Saturday, April 26, 2008
A “typical” foreigner’s behaviour?
A couple of days ago my wife and I visited a mall here in Davao City
This was the time, a Filipino, waiting behind us for his turn, lost his temper and a loud verbal confrontation between him and this foreigner started. I will not bother you, my dear reader, with details - but when my wife and I liked to thank this Filipino, he suddenly shook my hands and hugged me: “I know you, you are living here - but this “old stupid monkey” should go home to his home country!” The Filipino stressed also, that not only he observed many more incidents like that during those days.
My wife and I felt very uncomfortable. We hope, that this incident remains as individual and isolated case…
How about you, my dear reader: Have got similar “adventures”???
Related Posts:
Social weaklings and handicapped peopleThe Dissenter
My Personal Testimony (II) - or…
Filipino Worries
Work hard but dream harder!
The skill of living together
Have a right to something…
Do live for something!
Strangeness - a feigned difficulty’s standard
Live in the Philippines…
# 1 Chas said:
Hi Klaus,Sorry to hear of your experience,unfortunately drunkeness is endemic, everywhere.Its hardly surprising in a world where films and soap’s always show people with problems hitting the bottle.No problem was ever solved staring into the bottom of a glass.Regards,Chas.
# 2 Klaus said:
Hi Chas, thanks for your concern - and yeah, you are very right with your comment. But imagine, it was 10 am
# 3 macky said:
call it brunch.
the deplorable behavior should only be reflective of the individual. unfortunately, stories like this sometimes become a generalized story of foreigners. i’ve already heard sad words about koreans because of isolated cases & only shake my head.
# 4 Klaus Doring said:
Hi Macky, I agree totally with you, that’s why i didn’t mention the nationality of this guy, even I know it because of the terms he used, and because his wife told us: btw they have been tourists. I also didn’t mean to generalize all foreigners. It was just sharing ONE of many experiences since 1999, the time i moved to the Philippines. Of course, i also only shook my head, even this guy described my wife as a pig…
# 5 john.j. said:
Hi Klaus,sorry to hear about your experiance.I hope the Philippines will not allow the drunken tourist louts like those found in Europe and other popular holiday resorts.
# 6 macky said:
i agree. i certainly commend you for your restraint after the words uttered directed at your wife. it could have been ugly.
it was, on the other hand, quite nice to see a filipino come to you & your wife’s defense. thanks for sharing the story.
i’m glad to say that i do not recall any such incidents with a foreigner in davao, i may have, but nothing comes to mind - maybe because i did not define them as such. for example, you & the rest of this blog crew no longer fit that definition to me. that’s a good thing.
# 7 MarcelinaWW said:
Hi Klaus,
I guess this is the kind of experience that makes us feel blessed for not living the life this man is living – a deep feeling of pain and panic. Unfortunate for your wife to be the target of his rampage, I feel bad for her.
Take care…
# 8 Klaus Doring said:
Hi John J., thanks for your comment. I agree with you,,,
Hi Macky, yeah, you are very right… THANKS again!
Hi Marcelina, yeah, you are so right: I am glad NOT to live a life like him. Thank you for your concern. My wife also likes to greet you…
# 9 Bob said:
Hi Klaus - Sorry to hear of such an experience. It’s very unfortunate that this happened to you! Personally, I would not call this foreigner “typical” though (as it says in the title), as I see many, many foreigners every day, and it’s rare to see such bad behavior. Of course it happens, which is terrible, I just don’t think it to be typical of foreigners to behave like this.
Hopefully, you won’t run into this kind of behavior again!
# 10 John Miele said:
Klaus… Sorry to read about your encounter. I am not certain i would have been able to maintain your level of civility in a similar situation were someone to call my wife a pig in front of me. You certainly are a gentleman. That said, it distresses me when i see behaviour like that from fellow Americans, and, i am sorry to say that i see it all too often. Suffice it to say that people like him usually get what’s coming to them… He was looking for a fight, and someday, somewhere, someone will give him one.
