can stay. Years ago it was 15-20 a night.. 4-5 folks being put up. . Downstairs the owners lived ...upstairs the renters. They had a common kitchen and bathroom. The owner would drive folks around for a fee and help them with some of the major questions. Where is this where is that ... where to find employment ... even if it is for bottom of the rung. work. Not uncommon for a engineer just arriving to bus tables for a few months until he can find real work. .

That describes just about every different class of immigrants that have come here since the beginning, just interchange Chinese with Italian, Irish, German, Polish or any other nationality. The Chinese are not special in this regard, as previously mentioned it's cultural not racial.

[Jacque67 7,328]

But keeping up with the jones's is a cultural attitude. Culture isn't just what's old. Culture is contemporary, too.

Agree.

Run out of +1s already. Sorry.

[Teddy B 17,252]

I didn't think about that. I just made sure my wife was Asian so i had no chance of producing ginger offspring. AMIRITE???

Good call, that could have been horrible!

[GBCW 397]

Here in Japan the older generation (Ww2) are frugal and save like crazy, but not so for the younger generations... A lot of people living beyond their means. Interestingly enough with the economic downturn people in their teens and early 20s are becoming more careful with their money than their parents. Kids in this generation are more likely to buy Uniqlo than Gucci/LV.

Yeah. Spending and willingness to assume debt is all about confidence. And the confidence isn't always an individual thing, it's set at a macro level, a cultural level. When everyone around you is confident, you're confident. When everyone around you is using coupons and acting like a character out of a sad Great Depression era movie, you lose your confidence.

[GandD 5,966]

But keeping up with the jones's is a cultural attitude. Culture isn't just what's old. Culture is contemporary, too.

Yeah, that's kinda my point. Its for sure that American culture and its becoming more and more of a "first world" culture. The Japanese, south Koreans, and Hker's are doing it albeit a bit differently. In HK, there's an obsession with school so people will spend past "0" to get their kids into the best schools. That's trading one principle for another ya know.

[GBCW 397]

Agree.

Run out of +1s already. Sorry.

If it wasn't for you, I would practically not get any reputation points at all. So, thank you!

[GandD 5,966]

If it wasn't for you, I would practically not get any reputation points at all. So, thank you!

I gave you one on his/her behalf.

[decocker 7,198]

I didn't think about that. I just made sure my wife was Asian so i had no chance of producing ginger offspring. AMIRITE???

what? that's so wrong. ginger babies are adorable.

[Jacque67 7,328]

If it wasn't for you, I would practically not get any reputation points at all. So, thank you!

I have a soft spot for hunch backs hiding in the shadows !

[GandD 5,966]

what? that's so wrong. ginger babies are adorable.

Babies, yes. Adults...............

[Teddy B 17,252]

what? that's so wrong. ginger babies are adorable.

No, ginger babies are evil and they end up looking like this!

The Horror!!!

[decocker 7,198]

Babies, yes. Adults...............

damn. that's foul. i've always been a bit upset that i was born with red hair that just turned normal old brownish. and freckles are the only bit of tan i have. GINGERS OF THE WORLD UNITE.

i've had a lot of coffee this morning.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Gingers- yuck!!