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Adam Schokora of Danwei points us to this audio recording of a "disgruntled customer lecturing a telephone operator at a well-known, city-wide food delivery company based in Shanghai". Do a bit of research and you'll find there's only one food delivery company in town that delivers Blue Frog and it happens to be an advertiser on Shanghaiist. Does the voice of this douchebag sound familiar to any of you readers out there? We say unleash the foreign internet mobsters on this guy!
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Classic. I always call RRRRRREEEEEEEER and talk to RRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE.
what a fucking loser, he needs therapy
it's funny that all the things he says about the girl, is talking about himself. loser.
What a fucking jerk... I think the girl handled herself very well. I'd like to give this guy a piece of my mind! Find out who he is!!!
Anyway, although he might be the biggest douchebag in the world, I actually think your call for a witch hunt is even more shameful.
i think he just got sick from all the NO's from other girls that rejected him.
Obviously the guy is a c*** but is it now Gothamist policy to try and kick off mob rule and witchhunts?
Just because we read about it on Chinasmack doesn't mean we should start joining in with vigilante justice or public shaming.
Every country has people like that who go off on people who 'serve' them in the consumer system. Sure, they are a-holes, but since when is it Ok to try and 'out' them. And why this time and not thousands of incidents that happen everyday here involving locals too.
Only two or three weeks ago I was in Boona 3 and some guy was expoding down his mobile phone on some poor rep who obviously was not trying to be rude but couldn't catch the English. It was intensely embarrasing but I wouldn't try to shame him over the net and invite people to find out his personal information. That's massively irresponsible.
Or maybe I'm way off? Who thinks it's all good and they are, like, totally going to kick that guys ass once they find out where he lives?
Oh ... again, El Jefe replaces my rambling rant with a clear point at #4.
Thanks.
i dont think kenneth tan meant that we would do a witch hunt. i think what he really meant was: now listen to this fucking idiot.
Witch hunt or not, you guys ever heard of the saying "When in Rome........" ? ;) These a-holes should be cleared out of China, there's a little too much for my taste, and they're pissing off not just the locals.
Andy, I think the author's comments weren't meant to be taken literally. I agree though, there are these type of tossers in every country.
I wouldn't want to defend this guy but a bit of a worry that Sherpas (I'm assuming) is taping their customers and releasing it on the Interwebs.
Or, maybe its one of those haox viral campaigns to get the word out about 2 for 1 burgers from Blue Frog on Monday? Sweet deal I say....
and their burgers are very good :P
i went there on a monday once and it's a great deal!
cankles
sure. I don't feel good 'defending' the position of complete t***ers either but you can't suggest an online hunt for someone because of that call. Joke or no.
The Sherpas thing is a bit wierd too, like they tape all the calls then feed you to the masses if you are rude. This article could equally have been spun the other way, like "Sherpas distributing taped calls to the 'human flesh search engine for revenge'".
The exraordinary thing about the call is the operators unbeliveable restraint and calm the whole way through. Fair play to her.
C'mon - this smells of a hoax hoax hoax...
Why would the name of the restaurant be left in it?
Also, it wouldn't have the same impact if it were say - El Cubani Simo or Daddy Huhus.
Great campaign though!
Hmmm, dont often post but in this case I have to.
The customer was basically told to take his business elsewhere. This is a giant F*%k you. He is right in the fact she could be fired, as a boss I also feel the same way if I heard one of my workers say that.
Terrible of him to call her a "f*&king b1tch" which isnt called for and out of order.
The biggest problem here though is the fact that this tape has reached the public domain, this is shocking. Everytime one of us has a problem with this company are we going to be publically shamed on the internet!! Christ help us!
Even though the guy is obnoxious I totally side with him.
Shame on Sherpas for releasing this tape and they have lost another customer now.
Wow, it is unbelievable how rude this guy is, but the sad thing is that I see this kind of attitude from foreigners all the time. Seriously, there must be some kind of Foreigner Hall of Shame website on the Chinese internet for the poor Chinese service staff who have to put up with all the foreign assholes out there.
The patient woman on the other end should be nominated for sainthood.
Also, this guy is almost certainly an American, which makes me embarassed.
That's a thought. If it is faked, then those are two great actors.
