Thaumaturgic posted:

I lived in San Francisco for two years near a church that would hand out free food to the needy every month or so and I never saw anyone ever than elderly Asian people in line. They would line up all the way down the block hours before the church opened with those patented old lady folding shopping carts. One day I was running late and actually saw what they were handing out and it was basically a single small grocery bag with a head of lettuce and maybe 2-3 cans of beans. Hundreds of people would line up for hours, sometimes in the rain to get maybe 5$ of free food

Haier posted:

I remember this, or at least a similar story since it was melons/pumpkins of some kind. They cleared all of his fields and broke a lot of healthy vegetables for no reason. He lost all of his crops that year. LMAO China.

I used to work with a non-profit in Hawaii where we'd feed the homeless in the parks they liked to live/sleep/hang at. This was long before the days of Chinese tourists being a thing, but I imagine now that there are probably many of them waiting in line with the homeless to get a plate of food since it's there. We didn't have any rules about who could get food, but even the surfers wouldn't wait for food because they knew it was mainly for the actual homeless and drug-addicted who slept on the streets.

Meth heads eating soup is p funny to watch. They talk to it. There was this one chick having a total meltdown and the beach cops showed up and took her to the showers and put her in he cold water for a few minutes until she calmed down. Since it's an island, you learn who everyone is quickly and it's weird being out and seeing tons of homeless people you know on a first-name basis (and who can't remember your name because they're so wacked out). A lot of them died due to ODing, though the memory of some of them lives on in the early seasons of Dog the Bounty Hunter.

There was this one guy I thought was a real piece of poo poo and I just knew he was going to OD any day. He was fat as hell and would steal from local shops and only move when food trucks came in for free food. He was rude and foul and even the other homeless hated him, so he was always alone on this bench that he claimed as his bed because when he'd go to where the rest of them were camped he'd get into fist fights. Anyway, I was walking to work one day and I saw the usual ambulance loading a body into the back. I asked who it was and it was that dude. I thought about him the rest of the day because it was so weird he actually did it and died of a heart attack due to an over dose. He was one of those dudes that people would cross the street if he was on the same sidewalk because he was so offensive. I used to be like "drat, hope this dude goes soon because gently caress this guy." Then he did, and then I was like "Oh poo poo... this is weird."

quote:

Chinese millennials aren’t indebted with student loans.
About 90 % of Chinese households own their homes, and 80 % of these homes are owned without mortgages or any other leans.

Xiao-jie is 21. A senior in college, she is one of six million people who traveled overseas during China’s Golden Week holiday (Oct. 1-7). Japan was her destination. The trip cost about 10,000 yuan (about $1,500), which her parents paid for. As the only child in the family, Xiao-jie gets pretty much everything she wants.

The same is true for her friend who traveled with her.

Xiao-jie and her friend are not alone. According to China National Administration of Tourism, more than 120 million Chinese traveled abroad in 2015, spending $194 billion. About half of those Chinese travelers were millennials–born after the year 1980–and they accounted for two-thirds of Chinese outbound travel spending.

The travel industry is excited to target “wealthy” Chinese millennials. While some Chinese young people are from wealthy families, most of them are not. But compared to Western millennials, they have two significant advantages.

First, Chinese millennials aren’t indebted with student loans. Chinese parents save and spend as much as it takes to send their children to college. For example, Xiao-jie studies fashion design in a college on the outskirts of Hangzhou. Her parents pay for her education. When she graduates from college, she will have no student debt.

Most Chinese college graduates are in the same situation. According to Tuition.io, the average cost of tuition is $2,200 per year–relatively affordable to Chinese families. In addition, Chinese culture shuns borrowing. Student loans are unheard of and unavailable.

This is very different from the American millennial generation. Those in their 20s are overwhelmed with student loans, which amount to some $1.3 trillion. More than seven million student borrowers are in default and millions are still struggling to repay their loans.

Second, many Chinese millennials don’t have housing expenses. About 90 % of Chinese households own their homes, and 80 % of these homes are owned without mortgages or any other leans. For example, Xiao-jie’s family already owns two condominiums. Both were purchased with cash. Xiao-jie’s father works in a state-owned utility company. Her mother is an administrator for a hospital. Though not rich, they are a typical middle class family with a comfortable life.

