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Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

chinafile.com

231–240 of 258 posts

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> FWIW there is much disapproval in East Asia of these antics, and the guanxi culture emanating from China. "Disapproval" in the same way that some groups were for tee-totalling in the US. Some small minority is against the practices, but they are extremely prevalent all across Asia (and China has little to do with it, besides being the new big customer in lots of those cases -- Japanese do the same kind of stuff, Ko…

I don't know, corruption and prostitution is pretty easy to find in SEA and China, even in SG, but it's not that way in East Asia in my experience. Even in Hong Kong I find you're likely to run into people who say something like: "Mainlanders just want to be successful through making some deals with their friends, we aren't like that."

East Asians are self-aware enough not to flaunt their dealings to foreigners, since they know how up-tight foreigners are about such things.

I've lived in Korea for many years, spent a lot of time in Japan, and do a lot of business in Hong Kong. Prostitution, particularly in room salon settings, is the primary setting for most intra-Asian business. Business drinking volumes are also off the charts, particularly in Korea.

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the first family has more status and usually will be the ones that get the bulk of the inherited wealth. It seems to be sort of expected that once you reach a certain level in your business life, you will get a mistress. This is so prevalent in the Philippines that the family law concerning whether or not you can use the last name of your father is explicitly spelled out.

I wouldn't want the last name of someone that is expected to and has a mistress regardless of their level in business... They dishonored that name.

In the Philippines, people would think you were a massive loser if you achieved business success and didn't have mistresses.

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#233

Pretty much. One of the most strange things I experience in America is the insistence that America is somehow the most sexist / racist country. Oh boy! When the current generation of social justice from America floods its banks and arrives in Asia there is going to be an ugly reckoning. I think the idea that many of China’s troubles (corruption / pollution / freedom reductions) are a byproduct of the extreme rapid mo…

It will be truly glorious when the light of social justice shines in Tokyo, transforming it into the paradise of that progressive city on a hill, San Francisco!

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#234
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that in the current #metoo environment, that would be taking a massive legal risk. Sweden recently passed a legislation that requires a proof of consent, or otherwise treats any sexual relationship as rape by default...

I have seen this a few times here on HN and it's just totally incorrect. The new law still places the burden of proving that consent was not given on the victim. Some papers reported it incorrectly but have published corrections.

First result on google: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/consent-law-r...

I don't have a view on whether this reflects the Swedish law correctly but if it does, I don't believe that changes anything nor that I am incorrect. Unless the other party established explicit, provable consent (he says-she says won't help in court), we are in absence of consent, and therefore rape territory. You can't prove absence of anything.

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't want the last name of someone that is expected to and has a mistress regardless of their level in business... They dishonored that name.

In the Philippines, people would think you were a massive loser if you achieved business success and didn't have mistresses.

I'd rather be considered a loser with honor than a cheater with success. I have previously declined business because of the persons extramarital affairs. If they can't respect the single most important relationship in their life, I doubt they will respect our business relationship. they are not worth doing business with.

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#236
post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work in a Fortune500 company in a Nordic branch. It's extremely easy to hook up. There's like a mentality that "since you work here" you're already pre-screened :) Summer parties at the office often devolve into something like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIf1fydxrfo Global gatherings are, indeed, very crazy. Maybe it's something like this: "If you can't be corrupt anymore, at least you can be sexually corr…

Prescreened?

By hr:)

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, corruption and prostitution is pretty easy to find in SEA and China, even in SG, but it's not that way in East Asia in my experience. Even in Hong Kong I find you're likely to run into people who say something like: "Mainlanders just want to be successful through making some deals with their friends, we aren't like that."

East Asians are self-aware enough not to flaunt their dealings to foreigners, since they know how up-tight foreigners are about such things. I've lived in Korea for many years, spent a lot of time in Japan, and do a lot of business in Hong Kong. Prostitution, particularly in room salon settings, is the primary setting for most intra-Asian business. Business drinking volumes are also off the charts, particularly in Ko…

I just know about the heavy drinking, which yea is how it is in SK and Japan.

Perhaps I'm naive or not important enough to know about these things. In SEA the prostitution is in your face and even in SG they will stand streetsidr asking you to come in; but in East Asia it must all be behind closed doors I guess because I've just never been privy to that sort of thing.

I'm likely biased in my experiences because I'm not into those types of things personally, would never use a prostitute.

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's always easy to tell someone they have it good when we all live on a power law. Just tell them to look a notch down and see someone half their height, just as long as they don't look up at you and see your waist. The entire structure of the American economy and the attitudes it uses to keep its subjects in check are of this form. In many ways, the US is advanced but in many ways it also lags other places, namely…

>> They know it is the structure of things as they stand and as you said, there is a strong chance that these issues will become important elsewhere as they too find they must deal with the intrinsic contradictions in their society. I highly doubt that Japan will ever become as "socially aware" as the United States is currently, which is not really that much, if we're being honest. These countries are already very de…

Actually many decades to 100 years is what I mean.

Re: Booze, Sex, and the Dark Art of Dealmaking in China (2015)

#240
post #65
post #5

Americans don’t like to acknowledge that other cultures have different aaproaches to business. Why is the implication is that these practices are wrong?

Well, for one, most things described here would be a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the US; so if not morally wrong, it's at least illegal.

The US laws do not apply in China.
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