[quacked]

I concur that there are places where this is true, but not at all to the level that it's true in Asian and African countries

[rectang]

It's true enough in western societies that we specifically needed Cockpit Resource Management as a tool to overcome deference to senior officers. A classic example being KLM captain van Zanten from the Tenerife disaster.

I hate that this thread descended into chauvinism and generalized cultural value judgments. The problem of excessive deference to authority plagues all cultures. By not being obsessed about saving face for our own society and acknowledging our own flaws, we make it easier for all of us to learn together.