Leaving China

The only accurate stereotype is that Chinese are bad drivers. This is completely true. They’re the worst drivers I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world. I know that sounds like I’m generalising and exaggerating but I’m really not. I can say without hyperbole I’ve never met a single one who’d pass a driving test in any “Western” country. I don’t know what it is. It’s probably a lot to do with their lack of personal space. I don’t know any Chinese who would not think twice about slamming into somebody while walking, so maybe they see driving in the same way. But that is just stupid. Surely anybody knows if you hit another car while driving it is worse than if you hit another pedestrian while walking.

Maybe not. I’ve noticed an inability to recognise that their actions have consequences. It’s nothing to do with intelligence. I’ve had some students who are scary smart. I think it is an inability to think beyond the next move that comes from 5000 years of dictatorship. When you’ve always had leaders tell you your every move you probably lose all foresight. I’ve played chess a handful of times here. I’m not a great chess player but I always won. My opponents, like most everybody else, seemed unable to look beyond here and now. So maybe they know that crashing into another car is a bad idea but they cannot see that driving like a raving lunatic can easily result in that crash.