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Posts: 14

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Q: Why do the Chinese stare at people... especially black people?

Having your photo taken and ending up on Weibo... to walking down the road and having people just stare.... mouths open.. to having people damn near mowing down the shrubbery on the roads because they have never seen someone who looks different... it does get a bit annoying ... and I'm just wondering besides the obvious ignorance and sheltered lifestyles of the Chinese ... is it that strange to see someone who doesn't have weird shaped eyes, jet black hair and porcelain skin? 

9 years 39 weeks ago in  Culture - Qingdao

 
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Maybe, how often do you see other foreigners? The Chinese told me that they don't want to look rude, but they are simply curious.

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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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Because people here have not much sense of personal privacy : if they want something, like showing something to a friend, they will just have it. The idea that they might on someone privacy does not even cross their mind. Like a child... My wife, Chinese, got a creep taking pics of her because she was walking barefoot, her shoes were hurting her. When I told him to move on, he did not gave a damn until we were really angry.

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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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Because there's no variety in China (99.8 % of Chinese are Han). They're fed up with homogeneity & conformity & are happy to see something/someone who is different in any way. It pisses me off too but I'm trying to be tolerant.

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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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Quote:

 

"... is it that strange to see someone who doesn't have weird shaped eyes, jet black hair and porcelain skin? "

 

Who has weird shaped eyes?

 

If you can't see beyond racial differences, why should anyone else?

 

Chill out and enjoy it.  If I spot anyone taking a photo of me in the street I whip out my camera and take a photo of them. Then I stick my thumb up and say thank you.

 

It's all part of the China experience. And yes it can be tiresome and it gets to us all at times. But China should be an enjoyable experience, so sometimes you need to give yourself a little pinch to remind yourself to enjoy it .

 

Have fun with it dudewink.

 

royceH:

Goodonyer Scotty....we can all do with a little boost from time to time.

Thanks. I was the 'star' for a couple of Uyghir women in a restaurant last night and I was more than happy to sit with them to get photos taken. My wife said it looked like I enjoyed it.

 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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876taylormade:

I see beyond racial differences , I am from a multi-cultured country! and I dont judge!.... I only used that reference as it is the stereotypical description of a chinese person ... it was meant to be taken as humor... and not some race driven issue.   I know they stare at just about every foreigner... but when you go hiking and you have people tapping you on the shoulder with a camera every step you take to snap a picture... without even a greeting.. or touching your hair because it looks so different, or when people go in the far corner of the elevator when you step in... and stare you down... then take a picture of you to boot...  you can understand why ... especially if youve been in this country for a while over 3 years ... its no longer "fun" ... almost feel like the freak at the circus show....  so there is no way you can just "chill" .... you have a laugh at it... but really its the most annoying thing about being here. 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Spiderboenz:

What is this, hipster racism?

9 years 39 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

Of course you get angry taylormade.

 

But it's better to laugh than it is to be angry.

 

I was brought up in a mining village in the 70's. Back then, we were almost as bad as we consider the Chinese to be now. We never saw a foreigner in our village. I never even heard an English accent  till I was in my teens. My parents took me to the city once, and they told me later that the first time I saw a black guy I ran away screaming.

 

Lol, just a few years ago I was in another part of the British Isles, and as I parked the car up a neighbour came running up to tell me about what he had seen that afternoon....  "Asians !!!!", he exclaimed. " At least five of then together. Was walking up the street so they were....bold as brass..... well I never".

 

It's not as bad here now as it was a decade ago.  And I'm afraid I think the only way it will change is by us being here. No matter what colour or race we are.

 


wink

 

 

 

 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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coineineagh:

Yer as patient a Scotsman as China could hope for, Alan. I'll stick with my "staring is rude" card, and who cares if I look like an asshole.

9 years 38 weeks ago
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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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You might at least have upvoted my boost...you mean dude.

I only need 2 more points to get my torch Smile

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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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They do it to me as well, and I'm whiter than a bowl of rice.

CharlieB:

Bullshit, you are green dude!

9 years 39 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

I heard he turns brown in winter wink

9 years 39 weeks ago
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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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because theyve never seen a black person before. really this happens everywhere, in every country, especially in the less touristy areas, regardless of race. ..also it may be considered rude to stare in the west, but i have not heard the same said in china or asia.

876taylormade:

but not in every country do people whip out cameras to take your picture.... or touch your hair... or blatantly shout foreigner / alien... 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Eorthisio:

This is BS, staring is considered as rude in China, it's just that we are foreigner thus we much deal with it and not complain.

 

Try to stare at any Chinese person and wait for their reaction, men will ask you if you have a problem and might even become aggressive, women will take you for a creep and walk away as soon as they see you staring at them.

