User Comments - byronmeinerth

Posted on: To bag or not to bag?

I'm from the U.S. and visited Germany about ten years ago as a young boy. My Mom and I were both very confused when we were told that we had to pay for the bags, but it's a memory that has stuck with me for ages. I respect the Germans for this, but I'm wondering where the decision arose from. Do you think it was primarily environmental/ecological or economic? I think the reasons from both are equally compelling.

Posted on: To bag or not to bag?

This also amuses me, and I see it happen both in North America as well as China. People will ask if I want a bag, when in fact it makes no difference for the item I'm carrying. I usually lift my hands up and remind them that my hands still work. Soon they'll be offering me a bag to put my already bagged milk tea in.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

I think you've had a number of situations similar to me and can understand what point I'm trying to make here. You've done a much better job than I at pointing out some of the issues and the fact that there isn't a perfect answer to a lot of these situations. Certainly, your idea about the proper way to address someone in the U.K, "One, no matter the other person's appearance, assume they speak English, and then try another language if English doesn't work," made sense.

Perhaps my earlier comments were too emotive, or I didn't properly explain them. My idea is simply the following: In China, it's common to expect that any and every foreigner speaks English. In the West, assuming that every East Asian speaks Mandarin would not be thoughtful.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

The issue is that we are foreign, yet we are not nationals. In that respect, our situation as minorities is not necessarily comparable to that of minorities who are citizens of a country. I'm trying to elucidate the fact what I go through is nothing compared to what some people from Xinjiang deal with. It's also what I was trying to stress to go_manly. When he saw me use the word discrimination, I think he only saw the extreme feelings that often come with it. It's not my fault if it's a strong and emotive word, but these are still discriminatory situations.

The scenario you mentioned is a special one. It's of a person who is genuinely interested and wants to speak with someone. hamshank is on point when he says, "I do think it's wise for people to try and find out the intention of the person before flying off the handle." Both you and I agree with that. University students who approach me, wanting to speak English, warrant much more leeway than others. Not only do they ask me if I speak English, but they want to speak English. Many others, particularly guys my age, just want to show off to their girlfriends that they can mess around with foreigners.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

In my original example, I should have stated that a slap on the face would not be unwarranted. The truth is actually much different, as most of the Japanese I've met, as you stated, would not resort to such a measure.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

Prejudice is a form of discrimination. What I originally referred to is the situation of foreigners in China. Hence, there's no racial discrimination. There's also no racial discrimination in my example.

You yourself have already given away your own prejudices. Let me clarify that I don't think of you as any less of a person. I just want to point them out. There is no East Asian "race". Hence it's not racism. Even if you only look at Japan or China or Viet Nam, there is no Japanese or Chinese or Viet Namese "race". If you live in China, you should already be aware of this. National boundaries don't define races.

It is clear to me that the first thing that you think of when you hear discrimination is racism. Why? Because you've done it again.

And I really do think you need to chill out. No one else in this thread is as aggressive as you are, and you first comment shows it: "I really do get tired of people bandying about emotive terms, while not having a clue what they are talking about." I don't get tired of hearing you remarks, nor do I get annoyed. Calm down and stay civil.

Posted on: Requesting a Napkin

I agree with you totally, that the English shouldn't mirror the Chinese word by word. And if that's the case, 有 does mean "to have some". If we translate it literally, then it would be "have" or "to have", which isn't English. For example, if someone asks "Do you have napkins?", I can't respond with "I have". But I can respond with "Yes", or "Yes, I have some", which I believe would be a realistic response.

Posted on: Please Speak Chinese

I will first respond to go_manly, but I think there are a lot of great comments out there with some interesting insights.

You didn't read my comments carefully, and your use of quotations is unnecessary. I never said anything about racial discrimination. It's clear that for you, the first thing that you think of when you hear discrimination is racism, but there are many varieties. You also said people will choose emotive words in these situations, but you're the first person to mention 'victim' or 'treatment'.

I'm not going to assume anything about your background, but I'd be interesting in knowing where you're from, and if you ever had an experience of being a minority. To be honest, the situation in China is different for foreigners (I'm referring to myself), as foreigners are minorities, but are often looked upon favorably.

Finally, chill out. No one is making 'complaints' here. We're simply talking, and you can see that it's a topic about which people are interested.

Posted on: Hotel Essentials

xiaophil, it must have been something with my server. It was showing the lesson, but there was no option of bookmarking it or marking it as studied. I'm on my computer now though, and it's fine.

Posted on: Invitations to Eat (original)

Hey, thank you both.