Comments on: The Tale of Adamum and Johnny http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/ Urban Sociology and Urbanism, in China and North America Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:41:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: GnuDoyng http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-2977 GnuDoyng Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:50:14 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-2977 "there is no system of Romanization for the Fuzhou dialect" --Well, that is not quite correct. Check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foochow_Romanized “there is no system of Romanization for the Fuzhou dialect”

–Well, that is not quite correct. Check out this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foochow_Romanized

]]> By: Benjamin Ross http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1183 Benjamin Ross Sun, 03 Jun 2007 08:34:25 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1183 Dezza- I think you might be right about the face thing. More than that I think people might just not want to rock the boat. With such close living and working conditions, any conflict could really wreak havoc on people's every day lives. Dezza-

I think you might be right about the face thing. More than that I think people might just not want to rock the boat. With such close living and working conditions, any conflict could really wreak havoc on people’s every day lives.

]]> By: Harry http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1149 Harry Fri, 01 Jun 2007 05:26:26 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1149 I understand you are trying not to 'rock the boat' but you also shouldn't suppress your personality. Moreover, while this is an experiment to you, it's 'real life' life for the other people involved. If Johnny is annoying and deserves to be scolded you shouldn't refrain... for your sake or his. Perhaps nothing can change Johnny, but certainly nothing will change him if no one ever says anything or calls him out on his annoying behavior. It's unfortunate that he lacks social awareness, and perhaps he always will, but it is almost certain he could learn to be less annoying if the signs were pointed out to him. Whether you address him earnestly and privately or just bitch him out in public it sounds like he needs intervention. Consider it a favor to him. I understand you are trying not to ‘rock the boat’ but you also shouldn’t suppress your personality. Moreover, while this is an experiment to you, it’s ‘real life’ life for the other people involved. If Johnny is annoying and deserves to be scolded you shouldn’t refrain… for your sake or his.

Perhaps nothing can change Johnny, but certainly nothing will change him if no one ever says anything or calls him out on his annoying behavior. It’s unfortunate that he lacks social awareness, and perhaps he always will, but it is almost certain he could learn to be less annoying if the signs were pointed out to him. Whether you address him earnestly and privately or just bitch him out in public it sounds like he needs intervention. Consider it a favor to him.

]]> By: Emil http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1144 Emil Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:15:22 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1144 Hairdressers not being gay? I know a lot of gay chinese guys, and about all of them is hairdressers. And about all the hairdressers here is gay. This is in Hefei, Anhui, so it might be local or something. I dont know Hairdressers not being gay?

I know a lot of gay chinese guys, and about all of them is hairdressers. And about all the hairdressers here is gay. This is in Hefei, Anhui, so it might be local or something. I dont know

]]> By: canrun http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1143 canrun Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:50:45 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1143 Wow. Chattin' about masturbation...reading newspapers...hangin' out...after THREE years?? 我嫉妒你们. Wow. Chattin’ about masturbation…reading newspapers…hangin’ out…after THREE years?? 我嫉妒你们.

]]> By: Jeremy http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1135 Jeremy Thu, 31 May 2007 12:42:38 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1135 canrun, He's been studying the language for three years, and living in a not so big city to boot. That's plenty of time to become fluent in speaking/listening - I bet you know that too. Although it's been six years of Chinese for me, I remember 1 year of classroom + 2 months of a summer immersion program in Shanghai left me with a decent intermediate level of spoken communication, and then after a total of three years of studying (and no time in country except those 2 months above) when I came back to China I could communicate about pretty much whatever, although it was often in a roundabout matter. Immersion would be way quicker than what I experienced - at least for listening/speaking, and Ben has had three years of that. That should be enough for anyone serious about the language to get good in it. Not to say it doesn't take a lot of effort and work. canrun,

He’s been studying the language for three years, and living in a not so big city to boot. That’s plenty of time to become fluent in speaking/listening – I bet you know that too. Although it’s been six years of Chinese for me, I remember 1 year of classroom + 2 months of a summer immersion program in Shanghai left me with a decent intermediate level of spoken communication, and then after a total of three years of studying (and no time in country except those 2 months above) when I came back to China I could communicate about pretty much whatever, although it was often in a roundabout matter.

