User Comments - bodawei

Posted on: National Stereotypes

Are you implying that drop bears are not real?

Posted on: The Spring Festival Beast and Firecrackers

Found this archived lesson http://chinesepod.com/lessons/chinese-new-year-fireworks has some of the vocab used here. 

Posted on: 虎妈狼爸

Hi guolan

thanks for your clarification, appreciate your efforts.

We do have a different philosophy and I have tried to put my finger on it. Expressions like 'We have taught parents to simply reason with their children' might point to the difference. This I think suggests a hierarchical model with the parents in the superior position responsible for informing and correcting and disciplining the child. The model breaks down if the parent fails to do the job properly, and I think we are probably in agreement at this point - you talk about parents needing to learn how to parent properly. For me the model doesn't explain how children absorb self-discipline while being disciplined - but mainly it's the one-way traffic implied by 'reasoning with your children' that concerns me most.

I don't know whether it is possible to effectively educate all parents - there are always going to be those who fall through the cracks, those that fail to get it - but I even if you can educate adults to 'reason' with children, it will not resolve conflict. I would not dismiss educating parents but I would take a different approach.

So, I don't believe in this 'reasoning' approach you refer to either, it is not a desirable alternative to spanking. (It may be one of the most insulting things you can say to a person you have a difference with that they are 'not being reasonable'. The subtext is 'I am being reasonable; you apparently are not capable of being reasonable. Bound to inflame any conflict, not resolve it. Sounds almost dangerous actually.)

I would focus on educating the children (but adults can also learn these techniques.) Children can be taught from a very young age to effectively manage conflict - and this is fundamentally why you don't necessarily need to smack a child. Toddlers can be taught to effectively manage conflict without violence. They seem from my experience to be much better at resolving conflict than adults. It is more about learning some basic non-violent rules of behaviour and applying them in your dealings with other people.

Anyway - I hope this is food for thought, not seeking to change your mind, or to rubbish your philosophy at all.

Posted on: 虎妈狼爸

I have to confess up-front that the pro corporal punishment lobby leaves me depressed (isn't there enough violence in the world? shouldn't we keep this from our children as long as possible? With physical and emotional abuse of children such a huge problem shouldn't we be sending parents some signals?) Anyway I looked up some data: there are 29 countries that have outlawed corporal punishment in the home, including much of Europe, and small countries like New Zealand, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Tunisia, Croatia, Kenya, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela. (I double counted with Bulgaria and Croatia.) That cheered me up somewhat. I guess that there is just as much diversity of view in these 29 abstainers as in the big democracies so maybe it says something about the machinery of government.

This is one of those areas where the existence of laws is not a reliable indicator of practice, or even the prevailing views of the population. The advantage of legislation is that children can be taught to exercise their rights.

Behaviour is more revealing than laws - but so hard to get a handle on.

I expected diverse views on this here, so thanks for giving us your own experience.

Posted on: 虎妈狼爸

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/forget-the-rod-its-irresponsible-adults-who-spoil-children-20111128-1o394.html 

这个课文谈到了很多论述长大的孩子。我推荐最近在报纸上看到了一个文章。

Posted on: Dental Floss

Didn't realise I missed some - was pretty funny what I saw! If it was on the Goon Show you wouldn't see ANY of the action, just hear the sound effects, eg. mace being dragged across the floor to use as an anaesthetic. :)

Posted on: Dental Floss

Thanks for the clip, Baba - excellent, had a good laugh. It could well have been a scene from the Goon Show don't you think (without the visuals of course.)

Posted on: Dental Floss

Hey baba,

that is indeed pretty funny, and reminds me that a couple of years ago I mistakenly thought you were a dentist in real life. You are in danger of leading more people astray with your insight into language used by people sitting in the dentist's chair!

Posted on: Red Envelopes During the Spring Festival

I was aware that 双喜 is associated with weddings, but yesterday I got a card with 双喜临门 written inside - that was (for me) new but welcome wishes. 

Posted on: 中国人看汉语桥

'出洋相'

I don't know the etymology but think it is unlikely that there is any reference to foreigners here. 洋 has a number of meanings and the most common ones are 'ocean' [which is where the foreigner connection comes from] or 'something vast' (here I think it takes the 'vast' meaning.)

出 - to produce

洋 - vast

相 - picture, something observed

to produce a spectacle