Hungry Shanghai Man Suggests 'Eating' Their Black Neighbor
▲Click above to subscribe 点击上方蓝字关注我们
► With food shortages becoming an issue, and people getting hungry, one person in the neighbors group chat suggested to others that they eat their black neighbor who is living on the 7th floor.
In the midst of the lockdown chaos in Shanghai, one bizarre and disturbing WeChat exchange from one of the now-common building groups that have been set up went viral. In it, a man suggested eating his black neighbor.
We reached out to the man at the center of it, an American international teacher from Chicago named Jacobie Kinsey, to get his take on the incident.
▲Jacobie Kinsey| Credit: ThatsMag
Did you know ‘504’ before he posted about eating you in the group?
Not really, I only had brief interactions with him (2 or 3 times) when my community were doing nucleic acid tests for everyone.
What was your initial reaction when he suggested eating you?
To be honest, a part of me thought it was a joke and another part of me thought that he could be serious, especially during this time in Shanghai.
How did you take the comment?
I took the comment being moreso ignorant than being racist. Unfortunately, in China, some people do not know that comments like this have racist undertones.
Did you address that with ‘504’?
I addressed the situation with him and my building’s group chat.
And how did those conversations go?
I think the conversations went well; he was understanding about my opinion regarding the situation.
How would you say your relationship with ‘504’ is now?
I think the relationship between us is a mutual respect type of relationship. No ill/hard feelings towards each other.
Do you know how the screenshots started getting shared about?
I suspect a person from the group chat shared it with a friend of theirs, and that friend probably shared it to another friend.
How did you feel once you found out it had all gone viral?
I didn’t know how to feel in that moment. I was surprised about it.
What do you think about the memes that have been made?
I think they are hilarious; the people that made them are creative and have a great sense of humor!
Have you received any support for how you handled the situation?
Yes, I have received tremendous support about my response from loved ones, friends and strangers via text messages, WeChat messages, Instagram messages, LinkedIn messages and Facebook messages.
Have you received any criticism at all?
No, not really
Business minded people were quick to create ways to profit on the viral meme, some clothes were seen sold on the internet with a "#DontEatMe" hashtag and some emojis below it. Some people suggested that it might be Jacobie selling them, but he refuted the rumor.
Is it you selling the #DontEatMe t-shirts?
Hahaha, no it’s not me.
Reflecting on the whole incident, is there a message would you like to get out there?
This incident has given much relief to many of us during this lockdown. I loved that people found laughter and joy from it.
I am also conscious that this has created conversations about race relations here in Shanghai and China as a whole. I would like for EVERYONE to continue to grow and learn about others that are different from them.
Remember, humans have more similarities than differences with each other. Let’s continue to spread positivity, peace and love.
Memes About the Incident
The Two Are Getting Along Well
Netizens found the whole exchange funny, but agreed that the joke was not so appropriate in intercultural communication sense, especially in a developed, multicultural city like Shanghai.
Someone had to write a whole article explaining why "Guangdong people like to eat Fujian people."
But they also explained that it is because Chinese people normally make such jokes among themselves, citing a famous joke that "People from Guangdong (Cantonese) like to eat Fujian people" as an example.
Still, this is another example showing when not to cross the limit, even if you meant it to be just a joke. Jacobie obviously handled the whole situation well and with maturity.
But switch Jacobie with Will Smith and the whole issue would have gone south real fast.
Idiom of the Day
Idiom: Go south
Meaning:
-To escape; to vanish or disappear. (Not necessarily in a southerly direction.)
E.g.: Everyone in the gang went south when they learned that the police had discovered their hideout.
-To fall or drop; to depreciate; to lose quality or value. (Especially related to finances or stock exchanges.)
E.g.: The company's stock profile continued going south for the third day in a row today.
-To cease working or functioning; to quit, fail, or fall apart.
E.g.: Talks between the labor union and the construction firm went south yesterday, so it looks like workers will be on strike again soon.
Citation: Farlex Dictionary of Idioms, Thatsmag
Contributions will be appreciated！
欢迎投稿！
▲ QQ Group
▲ Official Account