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Walking and age
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LongShiKong



Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 1082
Location: China

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 2:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
I wrote:
the Judeo-Christian ethic of showing consideration for others


Hmm. My parents were missionaries; meaning that I got lots of grounding in Biblical principles and etc - and I don't recall common courtesy and consideration being specifically a 'Judeo-Christian ethic.'


You're right, it's not exclusive to Christianity but J.C. not only said something to the effect of 'Do unto others what you'd have them do unto you." but intrinsic with that was the radical notion that 'others' could extend to include anyone, even those from outside one's immediate ethno, socio, class or religious group. Not so here in China. As guests, foreigners here are treated like royalty but as strangers, we lose all status. People will cue jump right in front of us as if we don't exist.

--------
johnslat:

I admit, that did come to mind as I responded to you.
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear LongShiKong,

I was virtually certain it would Very Happy.

Regards,
John
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

All this opium of the people talk needs to stop right now, grrrr! Or I'll have to give a Marxist critique of the episode involving crumbs from the table, which shows petty-bourgeois nationalism clearly at work.

Let's get back to walking, please. More about queue-jumping please!!
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

More walking puns, too, please. And running jokes! Very Happy
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sasha's problem is the ingestion of too much STOLICHNAYA. maybe he should change brands. Samogon or Moskovskaya ?
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll have you know, my good sir, that I only ever let Beluga pass my lips. Why settle for less than the best? Especially illegal moonshine...

Does not create the walking dead problem though, and does nothing to relieve it.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 10:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Diversionary tactics on my part. A typical Trotskyite manoeuvre from ultra-leftist elements,

I was confused by this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beluga

but then found this

http://vodka-beluga.com/index.php/index/flash

Someone should tell Wikipedia
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Qaaolchoura



Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sasha, did you notice this when you were in the Cumhuriet Turkiye?

I've noticed that Turkish people seemed to have this problem at first, and also that of standing two-by-two on escalators. I've also found that if I barrel ahead at full speed, people maintain enough self-awareness to get out of the way (and if they don't I maintain enough agility to slip around them). Perhaps when you were younger you, like the current me, simply acted like you know where you're going and people let you through, but as you get older, you move slower, and people take it as an invitation to stand in your way.

On the other hand, I was also frustrated by crowds in Korea, but since I didn't really like Korea, I wasn't too assertive there, and would find myself walking in the street in order to move at a decent rate (and also to avoid the motocycles, which drive exclusively on sidewalks there). When I visited Hong Kong, by contrast I was confident, and I parted the crowds like Moses in Eygpt.

Regards,
~Q
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it'snotmyfault



Joined: 14 May 2012
Posts: 527

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 1:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you draw some bright purpley red spots on yer face and lurch violently down the street while spluttering and holding a blood (ketchup) stained hankie near your mouth, people will soon move out of the way
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teacheratlarge



Joined: 17 Nov 2011
Posts: 192
Location: Japan

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 3:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

spiral78 wrote:
Quote:
I haven't seen this happen in the Western Europe countries I have traveled to, so I am not sure how prevalent it is in those countries (UK, France, Malta, Italy


I don't think that visiting a country as a tourist is likely to give one a realistic picture of real daily life there.

Even relatively extended visits are unlikely to take one off the tourist paths enough to make any judgements at this level. Further, there's a honeymoon period with lots of this behaviour - it may be amusing the first few times the charming little old lady jumps in front of you at the bread shop, but it gets old with time.

Those of us who've lived for some years in a country have earned the right to complain Very Happy


I think it depends on how often you visit. I do it every summer, so I think I have an adequate frame of reference. My friends living in those places don't mention people walking erractically either.

People in this thread are talking about eastern Europe.

So actually I wasn't complaining about Western Europe (following your logic, compliments are not allowed either?), so your comment seems odd at best. Another innocent remark?
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Janiny



Joined: 31 May 2008
Posts: 199

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 5:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let's not forget people who walk backwards. Okay, it is usually just a step or two, but I way too often plow straight into these clods. I tend to walk swiftly and quietly (with soft-soled shoes) but how is it my fault if some idiot who thinks he's a physical wit starts walking in reverse? Sad to say, it is often young people who find it so diverting to do this - likely the same wits who never tire of the joke of holding the door shut when their friends are trying to enter a room. Hilarious!
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
People in this thread are talking about eastern Europe


I don't know where you got that notion, as I've been speaking of Western Europe all along, where I've served enough time to have an informed opinion. Not on summer holiday, either, but over a decade. In my experience, Central Europe is in fact better in this regard than Western, but that's only in my experience and I wouldn't try to generalise it.

Artemesia and Scot47 have also been discussing Western Europe on the thread.

By the way, how do you know the apparently rational crowds you encounter on your summer hols are locals and not just other summer tourists?

I mean, I've visited Turkey six times, occasionally for extended holidays of up to a month, but I wouldn't presume to say how Turks fit on this continuum, as I admittedly spend most of my time in regions/areas where there are tourist attractions (naturally enough for a tourist!).

Back on topic, I've also found that carrying a literal big stick (such as a potted tree) works wonders for parting the crowds.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Qaaolchoura wrote:
Sasha, did you notice this when you were in the Cumhuriet Turkiye?

~Q


That was one of the first places that I noticed this shortcoming. In fact, so extreme was it that I could be walking across an empty car-park, for example, with only one oncoming pedestrian to deal with, and the idiot would still manage to collide with me, whether or not I altered course.

However, I am not sure that my own pace has slowed down much with age. I carry myself in much the same assertive manner. The only impact I think age might have is that I am becoming less tolerant of these walking stupidities, and am noticing them more often and in more places. Regrettably, the rot seems to be spreading to the homeland too.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 7:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

teacheratlarge wrote:


I think it depends on how often you visit. I do it every summer, so I think I have an adequate frame of reference. My friends living in those places don't mention people walking erractically either.

People in this thread are talking about eastern Europe.

So actually I wasn't complaining about Western Europe (following your logic, compliments are not allowed either?), so your comment seems odd at best. Another innocent remark?


I'd be leery of tourist experiences too. Spiral has been to Turkey many times, a land that is well-noted for walking-sickness by teachers there. Yet Spiral didn't seem to notice it, and at least says candidly that any comments would be of reduced value.

Similarly for western Europe touristy experiences. Been to London recently? Walked down a high street, used the tube? Maybe as an uninformed tourist you didn't find anything amiss. Do so again, with newly-opened eyes and you'll see that this is a growing problem. Not at epidemic proportions yet, but still a worrying trend, especially with regard to public transport. As for Malta, not much in the way of tubes there to begin with.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another point of irritation is the sometimes ape-like swinging of arms as a rather rotund local lumbers along. Thus, some sort of physical contact is ensured, no matter how you try to overtake. Grannies carrying bags are even worse. Other locals have no problems just barrelling through and knocking all and sundry out of their way, yet I still cannot quite bring myself to do that with quite the same abandon...
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