Minding your own business in China

[gougou]

nowadays, things could be different.

Thankfully, not everywhere. I went to Guizhou last month and was accomodated in two villages by lovely people that expected nothing in return.

the old lady had no choice but to frame the kind young man.

Nonsense. You always have a choice. Even if most people are too weak to take it, the choice is there. In this case even pretty risk-free, it's not like the old lady would have been lynched had she said that the young man actually just helped her.

[renzhe]

I don't remember Hamburg being that bad? Has it gotten worse in the past few years?

I live close to the red-light district. Lots of drunken brawls there, and pretty much all the organised crime.

Doing the right thing is commendable, until you try doing it to the Hell's Angels or the local pimp. Shortly after I arrived here, somebody threw a hand grenade into a night club full of people.

When you consider the masses that go through the place, it's not as dangerous as you might imagine, but knowing when to interfere and when not is important. If you don't know, then you don't interfere. Recently, some small time criminal beat up a mafia boss in some pub in Hamburg. When he found out who it was, the guy not only fled the country, but the continent.

the famous incident was this young man helping an old lady who fell on the road. there wasnt anyone around. the kind young man took her to her residence on his bike. but down there, slowly, neighbours began to question, how on earth could there be such a nice guy? and they started speculating that the young man must have knocked down the old lady, and therefore helped her back. in the end even the old lady herself joined in. the young man paid compensations. this is kinda typical 'post cultural revolution syndrome', if you dont follow the crowd, then you are against them. the old lady had no choice but to frame the kind young man.

This is the scam I was talking about.

I very much doubt that the old lady was not in on it from the start.

[dumdumdum]

Nonsense. You always have a choice. Even if most people are to weak to take it, the choice is there. In this case even pretty risk-free, it's not like the old lady would have been lynched had she said that the young man actually just helped her.

the thing is, it happened just the way it is.

not trying to defend the act, but you probably hadnt got a clear vivid picture how bad the cultural revolution was. there is no way you can reason things out when confronted by a mob, and public execution (beaten to death) of a non-conforming individual was no big deal.

what you said is very true and just, but also very ideal. in chinese reality it only happen sometimes.

This is the scam I was talking about.

I very much doubt that the old lady was not in on it from the start.

i cant say much about it... anyway she ended up framing the young man. that's why i said in another post, if you knock someone down in china, you're as good as having another mother to take care.

[gougou]

there is no way you can reason things out when confronted by a mob

Again, in the case of the old lady, I don't think that there was a mob. Obviously things were different during the cultural revolution, but just like Germany under Hitler, these were exceptional time that shouldn't serve as a guide - or as an excuse - for our behavior today.

[xiaocai]

but you probably hadnt got a clear vivid picture how bad the cultural revolution was

I'm pretty sure you have got a "clear vivid picture of how bad the cultural revolution was" then...

[dumdumdum]

sure, why not? not first hand thou. when the cultural revolution was at its height, relatives in china was badly shaken up cos they have relatives abroad (ehich is us), thus they fit the category of 'spying for foreign countries'. even siblings were forced to point fingers and accuse each other as the traitor. i've collected tons of official pics, news and publications since the 'great leap forward', and other unofficial pics and publications on that 20 yrs of turmoil and sufferings. it was difficult to imagine, a country with no external war since the korean war, can, at 1876, reduce its general living standards to that during the japanese invasion. 20 yrs of political movement and nothing else, bravo.

Again, in the case of the old lady, I don't think that there was a mob. Obviously things were different during the cultural revolution, but just like Germany under Hitler, these were exceptional time that shouldn't serve as a guide - or as an excuse - for our behavior today.

i wouldnt know. anyway that's how the story goes. besides that's not an independent case. after the cultural revolution there were multiple reports of such cases, thou it wasnt 'bike and old lady' incident every time.

[dumdumdum]

Thankfully, not everywhere. I went to Guizhou last month and was accomodated in two villages by lovely people that expected nothing in return.

guizhou is still ok. i went there in 2001 with 6 others and only paid token sum for food during our stay. it would be too much for 7 of us to eat for free. they are among the poorest people in china.

[xiaocai]

Yes you may have relatives involved in cultural revolution but it doesn't mean others don't. All my grand parents and parents were and I can not see how being through it had "forced to point fingers and accuse each other". And yes you may have a tremendous collection of whatsoever happened during the revolution but so do many other people, and they are not really so hard to access as you may have thought. So stop speculating that others don't know how bad it was. I can't say I know much about Culture Revolution itself and am not trying to justify for it at all, but hasn't "following the crowd" been part of Chinese culture way before it start? And when you say "multiple reports of such cases" and "it only happen sometimes", I want to see your statistic proof. How many cases have been reported then? Out of all similar accidents how many ended up like the particular one aforementioned? And how often is "sometimes"? Most of the posts in this thread only talk about individual experience but if you want to draw a definite conclusion, then please give more solid evidence.

And what is "still ok"? If "being accommodating by lovely people that expected nothing in return" is just OK to you then I guess you must be extraordinarily holy yourself then...