Jesus Freaks, Corruption and 140 KMPH in Traffic

Remember when Jesus freaked at the Pharisees and merchants who were conducting business in the temple?  Christ wasn’t a communist opposed to the market.  He was just angry at the debasement of faith and conviction.  There is something about factory corruption that irks us.  It’s because we rightfully want to know the factories that make our tooth paste, toys and dog food are on the "up-and-up".  No one wants to do business with a supplier who uses industrial grade chemicals designed for heavy manufacturing in consumer products.  We should all freak. 

Likewise, factories that cheat workers by exposing them to debilitating work conditions or unlawful wages should also inflame our ire.  After all it’s an affront on the dignity and security of another being.  With these factories, we should be tossing them out like the Chosen One did with the money changers.

There are limits to our indignation.  The August 4th Economist Magazine writes brilliantly of the cultural nuances of corruption in China.  It states that corruption is largely driven by greed but there is a component that is a result of a different set of beliefs.  For example, Confucianism emphasizes loyalty to family and friends first.  Second comes "face" and finally conformity to laws.  It writes "even then, the law is seen as malleable rather than absolute".  Let’s be clear, the Economist doesn’t endorse corruption or the current mess in China but instead offers insight.  It seeks to balance our indignation.

In the mid-90′s I worked for Foreign Affairs Canada.  Part of my job was to review our Embassy rating of countries.  Canadian diplomats in their postings all over the world compiled profiles of their host countries on a number of indicators (e.g., corruption, freedom of speech and etc.,).  Most of the indicators were no brainers as they conformed to human rights law and philosophy.  Other’s such as graft I found a bit more tenuous as some cultures don’t see it as black and white.  It would serve us well to balance our sentiment toward factory corruption with a more enlightened understanding of cultural nuances.

The biggest culture shock I endured in China was not the consistent smog that hides the sun in Chinese cities nor the enormous wealth adjacent to wretched poverty but it was instead two simple cab rides to the airport.  On the first occasion, the taxi, a shiny new red Volvo, shephered me from my hotel in the Bund neighbourhood to Shanghai’s Pudong airport.  Taking the A1 and A20 freeways, the cab drove at speeds of 140 KMPH between lanes, on the shoulder and in "bumper-to-bumper" traffic.  We dodged merging tractor trailers and weaved through lanes and lanes of cars driving exactly like us.  Imagine the unruly traffic patterns of Ho Chi Minh city or Delhi but accelerate them almost ten fold.  Understandably, I was terribly frightened. 

Six months later I was heading for the same airport from the same hotel.  On this occasion, I instructed the driver via the bell hop to take his time and drive only at the speed limit.  Instead, the worn looking VW taxi drove identically to the Red Volvo.  Even worse the young driver would periodically brush his tightly groomed hair while aggressively passing those decrepit looking blue dump trucks that are everywhere in China.  I feared for my life and I still tipped him.  He was just too affable.

I recounted my taxi experiences to a local and he told me that for some cabbies getting passengers to their destination quickly is a sign of proficiency and zealous service.  Driving like what many of us would deem as crazed is apparently regarded as good customer service in Shanghai.  This is one cultural norm I would opt out of.

There is a body of human rights norms that is universal to every culture.  Standards like the right to a safe workplace, child labour, health and etc.,  There’s also a series of standards that are nuanced by culture.  Graft is one of them.  MEC’s Ethical Sourcing program is well respected in some quarters in part because of our ability to spot universal norms from cultural practices.  And maybe even more pivotal to this success is the simple feat of not taking rides from overly eager cabbies.