Not just in China, but
Feb 13th, 2008 by Peter
As promised (threatened) a follow-up on my first visit at my parents-in-law the summer 2007.
This is the entrance to the courtyard where C’s sister’s apartment was located. Back when we were in Yilan this was where we lived. Every day we had to go through the stupid mini-maze to the left (look at the picture). It’s not that I haven’t seen similar in Denmark, but when I did, it always served a purpose unlike here.
Maybe its not clear enough from the picture, but to the left on the gate there is a tight entrance where you have to pull your guts in to get through. Try doing that with 2 suitcases. Moronic. By the way its C and her sister walking on the other side ready to go through the maze of tight abs.
The big gates are never open, so all “traffic” goes through that hole if you don’t want to walk 700 feet around the block to use a more normal entrance.
What are you implying, buddy; that things should make sense in China? I have a theory that (partly due to history and the recent past) the Chinese have no firm concept of inconvenience and discomfort. You’ve seen the bicycles with 27 styrofoam containers lashed to it by flimsy string. You think those guys ever think “hey, this is really stupid and unproductive. The boxes will blow away, the bicycle will fall over, and I’ll waste all day earning 10 yuan for something that could be done 100 times with a truck.” No, it doesn’t compute. I could cite a million other instances. How are things in Denmark recently? I applaud the defense of free speech there.
I’ll back-up your theory about nothing making sense, lack of inconvenience and discomfort. That’s the only theory that will keep me from ending in a padded corner of a cell in an insane asylum before I reach 40.
Things in Denmark are great. The missus seems to have become a little laowai (seen from a Chinese persons view). For example yesterday when she attended a party for Chinese only she came home and said: “My throat is sore…. They all talk so loud, so I had to too. It was pretty annoying”.
Thanks for the shoulder pat about free speech. I’ll back it up any day too, but I’m also anxious what the next days/months will bring here. Since the re-printing of the cartoons a few days ago, plenty of young people (2nd generation immigrants according to the news), have torched cars and schools to demonstrate their malcontent. Even tough it’s not that simple and can’t all be related to the cartoons/free speech. The trouble is also related to some issues about a youth house being closed, which furthered massive protests by young people fighting the police. Bottom-line to the trouble now, is social problems in some areas highly populated by middle-eastern immigrants not happy with the Danish political line. Integration has failed. My best guess is that too many came here and ghettoing, belief difference and culture didn’t have time to settle on either side of the fence.
Funny how freedom of speech and softer laws in some ways can fuel problems. You would never have seen this in China. I’ll back freedom of speech up any day nevertheless.