In broad strokes, I used to describe my wife as notHighlyEducated, but today (X’mas 2021) I told a NCH counsellor “Actually she has a diploma and worked as a preschool teacher, so I was wrong to say she was not well educated”.
In broad strokes, I always described my sister as … not a strong student and didn’t go to a top school. In reality, in some subjects she was possibly a strong student. These details are missed in the broad strokes.
In broad strokes, my wife described boy’s P5/P6 teacher as “graduated from RGS”. She also described LZ.Yu’s 2 gifted kids as NUS-High top students. Well, I don’t know what prestigious college branding they would get in the end.
In broad strokes, I tend to assume international students are more motivated in colleges.
I feel in East Asian societies, such characterizations are powerful and effective, because people are very used to hearing/reading them. The general pubic don’t (care to) know that Princeton/Harvard are not so strong in Comp Science research, so broad stroke characterizations favor the big brands.
— my kids
In broad strokes, I used to describe my son as average in Math, but in late 2021 I realized he is above average (among his cohort) in math, either in Singapore or across developed countries. My broad strokes are too broad .. those characterizatios were implicitly based on myself and the China students either at his age or my age.
In broad strokes, I used to describe my son’s Chinese as very weak, due to effort deficiency. Now I think his speaking/reading skills are well-above average in his Singapore cohort. His writing is not as bad as my earlier characterization. Those Broad strokes are misleading.
In broad strokes, I often describe my daughter as strong in Ch/En but not so strong in math. The latter characterization is possibly unfair to her.
— self-characterization .. In broad strokes, I always describe my math/physics as strong; I used to portray my academic image as “top student up to high school”, but after the UChicago renaissance, I can reuse the broad strokes “top student from primary school to UChicago”. See also
Q: how do I feel about the broad strokes?
A: I know the details, so I don’t need to use broad strokes to “impress myself”. But paradoxically, as I keep using this broad-stroke characterization to present myself to others, it reinforced a positive self-image.
Q: is the positive self-image exaggerated, weakened in the center, 金玉其外败絮其中 and harmful?
A: this self-image is substantiated with certified transcript.
In conclusion, the broad strokes actually help me 1) build a reputation and 2) maintain self-esteem. Now I have a better appreciation of the UChicago brand value, which is higher than CMU, NYU .. in broad strokes !
— top experts (any domain) in US/Japan/Germany
Depending on the field, each of us tends to assume U.S. top experts are world-class in that field.
I think only 2 other countries, Japan and Germany, are universally considered leaders in virtually all fields.
Britain could be a #4. Russia and China are perceived as less integrated into the international community
France? Not perceived as a scientific nation
Most European countries are too small in terms of population.
For all other countries, their national experts are less trusted internationally.
In my first and only visit to Thailand (with my dad), the tour guide brought us to a snake farm, selling snake oil. The presenter was a medical doctor from Hongkong (accent-wise, probably mainland Chinese medical professional working or trained in Hongkong). As soon as we heard he is from Hongkong, we we started paying attention. I asked my father why a Hongkong doctor in a Thailand snake farm. He said “so that Chinese tourists would believe it”.