Just like there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is more than one way to record a phone call. Maybe the guy recorded it? Maybe he thinks it makes him look good? He seems boneheaded enough to believe that. My guess is that it was Danwei that took out the name of the delivery service and left the Blue Frog name in. No Shanghai-based business is smart enough to launch viral marketing campaigns like this. Most don't even know the internet exists. Finally, I don't think any rational reader would infer that Shanghaiist is calling for violence against this guy. But by the sound of it, just by being himself this guy will get what he deserves in due time.
I think Andy Best needs to try developing a sense of humor.
I agree with andy best, setting this on fire as a witch hunt is wrong.
Also giving this recording to the public is also wrong.
and of course the guy is wrongest of all! He's just a guest and without these "rude chinese" he wouldn't do any business with his 2.000 people of which he is in charge.
(BTW, sharpie: The guy is the telephone voice, the woman is clear. So this was recorded at sherpas,I am sure about that!)
I think we are flirting with a double standard here. I've heard plenty of Chinese embarassingly bitch out service people-in public no less! They get a pass for treating people like crap, but this guy is a foreign "guest", so he gets the HFS called out on him for acting similarly. If a foreigner works here, pays his or her own way, at what point do they cease being a "guest"? This term makes no sense. China didn't invite him over here, his company obviously sent him, and maybe just maybe he doesn't like it here (god forbid!) and in the interest of keeping his job (which he may like despite the location) has no choice but to stay. Why does someone have to love China to live here? I know plenty of people all over the world who hate where they live, that doesn't mean they decide to quit their jobs and move.
Are foreigners required to thank people for crummy service because they weren't born here? As ludicrous as this situation is, I have a feeling that even if the guy had a legitimate complaint, he would still be thrown to the wolves simply because he isn't Chinese. The whole "When in Rome" argument is silly. Bad service is determined by the customer, not the business, which gives anyone the right to complain in whatever manner they want. Chinese nationals complain, so why can't expats? The girl handled the situation very well and professionally, unfortunately every once in while you are going to get a nutjob on the phone who doesn't know how express himself in a civilized way. Once again a non-story fed to the netizens in order to take advantage of the whole China vs. West debate, a new low for Danwei.
All that international goodwill built up by Obama ruined by one douchebag in Shanghai.
I'm still holding out hope that he's Canadian. Or perhaps he's from Taiwan and happened to go to the American School there.
^ do you call that crammy service?? Gosh, it's not the girls decision if he can have 2 burgers for 1!!!
that's a total weird demand. In europe, they would say fuck off.
In this case, I don't consider it crummy service, but this guy does, and it's his right to complain. Yeah, he complains like an douchebag, but if you work in a service industry you are going to run across a few a-holes. Point being, I don't know why this is news, people are rude everyday for a multitude of incomprehensible reasons, does that mean we have to put them all on the Internet to be tar and feathered?
BTW he definitely sounds American, but why are people embarrassed by it? There are a-holes in America, Canada, China, England, Japan...Easter Island. A-holes exist people and they don't all congregate in one country, get used to it!
Really poor judgment in putting this up. That's the issue.
Guilt determined by mob rule is truly disgusting.
OK, I joined this site just to comment on this jack ass. I am American, I have dealt with customer service at some level all of my career because I am an entrepreneur, I start companies in different countries. I can barely tolerate it in my country, but when they disgrace us in another country I can't stand it.
This guy makes Americans look so bad and Chinese look so good. I can't imagine a girl in America saying, "Thank you for teaching me" after some dumb ass acts like he is the owner of the world. If he wants an American experience, she should give him one. You know what they would do? The cashier would go get the manager and say this, "I can't believe it, this guy just called me a fucking bitch. I want him thrown out forever and call the police because I am suing for sexual harassment. Bitch is a gender degrading word." And you know what? She would win! The man would be thrown out, attorneys would be called and he would end up settling for about $100,000 to end the case. Of course in court, all that grand standing about 3,000,000 RMB would disappear, "Please your honor, I only made $50,000 USD (350,000 RMB) last year. How can I possibly pay $100,000 (700,000 RMB)?" Ha, ha, jackass.
First of all 50% of anything anyone says is bullshit, that is the general rule. So he in actuality makes 1.5 million RMB per year and has 20 employees at best. Still, he has the nerve to sound like, "Do you know who I am?!" We joke about stupid asses like this all the time in Hollywood. Everyone thinks they are so God damn special. 3 million RMB is not even $500,000 USD. So f-ing what? I spent more than that on my last car (Lamborghini Murcielago), and that doesn't make me special either. Cars like this and money like this are relatively common in Los Angeles. He just thinks he is so special because he is talking to a front line customer service employee.
