Unbelievable

What's an AYI?

That is unbelievable, especially for the club to have the balls and post it on their website!

Are ayi sub-human now?

Don't these people realize, without ayi, their lives would not be so luxurious?!

I am waiting for one of them ayi get too tired from working all day and refuse to give up her seat.

Chinese Rosa Parks, where are you?

My Ayi was a local Shanghainese woman. When she came to work for me, she told me she was embarrassed to be an Ayi because people look down on her.

So I never called her an Ayi in private or in public and treated her with respect. As a result she went the extra mile for me and did the job the best that she could.

With time, hopefully, these "discrminatory" practices will stop.

I think this is totally fine, and the comparison with Montomgery specious at best. We are talking here about a PRIVATE transportation service operated by a PRIVATE company for its paying customers. It's not a public bus service and it's nothing to do with discrimination.

P.S. Bleeding-heart ayi sympathisers. It's a Market Economy in China now in case you hadn't noticed (Chinese characteristics or otherwise). There is supply, and there is demand, and there is a market for ayis. If ayi doesn't like being an ayi, then she can always get onto a bus and go straight back to the far corner of Anhui whence she came; there are plenty of her fellow villagers bustin' to get out of there and into her spot on the back seats of the Shanghai Racquet Club bus.

Same as in Honkers. Apartment complexes have signs saying "No Dogs or Domestic Helpers Allowed in the Recreayion Area/Lifts etc". Remind you of that mythical sign in the park in old Shanghai?

It is a private bus, but this business with "the back of the bus" is still offensive.

dawanr: so it's okay to treat people with less respect than they deserve just because their occupation is domestic duties?

Notwithstanding the club concerned is a private company, the rules ought to be criticised because they treat others like second-class citizens.

The existence of a market economy is one thing; the merits of company policy is another. Just because international companies exploit sweatshop labour, it does follow that sweatshop conditions are morally-correct.

Damn you and your laissez-faire.

I personally don't want to ride the bus, especially with people who are stupid enough to see me as somehow "less" than them.

Solution to the problem? Buy your own fucking car and the hell with hanging out with bigots.

How hard is that?

Dear Mr. Dawanr, even if I come from Anhui province, and even if your bus is private, I still think that this kind of, er...'regulation' is rather distasteful and a tiny bit offensive to my category.
I will make sure that next time I fold your underpants, I'll smear them with hot chili from my hometown.

In the past those stupid whites think they are first-class citizen and they should take the front seat on the bus, now they know they are wrong. Now a days those stupid rich people( or they think they are rich) in China have to learn the same thing. What a shame!

Not to pile on Dawanr but I could not help myself- consider it this way- 2 examples (I will not make any assumptions about whether you are Chinese or Western). 1.) If you are Chinese, it was not so long ago that you were second citizens in many countries- Europe, Brazil, Peru, America. Some are even institutionalized- such as the Chinese Exclusion Act in the USA or the inability to be naturalized in Germany or Japan, although you may have been born there. 2.) If you are white- welcome to China. You will get certain opportunities because you are a westerner but good luck getting into the midst of the inner circle of society. You will always be considered an outsider by virtue of your skin. Welcome to the new racism.

So how do you combat this- start with yourself- be evenhanded. In addition, being graceful when dealing with people younger or less fortunate than you stays with others longer than you realize. Over the last 7 years, I had the unique opportunity to spend time with one of the world's top placement experts- She places top CEOs, board members, etc. She points out that the ungraceful attitude catches up with candidates and her clients steer clear of those people. It creates an unhealthy work environment. And, if you hide it, it will still come out- sooner or later. Ultimately, people with this ungraceful, insecure, and immature attitude get pushed out or cut from advancement.

So, the result of this rant is the following: treating people such as ayis in this ungraceful way is inappropriate from a social/cultural perspective but, if you are so selfish to discount this, think of your own interests- it affects your career and thus your pocketbook.

So, step out of the gutter and learn some grace, it will help...

