Jason & Susan

Yesterday as we were heading out of LQ, Susan witnessed a minor accident and a nasty brawl. A car was coming out of LQ circle and as usual, the security guard lifted up the gate and told the driver to slow down. However, rather than slowing down, the driver sped up and hit the guard. The driver and the security guard started yelling and screaming at each other.

“Why are you standing in my way?”
“You broke my leg”
“Get out of my face. It’s your fault for standing there”
“I asked you to drive slowly!”
…
…

Yelling turned into screaming, then shoving, then pushing. Would have turned into a fight had not the other security guard pulled them apart. The driver shoved the guards aside, went into the guard house to pick up his ID. Apparently, he was NOT a resident of LQ because he had to pick up his ID. (Any car without LQ sticker has to submit an ID for deposit before driving into LQ).

Susan, having witnessed the entire affair, felt a sense of righteous anger and wanted to run over and yell at the driver for driving wrecklessly in OUR community. He really could have ran over and killed the guard (or a child playing on the streets) had he not stopped to pick up his ID. Jason held Susan back and told her not to mind other people’s business. “Other” people’s business? This is our community and people should take ownership of what is right and wrong.

Of course, this is the same person who knocks on every taxi car that honks inside LQ. And once not too long ago, she saw a taxi driver waiting outside LQ, snacking on some munchies. Upon finishing, he rolled down the car window and tossed the empty box (trash) on the floor. Susan was furious and ran to the taxi car, picked up the empty box, and knocked on the taxi window. When the driver rolled down the window, Susan gave the empty box back to the driver.

“What are you doing?”
“Giving back your box”
“I don’t want it!”
“Then don’t throw it on the ground! This is our community. Learn to use the trash!”

The driver was stumped, probably his first time being reprimanded for throwing trash on the ground. He rolled the window up and drove away.

These are the kind of people and drivers that fill the streets of Shanghai, not to mention all the hawking, spitting, peeing, littering, begging, and other horrendous act of disgrace to the city. Next time you witness a taxi driver peeing on the side of the road, dare you to go up to him and ask him to use public toilet that is not so “public”?

Read an article today on Beijing’s measures to mannerize the people before 2008 Olympics. When will Shanghai take their measures? 2010 World Expo is coming up.