I would love to meet this guy and show him what a chump he is. He obviously is bragging to get rid of his frustration about being a small fish here in America. I commend the girl for being so nice. This is how the market economy in America has developed, there is always some jackass who wants to be validated by a cashier to make up for their low self esteem. Often they want their ass kissed and something given for free. He expects the manager to get on the phone and say, "I'm sorry sir, the employee was very disrepectful to you. I will talk to her, she will be disciplined and your order today is free. Anything else I can do for you?" The result? Keep abusing customer service people and your country will get the worst disease of America - terrible customer service by employees who really do have bad attitudes because they have been abused so much. Please, do not let your country turn into this. I love China because it doesn't worship the God of capitalism like ours does. It has values and honor that go beyond money. In America very few things can rise to the level of importance that money has. We sell our souls for it.
He is a guest in someone else's country, he should have the utmost respect for the people and its culture. 20 years ago, they would have told him to take his stupid company and his ridiculous 3 million RMB and shove it up his ass - no foreigners allowed. God, I feel embarrassed now. I will be starting a new company in China soon and want so much to give good paying jobs and opportunities to the people there. I will respect everyone I meet above myself.
I think this guy should be outed for this. Especially if he is a guest given the PRIVILEGE of doing business in China. Remember a privilege is not a right. He should respect the ability to earn money there. He brags about what would she do if not for him. What would he do without the Chinese people he's probably way underpaying to make his greedy cash? Makes me sick. Out him. For every jackass like this, please understand there are thousands of Americans who love and respect China and would feel honored to even stand on her soil. I am one of them.
Mucielago: BRAVO!!!!!!! but there's one thing I am not sure if I can agree with you and that is this sentence "I love China because it doesn't worship the God of capitalism like ours does. It has values and honor that go beyond money. "
at least in shanghai they do....
anyway i believe this guy had a really bad day and needed some validation from other people who has a " lower" status. he needs to work his self-esteem and think a little before he shouts.
If he makes 3m RMB a year, why is he quibbling over a 50RMB 2-4-1 deal..?
2,000 people below him, 3 million RMB and he gets his kicks hassling young girls who won't give him a free burger.
I pity this man's wife/girlfriend/right hand.
Don't agree in the "guest" in somebody's country arguement, likewise I don't believe foreigners in the UK have to be on tiptoes so not to upset the locals etc...
Mr Murcielago and your 50% bullshit rule makes your Lamborghini Murcielago a hairdressers BMW Z3?
Doesnt matter how much money this guy makes or doesnt make, he thinks and maybe rightly so that he deserves 2 two for 1 deal.
The phone operator could have simply said, sorry I don't know why you dont get 2 for 1, my boss isnt here, can I take your name and number and get my boss to contact you hopefully we can change the policy and refund you or something.
Simple.
Tape should NEVER have been made public. Guy should never have called her a f*cking b1tch.
I can't believe people are commenting on how he's an a-hole but then sticking up for his right to complain about bad service. Nobody has a RIGHT to jackshite. Certainly if he's got rights as a customer, then the business has the same right to tell him to fuck himself. And she didn't. She put up with his nonsense and let him go on and on and embarrass himself beyond belief. Try this crap in Europe and you'll get about 1.5 seconds into it.
It's this toadying belief in "The customer is always right" delusion that allows this kind of misplaced entitlement. BTW for all those crying "Quell horreur" at the idea that Sherpas records its phone calls - It's done just about any place that has a call centre. In the west they have to advise you that they are doing it because of privacy legislation. Here well.... The real reason they record everything is to monitor their staff and resolve customer complaints. It I was the supervisor here and my staff were subjected to this I'd be on the back of an orange scooter with a short section of bamboo scaffolding and a tube of vaseline.
Finally, the idea that this is a witch hunt - I think the writer's comments were off-the-cuff and meant no such thing. But you know what? This jerkoff deliberately used the threat of firing and his supposed position of authority as a customer to bully and intimidate this girl. He knew who she was, where she worked, her position, bosse's name. Why shouldn't he be subjected to the same treatment? Yeah it's not right, but it would feel so damned good.
