How to Control Road Rage in the Wake of Expat's Racist Tirade
Though parking spaces are undeniably rare in our ever gridlocked capital, one high-profile expat is likely wishing that he'd opted for another spot after news broke about him getting into a bitter argument with a Chinese driver, an explosion of rage that has cost him his job.
Rainer Gartner, a German expat working as head of Daimler Trucks and Buses, has been accused of going on a racist tirade after getting in a parking dispute with another driver in the River Garden villa complex in Shunyi.
News reports detailing social media accounts of the incident say the German expat shouted at the other driver: "I've been in China for a year already, and the first thing I learned is that all Chinese are bastards." He then allegedly sprayed one bystander who had joined the argument with pepper spray.
A video reenactment of the incident was posted on the Chinese-language Beijing News this morning.
Click "Read more" for Beijing News' video reenactment of the incident
Daimler released a statement saying that Gartner has since been fired and said the man's actions were not representative of the company's values.
Of course even the best of us -- drivers, passengers, commuters -- fall victim to feeling a bit of road rage on Beijing's frantic streets.
But it's good to keep in mind that Beijing's traffic is not all that different from other overcrowded cities worldwide, and there's no point in losing your cool in a locale like this where smartphone cameras are ubiquitous, and social media traffic is the only thing more vicious than the traffic on the road.
So how to control your road rage in Beijing? Here's some tips:
1. Remember: This is not a "China" thing
Bringing race or culture into it is the first mistake. Americans will tell you what lousy drivers Bostonians are, and ask an Italian about the drivers of Rome. Let's not even talk about what an Indian might say about drivers in Mumbai. Conflict amongst drivers is par for the course in most big cities. And some even find Beijing less stressed out than other major metropolises.
“Honestly I've been driving and I don't see that much rage compared to what I would see in LA or New York,” said AJ Warner, an American who has been driving in Beijing for over a decade. “Actually I found people here much more accepting of 'crazy' driving.”
2. If you're a foreigner, don't expect things to work like home.
Recall that as a foreigner, your expectations of what’s right and wrong – and how traffic disputes will be adjudicated – will likely be radically different from what it’s like at home.
There was a time when Chinese might have deferred to a foreigner out of some combination of either politeness (“you’re a guest here, we should understand if you get easily frustrated), fear (“this guy might be an ambassador and I could get in trouble”) or simply linguistic difficulty (“not worth arguing because I can’t understand what he’s saying”), but these days are no more.
Also recall that despite all its economic and social progress over the past 60 years, a legacy of invasion and colonization by foreigners is not an easy thing to forget, and yeah, a German guy saying "all Chinese are bastards" does in fact bring up memories of bad foreign behavior from a century ago.
3. Keep calm with your favorite music/podcast
QQ Music and podcasting apps have saved my commuting life. Selecting your most calming or energizing music to accompany your commute does wonders to your attitude. Warning: I would suggest leaving the speed metal and raging punk tunes off the playlist.
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