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From the article: >But neighbours complain it has gotten out of control, with competing groups blasting their music over each other in small areas, and bullyin

From the article: >But neighbours complain it has gotten out of control, with competing groups blasting their music over each other in small areas, and bullying those who try to intervene. Viral videos and reports have shown the groups arguing and fighting with basketball players to take over their court, or, in one case, breaking into a football field and stopping the game to dance in the space, prompting a police response and arrests. >Some disputes have escalated to violence. >“Most of them are the products of the Red Guard era, they don’t respect society or the environment,” said a young Chinese resident of Guiyang, who did not want to be named. >“Square dancing is a problem left over from history. Many elderly people feel that the whole China is built by their generation. They have the absolute voice and status. We young people have done nothing, and of course are not qualified to question them.” >“I tried to communicate with them once, but the police stopped me,” said the Guiyang man. “They thought I was going to do something bad. You know the golden rule of Chinese policy: the larger number of people matters. Everything is based on social maintenance.” Hardly sounds like a "really good" part of culture to me.

Barrin92 5y ago
you can argue whether they maybe should tone down the noise a little but the health benefits, both physical and social as well as even the capital benefits, from the article: "China is home to an estimated 100 million dancing grannies. Square dancing allows older women, many of whom live alone or with younger family members who they accompanied on a move to the cities, to socialise. They form strong bonds, often shopping or doing other activities, including group investments, together, the South China Morning Post reported" are most likely very, very high and almost certainly underestimated. The kind of social security that comes out of having these kinds of relations well into old age probably saves society an incalculable amount of resources compared to the risk of social and financial isolation if these women could not meet. Maybe find a way to make the grannies a little less militant but you would be straight up foolish to not encourage the elderly to socialize.
- dartharva 5y ago
  >the health benefits, both physical and social as well as even the capital benefits, are most likely very, very high and almost certainly underestimated. I'd argue it's you who's underestimating the social and capital damage those gangs of elderly people hogging public places can cause to the working population. It's apparent that had it been youngsters stirring up such racket in the name of "social benefits", they would have promptly been squashed. You can't just go and disturb and/or deny access to public places to other people just because you need to "socialize", it's just unfair.
  - jjoonathan 5y ago
    Yep. Sounds like they need noise level regulation and enforcement. The complaints I have heard have been very careful to separate the exercise, which is fine and good, from the excessive noise level during sleep time, which is not.
  - zimbatm 5y ago
    > 100 million dancing grannies The article doesn't give a good sense of what proportion of that public is causing issues. Of course it's going to be easy to cherry-pick problematic behavior on that kind of sample size.
  - pessimizer 5y ago
    > I'd argue it's you who's underestimating the social and capital damage those gangs of elderly people hogging public places can cause to the working population. I'd bet the damage is nearly impossible to underestimate.
- cyberpsybin 5y ago
  Loudspeaker early in the morning are an absolute nightmare. It makes lives of every resident living hell. Maybe if it happens next to your house, you'll realize
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
cafard 5y ago
“Square dancing is a problem left over from history." If only I'd thought of that line in junior high gym class. Of course, it would probably just have earned me twenty push ups and an even worse reputation.
- syspec 5y ago
  Please don't turn HN into Reddit
ecshafer 5y ago
Those sound like a few isolated incidences that probably are blown out of proportion. 3-4 events and a quote by some teenager out of events that happen probably a million times a day, is a pretty low rate of issues.
- scabarott 5y ago
  Do you live in one of these areas?
dv_dt 5y ago
It sounds like more park areas need to be built relative to the population

Barrin92 5y ago

you can argue whether they maybe should tone down the noise a little but the health benefits, both physical and social as well as even the capital benefits, from the article: "China is home to an estimated 100 million dancing grannies. Square dancing allows older women, many of whom live alone or with younger family members who they accompanied on a move to the cities, to socialise. They form strong bonds, often shopping or doing other activities, including group investments, together, the South China Morning Post reported" are most likely very, very high and almost certainly underestimated. The kind of social security that comes out of having these kinds of relations well into old age probably saves society an incalculable amount of resources compared to the risk of social and financial isolation if these women could not meet. Maybe find a way to make the grannies a little less militant but you would be straight up foolish to not encourage the elderly to socialize.

dartharva 5y ago
>the health benefits, both physical and social as well as even the capital benefits, are most likely very, very high and almost certainly underestimated. I'd argue it's you who's underestimating the social and capital damage those gangs of elderly people hogging public places can cause to the working population. It's apparent that had it been youngsters stirring up such racket in the name of "social benefits", they would have promptly been squashed. You can't just go and disturb and/or deny access to public places to other people just because you need to "socialize", it's just unfair.
- jjoonathan 5y ago
  Yep. Sounds like they need noise level regulation and enforcement. The complaints I have heard have been very careful to separate the exercise, which is fine and good, from the excessive noise level during sleep time, which is not.
- zimbatm 5y ago
  > 100 million dancing grannies The article doesn't give a good sense of what proportion of that public is causing issues. Of course it's going to be easy to cherry-pick problematic behavior on that kind of sample size.
- pessimizer 5y ago
  > I'd argue it's you who's underestimating the social and capital damage those gangs of elderly people hogging public places can cause to the working population. I'd bet the damage is nearly impossible to underestimate.
cyberpsybin 5y ago
Loudspeaker early in the morning are an absolute nightmare. It makes lives of every resident living hell. Maybe if it happens next to your house, you'll realize
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

cafard 5y ago

“Square dancing is a problem left over from history." If only I'd thought of that line in junior high gym class. Of course, it would probably just have earned me twenty push ups and an even worse reputation.

syspec 5y ago
Please don't turn HN into Reddit

ecshafer 5y ago

Those sound like a few isolated incidences that probably are blown out of proportion. 3-4 events and a quote by some teenager out of events that happen probably a million times a day, is a pretty low rate of issues.

scabarott 5y ago
Do you live in one of these areas?

dv_dt 5y ago

It sounds like more park areas need to be built relative to the population