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I Took 12 Pics Of Regular Chinese People To Stop Prejudice And Show That They’re Like All Of Us
I have been living in the Southern Chinese city of Shenzhen for exactly ten years now. During that time, this magnificent country has experienced untold amounts of change: industrialization, urbanization, technology, the construction of mega-cities, and more. The early part of each year is usually a time for family and a celebration of new beginnings. Still, this year the streets have been deserted, and the new year has been marred with the devastating worldwide Coronavirus. Along with the natural feelings of fear and confusion, this has also somehow generated a much less natural emotion, the emotion of prejudice. Every day more and more stories from around the globe are showing us all the darker side of human nature.
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To most, China is an unknown and mysterious place, and unfortunately, many people are quick to demonize something they don’t understand. My past decade in this profoundly fascinating country has taught me many things, and one that appropriately comes to mind now is just how similar we all are. All around the planet, people wake up, go to work, care about their families, and try to do their best to find their place in the world. Five years ago, I bought a camera and began my journey into photography. I hope these few pictures can help demystify something here, that we are all just regular people who wake up and go to work, go about their day, and do their best.
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TheCutestDeer 4 years ago
(I forgot where I read this but) many immigrants who move into the US can't find a proper job, so they get jobs that have to do with labor.... And many people don't realize that not only US citizens shape the US, but also other people... (perhaps it was in the past, but IDK)
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What do you think ?
Mark Ramsay 4 years ago
I have nothing against Chinese people as a whole. Sadly the place is the largest polluters in the world, one of the worst places for animal cruelty, who will eat anything including human fetuses (yep that is genuinely a thing) and run by the worst type of governments and systems known to us humans. Oh and have caused mayhem and suffering of neighboring countries. I know it isn't the citizens that are at fault, they live under constant surveillance and scrutiny it is unreal, but those at the top could have saved lives by not doing a typical communist-socialist thing by covering up a virus which is now an epidemic. China really needs a new government after this because this will happen again. Or worse.
Biljana Malesevic 4 years ago (edited)
I like eastern culture, I like every nation on Earth. But some of their customs, I really really hate!!! I can't stand...wait, that is too lightly said, I really really hate and despise and it makes me horrified that Yulin festival and I need to see it stopped forever. While eating animal y meat is something we all do, torturing animals "for better meat" or worse "fun" is NOT acceptable, nor it will ever be, especially dogs! Mind you, I am against slaughterhouses and animals bred to be food only, if we need to eat meat, we can do it with some respect to animals. While there are many people in China who are Chinese and want to ban this horrible "festival" and Chinese people who bought hundreds of dogs to save them, this custom is still there. So, please, just stop animal cruelty forever. DOn't eat live animals, don't torture them, just be merciful. This is not against China, but this particular custom which even people in there want to be banned forever.
Load More Replies...
Up All Night 4 years ago
I think there is a Chinese saying that goes somewhat like "we eat everything with legs except the furniture". I respect the non-pickiness when it comes to hard times, but butchering street animals (from rats to cats and dogs) that can have every illness possible is another thing, not to mention wildlife.
Load More Replies...
Kenny Kulbiski 4 years ago
In November 2017 there was an article about Chinese " wet markets " and the origin of bird flu. It describes them basically as a Petri dish for crossover viruses. Nothing was ever done and guess what? While I don't blame the ordinary Chinese person it's somebody's fault and whoever it is lives in China.
Christine M Quigley 4 years ago
I think most people would agree it's not the Chinese people per se, it's their government. It seems the Chinese government is only interested in controlling the people, not doing what is best for them, and the environment. They have no interest in cleaning up their environment, and that may be their downfall. This corona virus is a perfect example of what happens when you have no sanitation standards. Their government doesn't wish to spend the money to clean up their act.
Human #1,232,867 4 years ago (edited)
Yes, their government told them to get live animal at fresh market. That he CCP who force citizen them to eat dogs and cats...
Load More Replies...
Daria B 4 years ago (edited)
These photos are beautiful, and I appreciate the intention behind the series. However, personally, I think the grayscale kind of ruins it because, without colours, we get a distancing effect. Now, artistically, this is spot on, in the sense of social distancing, virus themed, also because, these were meant for an audience of the parts of the world that see China as "the country far away". But then, again, colours kind of make us closer to the subject, so it would work better to achieve the empathy effect. That's just my opinion, though, made from various observations. Keep up the good work.
