Q7 driver goes nutsos on me.

[Baas Babelaas]

I'll lay it down briefly because I know what most of will tell me - Sunday night, about midnight, and I'm sitting outside with some locals chatting about this and that.

Suddenly we hear the familiar sound of a car collision, so we walk down to the road to have a gander. Out of this black Audi Q7 jumps a guy, he's just rear-ended a taxi. He charges the taxi driver, doing some kungfu stylee kicks, shouting his head off. The taxi driver isn't fighting back, just defending himself (hands up, retreating).

So I shout out to the guy to leave the taxi driver alone. Guy then charges me, venting on "waiguoren this, waiguoren that, you don't belong here waiguoren, get out my country you waiguoren filth", grabs my collar, shoving me about a bit, getting in a couple of kicks. Then he goes at another foreigner with me and they tussle a bit. But he wants me, and comes at me again, grabs my SA supporter jersey and manages to rip it in half. I break away and back off. The locals tell me to get away for a bit, this is Chinese business, so I do.

I change shirts and tentatively head out where I can get a view of the accident, but out of his way. He's still raging (like he’s being victimized), but by now the locals have assembled en masse and about 25 taxis. He's on the phone, doing the classic cowardly gangster thing by calling his posse. Over the next half an hour about 20 or so of them arrive, and so do the (useless) cops. Again the locals tell me to stay away, as he's threatened to chop off my hands and feet if he or his clowns can get at me.

My question is, is/was this guy..?
1. Deranged
2. Drunk
3. Arrogant rick prick
4. Gangster filth
5. Army filth (lots on the mainland, they basically are the gangsters here)
6. A racist prick
7. All of the above

And was I an idiot for telling him to lay off the taxi driver? I expect some of you will say yes to this question. I have a habit of trying to stop fights and/or defend the underdog. And yes, I don’t particularly like the newly rich (especially here), so maybe I spoke out because of that.

I’m quite sad about the SA jersey, but it was nice to see the locals siding with/protecting/covering me.

[jimipresley]

I’m quite sad about the SA jersey

After the display last weekend? The oke did you a favor!

[tommy525]

was this in china or Taiwan?

edit: im guessing China. Probably best to have let them sort it out. TW gangsters will just think its "cute" of you trying to help out, but the Chinese thugs probably could/would off you in a second (and apologize later after you are dead).

[Baas Babelaas]

Xiamen, just across the pond. On the mainland.

Just makes me wonder how many really do despise the foreign ghosts in their midst? They often boil over very quickly, and go hard at a foreigner. Makes me feel kind of uncomfortable, never felt despised as a whitey in South Africa, where I come from.

Guess the feeling will blow over, I'm heading to Thailand or the Philippines in the next couple weeks, the break should be good.

[Okami]

I'm always shocked by how many despise us though they make like the individual.

WTF are you doing getting into a middle of a fight anyway? FFS, treat it like a spectator sport and don't get involved. It can or could impact you in a ways that may not be obvious at the time.

[redwagon]

Cannot imagine why you'd want to intervene in this, except you're just looking for trouble. No possible good outcome for you.

[Joesox]

Not much to do with you being a foreigner, I wouldn't say. More to do with you challenging him in a situation where he's already out of line.

And was I an idiot for telling him to lay off the taxi driver?

Well, not very wise, I suppose. But on the other hand, quite noble. Next time maybe just be a bit more tactical about the way you try to help out?

[Baas Babelaas]

In hindsight it was not the best idea. Neither taxi guys nor rich/arrogant guys are my favourite people.

It's not a good instinct I have to want to intervene.

Next time I'll watch from a distance.

[bababa]

My question is, is/was this guy..?
1. Deranged
2. Drunk
3. Arrogant rick prick
4. Gangster filth
5. Army filth (lots on the mainland, they basically are the gangsters here)
6. A racist prick
7. All of the above

I'd say definitely government connected, therefore rich and therefore arrogant. Unearned wealth makes people into jerks.

I think you did a good thing in trying to help the taxi driver. But definitely once others are involved, you should back out.

[redwagon]

I think you did a good thing in trying to help the taxi driver. But definitely once others are involved, you should back out.

It's China. Other people are going to be involved very, very soon, and few to none of them are going to be appreciative of outside interference from a foreigner. As a foreigner you are automatically in the wrong at all times because you simply shouldn't be there, in most people's opinion. There really isn't any upside in getting involved in a dispute between Chinese while all sorts of bad things could happen to you for sticking your nose in.