# 11 john said:
Klaus I am not surprised, as the most confrontations I have seen living here have involved foreigners. I can only assume these uneducated idiots think they have god given right to be rude. Compare his behaviour with the 99 percent of the local community who are well mannered and pleasant.
# 12 Klaus Doring said:
Hi Bob, thanks four your concern. Of course, that’s why I add a question mark to the title…
Hi John Miele, also to you: thanks for your concern and your kind words. I think he was looking for a fight, but my wife and I were just really very shocked and also distressed.And one thing more: I am not such a warrior in such moments - that’s why the Filipino ‘did it for us’…
Hi John, thanks a lot too. Yeah, you are unfortunately right: I got the same experiences in the past… And you are also right with the 99 percent… Salamat pinoy!
# 13 MarcelinaWW said:
Hi Klaus, just a follow up…I acknowledge your wife’s greeting – thank you. I’ll be delighted to hear from her off line as well, if she wants to. As my husband says, it takes more courage to walk away from a fight than to give in to it. The Pinoy who hugged you instead of shook your hands?? … yes, Filpinos do have a tendency to show their heart on the sleeves.
# 14 Klaus Doring said:
Hi Marcelina - THANKS again. I will tell her. And regards to your husband: great quotation!!! The Pinoy hugged me AND shook my hands…
You are right with your comment about Filipinos. That’s why I decided to live here. 
# 15 Angie said:
So sad to know, that you & your wife encounter that Sir…
We must ignore people like that,so that it would not be a big deal.
Don’t get me wrong,yes thats so disturbing for you and for your wife,
but he’s not worthy to waste your time exchanging bads words to him.
You done a very good job Sir.
You have nothing to do but shake your head…
People like that has a big personal problem.
We must look the brighter side,what other commenter said in the upper of this page,that we don’t leave the life that he have.
With you and with them…
Blessed you and your wife always…
# 16 Angie said:
I mean I agree with there comment…
# 17 Klaus Doring said:
Hi Angie, thanks for leaving this thoughtful comment. Of course, I only shook my head and tried to go away from that situation. To be honest: I haven’t encounter such incidents with Filipinos yet - but almost always with other foreigners, btw: not only here in the Philippines.And, what I encountered always: Philippinos will stay at your side and fight for you. That’s why it’s worth living here. I will explain this also in future here and on other websites. Salamat po for your concern ANGIE. God bless…
# 18 Malcolm said:
Hi Klaus
A bad thing to happen to a gentleman like yourself, I can assure you if it had been me I would have punched him squarely on the nose.
Best wishes to you and your lady wife
Malcolm
# 19 Bruce said:
Klaus,
I am glad I have not had any similar situations like yours but I have been insulted a few times from “friends” here after drinking too much.
Just like you and most of us we know, I try to be nice, friendly and helpful to all I meet, foriegner and Filipino alike.
I have had some nice comments too. A neighbor of ours when we lived in Lanang told me he is a seaman and had been to the US and Europe and had never met someone as open and nice as me.
Also the service writer at the car dealership said to me that she wished all foriegner clients we as nice, friendly and understanding of the process and time to get service as I have been.
At times I feel I enjoy talking to Filipinos more than foriegners since so far I have found them open and nice and not trying to prove themselves to me.
At my job they all called me Sir. I told them to call me Bruce. Someone said “But Sir, you have a higher position than we are”. I responded I am a draftsman there as they are and they are all degreed and licensed and I am not. Now I feel as one of the cadre and we talk and joke.
# 20 Lea said:
It’s unfortunate that this happened to you. However, it’s more unfortunate for that Filipina to have that guy as a husband. I can’t imagine what kind of things happened in their household.
Kudos to that Filipino that stood up. I’m proud of him.