Jay Lambeth (Post author) 4 years ago
Hi Daria, many thanks for your feedback and your observations on the shots. I was also pondering whether to use colour or B&W, But I decided I'll use colour for my next post, hopefully when things have brightened up somewhat. I really appreciate your comment, and please take care and stay safe! All the very best, Jay.
Load More Replies...
Jim Ellington 4 years ago
Wonderful photographs, but this could be done in almost any nation. What is the point?
Jay Lambeth (Post author) 4 years ago
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment, and the only real "point" to them is to somewhat demystify how some people in western countries see the people of China and the prejudice they are experiencing currently. We are all the same deep down, so this is just a very simple post to show that amid this terrible time. All the best, Jay.
Load More Replies...
Fenja Martina 4 years ago
I don´t hate Chinese people. You can be Chinese, look Chinese, speak chinese, all you want, I honestly don´t give a f**k, and still I have a huge problem with China. The animal cruelty that is a daily and socially widely accepted reality in China exceeds anything that most of us westeners could even imagine. If a fictional movie was made that contained even a fraction of the atrocities that are committed against animals every day in China, the larger part of western society would not even get to see that movie until it was heavily censored. Yes, greed and convenience make westeners mistreat animals, too, but the gut wrenching truth is that compared to what animals, ranging from stray cats and dogs to excotic wildlife have to endure in China, even our western factory farming looks like a walk in the park. And yes, I know that it is actually very bad, I have not eaten meat in over 20 years because I know what it is like.
RavenPuffPanda 4 years ago
Translation: China responsible for global pandemic
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Invisible User 4 years ago
Oh f**k off! What has China ever done other than polute, abuse animals, abuse human rights, create hostility & infect us all? Why now are all the virtue signalling idiots supporting this communist shitshow?
George 4 years ago
There would be far less defense of China if a democrat were in the White House. But the fact that "bad orange man" has referenced the true origin of the pandemic means that CNN and everyone else even slightly left of center is obligated to pounce on it. Before the virus reached US soil it was absolutely commonplace for reporters on CNN to refer to it as "the Chinese virus" or "the Wuhan flu." But now those same reporters claim it is racist for Trump to say the very same phrases they themselves had previously used. I'm not pretending that the government has been perfect in a response to the pandemic, but the democrats and the media have been absolutely disgusting in their attempts to use this situation as just another ploy to likable Trump as a racist.
Load More Replies... kowi_gal 4 years ago
All the comments here are exactly why Asians living around the world are trying so hard to stop people calling it China Virus. Some people in every culture eat weird s**t, not just Chinese or Asians as a whole (because so many people never bother to differentiate Asians anyway). I was shocked to hear that there is a tradition among hunters in Western cultures to eat the raw heart of the first deer they catch. SOME Americans eat bear meat (which is highly risky because of the parasites), alligator meat, snake meat etc. SOME Australians eat kangaroo meat. What the rest of the world fails to realise is that no-one should generalise a whole culture/race because of what a very small percentage of people choose to eat. It's not "Asian culture" to eat bats and other uncommon wild animals. Don't dismiss this issue as "oh it's just calling it as it is, I would never actively discriminate Asians because of this virus!" because there are plenty of a******s that will, and you will be the bystander
What Does The Fugly Say 4 years ago
Even setting the sick dietary habits that let this virus loose in the first place, calling it the "China virus" is simply a reference to where it came from. Know why we gave "Ebola" its name? Because that's where it came from. And MERS? The ME stands for "Middle East" because, well, figure it out. And the Spanish Flu? Because that's where it ravaged a populace first. It's not hard to figure out, and all of you PC idiots using this as an opportunity to virtue signal or accuse the orange man of being racist are just demonstrating how f*****g r******d y'all are. Of course this comment will get down votes because you can't handle the truth. But I'd suggest you start working on real solutions instead of just virtue signaling.
Load More Replies...
Chris DiFonso 4 years ago
Jay, thank you for posting this. "People are people so why should it be / You and I should get along so awfully?... /And you're shouting at me / I'm relying on your common decency... / I can't understand What makes a man hate another man? / Help me understand" (Depeche Mode)
Jay Lambeth (Post author) 4 years ago
Many thanks Chris, we are all people living under the same stars and the same sky. And I love a bit of Depeche Mode too ;)
Load More Replies...
deanna woods 4 years ago
I am quite certain that the Chinese people are good people. It's their government that is the problem. Instead of trying to save face, they should have let the world know what's going on. However, I believe that this could happen in any society that has a dictatorship in power.