"I'd be on the back of an orange scooter with a short section of bamboo scaffolding and a tube of vaseline."
Tee-hee!
My fervent wish is that this young gentleman, who so obviously hates living in this most generous host nation of China, tries to be as equally condescending, abhorrently rude, and downright nasty to an officer of the law or in person to someone his own size. In turn I hope he is taught a long overdue lesson in manners that scars him until the end of his days, may they be short. If I ever heard somebody be this culturally insensitive, this mind-boggling racist, especially if they sound as if they share my already globally beleaguered nationality, I would not fail to put them in their place in an instant.
If perchance said grade-A butthole happens to be reading this, please do reply so that you and I may meet some night soon to sort all this out, in some empty swimming pool or abandoned industrial site. You bring a large chain, I'll bring a bat. Leave your boys at home. I'll do the same.
What an ocean-going, museum-piece, monumental fuck. I really truly hope he gets raped by the sun.
All that for a free burger?
He's a big boss with 2000 employees under him? *right*
He gives advice if she was in America etc, she needs to use their style of service/manners ...well she should have taken his advice and told him to "F off loser" NYC style, LOL
This alone gives a bad impression about Americans/westeners but he could be Canadian ;)
I love how this has turned into an opportunity for: A. Chinese to condemn all expats as a-holes
B. Expats to jump on their soapboxes to condemn the guy in an attempt to prove that they are not a-holes.
Personally, I hope it is a hoax. Even if it isn't it only proves one thing: we are all a bunch of dumb a-holes for even commenting on this stupidity.
Well, at least we know one thing: Shanghaiist doesn't kowtow to its advertisers. Think Sherpa's will pull its ad?
It's becoming an acceptable practice (and legal) for companies to cancel services such as cable tv, cell phones, credit cards, etc when a customer creates a track record of chronic abuse of customer service reps.
But this site should not become an english language human flesh search engine like those pathetic chinese sites where the leastmans of China hang out.
I recognize him. His name is Tony Clifton. Definitely an American. I think I've seen him on Tong Ren Lu groping the girls.
This douchebag needs a lesson of his own, but it should come from fellow expats because his actions reflect negatively on the rest of the foreigners in China/Shanghai.
I'd like to know what a satisfactory end is for this, Kenneth? He gets la douzi? Fired? Put in jail? Deported? Injured?
You just opened all these possibilities.
Someone please just ID him and forward this to his big boss back home. In this tightening up economy with expats expected to take a hit and get relocated back home....this is exactly the type we don't need to stick around.
KJ
She has a Sunny disposition, that's for sure.
And while we shouldn't turn this site into a human flesh search engine, I think wowwowwowow is onto something. Tony Clifton will be performing at Shelter for the rest of the week. No smoking, as he has sensitive lungs.
"Excuse me, ma'am, you appear to be sitting in some cottage cheese. Oh, wait, that's just your ass."
Kenneth:
Dan and Kenneth - no comment? Do we take that as an endorsement of 'human flesh search engine' activities?
Sounds like a typical expat in Shanghai. I once heard a bloke in Cottons trying to impress a chick with how much he makes a month. She thought it was pathetic. He caught me eavesdropping. Which was very amusing. They should have a c*nt detector at Pudong airport.
I just saw nanheyangrouchuan's comment properly.
I'm happy you're on the principled side of opposing mob justice based on 'it sounds like him'. However, I have to point out that you have a special interest being one of the top potential targets of a human flesh search engine by Chinese nationalists. Actually, the fact that you're not already just points to the fact that your Bad Bad China blog is off the radar.
So here's the thing. Actually, I have seen you at one point. It crossed my mind briefly to take a photo with my phone (easily done in the situation) and 'out' nanheyangrouchuan. But then again, there was a small chance that it was not you. It could have been someone who just coincidentally fit all the info we have about you based on your own comments (it was very detailed but I wont repeat them for obvious reasons, I was eavesdropping).
So, of course, I didn't even take the picture, let alone think of writing it up, because it's clearly immoral based on a notion of violence for solving problems and the fact of uncertainty or potential mis-ID. It's not even a subject for joking.
When the British tabloid press published a photo of a child sex offender that time, people who looked like the photo but weren't the guy were beaten up and down the country. It's ridiculous and it's ugly.
