By Art Vandelay
BEIJING – According to several Facebook reports, more and more foreigners in Beijing are getting their feelings hurt. Several passive-aggressive-sounding status alerts in the China network show: “Feeling depressed…” “Not so good…” “Kinda bummed :(” and “browsing hongkong.craigslist.com.”
“I had to wait fifteen minutes for a taxi this morning,” Chris Madsen of New Haven wrote as his Facebook status yesterday. “The taxis were empty, but they all drove by. That definitely hurt my feelings.”
“It used to be that I could cut to the front of the subway line and nobody would say anything because I’m a foreigner,” wrote Natalie Turner, of Dallas, in her LiveBlog. “But today everyone was shouting, ‘Hey! Get in line, fattie!’”
“My feelings were hurt by the cute woman at the PSB,” Twittered James Fowler, of Missoula. “When I smile at her, she usually waives the late penalty on my L visa renewal. But not today she didn’t!”
Many Chinese have posted notes of encouragement on their foreign friends’ Facebook walls, telling them not to take it personal, but to learn to acknowledge China as a major world player.
“Am sorry you had got your feelings hurt recently, but do not take it as a personal,” posted one Facebook user to all her foreign friends. “Their upset was not meant as hurtful, but just try to show that we were not stupid and knew how to spoke for ourselves.”
To lighten spirits, the Chinese Ministry of Happiness, Prosperity, and Longevity has planned a public dance this Friday at Tuanjiehu East Gate.
“All Beijing-registered foreign friends are invited to engage in multi-cultural activities for mutually enhanced understanding and furthered economic cooperation,” said the ministry’s website.
For more information about the event, appear in person with your passport at your local PSB.
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