Meyer Weinstock 4 years ago
Kudos to you and your photography. As a retired history professor, I would often remind students that the people around the world, throughout time, were generally more similar than different. For example, if I mentioned the Biblical warfare of the Israelites, I would take the side of the Canaanites, postulating, " Did they not deserve a life led in their own fashion? Did Canaanite fathers love their children any less than Israelite fathers?" As a Native American who was adopted and raised by European-Americans in California, I have always seen the good in the Other. We should all do this. -Rev Dr M
DaVo 4 years ago
translate: My great and glorious country will soon release the plague to the world again, and you will suffer again
Load More Replies...
Mark Ramsay 4 years ago
I have nothing against Chinese people as a whole. Sadly the place is the largest polluters in the world, one of the worst places for animal cruelty, who will eat anything including human fetuses (yep that is genuinely a thing) and run by the worst type of governments and systems known to us humans. Oh and have caused mayhem and suffering of neighboring countries. I know it isn't the citizens that are at fault, they live under constant surveillance and scrutiny it is unreal, but those at the top could have saved lives by not doing a typical communist-socialist thing by covering up a virus which is now an epidemic. China really needs a new government after this because this will happen again. Or worse.
Biljana Malesevic 4 years ago (edited)
I like eastern culture, I like every nation on Earth. But some of their customs, I really really hate!!! I can't stand...wait, that is too lightly said, I really really hate and despise and it makes me horrified that Yulin festival and I need to see it stopped forever. While eating animal y meat is something we all do, torturing animals "for better meat" or worse "fun" is NOT acceptable, nor it will ever be, especially dogs! Mind you, I am against slaughterhouses and animals bred to be food only, if we need to eat meat, we can do it with some respect to animals. While there are many people in China who are Chinese and want to ban this horrible "festival" and Chinese people who bought hundreds of dogs to save them, this custom is still there. So, please, just stop animal cruelty forever. DOn't eat live animals, don't torture them, just be merciful. This is not against China, but this particular custom which even people in there want to be banned forever.
Load More Replies... Up All Night 4 years ago
I think there is a Chinese saying that goes somewhat like "we eat everything with legs except the furniture". I respect the non-pickiness when it comes to hard times, but butchering street animals (from rats to cats and dogs) that can have every illness possible is another thing, not to mention wildlife.
Load More Replies... Kenny Kulbiski 4 years ago
In November 2017 there was an article about Chinese " wet markets " and the origin of bird flu. It describes them basically as a Petri dish for crossover viruses. Nothing was ever done and guess what? While I don't blame the ordinary Chinese person it's somebody's fault and whoever it is lives in China.
Christine M Quigley 4 years ago
I think most people would agree it's not the Chinese people per se, it's their government. It seems the Chinese government is only interested in controlling the people, not doing what is best for them, and the environment. They have no interest in cleaning up their environment, and that may be their downfall. This corona virus is a perfect example of what happens when you have no sanitation standards. Their government doesn't wish to spend the money to clean up their act.
Human #1,232,867 4 years ago (edited)
Yes, their government told them to get live animal at fresh market. That he CCP who force citizen them to eat dogs and cats...
Load More Replies... Daria B 4 years ago (edited)
These photos are beautiful, and I appreciate the intention behind the series. However, personally, I think the grayscale kind of ruins it because, without colours, we get a distancing effect. Now, artistically, this is spot on, in the sense of social distancing, virus themed, also because, these were meant for an audience of the parts of the world that see China as "the country far away". But then, again, colours kind of make us closer to the subject, so it would work better to achieve the empathy effect. That's just my opinion, though, made from various observations. Keep up the good work.
Jay Lambeth (Post author) 4 years ago
Hi Daria, many thanks for your feedback and your observations on the shots. I was also pondering whether to use colour or B&W, But I decided I'll use colour for my next post, hopefully when things have brightened up somewhat. I really appreciate your comment, and please take care and stay safe! All the very best, Jay.
Load More Replies... Jim Ellington 4 years ago
Wonderful photographs, but this could be done in almost any nation. What is the point?
Jay Lambeth (Post author) 4 years ago
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment, and the only real "point" to them is to somewhat demystify how some people in western countries see the people of China and the prejudice they are experiencing currently. We are all the same deep down, so this is just a very simple post to show that amid this terrible time. All the best, Jay.
