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Q: Anyone ever notice that chinese walk like they are the only people on the planet?
My wife was getting pissed last night that she has to constantly walk in zig zags as the rest of the world will knock her over if she isnt running for cover.
So we decided to play a game.
She would walk directly behind me and count how many people walk directly into me. And how many people blame me for it.
Simple rules.
Must walk in a straight line.
I must he visible long enough to give potential targets time to react and walk around me.
I must walk with a small profile. Arms straight down at my side.
In total i walked for about 3 minutes. From the pizza shop to my car ( in a mall) and the results were quite impressive.
From the pizza shop to the escalator (60meters) 3 people walked into me in a row. The second and third saw the first bounce off me and still did the same.
From the escalator to the parking lot ( about 100m) no less than 7 more walked right into me ranging from strong arm to arm contact to a lady motor boating me. One lady walked out of a shop and stopped directly in front of me without a look up. And of course im a dick for that. According to my wife who is walking behind and recording the reaction.
Final Score
10 knock overs
2 made foreigner related comments
2 noted that i was rude
5 looked back at me with a rude look
1 pretended nothing happened.
Anyways its a fun game and my wife finally was able to walk un obstructed.
How does one walk when one thinks they are the only ones on the planet? This site shows me what a lot of hypocrites are living off Chinese money. The main reason you are working in China is because you could not get a job at home. Most of you are attempting to teach English to Chinese when you can hardly speak it yourself. If the Chinese are so bad why are you living there? the reason being see my third comment. Try to like Chinese and maybe they will start to like you.
mike695ca:
wow now, calm down there wumao, I did not offend your dear leader directly. Just the common folk. Just saying, either you are chinese and dont know how to spell Frank, or you are here for the exact same reasons you just described which would make you a bigger douche then you claim everyone else to be.
royceH:
He's Chinese. And he's got one hell of a chip on his shoulder. Shown it before.
Hey Frank! Take it easy....go and have a lie down. On the side of the road. Nothing else to do, right?
Stiggs:
This is not at all related to the topic but...
Frank3,
I'll start by saying I like most of the Chinese people I know and most of the people I talk to every day when I'm shopping or in a restaurant or whatever. I also understand why the title of this thread might piss you off as a Chinese person. ( I'm assuming you're Chinese). That's fair, I understand that. I could tell you that it's just people venting their frustrations but that's another discussion.
The problem I have is when you say the reason most of us are here is because we can't get jobs in our own countries, so we come to China. You then go on to say we should try to like Chinese people, then maybe they'll like us.
The thing is Frank, people teaching in China hear this same worn out stereotype all the time, always from almost exactly the same type of person. "that loser couldn't get a job in his or her own country so they came to China". I know it's a very common opinion here in China.
But do you realize the same qualifications that enable us to come to China also enable us to go to a lot of other countries, countries often with higher salaries and a much better standard of living? Probably not.
Most people chose to live in China over the other countries for a reason, maybe to experience the culture, learn the language,see the country, family obligations, they happen to like China, whatever. All good reasons I think. When you suggest people had to settle for China because there were no other options, it really comes across as 'China is the last and worst option'. The bottom of the barrel. That just isn't true, at least in my opinion.
So, when you (and countless others) call people here losers because they choose to live here, when you know nothing about us or why we're here, then go on to say we should try to "like people more then maybe they'll like us", well maybe you can understand why people need to vent sometimes.
I have noticed excessive swinging of the arms (hit me in the nads a few times) along with suddenly stopping in the middle of a stampede to check WeChat messages.