# 21 Jose said:
My Friend,
I am a PhiAm from that City, This guy was just lucky that I was not their because I could have given him a dose of his own medicine with a bruised face or a ride to eternity. This is what we call street justice. My freinds in that City have wacked some Koreans As..H with golf clubs because of their bad behavior. Dont worry my freind you are well protected in that city with Mayor Duterte alias Walking tall.
# 22 Klaus said:
Hi Malcolm, thanks for your support. I am sure you would have act like this.Thanks for your warm regards. Stay safe too.
# 23 Klaus said:
Hi Bruce, yeah you are lucky very much indeed. I know that you always try to be friendly and nice to other foreigners and Filipinos too. Same with me - that’s why I didn’t get any such problems with Pinoys since the first time in 1976 I visit the Philippines and even 1982 whole Mindanao. The saddest stories always happened with other foreigners - drunk or not drunk: they show aggressions and move “like an elephant in a porcelain shop” - as a German saying goes… Good Bruce, how you “adjust” in your present job situation. Good luck!!!
# 24 Klaus said:
Hi Lea, thanks for stopping by. Yeah, you said almost the same as my wife: “I pity this Filipina wife…!” yes, kudos to this pinoy…
# 25 Klaus said:
Hi Jose, my friend too, I am sure you would also do that. I was just speechless and shocked. Yeah, I have heard of some other stories as what you mentioned. Maybe I am too naive, but i always like to be good even with “such people”. Yes Jose, I know we are well protected in this city with its mayor Duterte. Thanks for stopping by and take good care too…
# 26 Cidy said:
Hi Klaus,
I’m sorry to hear about your bad experienced with that guy. It’s a good thing that the Filipino behind you confronted that drunk foreigner ( two thumbs up for that Filipino). If that happens to me, he will regret that he came to Davao. Hopefully it won’t happen again to you and to your wifey.
Keep on smiling and keep on shining.
God bless!
# 27 Klaus Doring said:
Hi Cidy, thanks for stopping by and salamat kaayo for your kind and warm words… God bless you…
# 28 Teng said:
Hi Klaus,
I’m an avid reader of LiP and would just want to leave my view on this one.
There’s always a person like this wherever you are regardless of races and nationalities. Unfortunately, it’s unevitable to encounter one sometimes and it could give you in serious trouble if one does not possess a calmness like you have. It’s one of a kind and not everybody has it. I wish I could do the same if it happens to me. We all know that the best thing to do is to walk away from trouble if we can but sometimes when our ego is badly hurt, what matters most is to act against the offender until it’s too to repent. I guess that’s what we need in this world, a counselling process on how to be calmed not only in a situation like this but also to the expanding crisis and pressure that we are experiencing in our daily lives.
# 29 Klaus Doring said:
Hi Teng, thanks for enjoy reading LiP and thank you so much for YOUR opinion; of course, you are very right. Such things can happened everywhere on this globe and they do. Sure, I was calm down - BUT… today, if I think back, I wouldn’t know for how long. Kudos to this Pinoy again. But Teng, to be honest, if this would have happened in a private house without so many people around like in a mall, I would have loose my temper - AND, I wouldn’t “know such guys anymore”… Your idea of such a counselling process is great, BUT how many people would like to join us? It’s ‘chic’ to show aggression
. Anyway, thanks a lot for your thoughtful idea…
# 30 BrSpiritus said:
I had a foreigner latch on to me in Gaisano supermarket. Loud and obnoxious and wanted to give me financial advice on how to keep my “Money grubbing wife from getting her hands on my assets.” That did it, it just set me off. I told him where to head in and left. His saving grace was that he was an old codger and it wouldn’t have felt right kicking his butt. As for entitlement mentality my wife and I run into that quite often. We just have to laugh whenever we some foreigner arguing when they can’t get their way.
# 31 Klaus Doring said:
Hi BrSpiritus, mmmhh - very known. And I like to say KUDOS to you, the way you and your wife acted. A very old story, which hurts many times; the pinay wife is just looking after your money. THANKS my friend fore your reaction and for stopping by…