Which Asian nationalities stress cleanliness the most?

[HamburgerBoy]

It is a widely held stereotype that Asians living in America (first generation or otherwise) are typically ubermensch with higher standards of living and tidiness. Recently on campus I've noticed a group composed entirely of accented Asian women passing out fliers to promote picking up litter and such. I'm pretty sure they aren't doing community service. More impressive is that I tend to look out the window from the building I work in (top floor), and twice I've noticed a particular Asian woman unrelated to that group go around the parking lot and greenery and pick up soda bottles, trash bags, etc for several minutes straight. To me that's quite amazing and if I wasn't a germophobe it might have even been inspirational. What can we do to welcome more of these wonderful people into our country, and prohibit the existence of those that actively work to pollute our streets?

 

[mikegg]

The richer Asian nations care more about cleanliness - just like any other nationalities.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

I'd guess Singapore would be at the top of such a list.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I'd guess Singapore would be at the top of such a list.

Do a lot of Singaporeans come to America? I admire them, but don't believe I've ever met one. I get the impression that they would have to come here by force to inhabit such a filthy country.

 

[BudAshes]

I'd guess Singapore would be at the top of such a list.

Yeah cleanest people in the world.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

Do a lot of Singaporeans come to America? I admire them, but don't believe I've ever met one. I get the impression that they would have to come here by force to inhabit such a filthy country.

Not sure. Although I do know of several Singaporean families in my area in Texas whose first generations all came to the US for higher education. I'm sure there are more, the ones I know of speak the same dialect as I do; Singapore has 4 official languages.

My folks are from Hong Kong, and since there were only 2 colleges within the territory at the time they ended up coming to the US. With Singapore being so small, I imagine the majority of ethnic Singaporeans (newcomers) are here for the same reason.

With regard to overall cleanliness, I think Singapore is the only one that can be considered clean. Certain middle- to upper-class areas of other countries may match their cleanliness, but given how much bigger they are than Singapore it kind of all balances out (to me). Granted, Singapore has the upper hand here due to that same reason, but I think you'll be hard-pressed to find another country that bans chewing gum.

Edit: my parents (and grandparents) value the shit out of being clean, and they're from one of the dirtiest countries (territories) in the world. That's exactly why they're so clean. While you're "free" to litter here (and I say that because it's only directly enforceable), there's a much higher population density in most major Asian cities. There's litter everywhere in the US, but you're not gonna notice it driving around in Bumfuck, Wyoming versus walking the streets of NYC everyday.

 

[evident]

The richer Asian nations care more about cleanliness - just like any other nationalities.

I notice that in general most first generation asians in the US are pretty clean. My parents stressed cleanliness when i was growing up. however back in asia where richer countries have the infrastructure to deal with garbage will appear much cleaner than a poor country. I was pretty shocked when i went to vietnam to see how polluted its waterways are and how there's trash all over beaches and outdoors, however when you go into a person's house it's beloved patriot and span spotless. apparently its in current vietnamese culture to just dump your trash outside all over the fucking place and hope uncle ho will swing by and clean it up one day. again i think thats the difference with a developed country vs developing country. which reminds me i've been meaning to post a trip report about my vacation to vietnam

 

[Baked]

I sweep and swiffer my house everyday. Does that count?

 

[Red Storm]

Singapore banned chewing gum because of the mess (people discarding it anywhere but a trashcan), so I think they probably stress cleanliness the most.

 

[KMFJD]

Yeah cleanest people in the world.

Visit Little India in Singapore and you wont say that , the rest of the city was almost spotless though...

 

[Anonemous]

Singapore banned chewing gum because of the mess (people discarding it anywhere but a trashcan), so I think they probably stress cleanliness the most.

Yea also the urination in public/elevator laws.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Every race/nation has it's filthy and clean.

 

[Farang]

Singapore is ridiculous. I remember sitting in a square in Chinatown there, and it felt like some fake Disneyland Chinatown.

 

[SlitheryDee]

The cleanest asians I've seen were Korean and Japanese. The dirtiest were Chinese.

 

[her209]

Japanese? They're such clean freaks, they blur out the private parts in their porn so can watch a dirty movie and yet still feel refreshingly clean.

 

[Peter Nixeus]

Singapore... if you spit gum or litter in the street, they will spank/whip you in public for punishment... I think a few Americans made international news due to littering in Singapore...D:

 

[FleshLight]

In order of cleanliest to dirtiness - Japan > Singapore/Korea > Hong Kong > China > Vietnam/Indonesia/Thailand > Phillipines

 

[gorcorps]

Japan was very clean when I went. What was odd was that there were very few trash bins around, which to me would seem to promote more litter because people have to hold on to their stuff just to find a bin for it. That doesn't seem to be the case though.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Japan was very clean when I went. What was odd was that there were very few trash bins around, which to me would seem to promote more litter because people have to hold on to their stuff just to find a bin for it. That doesn't seem to be the case though.

I don't understand people that feel a need to throw away their own trash so quickly. I'll see people pull a water bottle out of their backpack, finish it off, and then when they see that the nearest trashcan is overflowing, they just toss it on the pile where it will inevitably fall off. Cuz, you know, once that water bottle is empty, it's filthy and can't simply go back in the backpack.

 

[QueBert]

Singapore banned chewing gum because of the mess (people discarding it anywhere but a trashcan), so I think they probably stress cleanliness the most.

Doesn't like 80% of the population there smoke? IMHO when there's smoking, especially when it's a majority of the population, you gotta throw cleanliness out the window.

 

[maddogchen]

Japanese. They will not only clean their sidewalk but even clean their neighbor's sidewalk.

Chinese would only clean their own sidewalk and bitch at their neighbor for having a dirty sidewalk.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Japanese. They will not only clean their sidewalk but even clean their neighbor's sidewalk.

Chinese would only clean their own sidewalk and bitch at their neighbor for having a dirty sidewalk.

The woman on campus looked Japanese to me as well. The Chinese way is perfectly acceptable to me too, however.

 

[Slew Foot]

India



























NOT!!!!!!!!!

 

[Murloc]

apparently its in current vietnamese culture to just dump your trash outside all over the fucking place and hope uncle ho will swing by and clean it up one day.

it's the same in southern Italy, because the mafia system sometimes fails to empty the trash containers, and they don't recycle much anyway. They also have honor killings.

 

[iGas]

IMHO, there are clean and there are filthy Asians just as every other culture/countries in the world. And, I live in one of the cleanest if not the cleanest city in North America, and I have been to most countries in Asia as well as the majority of countries in Central America.

<--- Asian