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Is “saving face” an (Eastern) Asia thing? (genuine question)
by samsonradu 7y ago
Is “saving face” an (Eastern) Asia thing? (genuine question)
- shaobo 7y agoIt is an everybody thing, why else would the phrase enter popular usage.
- mc32 7y agoSaving face is on a continuum. In some cultures it’s more important than others. In some it has more impact on day to day lives. Is some cultures it encourages people to take responsibility and resign to “save face for a company or the state” even when it’s not that person’s fault but rather the fault of the position. So yeah I think the majority of societies practice this to lesser and greater degrees. Some have elaborate customs around it, in others it’s almost imperceptible.
- eej71 7y agoI always find this distinction interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilt-Shame-Fear_spectrum_of_cultures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilt-Shame-Fear_spectrum_of_c...
- SoReadyToHelp 7y agoNo, they just do it in slightly different ways than Americans so it's framed as something exotic and weird instead of typical human behaviour.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- jasonshen 7y agoThere is a term in Chinese that means "lose face". I remember my parents saying it to me when I misbehaved. I made them lose face to their friends. Save face emerged as a way to avoid losing face: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/lose-face.html https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/lose-face.html
- sct202 7y agoAt it's basic level saving face is pretty close to minimizing embarrassment.