Riddle me this
We have this whacky story in the paper today about how a guy sparked terror in the suburb of Beacon Bay when he started painting messages in Chinese over bridges and other surfaces in the neighbourhood.
Some people thought they were "gangster messages". Others apparently anticipated a Chinese invasion.
So what were they? Well, they were Zhong an Niu's direction to his home were he was offering.....bean curd or tofu for sale.
The poor guy was really embarrassed at the consternation his scribbles caused and said he did not know it was wrong to paint them on public surfaces.
Well, of course everyone forgives him and the story makes for a great morning chuckle. But isn't it alarming how deep our prejudice runs? If writing in Chinese appears on our walls their must be something sinister about it, there must be triads involved and so on?
If people start writing in Russian on our walls will we automatically think that the Russian mafia has hit town?
What do Chinese people in China think if they see graffiti in english on their walls? That the Evil English have arrived?
January 24th, 2008 - 14:48
maybe i should go to Groot Marico and scribble something in Xhosa on a Dam Wall