kage genin
Member
Hi everybody, my wife and I are living in Beijing, China and wanted to share what we witnessed yesterday morning.
Yesterday my wife and I were walking to go buy some breakfast when we pass by a bus stop where a bus is stopped, jam-packed full of passengers, with the doors open and some young man shouting. Apparently what was going on was somebody on the bus pickpocketed the cell phone of this young guy, and the young guy demanded that the bus be held until his phone was recovered. What follows was a source of endless laughter (and disbelieving head-shaking) for my wife and I for the rest of the day.
Young man is heard shouting out "Who stole my cell phone? Whoever stole it, give it back to me!". "If you don't give it back, nobody on the bus can leave!".
Chinese people in general won't stand in the way of catching a potential thief (they are universally hated here), so nobody on the bus moved. I spotted right away a man in a red jacket on the bus who just seemed 'not right'. Mentioned to my wife, "I think that's the guy who stole the phone" to which my wife said "Me too."
I watched with growing unbelief as, after a bit of fidgeting, red-jacket guy steps off the bus. Young guy stops him and says "hey, nobody can leave" to which Red Jacket guy says "Oh, I just got on the bus." (a flat out LIE, Red Jacket was standing on the bus right behind young guy! Who else could have pickpocketed him but the people standing right next to him in a packed-like-sardines crowded bus?!)... Young guy lets Red Jacket guy go. My wife and I and other bystanders start shouting to Young guy "That's the guy! You're letting him go! He's the one who took your phone!!" but Young guy says "He said he just got on the bus":banghead:
My wife and I watch as red-jacket guy starts walking, then picks up the pace to a run as another bus pulls into the stop. He gets on the bus as soon as the doors open. All this time, stupid young guy is still saying "Whoever stole my phone, give it back to me"
After Red Jacket's bus drove away, Young guy's bus was tired of waiting around (there was a bus load of passengers going to work) and took off, leaving stupid Young guy to question why the theif didn't identify himself and hand the phone back to him, pat him on the back, and wish him a good day
My wife and I have NO DOUBT that red jacket guy was the thief. What action, if any, would you have taken if you were in our shoes? I'm proud of my wife for also spotting the Red Jacket guy right away. We were so disgusted at the utter ineptitude of Young guy that we feel no regret at all for not doing more to help him (well, we DID shout out and point at red jacket guy, and my wife did ask Young guy directly "Why are you letting him go?"). I don't think there's anything else we should have done.
Yesterday my wife and I were walking to go buy some breakfast when we pass by a bus stop where a bus is stopped, jam-packed full of passengers, with the doors open and some young man shouting. Apparently what was going on was somebody on the bus pickpocketed the cell phone of this young guy, and the young guy demanded that the bus be held until his phone was recovered. What follows was a source of endless laughter (and disbelieving head-shaking) for my wife and I for the rest of the day.
Young man is heard shouting out "Who stole my cell phone? Whoever stole it, give it back to me!". "If you don't give it back, nobody on the bus can leave!".
Chinese people in general won't stand in the way of catching a potential thief (they are universally hated here), so nobody on the bus moved. I spotted right away a man in a red jacket on the bus who just seemed 'not right'. Mentioned to my wife, "I think that's the guy who stole the phone" to which my wife said "Me too."
I watched with growing unbelief as, after a bit of fidgeting, red-jacket guy steps off the bus. Young guy stops him and says "hey, nobody can leave" to which Red Jacket guy says "Oh, I just got on the bus." (a flat out LIE, Red Jacket was standing on the bus right behind young guy! Who else could have pickpocketed him but the people standing right next to him in a packed-like-sardines crowded bus?!)... Young guy lets Red Jacket guy go. My wife and I and other bystanders start shouting to Young guy "That's the guy! You're letting him go! He's the one who took your phone!!" but Young guy says "He said he just got on the bus":banghead:
My wife and I watch as red-jacket guy starts walking, then picks up the pace to a run as another bus pulls into the stop. He gets on the bus as soon as the doors open. All this time, stupid young guy is still saying "Whoever stole my phone, give it back to me"
After Red Jacket's bus drove away, Young guy's bus was tired of waiting around (there was a bus load of passengers going to work) and took off, leaving stupid Young guy to question why the theif didn't identify himself and hand the phone back to him, pat him on the back, and wish him a good day
My wife and I have NO DOUBT that red jacket guy was the thief. What action, if any, would you have taken if you were in our shoes? I'm proud of my wife for also spotting the Red Jacket guy right away. We were so disgusted at the utter ineptitude of Young guy that we feel no regret at all for not doing more to help him (well, we DID shout out and point at red jacket guy, and my wife did ask Young guy directly "Why are you letting him go?"). I don't think there's anything else we should have done.
