User Comments - andrew_c
andrew_c
Posted on: Please Speak Chinese
July 20, 2010, 10:57 AM咱们是同病相怜的人。但是，我知道我自己受不了大家这么对待我，所以我不敢在一个说中文的环境工作。
Posted on: Please Speak Chinese
July 20, 2010, 06:41 AMHi Dan,
I agree with what you said above. I think you're right that people should more open to people speaking languages other than English, and shouldn't be frustrated by it. In the very least, especially given the monolingual status of many people in the US, there should at least be at lot more tolerance. Anyway, I think in addition to prejudice, I would use the word arrogance to describe the people who say things like that.
However, I do think there are other sides to the issue of "Chinese people speak[ing] Chinese amongst themselves", which I want to share, since I think they are indeed serious problems and worthy of criticism towards the other side:
1. For example, when sharing a meal together with a group, the language everyone understands ought to be spoken exclusively in order to avoid isolating anyone. Unfortunately this is often not the case. in my experience, many Chinese people find absolutely no problem whatsoever with switching to Chinese and leaving non-Chinese-speakers out of the conversation entirely, even when everyone is fully capable of speaking English. This is something many people I've known over the years have felt uncomfortable with.
2. Considering the example above of people sharing a meal together, except this time everyone can and is speaking Chinese, except for at least a few at the table who flat-out refuse to speak in Chinese to any 老外s present.
While #1 was a huge motivator for me to study Chinese over the past 4 years, #2 has been a huge de-motivator to study Chinese -- it makes the whole thing seem kind of pointless since plastic surgery is not all that practical. I've heard excuse after excuse when confronted about this behavior, and the only plausible explanation I've been left with is racism amongst a significant percentage of people toward 老外s.
BTW, I have two friends in Grand Rapids, who are Chinese :-)
Posted on: Please Speak Chinese
July 17, 2010, 08:34 PMI'm totally with byron on this. go_manly, perhaps you don't agree, but I hope you could at least also factor in the unpleasant, less-than-cordial experiences that such behavior might be a reminder of. It is shameful that there are people in this country who, when replying honestly to the question "Where are you from?", are met with disbelief or the follow-up question "No, where are you really from?". Speaking to them out of context and randomly in Chinese or Spanish or whatever is at best an unintentional reminder that "you don't belong here", and what at worst a big part of the problem.
Posted on: SKRITTER!!!
August 19, 2009, 02:37 PMsebire,
My opinion: I can't stand using it on a trackpad. It hurts my fingers and I can't write accurately. A mouse is okay, but it's really best using a tablet. They're not all that expensive, and if you're already carrying around a laptop or even a netbook, then they are relatively portable as well. My (small) Bamboo tablet is of roughly the same area as my Eee PC. I always carry my tablet with me.
Posted on: Tech Upgrades and Farming!
March 15, 2009, 08:53 PMYou guys are great. btw, the name of WLCP comes from We Love Katamari.
Posted on: Chinese New Year News
January 25, 2009, 07:38 PM我给大家拜年了！
The "Chinese New Year Plans" has been a huge help for me the past few days. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming lessons.
Posted on: The Final Show
January 10, 2009, 02:47 AMDear Amber,
I have learned so much from your show. You did such an amazing job, and made it lots of fun. Thank you so much. I hope that you love living in the city and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next. Please keep us posted!
- Andrew
Posted on: Food Oddities and Eye Exercises
January 04, 2009, 03:57 AMPerhaps the same could be said of us people in the US, and the things we eat?
Posted on: Early January News
January 04, 2009, 02:14 AMThat's great news, welcome Matt!
Posted on: Reinstalling Windows
September 06, 2010, 02:02 PMI second the suggestion to use XP inside of VirtualBox. Things just work, which is rarely the case with WINE.