> I love you, o Arrogant One, and you're usually 100% on target. But
> I'm afraid that you're a bit off-target in your inference (if I read
> this correctly) that age is respected in China.

> I'm afraid that this Confucian ideal actually went out the window
> when China de facto rejected communism and embraced dog-eat-dog
> capitalism. Even in universities, but particularly in private
> schools, young faces sell. (Young Caucasian faces, that is.) Forget
> about experience, forget about ability--image is all important. Even
> many universities are specifying in their ads that candidates must
> not be older than 50.

> It all sucks mightily. Perhaps the schools will see the error of
> their ways, but I doubt it.

My dear laodeng,

You know, you're also dead-on about many things yourself, guy! In the case of the age situation, it's probably generally true that respect for one's elders no longer exists in China the way it did before the onslaught of capitalism in its domain. As you infer, as incredulous as it may seem, dog-eat-dogism is apparently the newly embraced philosophy of The Peoples Republic. Ergo, I guess I should consider myself "lucky" in having bagged not one, but two gigs in the past few years, albeit I didn't elect to stay on either one of them long enough to reach any definitive conclusions about the culture of that land!

Now that I recall, about 12 years ago when I was hired for a teaching/management position in Tokyo (one which, incidentally, I retained for 5 years), upon congratulating me for having won the post, my new employer made certain he got his licks in at the onset: "I hope you realize that I wouldn't normally think of hiring anyone YOUR age (55 at that time), but you have something special to offer me that it would take many moons to ferret out from a different source!" And thinking further, I can now recall my sarcastic retort: "So, Sensei, does that mean you want me to promise you my first born?!" I saw the disenchanted look on his kisser, but he was diplomatic enough to laugh it off ... and thank goodness, as it was one of the best positions I've ever held in the ESL biz.

Granted age discrimination sucks to high heaven, if, indeed, Chinese and Japanese ads are now specifying age limits for applicants, you might say they're at least being honest about it up front. Here in the USA, however, as it is illegal to specify age, sex, religious preference, etc., etc. in an ad, one doesn't really know where the hell he/she stands ... not even at the interview! Imagine: an employer can't even level with even a prospective employee due to any possibility of an infringement of his/her rights. My God! Just think for a minute about all the wasted interviews, anxieties dashed asunder, and bad feelings as a result of what has turned out to be merely a matter of non-productive protocol. That is one of the problems we active individuals in their 60s must face each time we apply for what we believe is a job totally within our realm of interest and capability. This is why so many of us over 65 have decided to pack it in and take up fishing as a more fitting activity. But, then there are those of us who can't afford to retire ... and this is the exact point where we raise the question of age discrimination. As you say, laodeng, perhaps the schools will one day see the error of their ways, though, like yourself, I doubt whether this will ever take place.

Have a Happy-Happy!

The Arrogant One