Remember me behavior is ugly

Gardeners claim that tourists, mainly from the Chinese mainland, carved messages in the more than 400 leaves on the 30 Agave plants in a well-known scenic spot in Taidong, provoking a heated discussion among netizens, says an article in Southern Metropolis Daily. Excerpts:

In ancient times, poets and writers, inspired by the beautiful scenery, would paint poems on the spur of the moment on walls. Today, as people's lives continue to improve, people enjoy traveling, whether at home or abroad. Besides bringing back local specialty products, many like to leave behind some "trace" to tell others they've been there.

Due to historical reasons, Chinese mainland residents seldom traveled across the Straits, which has stimulated their desire to visit the island. Although the residents of 11 mainland cities are now allowed to make independent visits to the island, there is still a limit on the total number of mainland tourists that can visit in one day. The rarity of an object increases its attraction and this is true of destinations.

Therefore, tourists carved messages on the leaves and snapped photos to mark the "occasion".

Though some may argue those who write simplified Chinese are definitely from the Chinese mainland, most people have such bad habits when traveling. There were no doubt messages in other languages on the poor leaves.

But those who "enjoy" marking their presence on anything they can think of, in order to be remembered, fail to understand that their ignorance of the ugliness of their behaviors make them even uglier.

Money cannot buy everything

A man threw cash at the judges after his son finished his performance in a university talent contest in Xiangtan of Hunan province, this ridiculous scene epitomizes the ridiculous mindset of many Chinese parents nowadays, says an article on China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

The father's shameless attempt to buy votes ruined both the contest and his son's scores.

A university official later tried to claim that the man was just over excited after drinking, and he had no intention of vote buying.

Interestingly, many would be willing to believe half of this explanation: namely that the man was drunk otherwise he would have tried to buy the votes secretly.

In fact, such behavior has become rampant, parents hand out money to get better care for their new-born babies, to send their children to better schools and get their children better jobs.

The more money parents have, the more social resources are available for their children's development. Even though this is unfair, it is now widely accepted as a matter of fact.

But parents cannot pave the way for their children with money all the time, especially when it comes to covering up their off-springs' misdeeds. Money should be used to help children's development through books and hobbies, rather than used to oil their way up the social ladder.

(China Daily 05/02/2012 page9)