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gerard · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 581 Location: Internet Cafe

Seth??? Are they firing RPG's at your window??? I agree with you. I mentioned to co-workers about the Hello;s being racist and they didn;t agree. My Mandarin may not be much but I know when people are mocking me. Say Hello if you wish but don't laugh and talk about the "gook" behind my back. I also think all of these "precautions" are racist,. Maybe racist is too strong a word but they obviously think the decadent foreigners are going to bring in in sars so they should keep us on a leash, spray us with poison etc.

hubei_canuk · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 240 Location: hubei china

gerard said:

"I agree with you. I mentioned to co-workers about the Hello;s being racist and they didn;t agree. My Mandarin may not be much but I know when people are mocking me. Say Hello if you wish but don't laugh and talk about the "gook" behind my back. I also think all of these "precautions" are racist,. Maybe racist is too strong a word but they obviously think the decadent foreigners are going to bring in in sars so they should keep us on a leash, spray us with poison etc."
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Agree with you on both counts gerard. Both on the Hellos and the racist "precautions". Certainly everybody's intuition knows the difference when someone is talking TO you and talking AT you. The prior involves the element of communication, not a chinese educational strongpoint.
..
I am waging a pitched battle to prevent my school from sprayintg poison in my apartment EVERY DAY for my "protection". I have very sensitive allergies.
So far i'm winning the battle. I got my own locks and chains on the door and a switch on both the doorbell and telephone and a peephole to see who is at the door and all windows darkened except one to pretend to thieves that i am home when i'm not.
...
So call me paranoid.
Call me Ishmael.
Call me anything you want but don't call me late for breakfast. Smile

..

Seth · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 575 Location: in exile

The Hellos are definately mocking, in my opinion, but not 100% of the time.
About the firecracker (I hesitate to call it bomb, but it was large enough that I could smell the gunpowder smoke from my 4th floor window) at my window: I asked the teacher who lives below me if she noticed anything strange the other day. She also heard the shouting and then the firecracker. She then said that a few minutes later there were two police cars near the scene. I know it was some kind of racially motivated incident, as the word 'guilou' was shouted a few times. Guilou is basically the Chinese equivalent of 'n*gger.' I've been out bike riding several times since then, I haven't noticed anything unusual.

But I just read in the news that a highschool in Georgia is planning an 'all-white' prom. Maybe I won't be going home so soon afterall. Evil or Very Mad

Anne-Marie Gregory

Re: men saying 'hello' in a silly voice

Dunno what the Chinese think of this.
In the Volta Region of Ghana the Ewe people have a little rhyme, to say in a sing-song voice, when a white person passes...

Yevu, yevu, (the word for white person)
Bon soir, (French)
Yaka yaka, (a local foodstuff)
Bon soir

Massively irritating to go everywhere to this chorus, but it was just 'something that you did' and did not have any underlying nastiness/rascism.

hubei_canuk · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Posts: 240 Location: hubei china

"About the firecracker (I hesitate to call it bomb, but it was large enough that I could smell the gunpowder smoke from my 4th floor window) at my window: I asked the teacher who lives below me if she noticed anything strange the other day. She also heard the shouting and then the firecracker. She then said that a few minutes later there were two police cars near the scene. I know it was some kind of racially motivated incident, as the word 'guilou' was shouted a few times. Guilou is basically the Chinese equivalent of 'n*gger. - Seth
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It's nothing new. In Taiwan they go firecracker and rocket crazy all night for 3 ddays at Spring Festival. They used to shoot the rockets at my friends house all night long. almost burnt it down. He was married to a Taiwanese girl.
There are two kinds of things: firecrackers and rockets. I've forgotten the chinese aterms. The rockets are pretty deadly. and can go in any direction.
There's a town in Taiwan where on Tomb Sweeping Day they shoot off millions of US dollars worth of these things. they are in wagonloads and each wagonload is taken into the streets and fired off. People come form all over the Island to o see it. The BRAVE that is. They put on motorcycle helmuts and protective clothing but they still get hurt. The wagons go off in the streets everywhere. It has the atmosphere of a war zone.
Those rockets are pretty deadly.
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Owen · Posted: Fri May 02, 2003 5:11 pm Post subject: Spoiled rich kids

MW · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 115 Location: China

Different people - different culture - different thought process.

May 1 in China the Bank of China and Construction Bank closed all international business with the west where it was still April 30 and open for business. But they remained open for local business in China where it was a holiday.

Sometimes their thinking and actions are 180 degrees from what we think is logical and reasonable.

Adjust or leave. Those are the options.

There is ignorance and racism in every corner of the world. China is no exception.

Dragon · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 81

Dear Comrade MW,
Thank you for your position on this subject. It reminds me of the old slogan during the Vietnam War "Love it or leave it", you have stated your opinion wisely. I look forward to your next postings.
May you live 10,000 years.
DRAGON Exclamation