If you're going to come on to comment and say certain things, it's better to use your real name and ID. Then you will taken seriously. Like Moneyinabox - I'm sure he will tell you that the post is ironic but why write that but anonymously? It's a joke. There's no need. I know moneyinabox too. My name wasn't said out loud at the time we met and it was a small group, so perhaps he didn't know. But I do know that he's involved in creative, good projects/work and is very helpful/personable 'in real life' - which makes his comment history a mystery to me.
long live Sherpa. Long Live King Secchia the first. Hail to the late nite snack brigade workers !
I dont know about the rest of the people on here,
but makes me want to go get one of those 2 for 1 burger deals,...mmmm
blue frog certainly won outta this one, now every douchbag and anti-douchbag knows about the 2 for 1 promo.
The two for one deal is awesome...and the dude who owns Sherpa has incredibly curly hair
Unleash the human flesh search engine renrou.cn ... when in Rome ... :)
Andy/ El Jefe:
I think you need to take a chill pill and go suck on a lemon for a bit. Twisting my comments into an 'endorsement of human flesh search engine activities' or some 'Gothamist policy to try and kick off mob rule and witchhunts' is just ridiculous. Clearly you underestimate the intelligence of Shanghaiist readers (bar a few exceptions) and overestimate my influence on them.
Kenneth, thanks for the eventual response.
Good to get the official viewpoint on this important and sensitive issue.
How is that, along with the MP3 being twisted?
" "I can't believe it, this guy just called me a fucking bitch. I want him thrown out forever and call the police because I am suing for sexual harassment. Bitch is a gender degrading word." And you know what? She would win! The man would be thrown out, attorneys would be called and he would end up settling for about $100,000 to end the case."
No she wouldn't. You can't prove sexual harrassment from one comment, especially when that comment is a very popular expletive used by both genders when angry. Furthermore, he may be asked to leave, but the company would not take up the case because it is not their problem and they could get nothing out of it. The only beneficiary could be her.
I agree with several posters that there are assholes everywhere and that those assholes deserve to be ridiculed. However, I think we all have to ask ourselves one question: Would this be a news item if the guy was Chinese? No. People would think, "What a jerk," and go on with their lives.
Am I embarrassed as an American that an American acted like a jerk? I would be more concerned if all Americans were this way, but I know that most Americans, even though they can be obnoxious, go out of their way to be what they think is nice.
Nothing to see here... please disperse...
Mr. Best, perhaps this will help you understand what Kenneth wrote about this important and sensitive issue.
54 comments!
Mr. Sharpie (just learned that from the video). How does it being sarcastic, if it is, change the fact that posting it up in this way is dangerous?
Also the other issue coming out of the comments is if Sherpas should be leaking the calls .
What do you think about that?
Also, I'm just as disgusted as the next person with the douchebag, but it's not unusual and it happens hundreds of times a day here between locals too. There are many issues brought up by this post and discussing it is what the comments section is for.
Publicizing this is a clear instance of choosing sensationalism over ethics. Although I think you are both timely and insightful with most of your posts, this one was very poorly thought out. You must have lived in China long enough to know (and to have already seen) how things like this frequently get out of hand. Even if you had written nothing and just posted the sound bite, you would be drawing attention to something that could be potentially harmful to someone -- that's my beef. What is the desired outcome? To generate dozens of comments or to teach him a lesson or both?
There is a clear line between reporting on something that is already a phenomenon (such as Kappa girl) and trying to create one yourself. Also, those links have nipples.
@andy
Have you met Kenneth Tan? I have not, but he doesn't seem like the violent type. Do you honestly believe he was wishing mob-style violence on the guy in the sound clip? You don't think perhaps he was having a laugh?
@el jefe
I suppose you have also emailed Sherpa's complaining to them for releasing this clip, if in fact that is what happened? And you have also left similar concerned comments over at Danwei, the site that originally posted this clip to the public?
Sherpa's should not have let this leak, if that is what happened. Once they did, it is public and fair game and for some news outlets or blogs, it is worth posting. Sure, we all know assholes exist. But we also knew Sarah Palin was an idiot and that didn't stop us from listening to the prank call tape.
Listen to the douchebag, shake your head, move on. And be sure to be nice the next time you place an order.
My comment owned, Andy Best! Admit it.
