Act of Kindness goes viral in China

[Thomas Promise]

A young American man from California give a helping hand to an elderly Chinese woman. He so impressed people around that her earned the nickname of American French fry brother.

 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/american-french-fry-brother-jason-loose_n_1559531.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk3&pLid=165965

[david_dawei]

one of the problems with chinese culture is that it generally does not reward 'acts of kindness' ... One of the most fixed concepts in chinese culture is Fu and Huo (luck and bad luck); and as the famous saying goes:

 

“Ill fortune is that beside which good fortune lies; Good fortune is that beneath which all fortune lurks”

 

For reasons like this, chinese stay out of other people's business and helps to understand why they turn an eye to the homeless or someone who has fallen down.

 

Another very telling issue is what most chinese know but will not speak: It is cheaper to let someone die than not.

[Thomas Promise]

We learn something new everyday about Chinese culture.

Old Chinese saying:

'When someone shares with you something of value,

you have an obligation to share it with others.

[DennisLeiqin]

I do believe that within our large circle of Chinese friends giving and sharing is now common practice which was once seldom done. Most are eager to learn of the western/Christian way of giving and sharing without expecting anything in return that goes to our foundation of Do Unto Others...

 

Sadly, it's difficult, one must keep your guard up and be wary of those newly arrived who have not adjusted to the ways of the west. As, they will very likely try to use you and drain you of your good will.

[warpedbored]

This is one thing that has always dismayed me about China. Human life is cheap and if you aren't a friend or family member you aren't likely to find much compassion. I suppose it's understandable. It hasn't been all that long since people really were starving in China. My Wife knows what it's like to be hungry. To be ripped out of her home and sent to the countryside to work like a dog in unsanitary conditions with not enough to eat. Many in China still have a hard life. I've often said you can't get much more dirt poor than a Guangxi farmer. My last trip to China I saw an incident that affected me deeply. While on a bus going through a village outside of Nanning there was a motorcycle fatality and a young woman was bawling her eyes out rocking back and forth holding the body of the driver. Pedestrians just walked by pretending they didn't see. I saw no one stop to help or offer her even the least bit of sympathy.

[Thomas Promise]

When I was over visiting my wife for the 1st time it was around 5PM and we saw a handicapped homelss man crawling on the sidewalk. He was filthy, face was haggard, clothing badly torn and shredded, his skin was scratch up, slightly bleeding... and his arms where bruised badly. This poor man was in PAIN! The streets where very crowded, people where walking over and around him. No one including myself offered to help this poor man. I was shocked by what I saw. I asked my wife why doesn't anyone help him. She said we have over the years grown hard of heart. We must take care of our family 1st and foremost. The law of the jungle I guess. Survival of the fitess. That was over 4 years ago and till this day I think of this man and why I never offered him maybe 10 yuan so he could get some food. I failed the test there by not helping my fellow man. My inaction with this man reminds me of the Bible scripture from Luke 16: v 19-31 of the richman and Lazarus.

[david_dawei]

The cases mentioned are following the idea I stated: Cheaper to let someone die than keep them alive. It is an 'out of pocket' issue on some level. Why do people get run over, and then run over backwards? Due to a hatred or murderous mentality? No... if they remain alive, the driver will likely be paying the rest of his life and ruin his extend family for a long time... If the person dies, then you are not out that much money.

 

There is a fear to get involved. If anyone accuses you of doing something which contributed towards the accident or situation then it is going to come back to you... even if you did not do it, the victim can claim it.

 

It's a dog eat dog world and china seems to live this out in ways that the west has tried to avoid.

[Yuanyang]

It's somewhat old news now. The other viral was that of the Brit guy sexually assaulting a girl in Beijing. That's stirred up a lot of anti-foreigner sentiment.

[Randy W]

To better summarize the whole deal -

 

http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2012/06/foreigners-in-china-villains-and-heroes/