Greet Like This!

http://english.people.com.cn/200702/18/eng20070218_351074.html

It was only recently that I discovered a big cultural gap between my parents and I. My parents grew up in a traditional era in China where kids must respect their elders with one hundred percent devotion. This may mean acting in an entire different way in the presence of elders and relatives. In American culture a simple hello or wave would suffice, as an introduction to one another, but in Chinese culture to do so would be rude. My mom would always tell me to address my relatives by their proper title. I would have to state their relation to me such as aunt, uncle, or grandmother and bow. To say their name would be an indecent action. I have made many mistakes in saying hello to my relatives and it eventually came to a point where I just stopped altogether. My parents always complained about how American culture changed me for the worse. They do not appreciate the American form of greeting believing that it does not fully address a person. My parents still abide by their form and greeting and often they would talk to their friends about how American children are so different. They talk about how in China filial piety rules dominant but in America this simply does not exist. My parents expect children to listen to parents no matter the situation even if we think our parents are wrong. There have been many instances where I have engaged in argument with my parents over the proper way of greeting. My reasoning is that a wave or hello is enough to acknowledge a person’s presence but they simply do not agree. Eventually we would come to a compromise and realize that no one was going to win an argument over culture.