(Dis)Respecting an Icon.

Reviewed by squid on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 22:12
squid's picture squid
squid
Joined: Nov 27, 2007
Posts: 30
Review of Apple Flagship Store
1

Ok, so we went to the flagship store, the defacto temporary temple, for a man who like him or not, was an important icon of our time. I was more than a bit shocked to see that instead of a great, respectful outpouring of appreciation, the Sanlitun store decided to relegate all tokens and symbols of respect to a roped off little corner of their store, that you were not allowed to go into, was protected by security, and was off limits to photograph or pay respects to. You could bring flowers if you wanted, which would be piled into the corner, but then you were quickly shooed away from their underwhelming little depository.

After we were told to go away, I was a little angry. Then the more I thought about it, the more incensed I was. Because I thought, this is China-the country with the longest and most storied history of paying great respect to the dead. They are known for their elaborate offerings and rituals for the deceased. And yet all they were allowing for one of the most famous people in the world was an off limits little barricaded corner in the company he founded to hide a few flowers? Can you imagine if Hu Jin Tao died and this is how they forced people to pay their respects? This is an adequate display of condolences in the Chinese culture? Are you kidding me? How many people in China were directly or indirectly employed by this man?

Eventually, after a bit of obstinate refusal to comment about why the demonstration was so inadequate and ugly and low class-they told me that it was not their idea, that it was the local police who demanded they move everything into a small corner and roped it off. I can not say really who is to blame, but for a country like this, is seems unacceptable to me. Is it good enough for Mao?

Steve Jobs was a great historical figure. He liked to do things in a dramatic and extraordinary way. He dreaded mediocrity. He may not have demanded people pay much to his departure-but his spirit was about doing things as special as possible. He would be rolling in his grave right now over the disgraceful showing at his famous store in China.

Comments

leftboy's picture leftboy Submitted by Guest on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 11:57

Sorry, but I find this a little hysterical. There were tributes placed outside the store, but there were a great number of people crowing round to gawk at it, and causing a bit of a scene: you know how wary Chinese police are at disturbances. Jobs was a great engineer/marketer but I find the grief being displayed OTT.

tomomalley's picture tomomalley Submitted by Guest on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 12:57

"How many people in China were directly or indirectly employed by this man?" Like those ones in Shenzhen who all jumped off the factory building in despair?

Click here and your wildest dreams will come true.

Pangzi's picture Pangzi Submitted by Guest on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 16:20

How empty and dull must your life be to go to a store to "whoreship" a CEO of a Mulitmillion Dollar Company... This shows again how stupid and simple minded human beings are.

squid's picture squid Submitted by Guest on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 16:48

Pangzi,

Then who in your mind is deserving of proper respect in their departure?

Is Jiang Zemin deserving of a state funeral? Deng Xiao Ping? Or should we also just say, so what, they were unelected politicians-why all the fuss? Why do they have to talk about it on the news for so long, or have a service in Tiananmen, or a moment of silence-its totally delaying the China's Got Talent episode!

And what's with the big photo of Sun Yat Sen in Tiananmen? Whoreship!

chinpokomaster05's picture chinpokomaster05 Submitted by Guest on Sat, 10/08/2011 - 22:10

Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Yao Ming, Michael Jackson, Mother Teresa

*not listed in any order of importance. However, I'd say Bill Gates at number one and Mother Teresa at number two.

And Bill Gates has promised all of his worth to his Gates Foundation where as Jobs cut the CSR program back at Apple. Jobs may have been a visionary of future products and his company's products influenced where technology has gone lately, that doesn't mean he's some great God-like person.

I dislike Microsoft, but Gates will go down as one of the most influential people in the 21st century thanks to the Gates Foundation.

TheBJReviewer's picture TheBJReviewer Submitted by Guest on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 09:50

I was there when the Sanlitun Village officials came to close down the memorial and the people at the Apple store decided to keep it going but place it inside. The SLT Village officials, about 7 of them, were accompanied by police.

The BJ Reviewer

squid's picture squid Submitted by Guest on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 11:42

Every other country in the world has allowed it, including Hong Kong, which was full of tributes.

What makes it more odd is that this is not at all how the employees at the store first explained why it was like that. First they said its store policy. Then they said I hope you can respect this is the managers choice. Then they said, well we don't know how you would use photos of it, so that's why they wanted to keep people away, to keep them from taking photos. Then they said they didn't know who the manager of their store was, but please respect his decision.

They couldn't just say from the beginning that the mall security wouldn't allow it?

axia90's picture axia90 Submitted by Guest on Sun, 10/09/2011 - 12:34

"Steve Jobs was a great historical figure." Definitely not a shared universal opinion, especially not in the eyes of your average Chinese person. Chinese people know brands, not necessarily people.

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