 

Staring is considered as rude in China but as always there's a double standard for foreigners.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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Did somebody try to take pictures of some Chinese people???

 

876taylormade:

yes I did.... and they were so offended!!! I tried taking pictures of some people in a park... and they just stopped what they were doing... looked at me with my camera and walked away.. in what i assume was disgust. So they themselves dont like it ... very ironic.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Scandinavian:

double standards are common in the middle kingdom

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Eorthisio:

I did, one tried to grab my camera but I dodged him, others were staring at me and some of them also shouted at me before walking away. Chinese never heard the saying "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you".

9 years 39 weeks ago
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DrMonkey:

@Eorthisio Not quite, it's in Kong Zi's Analects, and Lao Zi also reportedly said something like that
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Rule#Ancient_China
I would rather blame people for their lack of self-coherency (ie. what principle they believe in vs. their actual actions)

9 years 39 weeks ago
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876taylormade:

@DrMonkey I think Confucius said it best...

  • "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." – Confucius

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Shifu

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from what i've heard it's not necessarily rude but it's considered kinda trashy to stare/act surprised. Like you're from such a lame life situation that everything just blows you away.

 

I've heard that from both shanghainese and cantonese.

876taylormade:

My Chinese Friends have told me the same thing! .. its funny we were walking to jusco one day and one girl literally jumped in the bushes when she saw me... and she had just an awestruck look on her face... 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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9 years 39 weeks ago
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expatlife26:

haha yeah I love how it's not "Hey buddy it's rude to stare at people" 

 

it's "Wow how poor must you be to be so impressed by a mere foreigner!"

9 years 39 weeks ago
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876taylormade:

haha!!! very true! especially if you live in an area populated with mostly migrants.... 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Robk:

Chinese are always so ready to look down on others (even themselves) rather than offer a helping hand of advice and help their fellow countrymen up. 

 

"Point and laugh at them! Stupid poor farmers!" is their attitude. I swear when many Chinese have a bad day, they go out looking to start trouble with someone that looks less educated and poorer than them just so they can make someone else's life miserable and get away with it.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Well, according to the last census...

There are just under 600,000 foreigners living in China.
The population of China is around 1.4 BILLION people (1,400,000,000).
Using basic math 600,000/1,400,000,000=·0.004285*100=foreigners make up0.43% Of the population. That's about 200 chinese people for every foreigner. When you factor in the fact that most foreigners are concentrated in major metropolitan areas, the realization sets in thst thrte are hundrefs of millions of Chinese people who have never seen a foreigner outside of T.V, movies, and the internet.

I am not saying that it is OK to stare, take pictures, or do the point and shout, but I can understand it.

876taylormade:

no doubt in understanding it.... but you can also appreciate and understand why a foreigner would be annoyed. 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Robk:

True but actually... it is more like 1000+ Chinese per foreigner that STANDS OUT. 

 

Many foreigners are Korean/Japanese etc. and can pass as Chinese at a glance. 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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expatlife26:

You missed a decimal there. It's about 2,400 Chinese for every Foreigner of any origin. So even more if you count only the visibly different.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Robk:

Yeah that sounds about right. Depends on the region but we are still a huge minority... yet the news always seems to get us in there with a negative light.

 

Somehow the 0.428% is causing all the trouble on China... and must be reported on at all times! 

 

 

9 years 38 weeks ago
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You know. I stare too. Especially this time of year when the girls are wearing less clothes. I also like staring a black women, they can be very attractive too. ! Oh, and white, brown, yellow, blue...????. hell yeah, Smurfette, if I saw her on the street I'd stare til my face turned blue. 

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Oh poor taylormade, what a terrible burden you must face everyday being so ridiculously good looking and so photogenic.

 

Honestly, if you saw a 2 metre tall Chinese person walking down the street in your hometown, wouldn't you have a bit of a gander? It is not so different except as you know, Chinese people will take a photo of anything and put it on Weibo/Wechat.

 

After a few years here, as you say, why would you even care or barely notice it? It is meaningless to me but makes someone happy, so why not make their day? When it happens treat it like you are some sort of goodwill ambassador. I would guess that Chinese people who want a photo with you would rather tell their friends (who think all foreigners are dirtbags) that they met a friendly foreigner than they met some foreign asshole who got angry because they wanted a happy snap. By being polite and going along with this game you are doing all foreigners a service by dispelling the myth that we are all dicks. It doesn't kill you.

 

Perhaps you should embrace your inner Rock Star while you are here because when you go back home you will be just another douche.

Robk:

"While you are here..." "When you go back home..."

