Queue Theory

There's an article in the Wall Street Journal today (available for free!) on how the Chinese government is trying to get its people to mind their manners in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing:

Beijing's Communist Party leadership has called for a full-blown campaign to improve etiquette and politeness ahead of the expected deluge of foreign visitors. Foul-mouthed taxi drivers have been called on to clean up their acts, and rowdy soccer fans to show more sportsmanship toward the opposing team.

"In 2008, what kind of Beijing shall we present to the globe? A Beijing both ancient and modern, a Beijing friendly and smiling," declares the Humanistic Olympics Studies Center, a city-government sponsored institute.

The next step to tackle, the powers-that-be have decided, is the art of standing in line.

Patiently waiting one's turn isn't a big feature of life in Beijing. Take an intersection on Chang'an Avenue, a main thoroughfare, on a recent Monday morning. Three lanes of cars and buses cram into a two-lane street, honking furiously. A swarm of bicyclists swerves onto the sidewalk to avoid getting trapped in the jam. Pedestrians dodge out of the way as the squeal of brakes announces a stopping bus and crowds rush to squeeze their way on.

Above them, a propaganda billboard reads: "Together enjoying a happy and harmonious life."

Trying to bring a bit more harmony to rush-hour chaos are people like Gao Shuang, a retired family-planning worker who now bears the title of deputy director of the Office of the Coordinating Group for Orderly Bus-Riding.

Now that's a title that only a socialist could love. Or Hugh Hewitt.

Two monitors armed with bullhorns and red flags announce the arrival of buses, then wave waiting passengers into orderly groups. Most of the morning crowd cooperates. But the habit of queuing up isn't deeply ingrained. As one bespectacled monitor rushes over to a busy bus, he turns his back on a carefully arranged line of passengers. Without his supervision, it degenerates into a scrum as the passengers try to force their way onto another bus so packed that only the steps are free.

Yet many of the country's traditional codes of politeness, once similar to those in other Asian nations such as Japan, were shattered by the Communist revolution and its campaigns to stamp out "feudal" thinking. China's pell-mell transformation to a market economy has brought out even-ruder behavior, as people elbow others aside in pursuit of every advantage, whether in competing for school admission, jobs or business deals.

While traffic engineering may be getting much of the money, social engineering is also a big part of the equation. A local government body, dubbed the Capital Civilization Office, is overseeing educational projects and contests to discourage spitting, littering, foul language, aggressive driving and catcalls directed at the opposing team during sporting events. Migrant workers, taxi drivers and teenagers -- thought to be particularly uncivilized -- are getting special attention.

My experiences in China lead me to wish the best of luck to anyone tasked with trying to get Chinese migrant workers, taxi drivers, and teenagers to straighten up and fly right when it comes to public etiquette. Talk about a Sisyphean chore. Unless they plan on going all Singapore on their asses, signs urging people to refrain from spitting, littering, swearing, and driving like Toonces on crack are not going to make a difference.

Don't even get me started on lines (or more accurately the lack of them) in China. I don't know what the root cause is, but most Chinese people seem either unable or unwilling to properly queue up. Boarding a flight at the airport can be a nightmare, especially if there is a gate change or multiple flights boarding in close proximity. I'm usually flying business class when I travel to China, but I'm still forced to fight my way through a throng a people oblivious to commonly accepted boarding procedures.

In fairness to the Chinese, I've found similar breaches of etiquette common around the world. People like to talk about "ugly American" travelers, but when it comes to public manners and civility, Americans tend to come off better than much of the world. My wife and I were shocked by the rampant line cutting and disregard for the queue when we boarded a plane to fly from Reykjavik to London a few years ago. Actions that would have probably started a fight in the US were apparently considered perfectly acceptable in Iceland. This seemingly simple ability to line up and respect the queue is something we tend to take for granted in the US.

In Germany, my wife and I found the ability to properly queue up wasn't such a problem, but the regard for personal space in public was. Whether on the street, waiting in line for a museum, or shopping in a store, our experience was that many Germans didn't seem to care that they were getting too close for comfort. If they did happen to bump into you or step on your foot, not so much as an "Entschuldigung" (excuse me) was offered. And the idea of holding a door open for someone (anyone? Bueller?) appeared completely foreign to your average Kraut.

We've spent a lot of time over the last century making the world safe for democracy. Maybe it's time we start making it safe for manners too.