This situation is not unusual in China. Many people I talked to own multiple homes, which were all bought with cash. Again, culturally, Chinese are not accustomed to financing a home with a mortgage. Also, there are very few financial products on the market. Many Chinese put their cash in real estate, and view it as an investment.

Even some migrant workers own a home. They may not be able to buy a home in the big cities where they work, but they can buy a home in their hometown or village, many of which have grown into cities with millions of residents.

In comparison, American millennials are expected to buy their own homes. Few can afford one. Those who do buy a home spend a big chunk of their income on a mortgage. Aspire to travel? They are restricted in their spending.

That is why Chinese millennials are spenders. Without student loans and mortgages that typically burden Western millennials, Chinese young people spend all of their incomes. Recent research by Professor Michele Geraci at Zhejiang University shows that Chinese under 35 save nothing.

The picture is not all rosy for Chinese millennials. Xiao-jie is starting to worry about finding a job after college. But whether she can find a job or not, she is unlikely to have any harsh financial consequences. Chances are she will live with her parents, which is expected in Chinese families. Or she can live in their second condominium. Thus, she will likely continue to travel even though she is without income.

By 2020, Chinese millennials are expected to reach 300 million strong, compared to 80 million in the U.S. They are the second generation of Chinese consumers. Unlike their parents’ generation, they are less ostentatious and won’t spend several months’ income to buy a Louis Vutton bag. They want to live in the moment and see travel as a way to expand their horizons. However, they are also a diversified group. Some may still travel with groups; others want to seek out individualized experiences. Some will indulge in luxury; others want to focus on family and kids activities.

I can see that Xiao-jie and her friend will be part of this increasingly diversified group of global travelers. This time, they went to Japan with a tourist group. Next time they may stay with Airbnb and learn more about the locals wherever they may be.

Chinese millennials are not all wealthy. But they do have disposable incomes to spend–be it their own or their parents’.

Helen Wang is an award-winning author and expert on China's middle class. Check out her book The Chinese Dream.

Grand Fromage posted:

There was a farmer in China who had grown more cabbages than he needed, so he posted online hey I have extra cabbages, if you're in the neighborhood come get one for free.

The next day people were rolling in with trucks and stealing literally everything on his farm. They took all the cabbages, all the other crops, and were like ransacking his house and poo poo taking anything not nailed down. Huge piles of stuff to go resell. They destroyed his entire life.

Haier posted:

Hahaha, this whole article reads like babby's first introduction to the superiority of 5000 years of Chinese culture. Also reads like something someone who visited China for a weekend would write.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/helenwang/2016/10/09/two-reasons-why-chinese-millennials-have-more-cash-to-burn/#25bec32118f5


I bolded all the dumb poo poo, wrong poo poo, and LOL poo poo. This is like a bad Writing 121 paper. It totally ignores the hundreds of millions of non-middle-class Millennial Chinese who live poo poo lives with poo poo money and rent tiny rooms or live in factory dorms.

Falun Bong Refugee posted:

Those stupid hungry motherfuckers trying to get food. Hahaha. What loving losers.

Haier posted:

Hahaha, this whole article reads like babby's first introduction to the superiority of 5000 years of Chinese culture. Also reads like something someone who visited China for a weekend would write.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/helenwang/2016/10/09/two-reasons-why-chinese-millennials-have-more-cash-to-burn/#25bec32118f5


I bolded all the dumb poo poo, wrong poo poo, and LOL poo poo. This is like a bad Writing 121 paper. It totally ignores the hundreds of millions of non-middle-class Millennial Chinese who live poo poo lives with poo poo money and rent tiny rooms or live in factory dorms.

Grand Fromage posted:

The next day people were rolling in with trucks and stealing literally everything on his farm. They took all the cabbages, all the other crops, and were like ransacking his house and poo poo taking anything not nailed down. Huge piles of stuff to go resell. They destroyed his entire life.

