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Re-posting this sad and yet amusing comment from RalphWise: This story helped me recall an article I read in the FT about 10 years ago. A Germ an businessman s

Re-posting this sad and yet amusing comment from RalphWise: This story helped me recall an article I read in the FT about 10 years ago. A Germ an businessman set up shop in China and hired locals to help him run the business. After about six months, he came to work one day only to discover he was fully cleaned out. No cash anywhere, all the books and inventory gone. His employees had figured out how his business worked, started their own business within his business, siphoned off the cash and profits and took him hook, line and sinker. When the locals were asked why they did it, they said it was simple..."he was a foreigner, and he deserved it."

redwards510 8y ago
the comma signifies a lot tho. they did it because he was a foreigner, period? or because he was a foreigner and a terrible, mean boss?
- whytaka 8y ago
  The fact that the response started with it means that it was a sufficient cause.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    > The fact that the response started with it means that it was a sufficient cause. That's a fairly odd interpretation; if there were multiple causes, none of which were sufficient without the others, one would still need to be mentioned first.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
debt 8y ago
This read like a joke until the end. So this is just some random anecdote that has literally zero details in it? I don't know what I'm supposed to take away from this, can someone help?
- chadAnon69 8y ago
  I mean they had museum exhibits dedicated to comparing black people to animals https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/14/chinese-museum-accused-of-racism-over-photos-pairing-africans-with-animals https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/14/chinese-museum... And then the whole million muslim concentration camp. Chinese are pretty big on xenophobia. It's basically how the communist party is able to hold every thing together, the century of humiliation and us against the world mentality
- antt 8y ago
  China today is somewhere around the 1900s US when it comes to racism. Lynchings and eugenics included.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- sinker 8y ago
  So this is what HN has come to? Why is this downvoted? I'm interested as well and would like to read more depth in this comment. Where's the source? The two other replies to this comment are not related whatsoever.
Markoff 8y ago
this reminds me common sight of foreigner with local Chinese girlfriend/wife and sellers in markets blaming her for helping foreigner so much for possibility of integration into Chinese society as foreigner, no matter how good it's your Chinese or culture knowledge you will never be accepted
- antt 8y ago
  Give it 30 years. Including a lot of uncomfortable call outs when someone starts going on about how great the Chinese are genetically.
- claudiawerner 8y ago
  I think some people have to be 'pioneers' on that front; in this case, I wouldn't be so offended that someone who is trying to swindle me doesn't accept me. Part of growing as a person is identifying, challenging or accepting your biases, which can be uncomfortable; if a person (Chinese or otherwise) doesn't accept me as a result of not doing that, it's on them, and it's their failure as a person. At most I can advocate that others challenge their beliefs so the next person in my (hypothetical) position doesn't have to suffer such fools.
  - Markoff 8y ago
    you will give up after few years if it's majority of society around you, you don't really wanna spend life in society where you are not accepted and always seen as outsider even after decades while you may be bigger Beijinger than most of new Chinese arrivals
- mrhappyunhappy 8y ago
  Not just China, Japan too. No level of language fluency will get you accepted into the Japanese society. If you don’t look Japanese, you’ll always be a foreigner. You can even be born part Japanese and if you look mostly white then you’re still on the outside.
  - roneen31 8y ago
agumonkey 8y ago
remember the url ?
- cco 8y ago
  Another interesting tail, an interview with the first Mr. Softee operator in China: http://arithegreat.com/ari-shaffirs-skeptic-tank-221-mistu-softu-with-turner-sparks/ http://arithegreat.com/ari-shaffirs-skeptic-tank-221-mistu-s... The operator tells stories of how the local workers did everything possible to skim, copy, and swindle; the money quote for me was something like, "If you want real honest-to-god free market capitalism, go to China."
  - vfulco2 8y ago
    I've got a friend in the packaging business over here. Was a babe in the woods until he found the agencies working with him on sourcing taking an extra cut of $125,000 kickback from the factories (on top of their negotiated fees). No honor among thieves.
    - Regardsyjc 8y ago
      I wouldn't consider that theft because it's common dealing with China knowledge that kickbacks are involved especially depending on who you work with. Being paid by both parties are not uncommon for an agent.
- smileypete 8y ago
  Not the one you're looking for, but 'Brits get rich in China' is in a similar vein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSHax1Dic1o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSHax1Dic1o Possibly a better quality copy out there in torrentland...
tooltalk 8y ago
The "foreign" business man in this international business fairy tale doesn't sound very smart. He transferred his knowledge and money to strangers and walked away from his business for about six months in China. Did he expect red carpet ceremony and a firm welcome handshake from the president of Bank of China upon return? Wonder if it's fair to blame the observant locals for what was most likely careless, condescending and delusional in foreigner's poorly thought-out business plan.
namelosw 8y ago
Disclaimer: I'm a Chinese. But I believe there's a mistranslation or misunderstanding about 'he was a foreigner, and he deserved it'. I perfectly understand this kind of things happens a lot in China, but it has nothing related to the concept of 'foreigner'. Chinese people are more likely to do the same to each other. The word 'deserved' is obviously '该', which means, in this particular context, more like describing 'That is how things work, and he should not be so careless about other people' instead of being a foreigner is negative for local people or he should be punished by being a foreigner. But which statement is true is that, where there is profit, there would be Chinese people doing it, despite if it's not ethical. There are a bunch of examples like gutter oil, gene edited babies etc. As for the foreigner part, generally speaking, Chinese people are much, much more xenophile than xenophobia, at least to western people. Anyone has been to China can confirm this. Most Chinese people would more gladly to lend a helping hand to a foreigner rather than other Chinese people because there is far less chance they would be scammed.
- Data_Junkie 8y ago
  He's a foreigner, and that's just how we roll.

