Diggingtochina’s Weblog

An appreciation of the cute is wrung out of most Australians at a very early age if they want to be taken seriously. That very comfortable Garfield jumper is relegated to the back of the cupboard, stuffed toys are retained only as ironic references and Peko-chan car-seat covers just never see the light of day. And, don’t even think about a Hello Kitty wedding. But, cute can bring calm and is waiting to be rediscovered in the Beijing workplace – and many other offices on the western Pacific Rim. Here there is no embarrassment about buying the Starbucks Bearista 2008 edition bear just because of the way its ears stick out of its cap and there is no shame in a stylish woman of a certain age having more than a passing interest in giant pandas. Cute can also break down barriers. When the potential for misunderstanding and frustration arises on a daily basis, MSN’s smiley emoticon is there to make sure nobody takes a colleague’s intense irritation and liberal use of the F-word to heart. Cute is something we can all get behind.