Amercian so bad !

why did del my comment?

The AYIs are lucky to get free transport to and from work...if I had my way they would walk!

OK, so to put things straight:

The company is providing a free ride to Ayi's which is nice. However, the could have been a bit more sensitive and phrase their bus-riding instructions differently.

A free market needs a system of social and moral values in order to survive. The Chinese history is as good an example of this as anything.

where did you see it's free ? not only it's not, but they must show the uthorization of their boss to take this racist bus.
Anyway, the SRCA has just deleted from the website, the ugliest part of its transportation rules. Looks like they recovered part of their brain.

And this is the real beauty of the market economy - do it as long as you can get away with it. Once you get caught, erase evidence and proceed as usual.

Shanghai's pompous middle-class don't want to sit next to Anhui a-yi's. They want to be in first class! I'm sure the a-yi's would be happy to mingle together at the rear end. In other words, no need for the rules, the two people would have seprates themselves out of choice.

Dear sir/Ms:
I'm jark from Shanghai Morning Post.We're really interesting about this case,shall we contact you and make an interview?We are now in a hurry.
Thanks a lot!
My MP Number:13918216660
Office:63521111-1897(Mandarin speaking operator)

"It's a Market Economy in China now in case you hadn't noticed"

that's exactly right. but the conclusion i draw from that is not that people are worth as much as they can sell themselves for on the labor market, but that there's something fundamentally wrong with market economies. exploitation, inequality, dehumanization. market economies make people like dawanr think it's okay to treat people like commodities.

there is a better way. central planning was just as undesirable as markets. but what about a democratic economy based on cooperation and equality? check it out: www.parecon.org

This is bad, but I would be careful about drawing comparisons to racial segregation as was practiced in the US. The ayis are NOT being discriminated against because of their race (both the ayis and their rich employers are Chinese), but rather because of their occupation and class background. This is similar to the "service" entrances many luxury buildings in the New York's Upper East Side still have. Making inappropriate comparisons is not helpful at getting to the root the of the problem (i.e. the existence of a class system, rising inequality in China, NOT Shanghainese "racism").

dawanr you make me sick with your comments. its people like you who live privileged lives that makes comments like oh she should only be so lucky she can wipe the dirt off my ass as my aiyi.
why do you always want people to be engaged in a race to the bottom by saying they are so lucky to be either aiyis or taxi drivers. instead why don't you project your hate into a volunteer project on your next vacation, and lend a hand in educating children so that they do not have to grow up feeling like they should be oh so lucky to serve your privileged white ass.

Get the foreign ghost out of china

This src management gm is a racist, and china government should look at how they he is doing business. they look down at china and just , are think about making money. we should never let a company like ing treat people like this . the ing gm for src should good back to the uk and try to get a job . THIS IS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, FOR HOW THIS COMPANY ING DOES BUSINESS . BOB

In my opinion,since ayi has valid bus pass, they have the right to take the bus and to sit at any seat. Otherwise the members donot give ayi bus pass.

the ayi in the club now do not think how important these conflicts.Network fierce criticism,But thought-provoking.
Accommodating traditional Chinese virtues, as a sign of weakness or discrimination by reason?

The whole thing is silly!

It has nothing to do with race, if the AYI happens to be a white American or brown Philipino, she would be sitting at the back too!

The bus is not a public bus, I don't live in that community, so even if I want to pay double of the charge, I will not even be alowed to buy the pass! am I being treated worse than the AYIs? can I call this racist or discrimination?

Renters and owners of course have more rights to the community properties, the renters and owners could be people of any races,so are the AYIs, why do people call this racist? it makes no sense at all!

People are so eager to show they are NICE,full of sense of justice and sympathy to under- privileged people , it's good, but please use your brains before you lash out and start accusing others, you are only showing your stupidity.

It is not so serious. But really, Chinese people are losting ourselves when pursuing richness. The club is fulfilling their jobs, but obviously, they have more respect to money.

Great job guys...