Pick pockets

[charlie77]

My wife was telling me about her shopping trip Sunday with a friend. She says while doing some window shopping a group of people, mostly women surrounded her and another woman while her friend went inside the store. Her friend motioned for her to come in quickly and told her she was about to be pickpocketed. They observed the women taking a wallet and were given harsh looks but weren't attacked. My wife has told me this happens alot, and if you catch someone stealing don't fight them because they're usually not alone, and instead of fighting one person it may become 6 or 7. She told me of a story that was in the paper of a man who was attacked, taken to the hospital and when discharged he was attacked by the same gang who apparently waited around.

Sooo I was wondering, how do you know whose butt to kick and who to kinda walk away from?

She tells me even if you see someone and think you can help them don't. It will be worse for both people. China sounds like it's gonna be fun.

[梅克立]

My girlfriend and I were shopping in Beijing one day and almost the same thing happened to us. Well, not quite. We were walking over an overpass when I noticed a kid walking awfully close to my girlfriend. I instinctively put my arm around here and the kid just went away. I really didn't think anything of it until a block later when we turned around and saw the same kid reaching into a Chinese woman's purse. She was totally unaware, on her cell etc. I yelled to her in both Chinese and English to turn around. Eventually she looked around and the kid kind of scampered away. She was very grateful and we continued on our walk. After two blocks my girlfriend decided to look behind us. About a block back was the kid again except this time he had some fairly big friends. They started walking quickly after us, that was when I decided it was time to catch a cab. We got in the cab just as the reached us and they started yelling at us, giving us the finger, etc etc. The cab driver was like what the hell until I explained the situation to him. The bottom line, I was glad that I helped that woman. I'll be damned if I let some thugs have their way. The world is going to shit because too many people simply do nothing. I think China is a prime example of a culture that does not put a lot of emphasis on the value of their fellow human beings. More often then not I see them stomp all over each other. If the situation presented itself again I would definitely do the same thing, even if it meant a brawl. Hey, any story is good as long as you aren't dead right?

[tomo]

I have a Chinese wife who also has told me not to mention anything when we see this kind of behaviour, which is fairly regular. I can't stop myself and have been in a couple of tight situations and a triffle scared myself a couple of times. It's a sorry state when fellow humans will stand around and do nothing when others are being attacked, and I've witnessed 20 odd people watching a totally unfair fight, not flinching until some police showed up....

It'd be nice if branches of the government would sponsor a 'nice citizen reward' programme or something, to encourage everyone to stop turning a deaf ear/blind eye on their neighbours troubles! And we'd all be able to relax a bit instead of being on gaurd each time we stepped out of our homes!

Big up to everyone who makes an effort to try and avert some misfortune inflicted upon others...

[charlie77]

I had talked with my father a few days ago about the story i related. He told me when he was in Vietnam they were these people "cowboys" I believe is what the Americans called them. They'd roam the trains looking for people alone. And if they thought no one would jump in, the least they'd do to you was a mugging.

I told him I doubt I could sit by and watch an old man or woman getting beaten or mugged, or really anyone for that matter and not at least yell out to them a warning if they were going to be robbed. I am willing to take a beating trying to help, but one of the lil buggers is goin down with me.

It's really weird, because I had this idea that everyone, even the thieves would have some sense of honor there. Too many kung fu movies I guess.

I think if the people started helping everyone and anyone who was being robbed, fighting back instead of taking it...the thieves would at least be a little more less bold. Guess I better sign up for kung fu and hope I'm a natural lol.