But you're right, I have long ago given up on attempting serious discourse on 99% of the internet, especially here on Shanghaiist which jumped the shark years ago. This is a news aggregator, not Metafilter. To be perfectly honest I could care less about this rather unfortunate phone call or pretty much any other *shocking* news on this site (unless it's genuinely tragic). Hopefully people realize this is the internets, emotional involvement should be filtered out, and that everything read should be taken with a gigantic grain o' salt.
I'd prefer if everyone would stop the hyper-analysis of each other's posts. If you don't like something you read, skip it, and move on to the next one. In the future, I will try to help matters by adding a [SARCASM/NOT SERIOUS] tag when appropriate.
Everybody have a great weekend!!! (Including you, Mr. Main topic of thread*)
*[SARCASM/NOT SERIOUS]
I just HAD to comment on this one...because I work in the restaurant/bar industry and had to deal with morons like this on regular basis. Don't know why someone thinks it's a bad thing she told him to take his business elsewhere?!?! That's exactly what I would have told him, with a smile around my head, and my boss would back me up anytime. And you know what? The dumbass in question would come back the next day! The same way I'm 100% sure this twat ordered burgers/pizza/whatever from Sherpa's the very next day...
People like that just want someone they can bully to compensate for the fact that they are worthless...and this girl gets the kudos for handling this, and hope she gets a bigger salary asap!!!
sounds like someone needs to get laid and no one is showing him where the ktv places are.
Hey Moneyinabox.
Yeah, from a prose point of view I did actually quite like "you bring a large chain, I'll bring a bat."
Frank Ricard
Yeah I've met Kenneth and I used to write here a bit. If you take away the odd post I personally don't agree with (the tabloid-esque ones that I feel are out of place on quality alt-media such as Sha-iist) then Kenneth does a sterling job with the output. He also does a lot of great work in his main area of business and within the community built around it.
To add to that further, all the good habits and skills I use on my own blog - the formatting of posts with pics and linking everything up, categories and tags etc etc - were pretty much all learned in my short time here and from Kenneth's posts.
@ Andy
Maybe you are the twat who is the phone abuser, coming off like that on this thread. My blogspot sitie got turned off by blogspot, probably due to the nasty comments left by Chinese bloggers toting nazism.
As for outing me with your camera, good luck telling me apart from the rest of the expat population. No doubt you'll get the wrong person and even if you did get me on your phone, you wouldn't know its me. Seems like you need a KTV.
I for one am shocked at the disapproval this guy has gotten here, amongst people who have to put up with this kind of crap (as the girl on the phone) EVERY SINGLE DAY. And to the guy who said: I can't imagine a girl in America saying, "Thank you for teaching me" , well if you were a little less dense she's saying for the EXACT SAME RETARDED REASON she said the original sentence which pissed the guy off. She is making an attempt to "translate" Chinese totally inappropriate for the situation into English.
As far as I'm concerned I'm sick and tired of English speaking Chinese, I've had enough of their shit and abuse over the past years and every one of them that gets treatment gets what they deserve coming to them. I've wanted to make a call like this countless times but I just don't have the guts to do it. How do these pricks think it feels like to be ADDREESED EVERY DAY LIKE A F-ING DOG WITH "HAALLOOW HAALLOOW", ??? I can't wait until I see a Chinese in the West so I can treat him like a dog with a condescending "neeee hawwwwwu ". It's totally racist, but when 99% are violators and only 1% innocent,—it's the responsibility of the 1% innocent to take those attacks and say to their chinese colleages "I HATE being treated like a dog, so stop treating the foreigners in China like DOGS with your disgusting condescending English."
@ nanheyangrouchaun
Yeah, that's why it got turned off. Hey, that sarcasm lesson from Sharpie is really working!
As for outing you, yeah that's the whole point of what I said. I wouldn't for that and other reasons. I could say some stuff to let you know it was you, though. But that wouldn't be too good after I've made a bunch of comments opposing witch-hunts, would it.
Kenneth, saying that Andy twisted your comments implies a material difference between what you said (“We say unleash the foreign internet mobsters on this guy!”) and what he said (“…is it now Gothamist policy to try and kick off mob rule and witchhunts?”) The fact that you used “we” (I assume “we” means Gothamist; if not please clarify who “we” is), as well as the fact that the article was posted on this site in the first place (which means it must have met Gothamist’s standards for publication) both indicate that Gothamist condoned what you were saying.