Immersion would be way quicker than what I experienced – at least for listening/speaking, and Ben has had three years of that. That should be enough for anyone serious about the language to get good in it. Not to say it doesn’t take a lot of effort and work.

]]> By: canrun http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1127 canrun Thu, 31 May 2007 06:23:01 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1127 Ben, You may well have touched on this somewhere else on your blog...but I gotta ask..how the hell did you get to this level of fluency in Chinese to be talking about masturbation, "strings of personal questions", reading newspapers...etc, if you only got here three years ago? This is hellacious language to read and write. It sounds a heck of a lot like Peter Hessler in River Town, who basically makes himself out to be the next coming of Da Christ Shan after one year. I do not mean to suggest that you are doing that, but after living here for darn near six years I don't know that I could do 12 hours a day in non-stop Chinese without my brain exploding. I sincerely ask-what's your background in Chinese? And what the hell is your secret? Ben,
You may well have touched on this somewhere else on your blog…but I gotta ask..how the hell did you get to this level of fluency in Chinese to be talking about masturbation, “strings of personal questions”, reading newspapers…etc, if you only got here three years ago? This is hellacious language to read and write. It sounds a heck of a lot like Peter Hessler in River Town, who basically makes himself out to be the next coming of Da Christ Shan after one year. I do not mean to suggest that you are doing that, but after living here for darn near six years I don’t know that I could do 12 hours a day in non-stop Chinese without my brain exploding. I sincerely ask-what’s your background in Chinese? And what the hell is your secret?

]]> By: mei mei http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1123 mei mei Thu, 31 May 2007 05:10:38 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1123 Most Chinese homosexuals don't come out as homosexuals so most straight people in China are unaware of the existence of homosexual people around them no matter how obvious the traits are to other homosexual people. Also in China most homosexual males end up getting married and have kids to fit in with the social norm. That's why so many middle aged married guys have affairs with other guys. Most Chinese homosexuals don’t come out as homosexuals so most straight people in China are unaware of the existence of homosexual people around them no matter how obvious the traits are to other homosexual people. Also in China most homosexual males end up getting married and have kids to fit in with the social norm. That’s why so many middle aged married guys have affairs with other guys.

]]> By: dezza http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1122 dezza Thu, 31 May 2007 04:39:13 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1122 Hey Ben, not sure if you noticed it and just didn't mention it, but I think the reason there was no overt hostility towards Johnny is because of the other workers giving him face. Had he been a stranger there would have been no face given and there'd probably have been a ruckus a long time ago. What do you think? Hey Ben, not sure if you noticed it and just didn’t mention it, but I think the reason there was no overt hostility towards Johnny is because of the other workers giving him face. Had he been a stranger there would have been no face given and there’d probably have been a ruckus a long time ago. What do you think?

]]> By: Benjamin Ross http://benross.net/wordpress/the-tale-of-adamum-and-johnny/2007/05/30/comment-page-1/#comment-1117 Benjamin Ross Thu, 31 May 2007 01:51:54 +0000 http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=79#comment-1117 Yu- I am quite familiar with this stereotype in the US, however I do not think it applies in China. Granted, gay-dar from a heterosexual male is not an exact science, but I do not think any of my fellow employees are gay, not even Johnny. Hairdressing is not a "fruity" profession as it is often considered to be in the US, and in fact you even get some overly macho types (Adamum) who work it too. Once this stereotype came up in a conversation, and my coworkers were very surprised. In China, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.benross.net/wordpress/?p=66" rel="nofollow">most hairstyling workers are men</a> and there is no association with it being a feminine line of work. Yu-

I am quite familiar with this stereotype in the US, however I do not think it applies in China. Granted, gay-dar from a heterosexual male is not an exact science, but I do not think any of my fellow employees are gay, not even Johnny. Hairdressing is not a “fruity” profession as it is often considered to be in the US, and in fact you even get some overly macho types (Adamum) who work it too. Once this stereotype came up in a conversation, and my coworkers were very surprised. In China, most hairstyling workers are men and there is no association with it being a feminine line of work.

]]>