Haier posted:

Hahaha, this whole article reads like babby's first introduction to the superiority of 5000 years of Chinese culture. Also reads like something someone who visited China for a weekend would write.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/helenwang/2016/10/09/two-reasons-why-chinese-millennials-have-more-cash-to-burn/#25bec32118f5


I bolded all the dumb poo poo, wrong poo poo, and LOL poo poo. This is like a bad Writing 121 paper. It totally ignores the hundreds of millions of non-middle-class Millennial Chinese who live poo poo lives with poo poo money and rent tiny rooms or live in factory dorms.

Sheep-Goats posted:

I had a collection of drug addicts and homeless I'd treat (or take to the hospital for a sandwich because they were too drunk to stand and getting them a sandwich made them compliant and honestly we can afford to give the homeless a sandwich from the hospital when the hospital is getting a thousand dollar writeoff for doing literally nothing for them two to three times a week) in NYC. The worst one would poo poo on his wheelchair and sit in his poo poo and get really aggressive with everyone. During my time there he went from 1.5 legs to 1 leg to 0.75 legs. There was another huge dickhead that I actually liked because for the most part he was only aggressive when people wouldn't leave him the gently caress alone to do heroin and lay around in squalor. He od'd in a place where nobody found him until it was too late one day and the resus failed. Almost every medic in the area had given this guy narcan or a full workup at some time or another so it was kind of like a distant relative's death being announced at a big Thanksgiving dinner or something in the day or so after he passed.

BONGHITZ posted:

http://i.imgur.com/58OUvmE.gifv

Fauxtool posted:

comments about it saying he is fake throwing a tantrum to show her how up before she can throw hers. I dont know if i believe that.

THE PWNER posted:

don't worry someone like that would make all the same mistakes about their own country, too. "whats a poor? are u telling me most people in the world are these 'poors?' no way.."

quote:

In writing The Chinese Dream, I interviewed over one hundred people in China and spoke to leading economists and China experts. Because I grew up in China, I have an insider’s view of the cultural and social background of current events in China.
..
My experience of straddling two cultures allows me to transcend some of my limitations and become richer and fuller than I would otherwise have been.

BONGHITZ posted:

http://i.imgur.com/58OUvmE.gifv

Fauxtool posted:

comments about it saying he is fake throwing a tantrum to show her how up before she can throw hers. I dont know if i believe that.

big time bisexual posted:

he's trolling her by taking her saying gǔn (roll) literally

Haier posted:

Haier posted:

So I looked up "CHINA EXPERT HELEN WANG" because of this goofy article and found out she's from a rich family in China and came to the USA in 1989 to get a Masters at Stanford, and then stayed in the US since then as a US citizen. She's worked for some Fortune 500 companies and lives the wealthy life.

Her "insider's view" is definitely limited to rich people in her own circle.

Haier posted:

Haier posted:

It actually brings up a very important point that goes along with how frustrating it is to walk outside, how obnoxious traveling on any type of transport system is, all the road accidents, and how absurd their building and construction is, and a million other examples: They believe, or at least try to believe, that two objects can occupy the exact same space at the exact same time.

Deceitful Penguin posted:

wow, so you're saying the rich upper-middle class liberal generalized from her own experiences and narrow social circle

how unexpected

Dicky mouse posted:

Remember you telling this story like a year ago.

He would get bummed at the narcan saving his live/ killing his high so he kept finding more and more seculded hiding spots to do his shooting.

Sheep-Goats posted:

Every junky hates it when you first pop them out of bliss

Some of them have remarkable aplomb and just kind of apologize for troubling you

If I were them I'd be a real shitfuck about it

I was always really gentle with the narcan, just enough to wake them, IM, unless they were blue or just not breathing

Other medics would get an addict they didn't like and ram the full amp IV -- it's like an instant chemical withdrawal of unimaginable scale

Jimmy Little Balls posted:

most old people in the UK just sit at home being miserable waiting to die.

Dicky mouse posted:

I thought narcan was just the iv form of suboxone and took care of the physicall withdraw symptoms. Im I mistaken?

Haier posted:

Haier posted:

It's just confirming that the original article was dumb and ignorant, jeez.

Deceitful Penguin posted:

Hahaha, sorry dawg, was only teasin'

Here's what I found on my feed about racisms in America 'bout the Chinese, some good stuff in that