25 August 2009

THE DRAGON AND THE AIRPORT: MANO A MANO COMBAT AT LAX

Chinese national holding his place in line at LAX.


Last Saturday evening, upon my return from the Orient, I passed through LAX Immigration and Customs. I must say, the gentlemanly Christian in me was shocked at the savage disregard for basic politeness shown by my fellow travelers from China. The Chinese are decent folks, but when it comes to lining up in an orderly fashion for anything, it's all Chinese for themselves.

As I stood in line at US Immigration and Customs, I saw an elderly Chinese woman get elbowed in the throat by a Chinese business man in a Saville Row suit and a Mr. Spock haircut. She went down right away, groaning loudly and clutching her throat. A young couple from Ningbo were standing right behind her too, and undoubtedly watched her hit the linoleum. Did they help her? No, they just stood peering into their cell-phones, pretending not to notice. The young woman even nudged the old woman's bags aside, and ushered her imitation Louis Vuitton bags into the vacated space, acting if nothing out-of-the-ordinary had happened. The Chinese businessman jabbered something in Asian to the old woman, and went back to reading his edition of the Singapore Business Weekly.

It's a sad state of affairs when an old person (even Chinese) gets mistreated and nobody stops to help. (I would have helped her up but my I was next in line for the immigration checkpoint.)

GOD bless you-

Captain Art Griego