To stiggs:-First of all I am not Chinese or even Asian. I still maintain majority of you so called English teachers are still in China because you can;t get a job in your own country. All I see on this site a lot of belly aching about the Chinese. When in Rome do as the Romans do. Make Chinese friends. ,Get along, then maybe one day the world will be a better place to live.
coineineagh:
I met a guy who later confessed he might face criminal charges if he returned to the U.S.. But I never once met a person who came here solely because he couldn't find a job in his home country. There might be real economic immigrants from Africa, but you know that most of the developed world has social security systems set up, right? The myth of international job migrants coming to China is created by smallminded Chinese with Starving Farmer Syndrome. I came to China to be with my wife, because immigration wasn't letting her in my home country. But I had a better paying job and a good apartment in Amsterdam that I had to give up for it. I feel cheated, because I could never have imagined this place to be such a forsaken dump where my best qualification is to be a white guy for photos and fondling. Now I don't have a job and apartment to go back to. I was respectable before I came to this stinkhole - CHINA TURNED ME INTO WHITE TRASH!!! We have a saying in holland, it translates as: "The people you associate with will infect you (with their mentality)". Can you understand why I don't want to do as they do, or make friends with Chinese?
Shining_brow:
Franck, you're coming across as incredibly naive!
Our opinion of Chinese people does not change the facts of their behaviour! Whether we like Chinese people or not, if we walk in a straight line down a footpath, chances are some moron will slam into us.
I recently had an issue at a metro, where I wasn't allowed to take my shaving cream on board (it was in a can).... the suggestion given to me - just ignore the security like all the other Chinese.
China may have 5000 years of history, but it still hasn't had a year of civilisation yet! (yeah, ok, that was harsh.... how about, "it's 'civilisation' was killed of decades ago"??)
As for your ignorant comment regarding why we're here... there are some seriously well qualified people who have chosen to come and remain in China - for our own benefit, and for the benefit of the locals. We bring our knowledge, our experience, our qualifications... and often, our money! If you want us to leave, let us take it all with us (and see China plummet back into the dark ages of the 50's & 60's!)
Yes, many come because it's easier to work here and live a fairly ok like, and many shouldn't be here... but hey, "when in Rome", as someone recently wrote...! (it's quite hypocritical of you to say "When in Rome", and then bitch about the under-qualified teachers who work here!)
Of course I noticed. But there are many other things that bother me more, so I don't really pay attention to it.
@ Frank3, most of the teachers I know here have been in China at least a year, many of them closer to 5 years and a few are at 10+ years. The reason they stay? They like the place and they like their lives.They did what you suggested and made friends here, got along with the local people and some got married and had kids here. They're happy, what's wrong with that?
The teachers who don't like living here either go home and get a job, or get jobs in places like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam,The Philippines, Indonesia,Thailand, the Middle East and Europe. I have friends living very happily in some of those countries now after leaving China, it's not difficult to do.
According to you teachers only stay here because they can't get a job back home. Did it ever occur to you that people might actually enjoy their lives and jobs here so choose to stay? Guess not, but it does happen sometimes, not everybody sees China as their last choice.
If somebody is living in China, in most cases it's not because there aren't other very good or better options available to them, even if those options aren't in their home country, it's through choice.
It's true, some people don't like living here but for whatever reasons still choose to. Most do the decent thing and finish their contract then move on, some just up and leave. Some stay despite not liking it Again, personal choice not lack of options.
The rest of your points I completely agree with. We should try to get along and make friends here, and there is a lot of bellyaching about the Chinese on this site. I still believe it's mostly just people venting their frustrations though, and as foreigners we both know living in a foreign country can be very difficult sometimes, you vent or go crazy. I'm sure Chinese living in foreign countries do the same thing.
Maybe they just walk into you because they sense the condescending smugness oozing out of your every pore, Mike.
mike695ca:
While its hard to disagree as you are not the first to call me condescending or smug, the very fact that pretty much everyone else experiences the same daily kind of mutes you point. While id normally attack with a fiercness of a viking trying to get into Valhalla, you seem kind of condescending yourself, i dont want to ruin a potential friendship.
sam239:
No I have been back-stabbed enough by the kind of lerks hanging about in China to have interest in befriending, though I find it amusing that the most "successful" people here openly admit they cannot get the same job back home. Actually this is great, and I hope you keep getting paid and keep getting laid.