 

What if you are trying to make China your home (due to family or something)? What if you have been here for a long time and you are tired of being treated like a soon-to-be-leaving guest? 

 

Having your picture taken, started at... whisper about... everyday... for years on end. It gets to you... 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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iWolf:

I have been here for 6 years and am married with children with no plans on leaving soon. It is what it is. There is absolutely no point in getting worked up about it since it is not a big deal in the scheme of the universe.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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876taylormade:

My intentions here aren't to be on display.... or to show some chinese that not all foreigners are assholes... because frankly anywhere in the world you go, you are bound to meet some asshole... and there are alot of chinese assholes in this country... not all of them are as nice as they would like you to think... 

 

 

As Ive stated before if they simply asked permission to take your photo and do with it whatever they pleased... it wouldn't be so damn bad! but they don't, you'll be out eating ... minding your own business... eating food, something everyone does... and people will be pointing,chatting and  staring at you and taking pictures of you consuming nourishment for your body... and they never ask you if its ok... even if they cant speak your language... they can simply gesture at wanting to take your picture... I just think they are very rude...

 

the irony is however  these people dont want you to take pictures of them... they get very angry if you try to! .... shouting and cursing at you... and yes they do try to take your camera... if they get so offended by us snapping their pictures why do they think its ok do it to us...

 

You cant even stare at them in the streets... they will give you a "WTF are you looking at me for" kind of look... 

 

and like RobK says.... not everyone is here for a visit....  and feel like they should be on display for the pleasure of the Chinese.  If you want to be some pseudo celeb here by all means live it up... but not everyone shares the same sentiments.

 

Im on Wechat and i constantly get messages of the African students here... whether they are on the buses or streets... asking me if I know them... one daft prick even asked why is their skin so "tanned" ....

I am almost certain if I saw a Chinese person back home I wouldn't take their picture and send it to my friends here asking if they know them... 

 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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876taylormade:

@iWolf... not getting worked up.... just trying to understand some of the dynamics of their society... which I know borders heavily on ignorance. 

and yes in the grand scheme of things.. this is minor... 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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expatlife26:

You mean you don't know every black person around? Impossible.

 

Not a ton of lateral thinking here i'm afraid.

 

You need to guide them to your conclusion. Ask them if they were in the USA how they'd feel being showed pictures of Japanese and asking if they knew them.

 

They'll get it, just need some help getting there.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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iWolf:

Mr expatlife26, good thought, however, you and I both know that using logic and analogies will be a failure with locals. Don't even start me on irony.....that's a road to nowhere.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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expatlife26:

I've had success with using logic, I mean not with the true slack jawed yokels obviously but I have no way of talking to them anyway.

 

I've seen a couple lightbulbs click on: "yeah, you know that is inappropriate"

 

especially when you invoke japan

 

im about as far from a China apologist as you can get...but credit where its due. They aren't all oblivious retards.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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Robk:

Well guys, I want to throw something at you. 

 

During the cultural revolution, the intellectuals were rounded-up, executed or sent to remote villages. This was to protect the government from any free-thinkers and also the population. 

 

So basically, who was left? Yes, the village bumpkins, the idiots and some smart enough to play stupid so they aren't tossed in the same group. Also, China up to about 50-60 years ago was a very segregated place. There is a reason why every little town has their own language. So we are talking about an extremely stale gene pool...

 

Also, it is proven in science that staring or pro-longed eye contact is considered a hostile act amongst much of the animal kingdom. Yes, even in humans... which is why that makes us feel uncomfortable... did China not get the memo? 

 

I still can NOT understand Chinese on that one... sure, we are different... sure it is a new sight... but damn it... EVEN an animal knows to look away before causing a storm lol. 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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iWolf:

That is an interesting theory and may have some merit.

 

If this is the case, it isn't staring, it is just the gormless expression that some of the denizens of the stale gene pool have semi-permanently on their face.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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coineineagh:

You made me look up gormless. Kudos to you.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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Some people have only seen people who don't look like them on TV and in movies and adverts, especially if they come from the countryside. There's no wonder that they've attached some crazy notions of being exotic and special to foreigners. 

 

It's not right, but it's just how things are. It sucks though, try not to let it get you down

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you'll get used to the staring - eventually - and not notice it.

I would agree that it can be intrusive at times, BUT..... this is China.

For the more persistent starers, i stare back. In sun-glasses i can intimidate them a bit.

As for the comments about if you know another foreigner, just wait until they start an the cultural stereotypes.

'all foreigners blah blah blah.......'

