As my friend put it, you know that honor and shame are important to a culture when they decide to use shame to punish tourists who behave poorly.

The Washington Post recently posted an article titled, “Beijing is embarrassed about unruly Chinese tourists and plans to ‘publicly shame’ them.”

The article recounts a number of incidents where Chinese tourists have behaved, well, “uncivilized” (as China’s Vice Premiere put it).

The government is tired of feeling embarrassed, so they will turn the tables. Via re-education and shaming on the media, they are hoping to fix those “bad pandas” (the term being used for poor behaving Chinese tourists).
 

Two Observations

Aside from the humor of it all (from some people’s perspective), I would agree with my friends assessment. If the Chinese president and other high officials feel the need to speak publicly about this problem, honor-shame is a far more pervasive issue in Chinese culture than many have thought. It is hardly a “side issue” along other subjects one would read about in Lonely Planet or study in an anthropology course.

There’s one more thing certain people should note. Observe how this public shame is regarded as a “punishment.” I have heard a fair number of conservative evangelicals express concern that honor-shame was a “subjective” psychological problem. Likewise, they have said we need to talk about the threat of punishment for sin, not “merely” loss of face.

However, this separation of concepts doesn’t quite represent reality. Particularly, when we speak of humanity in relationship to God. We were created to belong to the one human family with a heavenly Father. Therefore, we can hardly cast it aside as a petty matter that many will be put to shame before God and reckoned outsiders to His people.
 

How Jesus Used the Threat of Shame

Here are a few of Jesus’ words, which appeal to those who are sensitive to “face” (honor and shame):

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12:1-3)

Likewise, a few verses later.

“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9)

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