Current Events > Why is filial piety such a strange concept to people in America?

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Filial piety is basically a Confucius virtue whereby you respect your elders, especially your parents (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filial_piety).

Despite the Fourth Commandment ("Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother") preaching basically the same values, a lot of people in America seem to find the concept of filial piety to be quite foreign. Many might have never even heard of the term.

Anyone care to share their insights as to why this might be the case? Why do people in America find the idea of looking after their parents to be so odd?
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Geiki Ganger posted...

Filial piety is basically a Confucius virtue whereby you respect your elders, especially your parents.

Despite the Fourth Commandment ("Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother") preaching basically the same values, a lot of people in America seem to find the concept of filial piety to be quite foreign. Many might have never even heard of the term.

Anyone care to share their insights as to why this might be the case? Why do people in America find the idea of looking after their parents to be so odd?

If their parents were assholes that abused their children, then I certainly wouldn't respect them...

On the other hand, if you were raised in a good family, I feel like the respect thing is natural.
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I ought to give my parents more respect than I do.
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Dustin1280 posted...

If their parents were assholes that abused their children, then I certainly wouldn't respect them...

Well yeah, I'm pretty sure you are not violating filial piety if your parents have not done anything to warrant it. Hopefully such occurrences are relatively rare in an ordered and civil society.
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The US puts a premium on individuality over group accountability. It ends up with people being more likely to at the least be more self centred, and more drastically be selfish and neglectful of elders.

Add onto that a hyper-consumerist culture that pushes all to acquire more and more, to branch out, spread and consume and it runs counter to a mindset of collectivisation and conservation.

The attitude to healthcare puts it in context. When the health of others, particularly those that are most likely to need care and support - the elderly is regarded as a business and not a social duty is it any wonder that you have the situation that exists.
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Geiki Ganger posted...

Well yeah, I'm pretty sure you are not violating filial piety if your parents have not done anything to warrant it. Hopefully such occurrences are relatively rare in an ordered and civil society.

You basically just answered the question right there.
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Why do SJWs always make Do people really ________ in America topics?
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Geiki Ganger posted...

Anyone care to share their insights as to why this might be the case? Why do people in America find the idea of looking after their parents to be so odd?

Family has a different context in China than it does elsewhere. In China, your family name (last name) comes first. So for example, if David Mink was a Chinese name, it'd be written down as Mink David and only people familiar / friendly with him would call him David.
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The only thing I find foreign about this concept is the term you're using for it.

FairyLeviathan posted...

The only thing I find foreign about this concept is the term you're using for it.

This. Jesus I'd say most people place too much emphasis on family if anything.

And "always respecting your elders" is stupid because most older people are fucking dumb.
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not being dead yet isn't something that generates respect. If you're a good person, you get respected, no matter how old you are. it you aren't a good person, you don't get respected, not matter how old you are.

I don't understand the issue with that.
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Forlorn_Ass posted...

Why do SJWs always make Do people really ________ in America topics?

Do people in America really get triggered by SJWs topics
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Geiki Ganger posted...

Well yeah, I'm pretty sure you are not violating filial piety if your parents have not done anything to warrant it

Concepts like this pretty much always exist to ensure that the favoured group can get away with horrible shit because their victims won't be able to oppose them without being shunned for their "disrespect"
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culture that promotes the individual over the group

has it's ups and downs
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RebelElite791 posted...

FairyLeviathan posted...

The only thing I find foreign about this concept is the term you're using for it.

This. Jesus I'd say most people place too much emphasis on family if anything.

And "always respecting your elders" is stupid because most older people are fucking dumb.

Medussa posted...

not being dead yet isn't something that generates respect. If you're a good person, you get respected, no matter how old you are. it you aren't a good person, you don't get respected, not matter how old you are.

I don't understand the issue with that.

These.
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In America the ideal is to break off from your parents ASAP to live on your own. For many, this has brought along a lot of resentment to parents beyond normal teenage emotions since its considered generally good to be independent as an adult. Its difficult often to separate complete financial independence psychologically from also being separated emotionally from your parents when youre in your late teens/early 20s.
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masticatingman posted...

In America the ideal is to break off from your parents ASAP to live on your own. For many, this has brought along a lot of resentment to parents beyond normal teenage emotions since its considered generally good to be independent as an adult. Its difficult often to separate complete financial independence psychologically from also being separated emotionally from your parents when youre in your late teens/early 20s.

I mean that, and then the fact that our laws generally say "Fuck you" to anyone under 18

Medussa posted...

not being dead yet isn't something that generates respect. If you're a good person, you get respected, no matter how old you are. it you aren't a good person, you don't get respected, not matter how old you are.

I don't understand the issue with that.

ideally, this would be the case. in reality, it's not at all the case.
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Filial piety is often thought of as blind obedience and the idea that an adult child, even 50 years old, has no freedom outside the boundaries of their parents.

"Honor thy father and thy mother" is a commandment from over 3000 years ago, hundreds of years before Confucius was born.
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Verdekal posted...

Filial piety is often thought of as blind obedience and the idea that an adult child, even 50 years old, has no freedom outside the boundaries of their parents.

"Honor thy father and thy mother" is a commandment from over 3000 years ago, hundreds of years before Confucius was born.

Yeah.
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Just gonna throw it out there that 90% of Americans who don't respect their parents are liberals...
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Being my parents or older than me doesn't make anyone immune to criticism.
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DarkTransient posted...

Just gonna throw it out there that 90% of Americans who don't respect their parents are liberals...

nice source
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you can honour and respect your parents without bending over backwards every time they wipe their asses.

there are also many parents who are either bad parents, bad people in general, or have otherwise done nothing to earn their kids' respect (or something to lose it). they don't necessarily deserve respect from their kids.
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