I respond with 'do all Chinese people know Kung fu and run on the top of bamboo plants?' They get the point.

bottom line - you'll get used to it

 

Robk:

Nah, 

 

I don't think anyone ever gets "used" to it... they simply tolerate it. I never get used to the stares or the whispers because it is just not normal. I think if you get "used" to it, then it is also a little bit dangerous. Because that means you are actively trying to ignore people and it makes you a huge target for thieves and preventing possibly bad situations. Being a foreigner makes you a target, you stand out. Also, it can effect your personality... become more stand off-ish or snobbish... anti-social etc. 

 

I have NEVER lost anything in China or had anything stolen because I am extremely observant and I think thieves can sense types of people (it is their profession after all). My point is... if you space out and get lost in your own little world around people and crowded places... the wrong people tend to notice and use that to their advantage.

 

I say... don't get used to it... tolerate and try to educate... but don't assimilate. Even in the animal world (yes, I know many people say Chinese are like or lower than animals)... BUT, even in the animal world.. it is undeniable that animals do not stare or make pro-longed eye contact with another animal unless it is a challenge or a sign of hostility. EVEN THE DAMN ANIMALS KNOW THAT! It's really impossible to keep making excuses for the Chinese lol... they just really need to get up to speed. 

9 years 39 weeks ago
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sorrel:

maybe 'get used to' is a bit inaccurate.

'zone out' the intrusive curiousness is probably a better way to describe it.

I would still be alert to all personal safety issues (i have traveled alone a lot), but disregard the gawping from locals. 


9 years 39 weeks ago
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ScotsAlan:

And I think if you stand out you are less likely to be targeted by muggers.

9 years 39 weeks ago
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sorrel:

LOL

i think i stand out from the local Chinese 

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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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I've thought about pranking stares, frown and run my hand up in front of my face, change to smile, move hand down and frown, repeat over and over to see if I get a laugh.

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If a Chinese child grows up without one of their parents, kids at school will laugh at them. They will bully them. They will hunt them down after class to steal their money. Parents will do nothing, and going to the bullies' parents to tell them about it will only drag another generation into the conflict.
Chinese seldom say sorry, please, thank you, you're welcome, or never mind.
Locals have not learned any standards of decency in behaviour, that's why everyone is so unprincipled and corrupt.
It's about power. If you are bullied by others, then you pass on the abuse to those that are weaker than you. Unfortunately for them, it isn't that easy to spot people that are weaker than you, when everyone has learned to 'save face' as an anti-bullying survival skill. But wait: Who do I see walking down the road?

""A foreigner, all alone in my country? This is my chance. He is different; he is weak. If he does anything less than polite, he is surrounded by my countrymen. I can deflect any accusations of misbehaviour because I possess the verbal skills; he doesn't.
Filthy lowlife foreigner! Government media tells us how they are to blame for all the problems in China. Come on, laowai, make my day! I have a cousin in the local police station, and an uncle in the government.
Perhaps if I stare you down, it will provoke you to do something impolite. Then I can claim damages. My cousin will arrest you, and won't let you go until you pay through the nose.""

An extreme example, but nonetheless a strong possibility. Be careful ot there, fellow expats. I highly reccommend you have a card in your wallet that reads 凝视是不礼貌 {staring is rude}, as a first line of self defense.

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9 years 39 weeks ago
 
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"...besides the obvious ignorance and sheltered lifestyles of the Chinese..."

 

On the topic of bald ignorance, why would you bother to post such a bland, inane newbie question on a topic that has been covered about a trillion times on various internet forums? Did you just step off the plane?

DrMonkey:

Things evolve a lot when they are not debated and kept silent.

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Haven't experienced malicious starting, just sometimes I'll see a truckload coming in from the countryside with the windows full of Ch. workers staring at me, even when they are far ahead in the distance they still stare. It seems innocent so it doesn't bother me.

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This will answer your other question also.
People have a natural urge to think and evolve. It is part of human nature.
It has been drilled out of chinese society. Chinese society does not allow new thought or any type of intelligent idea to settle in. So we are seeing the result... perpetual ignorance. Each generation just as ignorant as the last.

Also there is another factor.
Chinese hate themselves. They hate their natural tan skins which is why they bleach themselves silly.
They hate their features which is why they get plastic surgery no matter what. Many young girls whore themselves out to get plastic surgery.

Look at how they view other chinese with slightly tanned skins.

coineineagh:

And I though I was harsh! But your generalizations ring true.

9 years 38 weeks ago
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Robk:

Well, the skin thing and ignorance is obviously true. I have far too many examples... 

 

I don't know if they hate themselves, but they certainly do hate each other. Insecurity does explain a lot...

9 years 38 weeks ago
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masonk:

This is spot on crimo. +1

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