China found another hero in Jeremy Lin, whose success gave birth to a
new word "Linsanity". The lightning and stratospheric ascent of
Jeremy Lin in popularity among the Chinese seems to suggest that they are
rather desperately in search of heroes and ready to overlook minor details of
origin and political belief (Jeremy Lin is a Christian with his origins in
Taiwan) in their embrace of such icons.
The psychology of this quest for heroes possibly lies in the Chinese
desire for celebration of their achievements as well as international
recognition of their success. While China is continuously adding to its list of
achievements domestically, international recognition is often not forthcoming
or comes begrudgingly. Even if recognition is accorded, it comes with a spectre
of Chinese dominance. While Western nations refuse to applaud China's
achievements, Western brands need to make sure that they do so – or else they
will lose the opportunity for emotional connection with the Chinese.
While
national or clannish identification definitely leads to hero worship, the
developing countries like China and India reward another characteristic in selection of their
heroes – which is the quality of being underdog, who wins accolades against all
odds, fighting and valiantly overcoming the hurdles and barriers which came in
his way. On the face of it Harvard educated Jeremy Lin is hardly an underdog –
a privileged Asian kid form an Ivy league university. However these are the
precise characteristics, which make him an underdog in the world of NBA – which
rewards not Ivy league education but towering body height and impressive
physique – something which one would not associate easily with Jermey Lin and
which perhaps does enhance the value of his accomplishments as seen by his
large fan base in China.
By
Ashok Sethi
Ashok.set@gmail.com
