In reading Chapter 2, I was very surprised with all the anxiety the Chinese people have to go through in their society. Dodson first begins to state the anxiety that is caused by jobs, businesses, health, future opportunities, and lifestyle after retirement. Though United States also struggles with issues such as this, the vulnerability the middle-class and the rest of population faces on a daily basis is extreme.
Dodson, explains the risk in being able to loose one's home overnight. Fortunately, in the US, we have an assurance and security within the ownership of our homes. I was blown away by the scenario Dodson witnessed and how the government brutally assaulted the young man who was trying to keep the government from destroying some property. It is hard to see things like this between authority and civilians in the United States. Dodson goes on to state, "The Chinese governments...singular in their obsession with control and self-aggrandizement-can at any time issue policies, directives, or decisions that wipe out the fortunes of families overnight." Thanks to strict policies enforced in housing, it is very rare for an individual to loose their home without a logical reason other than the government wanting to gain more power.
Education is something that I've always considered extreme in China and in other Asian countries. I feel very strongly about getting an education and have high respects for successful individuals that also place an importance on being educated, yet the stress that Chinese students go through in order to make it in society is unnecessary. Being able to pass a test determines what their entire future may look like and I don't necessarily agree with that notion. Individuals should have the opportunity to work hard and get to where they want to in life through hard work and dedication not an exam. A test score can tell you many things of an individual, but it does not mean absolutely everything (something we see everyday at Columbia). Many successful individuals that are considered to be in the higher class have obtained wealth through means other than a test score. The education regulations in China show how extreme they are just by the way in which parents and students do irrational things just to pass the exam. Not only is it wrong, but it defeats the entire purpose of what a higher-level education should be.
In regards to health care, I thought America was doing a poor job with this, but health care in China is doing much worse. Just as in China, health-care costs can completely ruin a family's wealth in the United States. The difference is that, the hospital isn't able to treat an individual unless the pay the cost right away. This is something that seems crazy to me, how can hospitals let people die right in front of them when they can do something simply because of the absence of money for treatment? I feel that improving the Health Care system first and for most will decrease a lot of the anxiety in China.
The Chinese certainly have more of a reason to be more anxious than Americans in most of these situations. A great number of Americans also face the struggles the Chinese go through. This ultimately depends on resources and social class in America, but it seems like everyone in China has the stress of surviving in society on their shoulders. I feel like America does have less to worry about or at a less intensity because things tend to shift and change gradually in the US. In some way, we can say we have more security.
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