Had to go to YVR yesterday. Traffic jams, 25 dollar an hour parking. Homicidal hacks, suicidally incompetent motorists. Thats just normal. What came next has me really thinking hard and for real about renouncing my citizenship and emigrating elsewhere.
I had time to spare, and had enough of getting shoved and elbowed and my feet trod on; so went out front to find a smoking pit and hack a butt. Young Asian gentleman drops his butt on the ground by his right foot. Ash can stands by his left foot. Did not even have to move to reach it, but no. Drop it on the ground.
OK. Big deal. In the grand scheme of things; who cares. Its a ciggi dib. What annoyed me was that the proper recepticle was right by is left hand. Its lazy, its rude.
So I walked slowly over, caught his eye, and nudged his butt with my toe. He puts me on ignore. Instead of grabbing him by the ipod and giving him a good jerk(my first instinct) I slooowly picked up his butt, gave it back to him, and pointed at the ash can untill he got the message and disposed of the butt in the proper recepticle, and carried on with my day. No words were exchanged, as my Cantonese is surely worse than his English.
9 minutes latter, the hand lands on my shoulder. I am confronted with 5 cops, 4 battons and one taser drawn. And, if any one is keeping score, 3 south asian cops, 2 asian cops. We are a multi-cultural, inclusive society, after all.
Apparently, this exchange was witnessed by a airport greeter who felt this exchange was threatening (though the litter bug in quetion seemed to be blissfully oblivious to his own exsistence) and felt compelled to scramble the uniformed pugilist squad to redress the situation.(quotations are the nice policeman's words for word) I was subjected to the usual intimidation, bluster, profanity, threatened with jail, and sternly admonished. My ID was demanded, and my information collected for inclusion in the 'unfavorable police interaction' database. The upshot was: according to the most beligerent cop, its 'not my f#&*!%# place to say anything'. Its 'bad for tourisim' when the 'locals' 'subject guests to abuse'. Do it again and I'll 'be sorry I was ever born' and 'You white bas@%$&! (I'm not wholly caucasian, BTY) think you own the place!'
!!!!
Wow. I'm not sure what to think. Filling a complaint is a waste of time up here. I guess I should be relieved that the nice guy with the gun has shown me the error of my ways, and has shown me in my proper place in my country.
Maybe Austrailia would have me.
I had time to spare, and had enough of getting shoved and elbowed and my feet trod on; so went out front to find a smoking pit and hack a butt. Young Asian gentleman drops his butt on the ground by his right foot. Ash can stands by his left foot. Did not even have to move to reach it, but no. Drop it on the ground.
OK. Big deal. In the grand scheme of things; who cares. Its a ciggi dib. What annoyed me was that the proper recepticle was right by is left hand. Its lazy, its rude.
So I walked slowly over, caught his eye, and nudged his butt with my toe. He puts me on ignore. Instead of grabbing him by the ipod and giving him a good jerk(my first instinct) I slooowly picked up his butt, gave it back to him, and pointed at the ash can untill he got the message and disposed of the butt in the proper recepticle, and carried on with my day. No words were exchanged, as my Cantonese is surely worse than his English.
9 minutes latter, the hand lands on my shoulder. I am confronted with 5 cops, 4 battons and one taser drawn. And, if any one is keeping score, 3 south asian cops, 2 asian cops. We are a multi-cultural, inclusive society, after all.
Apparently, this exchange was witnessed by a airport greeter who felt this exchange was threatening (though the litter bug in quetion seemed to be blissfully oblivious to his own exsistence) and felt compelled to scramble the uniformed pugilist squad to redress the situation.(quotations are the nice policeman's words for word) I was subjected to the usual intimidation, bluster, profanity, threatened with jail, and sternly admonished. My ID was demanded, and my information collected for inclusion in the 'unfavorable police interaction' database. The upshot was: according to the most beligerent cop, its 'not my f#&*!%# place to say anything'. Its 'bad for tourisim' when the 'locals' 'subject guests to abuse'. Do it again and I'll 'be sorry I was ever born' and 'You white bas@%$&! (I'm not wholly caucasian, BTY) think you own the place!'
!!!!
Wow. I'm not sure what to think. Filling a complaint is a waste of time up here. I guess I should be relieved that the nice guy with the gun has shown me the error of my ways, and has shown me in my proper place in my country.
Maybe Austrailia would have me.