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What was meant to be a friendly game of basketball in Hunan Province has burst into a furious debate on the internet, after an American player tossed money out to a crowd of students... and some students actually scrambled to pick it up.
According to Sohu, the (roughly translated) American Gym Ambassdor Men Star's Basketball Team" (美国体育使者男子明星篮球队) was asked to play against the "Lithuanian National Basketball Team" (立陶宛苏托瓦职业男子篮球队) in a local gym in Xiangxi last Saturday.
The game itself was without controversy, but when the American team left the high school, one of the basketball players opened up the bus and threw RMB at the high school students.
The original poster claimed that many students scrambled to get the money. One female high school student threw away some of the money in the trash to protest, but another student came and picked it back out.
Like other foreigners-throwing-money-incidents in the past, this one triggered a huge reaction amongst people. The majority of students and commenters condemned the basketball player, demanding an explanation for his actions.
One netizen said:
"This is indeed not a glorious thing. Regardless of what that American basketball player did, students collected the money like beggars and humiliated the school, Hunan Province, and China. Moreover, if this foreigner did this on purpose, then the co-hosts has obligations to settle it."
There was even a poll, which seemed to show that the Chinese people who'd snatched money had... hurt the feelings of the Chinese people?
What do you think of the Hunan students snatching money from American basketball player?
- If there is money, why not pick it up? 13.41%
- The students snatching money did it not because that they didn't have money, but they went with the crowd. 17.07%
- Students humiliated our nation because they did not have any moral integrity. 69.51%
Do you think students nowadays in China lack moral integrity?
- Yes. They are a generation that is idle, corrupt and lazy. 55.49%
- No. The majority of students still have dignity. 44.51%
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the Chinese inferiority complex at its best...
if this happened in the US, or even if the money was thrown by another Chinese, people would just think free money.
If this happened in the US or anywhere in the world there'd be people condemning it.
Come on...
If a Chinese basketball player threw money out of a window from his team bus in the US, I truly doubt that 69.5% of them would lash out thinking that their fellow compatriots who picked up the cash "humiliated our nation because they did not have any moral integrity."
My point is that the Chinese are so nationalistically sensitive that they take these things so out of context.
Acting like a bunch of idiots when money is throw at you is pretty embarassing. I really don't see why you consider it to be nationalism when netizens simply feel the behaviour of the students is a bad reflection on the country.
Please make sense
He is clearly tearing the money in half whilst spitting on the students faces.
If he did this in Govan people would think he was a twat, if he does it in Hunan, he is a villain. I think the correct answer is somewhere between the two.
Making it rain...
Making it rain...
Meh- free money, there's no doubt in my mind that I'd pick it up.
Yep- money is money. Some people would say I'd be an embarrassment to China, but I'd say they have no common sense.
Oh MY! And the attitude towards black people was just about to change!
Better than slapping the face of a spa girl with a wad of cash and demanding sex!
Oh wait! That was done....by....a....CHINESE person!!!
He was probably just leaving the country and decided to get rid of his extra local currency. I've given away my last ten buck in a local currency before getting on a train before (in France, and the dude took it, and there was no national uproar).
The funnest part is that the uproar is because "this makes china look bad to outsiders", while at the same time no one outside of china even knows about or cares about this at all. Hilarious.
Its obvious that he did not plan this(throwing gifts would have been better)....Maybe his sympathy got the better of him and instead of crying he decided to spread joy....
1. What chinese, especially traditional, need to understand is that us foreigners(especially those in the country for a small period of time) dont understand the culture here. If you are going to be inviting people to your country you should make yourself aware of his culutre too.
2. Another thing Chinese need to understand is that most western countries living standards are a lot higher than China's average living standard. We often dont encounter poverty like you can here. I have travelled to most cities and a good couple of towns in China and the standard of living has shocked me, whats seems to be normal for chinese is NOT NORMAL for most westerners who travel, especially a basketbal player, who most probably earns more than those students will in 100 lifetimes!!!!
3. Basketball is a sport that is played in most poorer areas of USA, perhaps he came from a less fortunate backround.......????
4. Finally he was not attacking your culture or pride or whatever other excuse you want to come up with, he felt sorry for these kids(who obviously dont have money) and that is that!!!!!!
Myles, I don't think Chinese people read Shanghaiist.
WTH, does NOBODY here have any black friends who listen to rap music?
He's OBVIOUSLY makin' it rain. This happens in the US all the friggin' time when a guy makes it big. Just two years ago I was in a club in Los Angeles where this black guy in the VIP section took a roll of $1 bills and started making it rain during the song. My friends were scrambling on the ground to collect the bills. That bought us a bunch of ghetto dogs on the streets after going clubbing.
What Chinese (and apparently expats) need to do is understand OTHER people's cultures. He was showing the students LOVE, not trying to demean them.