Yes, it is interesting to see how morals often change once one crosses the country border.

“Yes, I am a good family man at home, but no one will ever know if I pay this underage Thai girl to have sex with me”

“I would not go to some scary part of NYC to buy a counterfeit Gucci bag, but if I bring one from China, I will feel just like a model in that ad. And my colleagues will be jealous”

I don’t agree though that these actions are motivated by a desire to save a dollar though: no one needs to have a Gucci bag. Get one on sale at H&M for $10. Buy one on eBay. Get one at a thrift store, for god’s sake.

Beijing authorities, following some twisted logic, decided that large dogs take up too much space. And then they decided that in dogs’ size, it’s the height that determines how much space they take up. This resulted in tons of weird looking short dogs that are still normal lengths and width — think of a short golden retriever that is normally-sized otherwise. They even breed them to fit that standard now.

You do see a lot of “normal” small dogs, and yes, men walk them, too. I think they are just not obsessed with the whole fake masculinity thing. Men here often sport hot pink shirts and cell phones with glitter on them and carry rather feminine purses at times. And also a small dog is much easier to fit in a ridiculously tiny apartment that most people dwell in.

It is amazing the lengths that Americans will go to in order to save a dollar while justifying doing something illegal, immoral or unethical in their own minds. I know that I had a good example and have been racking my brain trying to remember what it was but I do remember that it had to do with my grandmother being on vacation and buying something like a fake coach bag or something like that…something that she would normally never think of doing but felt that it was part of what one does while vacationing in another country.

As far as my dogs…I had Lakeland terriers for many years. A small hardy breed that originated in the Lakes District of England that was used for hunting badgers. They would fit in the catagory of dogs under one foot tall with an attitude of a big dog though. My last terrier passed away about a year ago and I am down to one dog…an Irish Water Spaniel who thinks he’s a little dog (wants to sit on my lap and is on every piece of furniture in the house!) He is about the size of a golden retreiver…big enough to check out what’s on the counter to eat and take up most of the bed.

So, why is it that dogs under a foot tall are not allowed in Beijing? Is it that they are literally not allowed or is it just that small dogs are easier to care for? You do know that this would never be acceptable in the states due to the fact that most men consider small dogs to be “girly dogs”. Many guys need a big dog as sort of a status symbol and the thought of having to walk or care for a poodle or chihuahua would cause them to feel as if they had handed over their manhood to some women. Typically, I find that these men are either overcompensating for some inadequacy or “shortcoming” or weak in moral character. Yes, each of us has our preferences but for a guy to say that he wants a “big dog” and not some “sissy dog” makes me wonder. “Not man enough to walk a poodle, big fella?”

You are absolutely right — if one buys pirated goods, how far are is one willing to go to break the law?

I find it very strange that Western tourists here in China, who are perfectly law-abiding at home, are dying to go buy some fake LV bags once they land in Beijing. It’s not just ignorance or lack of education on the law and ethics; a Harvard undergrad just wishfully commented someone she knew got cheap fake Armani glass frames in China.

I am wondering if the fact that no one is likely to be penalized for buying fake contributes to how popular counterfeit stuff is. I guess that would really point that the human nature is really not as good as Western philosophers made us believe — the vast majority of us pay income tax not because we want to, but because we can get in trouble if we don’t. But buying fake bags is more like guilty pleasure — like subscribing to a gossip magazine; you would not buy it a supermarket, but it’s ok to subscribe to it and peruse it at home without telling anyone you do. Yes, we know it’s illegal, but since we will never be punished, we might as well go and buy that fake Gucci bag to make everyone at home jealous.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, it is hard to buy certain things in China, because everything in that category is fake or the quality is so low it’s ridicuous. The only warm clothes that a campus store at my college here in Beijing sells are either ridiculously ugly or fake (Abercrombie and a few other Western brands). Now, I bet that most Chinese students don’t know what Abercrombie is (I believe it’s not offered in China), so they will go and buy that hoodie without any second thoughts. I, on the other hand, have to choose between something so hideous it could make headlines or said fake Abercrombie — because I am aware it’s a fake Western brand.

You are right about the added pressure in the states. Consumers should try to be responsible, yet, but there is no way I doing my research every time before I want to buy something minor. Say, I go get moisturizer, and then it turns out the company engages in animal testing. Well, I would rather buy from a company that doesn’t, but can one seriously expect me to look up every possible ethically questionably practices companies I buy from are involved in? If I buy a sweater, and it turns out the design was a ripoff from a popular Western brand, is it my fault? What if it is a fake one by a brand I did not know existed in the West: is it also my fault then? All these questions are hard to answer, right? I think the only viable solution would be to simply fight the industry that makes the fake goods.

On a different note, what dog do you have? Here in Beijing, dogs over one foot tall are not allowed, so we only get to see really tiny and short ones — I miss seeing all the nice dogs in the states.

Here in the US there is the added bonus of pressure to “Buy American”…buy from the independent stores that are being put out of business by WalMart (big one stop shop that undercuts prices by buying in bulk and putting small competitors out of business…or so the saying goes)Personally, I don’t have time to always try to do the right thing. Yes, as an Amercian consumer I’m pretty much screwed all the way around. Buy American (but foreign cars are superior)…buy “green” (how green?)…don’t buy from Walmart (all the cool kids are doing it!)…Free Tibet (sorry! had to throw that one in there seeing you are in China!)…don’t buy petrol from whatever gas station happens to be the whipping boy this month (they all suck!)…I have kids and a dog that require my attention. They love me more than Sam Walton ever will…

Nice to have you back on my blog.

I usually don’t go shopping in Ukraine, save for maybe some Western brands to get some basics when I am traveling, but I remember going to check out a rynok a few years ago, and most of the things they sold were fake Chanel/LV/Gucci/you name it, or ‘directly inspired’ by famous brands (meaning they had no label, but the design was easily recognizable).

When I am in Russia, it is often virtually impossible to find software that is not pirated. And it does feel stupid, to be honest: no one understands why pay $70 (an approximation) for Adobe PhotoShop when you can buy it for $5? Or even download it for free? But then, of course, most Russians cannot afford software that is $50+ a pop.

Thanks for your comment. It got me thinking about Eastern Europe and its similarities to China. Next blog entry coming up!