Load More Replies... Fenja Martina 4 years ago
I don´t hate Chinese people. You can be Chinese, look Chinese, speak chinese, all you want, I honestly don´t give a f**k, and still I have a huge problem with China. The animal cruelty that is a daily and socially widely accepted reality in China exceeds anything that most of us westeners could even imagine. If a fictional movie was made that contained even a fraction of the atrocities that are committed against animals every day in China, the larger part of western society would not even get to see that movie until it was heavily censored. Yes, greed and convenience make westeners mistreat animals, too, but the gut wrenching truth is that compared to what animals, ranging from stray cats and dogs to excotic wildlife have to endure in China, even our western factory farming looks like a walk in the park. And yes, I know that it is actually very bad, I have not eaten meat in over 20 years because I know what it is like.
RavenPuffPanda 4 years ago
Translation: China responsible for global pandemic
Load More Replies... Invisible User 4 years ago
Oh f**k off! What has China ever done other than polute, abuse animals, abuse human rights, create hostility & infect us all? Why now are all the virtue signalling idiots supporting this communist shitshow?
George 4 years ago
There would be far less defense of China if a democrat were in the White House. But the fact that "bad orange man" has referenced the true origin of the pandemic means that CNN and everyone else even slightly left of center is obligated to pounce on it. Before the virus reached US soil it was absolutely commonplace for reporters on CNN to refer to it as "the Chinese virus" or "the Wuhan flu." But now those same reporters claim it is racist for Trump to say the very same phrases they themselves had previously used. I'm not pretending that the government has been perfect in a response to the pandemic, but the democrats and the media have been absolutely disgusting in their attempts to use this situation as just another ploy to likable Trump as a racist.
Load More Replies... kowi_gal 4 years ago
All the comments here are exactly why Asians living around the world are trying so hard to stop people calling it China Virus. Some people in every culture eat weird s**t, not just Chinese or Asians as a whole (because so many people never bother to differentiate Asians anyway). I was shocked to hear that there is a tradition among hunters in Western cultures to eat the raw heart of the first deer they catch. SOME Americans eat bear meat (which is highly risky because of the parasites), alligator meat, snake meat etc. SOME Australians eat kangaroo meat. What the rest of the world fails to realise is that no-one should generalise a whole culture/race because of what a very small percentage of people choose to eat. It's not "Asian culture" to eat bats and other uncommon wild animals. Don't dismiss this issue as "oh it's just calling it as it is, I would never actively discriminate Asians because of this virus!" because there are plenty of a******s that will, and you will be the bystander
What Does The Fugly Say 4 years ago
Even setting the sick dietary habits that let this virus loose in the first place, calling it the "China virus" is simply a reference to where it came from. Know why we gave "Ebola" its name? Because that's where it came from. And MERS? The ME stands for "Middle East" because, well, figure it out. And the Spanish Flu? Because that's where it ravaged a populace first. It's not hard to figure out, and all of you PC idiots using this as an opportunity to virtue signal or accuse the orange man of being racist are just demonstrating how f*****g r******d y'all are. Of course this comment will get down votes because you can't handle the truth. But I'd suggest you start working on real solutions instead of just virtue signaling.
Load More Replies... Chris DiFonso 4 years ago
Jay, thank you for posting this. "People are people so why should it be / You and I should get along so awfully?... /And you're shouting at me / I'm relying on your common decency... / I can't understand What makes a man hate another man? / Help me understand" (Depeche Mode)
Jay Lambeth (Post author) 4 years ago
Many thanks Chris, we are all people living under the same stars and the same sky. And I love a bit of Depeche Mode too ;)
Load More Replies... deanna woods 4 years ago
I am quite certain that the Chinese people are good people. It's their government that is the problem. Instead of trying to save face, they should have let the world know what's going on. However, I believe that this could happen in any society that has a dictatorship in power.
Meyer Weinstock 4 years ago
Kudos to you and your photography. As a retired history professor, I would often remind students that the people around the world, throughout time, were generally more similar than different. For example, if I mentioned the Biblical warfare of the Israelites, I would take the side of the Canaanites, postulating, " Did they not deserve a life led in their own fashion? Did Canaanite fathers love their children any less than Israelite fathers?" As a Native American who was adopted and raised by European-Americans in California, I have always seen the good in the Other. We should all do this. -Rev Dr M
DaVo 4 years ago
translate: My great and glorious country will soon release the plague to the world again, and you will suffer again
Load More Replies...
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