Even if you were being sarcastic and didn’t mean to start a human flesh search engine, Shanghaiist should know better than to publish remarks of this nature. They have already posted multiple articles about the HFSE phenomenon, and they should know by now that this is usually how they get started- in the heat of the moment, someone posts an emotionally-charged article on the internet, and the fringe elements of the internet get a hold of it and run with it. And this opens up a host of unintended consequences, including the wrong people being targeted by overzealous netizens. Journalists (and yes, bloggers) have a platform to speak on based on the size of their readership, and that platform gives them a certain amount of power in their respective communities, and with this power comes a responsibility to use that power in a responsible way (and above all, not risk causing harm to uninvolved 3rd parties).
I’m not implying that Shanghaiist sit on any information that could potentially whip up an HFSE. But the general thesis of the article is “Wow, isn't this guy @$$hole?!?”, and is that by itself really newsworthy? Most of us have dealt with @$$holes before in one form or another, and we already have our own experiences to talk about. If Shanghaiist had done as Andy Best suggested and investigated HOW the audio clip was recorded and leaked to the internet, that would have been much more relevant.
That being said, I’m still a huge fan of Shanghaiist and will continue to be a faithful reader. You guys (99% of the time) produce some of the best and most informative articles in town, and Shanghai is better off because you’re here. :-)
@icecat77- I totally agree with you, those of us expats working in China are generating tax revenue for the Chinese government through the salaries we earn, so any talk of being “guests” misses the bigger picture. The relationship is less “guest” than a business arrangement that benefits both the people of China (through said tax revenue) and the expats themselves.
@armie:
It’s no surprise that Sherpa’s are recording their calls, but it’s a huge surprise that they’re (allegedly) releasing them onto the internet for public consumption.
@tenforty:
"Sounds like a typical expat in Shanghai… They should have a c*nt detector at Pudong airport."
What about this guy:
http://www.chinasmack.com/videos/government-official-attacks-11-year-old-girl/
This government official attacked an 11-year-old girl in a restaurant, and then tried to use his position to intimidate the girl’s parents and restaurant management into silence. I think you'd agree he qualifies as a c*nt as well. My point is that there are self-important douches from every country, including America (my home country) and including China.
Remember, people- the fight here isn’t East vs. West, it’s civil, respectful individuals vs. self-important ass clowns like this guy.
This guy is a dick, ok, but it's stupid of Sherpa's to leak it and a bad precedent for Danwei and Shanghaiist to promote it.
Andy,
Post all the photos you want, you ain't never gonna pin me down sonny.
Yangrou, you're gonna have to read the comments more carefully, I didn't take a photo.
I heard your whole conversation. There's only two possibilities.
1) It was you.
2) The poor guy coincidentally fits all known info about you plus a couple of rumours thrown in.
In fact, were he not you then he must have e-stalked you and then decided to pass off some of your stories as his own too.
What a sack of dog shit this guy is.
Sherpa's did the right thing by exposing him...
It's just a pity that they didn't release his name and number!
Does anyone understand what parasitus is so angry about?
What the man said is not so important. What is important is how his recorded telephone conversation was made public. How did that happen? Who released it? And why did they release it?
Gary Jones
I believe in and love vigilante justice, and I think it's great that this POS has been exposed.
Whoever at Sherpa's decided to release this, did nothing illegal. Maybe you can call it bad business, but I'll bet future callers will refrain from subjecting employees to this kind of sickening abuse.
@Gary
Danwei got it 'off line' and first put it in public.
@Gary
What the man said is not so important. What is important is how his recorded telephone conversation was made public. How did that happen? Who released it? And why did they release it?
Okay, so it's fine to abuse employees for whatever reason you like. Personal problems...not problem, just humiliate some innocent Chinese girls who speaks limited English and probably makes 2000RMB a month.
It's not important, because money is the most important thing in the worlds and that girl is completely unimportant, has no rights, and the customer should be able to inflict whatever kind of abuse upon her that he chooses. After all, he's got the money, and there's nothing better than money! Isn't that right, Gary? FUCK YOU!
Hey Buck. Take a deep breath. Calm down and don't fret. Everything will be juuuuuust fine. G
What a fuc*en asshole! And why is he lecturing her in english. I am an asian american, and I don't speak chinese to a hostess in the US.