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Q: "But this is China!" How often do you get this? Does it drive you nuts?
Being Mr. Nice Guy never gets me anywhere.
Photo Hulk went into a photo store with the wife today, since we need passport photos for the i130. We specifically told the girl not to edit the images in photoshop (unretouched photos means unretouched photos). No level change, no color change, no background change, etc. She refused to listen to us.
We sat there for 10 minutes while she changed the hell out of the photos. We told her to stop editing the photos, and she wouldn't listen. Finally, I raise my voice, "Stop editing the <bleep> picture! We don't want that, we can't use it." She turned around and yelled, "I know! But this is China. This is how we do it here."
I once again repeated that we're using these photos for official purposes, and they're required by the U.S. government, and can't be edited. She still didn't listen. She went ahead and printed them out anyway. Well, I didn't pay, and she was pissed.
This seems like a recurring theme... "THIS IS CHINA!" is used as an excuse to get away with anything stupid, and I'm tired of hearing it.
Anyone else get this a lot?
Did you do something really really bad in a previous life ?
I am so glad I am not you as I would have been deported by now
take a deep breath and try the smaller shops owner /operator type who have a teenage kid that they want to practice their English
you sit with the kid and get your girl to deal with the photo stuff the way you need it.
You just have to know what motivates certain people and a humble smile will get you across the line
PM you later
Hulk:
Lol, i don't know what I did wrong, but I must've done something. Normally I have an okay time here, just not in Hunan. I normally deal with most crap here, but I'm reaching my boiling point.
All the time, and it drives me absolutely insane. Especially because more often than not its just used to cover incompetence. That lady was way out of line in not giving you what you wanted. They've even got a saying about it: "the customer is god." This is China indeed.
Oh, you're in Hunan... says it all 
Actually, I had almost the exact same sort of conversation yesterday! However, it was a guy... he did stop manipulating it, though (although, the pure white background was appreciated... can't have reality interfering!) He did stop touching it up when I said so...
However, yes... "This is China" is synonymous with "We are used to lazy incomptence". Particularly when it's 'official' stuff...(banks, anyone??)
mattsm84:
Oh, the banks are just the worst. There are three or four around our apartment that we never go to because we can never get anything done their. It's a marvel places like that can stay open.
Hulk:
Just a heads up... the pure white background could possibly get you in trouble, depending on how much of a jerk the immigration officer is, if at all. You aren't allowed to edit/retouch the photos.
Positioning/cropping is fine, but the other stuff is not. Take a look at the pictures; they probably didn't change the color behind the hair, and there might be some strange fuzz that looks hideously unnatural. They'll find that if they're really going by the book.
Shining_brow:
Thanks for the heads-up Pulker... they look ok (unless they're really picky!)
Besides, I'm going through an agent in HK.
If there's a problem... looks like I'll have to stay there for a couple more days (too bad it'll be at the schools expense...)
mattsm84:
We went with red. Really, the picture is the easiest part. That said, do your self a favor hulk and get three years of tax returns ready for the interview in GZ.
The Chinese government are experts at manufacturing sheep. Unfortunately sheep can't work independently, make off-the-cuff decisions and can only say, "this is China". But it is very safe to walk the streets and the upper class can run amok without fear of insurrections. The tradeoff for this kind of society is we have to endure incompetence and mediocrity. The rich can travel abroad to get quality but the poor can only say, "This is China."
I had a factory boss make this kind of statement to me after I told him a dozen or so times,"THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T WANT THE PRODUCT THIS WAY!!!" He never listened. The customer rejected the product. And I rejected the factory bosses demands to be pay the remaining 70%. Surgical instruments don't come with instructions to 'modify as per personal discretion-' especially by countryside educated buffoons.
"You want your 3.7 million RMB?! Then follow the GD product guidelines. Zaijian." - Me
The other day I yelled at a Chinese woman. I knew she was Chinese cause of a character she had hanging from her rear view mirror. I was crossing the street when the signal said so and she just continued to drive through the crosswalk to make a right turn and had to stop and did so blocking my path.
I smacked the back of her car and yelled in Chinese, "This isn't China, people are crossing here!" She was spooked and floored it.
I hate it when they bring their lack of manners to MY country. There's god damn rules in Canada and I ain't tolerating them just flaunting them. Really ticks me off.
LAR:
never, that reminds me of when I've been at the local public library back home...and these LOUDMOUTH,INCONSIDERATE Chinese are SPEAKING SO LOUDLY! :(
******* MORONS!!
nevermind:
Tell them to shut up. Seriously. I do all the time. I tell them to wait when I'm getting off the subway, respect traffic rules...and god help one of them if they cut in line at my local supermarket. They won't learn unless you tell them.
Probably she had dealt with photos for this purpose before,so she thought she did right and you were wrong.
derek:
Doesn't matter what she "thought". It's not what the customer wanted.
crimochina:
typical chinese thinking, i know what you want better than you do.
i helped an aussie get a ticket hole to adelade and the ticket lady is giving us a hard time.
so i said he wants to fly from jinan and not have to take a train to another city and he wants a direct flight with no long stopovers
i suggest korea air from jinan , very short flight and straight to down under, but she looks at me with a straight face and tells me , their are no flights from korea to australia,
i finally get very upset with the translator and tell the translator "tell this bitch if she can only sell china airline company tickets, just say so, and that she cant sell korea air tickets , but dont expect a foreigner to believe that nobody in seoul ever takes a vacation it fu king australia" , the translator want tell her what i said , so i fire the translator and cuss her out to.
we found a connecting flight through hong kong but i could not believe how stupid she was or thought we were.,
another time in a paint store , i wanted oil base paint , and the clerk said oil base paint does not exist in china, funny oil base paint is what your standing on , the concrete floor of this shop was painted with oil base your stupid idiot.
crimochina:
typical chinese thinking, when working as a translator. i will translate what i think you should say as opposed to what you actually said.
The immediate reaction is to get upset, angry and whatever in the sight of Chinese it means "losing face". I love pushing Chinese against the strings and make them lose face. Anytime I have the chance I do it mercilessly and with a hint of expectation to enjoy it as well. Of course, I do it to those who are worthy to "lose face" and be uncovered in their mean intentions.
As "this is China", what would a fair attitude be in the way that you can be calm, not lose yours but make the responsible for his acts to lose his face?
