Moral Seating Dilemma

[muyongshi]

hmmm...

Let me rephrase, I am a very large, fairly well built american weighing 240 lbs. No one the bus argues with me. (note: I am in Sichuan where people are friendly and small )

[roddy]

[only joking, don't get mad]

Perhaps if you stand up, everyone can sit down?

[/sorry]

[anonymoose]

Perhaps if you stand up, everyone can sit down?

经典......一棍子打死

[muyongshi]

经典！赞

不过，光靠棍子打我，也打不死。还是用炮吧！

Usually its elevators that aren't that accommodating to the 老 弱 病 幼 孕 [me]胖[/me] of this world, not necessarily public transport

Edited May 18, 2009 at 02:08 AM by muyongshi
错别字

[skylee]

what does that 奶 refer to? does it mean children who are younger than 幼?

[muyongshi]

Well, what it means is that I was not thinking and made a really stupid mistake. That pretty much sums it up as to what it means. I meant to type 孕 and instead I thought of 奶. Don't ask why, I honestly could not tell you. Sniff* my chinese is getting worse.

[Meng Lelan]

For one second there I almost thought muyongshi was using 奶 to refer to breastfeeding mothers who needed to use the elevator, I don't know why I was thinking that when I saw 奶. Whatever.

[imron]

The interesting question it raises, is whether Muyongshi is using a character-based input method or a pinyin-based method. If a pinyin method, then his mistake is even further cause for concern

[muyongshi]

Uncle! Uncle!!!

Gosh, guy doesn't post for awhile, makes a mistake and gets put in the stocks.

Now that my ego is duely bruised, I think I shall go dull the pain with some 雪花.

[jbradfor]

A guy types "奶" by mistake in any situation and you need ask what he was thinking of?

Back on topic: definitely the pregnant woman. If she's pregnant enough that you're sure enough that she's pregnant and not just fat that you would think of offering her a seat, then she deserves the seat.

BTW, is "错别字" correct? Is that a double negative, "wrong incorrect letter"? Wouldn't that be a correct letter?

[skylee]

BTW, is "错别字" correct?

Yes. Alternatively you could also use 白字.

[jbradfor]

"白字"??? Isn't that racist?

[Meng Lelan]

It's tough being white isn't it.

[muyongshi]

BTW, is "错别字" correct? Is that a double negative, "wrong incorrect letter"? Wouldn't that be a correct letter?

I can still get some things right.

On a more serious note though, double negatives do not operate the same way in Chinese as they do in English. And also 别 has more meanings than just as a negative such as in 别人. Anyway...

[chrix]

BTW, is "错别字" correct? Is that a double negative, "wrong incorrect letter"? Wouldn't that be a correct letter?

In Chinese there are many coordinate compounds where you combine two characters that have similar meaning, so I guess that's what happened in this case.

In other contexts Chinese does have a double negative, like 不得不 or 非...不...

[sea-au-don]

I’m a Chinese living down under, and one time experienced being scolded by a white woman for not giving her a seat. I was on the bus to my old Uni; most commuters were students, half of whom were Asian. At some point, the elderly lady was aboard and it was overly crowded as always. Naturally, she demanded a seat, asking if anyone was kind enough to help her. No one was willing, sadly, white or Asian. I was seated next to the window, right behind the aged and wheelchair section – through which she would pass before reaching the row where I was. I mean, seeing her clumsily walking in front of them, those perfectly healthy youngsters could just sit on their assess there in the area that’s specifically designed for people in need. Perhaps I’m in no position to blame them. There came a dilemma though, where I thought: 1.) seats from that section were technically closer to her; 2.) there was this Asian guy comfortably sitting beside me, whom I would have to ask to move before I could get out to offer mine; 3.) it was bizarre in the way I would have to do this, while others could have done it earlier. Anyway here she came to my row when I was still trying to figure out what to do. She firstly stared at that guy next to me. He at last got up to give her what she wanted. “Thank you, how kind of you,” she added while looking at me, “unlike the gentleman next to you!” To worsen my feeling, she would proceed to lecture me I shouldn’t come to her country behaving like this. So the story ended up with me being the only offender. And her myopia would come to get her, with the fact many sitting back and doing nothing, whose behaviour wasn’t in accord with her values, were white, too. Yet, I have to thank her, who inspired my final thesis – which received a pretty good grade.

[gougou]

“Thank you, how kind of you,” she added while looking at me, “unlike the gentleman next to you!”

That's another dilemma right there - does a person like this deserve to be offered a seat?

[imron]

Yes, because no matter how distasteful her actions, we should treat others by how we would like ourselves to be treated, not by how they treat us.

[renzhe]

Giving up a seat to an annoying person is one thing.

Having to suffer through racist insults because the said lady thinks that she is entitled to a seat in "her country" whereas someone with a different skin colour isn't, that's something different.

If you don't react to that, then you are sending a very clear message about how you want to be treated. If the rest of the bus does not react, then they are sending a clear message about how the people "coming into her country" should be treated.

[imron]

No one should have to suffer through racist insults - period.

I don't think this lady was saying that she was entitled to a seat because of her skin colour but rather because of her age. She then proceeded to lecture an innocent person about how people give up seats for the elderly "in her country".

Actually, being an Australian, and having lived in China, I've found that Chinese are far more inclined to give up seats for the elderly or other passengers than the average Australian.

Anyway, regardless of her motivations and her actions, she is still entitled to a seat because she is elderly. It is not up to me to say - you are racist therefore you are not entitled to a seat. I can however offer my seat and then try to educate her about her ignorance.