you used to be alright

jerks: a multi-cultural phenomenon

fellow shanghai blogger woaizhongguo has a pet peeve (actually doesn’t everyone?) against “loser laowai”. in his words:

Regular readers will know I have a pet hate for what I call “loser laowai”. Foreigners who back home are total losers with no friends who come here and are inexplicably adored by the locals, who think they are incredibly amusing, handsome and clever.

while i share his distaste, these people are often enough easily avoided in shanghai, as this is a city of 18 million people, and there really aren’t that many foreigners here.

however, last weekend when i was at my favorite pirate dvd store, i encountered such a gentleman, but i’m not sure if he was a “loser laowai,” or more likely just a jerk.

an older foreign gentleman, who was with a younger chinese woman were shopping in the same pirate dvd store that i was in, and i guess i was busy reading the back of my dvd package, when the guy full on shoves me in the shoulder -  i guess his girlfriend was trying to exit – really? is that how we communicate now? no “excuse me?” or “sorry” or “hello”?

of course i thought of all sorts of comebacks 30 seconds after he left, most of them starting with “asshole” or “dickhead” or “pok gai” – i really wish i was faster on my feet. but i was just so shocked about being shoved by a 60 year old white guy that i was speechless.

anyways, that guy better look out, because i’m filled with insults now, and i’m ready to let loose.