redwards510 8y ago

the comma signifies a lot tho. they did it because he was a foreigner, period? or because he was a foreigner and a terrible, mean boss?

whytaka 8y ago
The fact that the response started with it means that it was a sufficient cause.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  > The fact that the response started with it means that it was a sufficient cause. That's a fairly odd interpretation; if there were multiple causes, none of which were sufficient without the others, one would still need to be mentioned first.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

debt 8y ago

This read like a joke until the end. So this is just some random anecdote that has literally zero details in it? I don't know what I'm supposed to take away from this, can someone help?

chadAnon69 8y ago
I mean they had museum exhibits dedicated to comparing black people to animals https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/14/chinese-museum-accused-of-racism-over-photos-pairing-africans-with-animals https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/14/chinese-museum... And then the whole million muslim concentration camp. Chinese are pretty big on xenophobia. It's basically how the communist party is able to hold every thing together, the century of humiliation and us against the world mentality
antt 8y ago
China today is somewhere around the 1900s US when it comes to racism. Lynchings and eugenics included.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
sinker 8y ago
So this is what HN has come to? Why is this downvoted? I'm interested as well and would like to read more depth in this comment. Where's the source? The two other replies to this comment are not related whatsoever.

Markoff 8y ago

this reminds me common sight of foreigner with local Chinese girlfriend/wife and sellers in markets blaming her for helping foreigner so much for possibility of integration into Chinese society as foreigner, no matter how good it's your Chinese or culture knowledge you will never be accepted

antt 8y ago
Give it 30 years. Including a lot of uncomfortable call outs when someone starts going on about how great the Chinese are genetically.
claudiawerner 8y ago
I think some people have to be 'pioneers' on that front; in this case, I wouldn't be so offended that someone who is trying to swindle me doesn't accept me. Part of growing as a person is identifying, challenging or accepting your biases, which can be uncomfortable; if a person (Chinese or otherwise) doesn't accept me as a result of not doing that, it's on them, and it's their failure as a person. At most I can advocate that others challenge their beliefs so the next person in my (hypothetical) position doesn't have to suffer such fools.
- Markoff 8y ago
  you will give up after few years if it's majority of society around you, you don't really wanna spend life in society where you are not accepted and always seen as outsider even after decades while you may be bigger Beijinger than most of new Chinese arrivals
mrhappyunhappy 8y ago
Not just China, Japan too. No level of language fluency will get you accepted into the Japanese society. If you don’t look Japanese, you’ll always be a foreigner. You can even be born part Japanese and if you look mostly white then you’re still on the outside.
- roneen31 8y ago

agumonkey 8y ago

remember the url ?

cco 8y ago
Another interesting tail, an interview with the first Mr. Softee operator in China: http://arithegreat.com/ari-shaffirs-skeptic-tank-221-mistu-softu-with-turner-sparks/ http://arithegreat.com/ari-shaffirs-skeptic-tank-221-mistu-s... The operator tells stories of how the local workers did everything possible to skim, copy, and swindle; the money quote for me was something like, "If you want real honest-to-god free market capitalism, go to China."
- vfulco2 8y ago
  I've got a friend in the packaging business over here. Was a babe in the woods until he found the agencies working with him on sourcing taking an extra cut of $125,000 kickback from the factories (on top of their negotiated fees). No honor among thieves.
  - Regardsyjc 8y ago
    I wouldn't consider that theft because it's common dealing with China knowledge that kickbacks are involved especially depending on who you work with. Being paid by both parties are not uncommon for an agent.
smileypete 8y ago
Not the one you're looking for, but 'Brits get rich in China' is in a similar vein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSHax1Dic1o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSHax1Dic1o Possibly a better quality copy out there in torrentland...

tooltalk 8y ago

The "foreign" business man in this international business fairy tale doesn't sound very smart. He transferred his knowledge and money to strangers and walked away from his business for about six months in China. Did he expect red carpet ceremony and a firm welcome handshake from the president of Bank of China upon return? Wonder if it's fair to blame the observant locals for what was most likely careless, condescending and delusional in foreigner's poorly thought-out business plan.

namelosw 8y ago

Disclaimer: I'm a Chinese. But I believe there's a mistranslation or misunderstanding about 'he was a foreigner, and he deserved it'. I perfectly understand this kind of things happens a lot in China, but it has nothing related to the concept of 'foreigner'. Chinese people are more likely to do the same to each other. The word 'deserved' is obviously '该', which means, in this particular context, more like describing 'That is how things work, and he should not be so careless about other people' instead of being a foreigner is negative for local people or he should be punished by being a foreigner. But which statement is true is that, where there is profit, there would be Chinese people doing it, despite if it's not ethical. There are a bunch of examples like gutter oil, gene edited babies etc. As for the foreigner part, generally speaking, Chinese people are much, much more xenophile than xenophobia, at least to western people. Anyone has been to China can confirm this. Most Chinese people would more gladly to lend a helping hand to a foreigner rather than other Chinese people because there is far less chance they would be scammed.

Data_Junkie 8y ago
He's a foreigner, and that's just how we roll.