Thursday, November 13, 2014

personal reputation

Today, I would like to say something about my personal reputation. Although it might have little to do with its economic term, I just have a compulsion to share my views by virtue of this topic.
To tell the truth, I find it hard to describe my own reputation in the eyes of my friends. But I think some of them will use two keywords, rich and pompous, to describe what I am. However, it is just far from the truth. When in high school, I was the chief editor in the school magazine. As a well-known poet and football team leader on the campus, I always presented myself as a sunny and literary boy. So why does everything change so much? I think it might be due to the fact that I bought my first car bmw x5 after arriving in USA for study. From then on, I have made a totally different impression on those friends growing together with me for buying a pricy car in the mind of many Chinese people. As matter of fact, I did not buy this car at a high price. The reason why imported cars are sold expensively in China is due to the massive tariff. Given the well-developed second-handed car market in USA, there has existed a great price difference between China and USA. It is just how I come across as a rich man to my Chinese friends. 
This unexpected reputation really takes me by surprise, given that I am still the athletic boy who enjoys the poem underneath. I have to admit that I enjoyed the change at the beginning. Coming to find that I was from a rich family, some of my classmates even started to butter me up. For example, many people would invite me to dine outside and ask about my experience in USA. On some gathering occasions, many people would keep complimenting me. When introducing me to other friends, they would even boast my wealth, either intentionally or unintentionally. Hence, many people also started to feel curious and even admire my pompous life as they would assume. However, I am still nothing less than who I was before going abroad. 
Later on, I began to feel tired of this reputation. After breaking up with my girlfriend since high school due to the long-distance relationship, I was left deep in pain every day. When going outside with my friends for a heart-to-heart chat, I also overheard that someone had attributed my breakup to a betrayal arising from the pompous life. As many other people shared the same view, some of them even claimed that I had given my love to another richer girl. It is also the moment when I realized that this reputation had come as a bad thing to me. However, it is far from the end. Those classmates who once suck up to me also started to make some unexpected request of me, such as finding an internship position in the bank or dealing with a failed visa application. One girl even asked me to arrange an American high school for her sister as if I had been the American president. This personal reputation has messed up my life completely. In an attempt to get rid of it, I decide to ride a bicycle from now on.   

1 comment:

  1. It is interesting how much people infer about you (and your wealth) based on the car you drive. Had you to do it over again, would you buy the BMW or a different car that is viewed as less prestigious. (For example, I drive a Honda Civic.)

    As a teacher, I can tell the wealth of students based on how they dress for class. I do get to see the home address of the students listed in Banner. For some students that is informative. For international students, it doesn't tell me much at all.

    There is an interesting question for all of us when starting in a new environment. Stay true to how we were or set off on a new path? I don't know what is best. But it is something to consider. Also, there is a question of who becomes your new friends and how you develop trust in them. Perhaps some of the people you are friends with now maybe shouldn't be, if they judge you in such a superficial way. On the other hand, maybe the see you more accurately than you care to admit. I don't know, but it is one of those things to cope with when you go to school so far from home.

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