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Q: Ever been told off by locals when you have a go at them for pushing in/spitting etc?
I think I had a question a while back where I asked "do you have a go at locals for pushing in/spitting etc." Most of the time, I just ignore it and go on with my daily life and try not to let it bog me down. There was an incident on the bus on Saturday where I saw a man get on without paying (he snuck on the bus at the back door, the one reserved for people getting off). I don't know what came over me but perhaps I was just in a bad mood, and said to him in Chinese "hey, I saw you. You didn't pay and you got on at the wrong door." He then turned and frowned at me saying "I already swiped my card at the front door though the bus driver told me to get on at the back, don't just assume." He was very civilised about it and I felt like I had had a large slice of humble pie forced down my throat, and felt pretty bad as my attempts at being righteous had backfired. My question is - have you ever had similar or worse reactions at telling people off for "uncvilised behaviour" (if you were right of course, in that instance I wasn't). There are always these group of loud men smoking in the corridor where I work and I'm always very tempted to tell them to look at the countless no -smoking signs above their heads but am afraid at how they might react.
Because someone tried to jump the bus you had a go at them??? That's not cool in any country.
As for the smoking thing definitely say something! It actually affects you where as the bus jumping doesn't...
darkstar1:
Take a chill pill and read my story again - I was wrong in having a go at him though explained where my misjudgment came from and thus built to the subsequent question. It's a bit like reading a book, you know. When something happens and it leads to the development and of something else.
martincairns:
But why would you tell someone off for jumping the bus anyway. It's such a minor thing..
Last year in July, I was in Nanjing walking downtown, and saw 3, maybe 2 - 3 years old kids standing (begging) in the middle of busy 4 lane road, in front of the Bank of China. I didn't see any adults with them, so I enter BoC, and told Bank employee there are 3 little kids without parents in front of their Bank.
I asked banker, if she (beautiful she was) can call Social Service or Police to take care of the kids. She said: 'yes', and pick her phone up.
I left Bank, and returned through the same road an hour and half later, and kids were still there.
I stepped in the Bank again, butt....everybody in the Bank were just 'speaking and understanding' Chinese.
Back at the Camp in the evening, Chinese TAs were saying 'that is not really Bank's business'.
crimochina:
she probably had that act ready for the nest dumb foreigner to ask them to call about those kids. if she quickly thought it up on the spot i would have gone back in and asked her to marry me and wait while she called her mother to ask permission
icnif77:
Would you? am delighted to know that. How are you so sure she would call her parents? Maybe, she would run to Mindanao, depending on the sight in front of her.
The guy didn't push in or spit, he was a fare evader, so I don't understand how it relates to the question. It's not our place to enforce Chinese laws, and will only cause grief if you do so.
Pushing is different, because it's a direct affront to me, and I push back, or tell them to get to the end of the line. But that's not what he did.
Your story doesn't relate to your question. When someone pushes me, it's quite obvious that it happened, there's proof. Anyway, when it happens, I usually let them know, but most of the time, they act like they don't understand what wrong they did. They act like this so often that it seems like it's completely normal for them to bump into people and not apologise.
you were out of line. you are not a rep for the bus company. many people do give their card/money to a friend to pay for them. or many simply swipw or pay and then run on to the back.
now i understand that life in china puts you on edge because of all the bs and ignorance we must put up with. and i have made similar mistakes (going after people who i thought cut in line, but they were w/ sb or just asking for a bag)
. i'm gonna tell you the same thng i told myself, "only if you are 100% sure and only if it is 100% worth the fight"
Next time just be a passenger. You don't work for the bus company leave that up to the people in charge. They are always good at spotting non-paying customers. I never try to tell people off because one they probably wouldn't understand me and two I have more important things to do like worrying about myself!
I'm fully aware of my mistake like I said in my original question and hold regret to what I did, but thanks guys for the general round of condemnations anyway 
Relating back to my original question - has anyone found themselves in a similar situation? That was the point of the question which it seems only crimochina has answered. Maybe I shouldn't have made the story-part of the question so long as obviously it detracted some people from the main point I was getting at (shotgun to the face).
Traveler:
You seem a little rude, actually. The question and story make no sense together, you repeatedly try to justify your unacceptable behaviour, and then you criticse those that answered for not understanding the nonsense you wrote.
Maybe if you were a little clearer, formatted your text for easier reading, and showed less hostility you would make it easier to reply. The problem was the question, not the answers.
GuilinRaf:
Come on guys, he admitted he was out of line, that he ate "humble pie" and all. What more do you want?
To answer your question, I only do so in my classroom or when someone cuts the queue in front of me. The rest of the time I try to "grin and bear it" though most of the time it comes out to "bearing" with little or no "grinning".
Anyway, thumb up for being forthcoming!
darkstar1:
Yeah I think I generally try my best to grin and bear it - though it can often get the best of us. Like I said I fully admit I was in the wrong and felt pretty bad afterwards and like many of us used this forum as a way to vent my experience and frustrations in the hope that someone can relate.
The alleged bus jumper? Why bother? Smoking, maybe, but I smoke. More to the point I doubt it would change anything.
I block line jumpers. Spitting; why bother?
I don't speak Chinese well enough to call anyone out but I wouldn't bother in these cases.
Relax, we just work here.
Like bill above, my Chinese isn't quite good enough to go calling out people on their etiquette transgressions. But, if the transgression is severe and obvious enough, it doesn't mean I can't point and grunt to get my point across. I've yet to have anyone balabala back at me...just a look of shock and awe that some lowly laowai had the nerve to challenge them, and of course that totally innocent "what did I do wrong?" look. 
I really had a good time here recently ....... crazy woman Tuk-tuk driver..... gave me a ride home and demanded 20RMB ..........I know it is 7 when with my wife and when just, I generally pay 10.......... the bitch just wouldn't go away............ she just went on and on and on about me being some useless, stupid white man...at least that is what I got out of her rant...my Chinese is minimal............... I gave her the 10 and took it back a couple times...and she went blah blah blah............... it was fun and I hope she never gets another tourist/white guy on her machine!!!!!!!!
Scandinavian:
it's not nice of you to not pay the special white monkey fee
