Where Should I Sit 中美文化差异之七
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Where Should I Sit 中美文化差异之七
在美国“打的”,如果你坐副座，司机会一路与你谈笑风生；
你若坐在了后面,司机便板着脸一言不发。要知究竟何故，请
读 “坐在哪儿？”
When you take a taxi in the United States, if you sit up in the front seat, the driver will be pleased and talk with you all the way; if you sit in the back seat, though, the driver may be unhappy and reluctant to speak, he is unlikely to say much.
At first, I thought this was owing to differences in the characters of the drivers. Later, after I'd had some more experiences with taxis, I discovered that it was a more general phenomenon. Only when I arrived in San Francisco, did I find out the reason.
Sonia lives in San Francisco. One day, Sonia and I went out together. Sonia drove the car while her husband, Ji An, sat by her side; I sat behind Ji An. After a while, Ji An got out of the car and suggested that I sit where he had been sitting. The destination wasn't that far away, so I told him I'd just as soon stay where I was. But Ji An insisted. So I had to move, wondering what all the fuss was about.
"Do you know why Ji An asked you to sit here?" Sonia asked me. I shook my head. "If you sit in the front, it means you and I are friends; if you sit in the back, it's as if I'm just your driver and our relationship is one of employer to employee.
“With those words, I understood at once. No wonder then that taxi drivers were so pleased when I sat in the front. At face value, the only issue was where one sat. As a matter of fact, though, where one sat also reflected the degree of one's respect for the driver.
Although it is true that the relationship between driver and passenger is a business relationship - or in other words, a money relationship - people still place an emphasis on the respect and friendship beyond the monetary transaction.
One day in New York. Sonia and I once took a taxi to go out. In the car, we both sat in the back seat. Speaking in Chinese, Sonia introduced New York's social background to me. As we were talking animatedly, the driver suddenly interrupted us, "There is a law here stipulating that if you do not speak English in this taxi, you will be fined $ 200." I was very surprised.
Sonia immediately asked him, "How come I haven't ever heard of that law before? I'm going to check this law in court." The driver laughed, "I'm only kidding. I just feel frustrated that I can't understand what you're saying.
“As we got out of the taxi, Sonia said, "Our sitting behind made him feel like he was employed by us; on top of that, he couldn't understand what we were saying. So naturally, he wasn't very happy. I wouldn't put it past him to try to trick us. But I'd rather believe he was really was just kidding. Anyway, he wasn't too pleased with both of us sitting in the back."
坐哪儿好
在美国“打的”，如果你坐前边，司机会高兴得很，一路与你谈笑风生；你若坐在了后面, 司机便板着脸一言不发，即使你主动搭话，人家也爱搭不理的。
一开始我以为是司机秉性不同所致，“打的”次数多了，竟然发觉是共性。这其中的奥秘，到了旧金山方才揭晓。
索妮娅家住旧金山，一日，我与索妮娅夫妇同出，索妮娅开车，其夫纪安和她并排坐在前面，我坐在后面。不一会，他走下车，让我坐到前面。我说离目的地不远了，不用换了，就坐后面吧。不想纪安执意要我坐到前面，我只好从命。但心里觉得纪安太多事。
“你知道纪安为什么要你坐前面？”索妮娅问我，我摇摇头，“你坐前面，表明咱俩是朋友；你若坐在后面，我便成了为你服务的司机，咱俩就是雇佣关系了。”
一句话使我茅塞顿开，怪不得“打的”时坐前面能让司机那么高兴，看上去只是个座位问题，但去体现了人与人之间的尊重。
说起来司机与客人的确是雇佣关系，说得更明了些，是金钱关系,但是人们还寻求金钱关系之外的尊重与友谊。
在纽约的一天，我和索妮娅“打的”，二人一起坐到了后排，索妮娅用汉语向我介绍纽约社会背景。当我俩正谈得热闹时，司机突然插了一句：“我们这里有条法律，坐车不讲英语的人罚款２００美元。”我一听怔了。
索妮娅马上反问：“我怎么没听说过？我要去法院核实。”司机立刻笑了：“开个玩笑而已，我不过是闷得慌，又听不懂你们的话”。
下车后索妮娅说，“我们坐在后面，他有受雇于人之感，再加上听不懂我们的话，心中自然不痛快，想个招儿讹一下也未尝不可能，不过我还是相信他开玩笑的可能性大。不管怎么说，我俩都坐后面，他是不太高兴的。”
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