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In a Data Structures class a few years ago, during a review for our upcoming exam, the professor had to abruptly leave the room... I forget why. While they were
by dgzl 8y ago
In a Data Structures class a few years ago, during a review for our upcoming exam, the professor had to abruptly leave the room... I forget why. While they were gone, a Chinese student runs up to the podium and grabs the papers the professor was reading from and takes it back to their large friend group. When the professor returned, they didn't have their notes (I think it was a previous year exam). Feeling uncomfortable, the professor was unable to get the thief to confess, and class was over.
About one day before the exam, a friend of mine said he was offered the texts and it had circulated to pretty much anyone who wanted it.
- ahelwer 8y agoWhat the fuck is the relevance of this story? We're just sharing tales of Chinese people misbehaving now? People in here need to do some serious soul-searching about their attitude toward 1.3 billion people. The transparent racism that pops up on every thread about China stealing trade secrets is embarrassing.
- dgzl 8y agoExcuse me? I'm not being racist, the friend of mine in the story was also a Chinese guy. From what I understand, at my University there was a pretty strong culture among Chinese students to share code and homeworks. I even remember my old teacher telling me they caught a Chinese grad student who ran a business outsourcing undergrad CS homework to code-shops back in China. I don't see how this is racist, it's just observation. I'm not sure how you're confused about relevance either.
- jessaustin 8y agoRelevance? TFA is about an executive arrested because her firm is accused of selling telecom equipment to Iran. TFA also mentions that the firm is also accused of copying the design of a product-testing robot. Your charming anecdote is about some student stealing class notes from a professor. What links the executive and the student? They're both Chinese! That is racist. You probably don't see that, but only because your racism makes you less rational.
- dgzl 8y agoI'm sorry that my paltry life only offers anecdotes from college cheating instead of multinational corporate espionage, please forgive me. /s But to make an accusation of racism based on sharing a true story is very naive. In fact, you calling me out and saying that I'm "less" is more bigoted than anything I've said. You're literally claiming superiority over me, and all I've done is told a true story.
- ahelwer 8y agoThe choice of what to communicate in a public forum is, itself, a form of communication. This is obvious to everyone with a working social sense. People don't just tell random anecdotes apropos of nothing. Here, you're telling the anecdote because you wanted to establish that there is a culture of dishonesty among Chinese people, isn't that right?
- dgzl 8y agoEstablishing the culture of dishonesty among the entire Chinese population isn't even remotely my job or prerogative, but if I have stories of systemic cheating within some of the Chinese culture at my University, then that seems reasonably apropos. I suppose you think I should just pretend like my experiences didn't happen, and not mention it to anyone? I never said the Chinese people as a whole are one way or another, and I'm taking offense to these unwarranted accusations.
- ahelwer 8y agoYou walking back the obvious implications of your anecdote makes it even worse. Now it's not even some wider Chinese cultural trait linking the students and the executive, just their ethnicity. Stop digging. Nobody is asking you to pretend your experiences didn't happen. However, people usually only include details in a story if they are relevant. Here, you're including (and emphasizing, by virtue of where you posted the story) the detail that the students are Chinese, which by implication is relevant to your story. It's fine to have these sorts of biases against other ethnicities early in your life. I did. Honestly, it would be a miracle if you didn't, because overwhelming messaging in media and society (by stories such as yours) tells us these biases are justified and important. Nobody is born with fully-developed political opinions. Just take this opportunity to recognize a bias in yourself and move beyond it.
- camillomiller 8y agoThen what? They waved their red book and ate some roasted dog? Jeez, this is the most racist thing I’ve ever read on hacker news.