Dan in La Crosse

Ronaldo and the beggar

There's a bench in front of the Zhuzhou City McD's, with a life-sized plastic statue of Ronaldo McDonald, flashing a wide grin and with both arms extended out from the shoulders, as if to have his arm around people who sit on either side of him. It's intended as a photo-op for McKids to have their picture taken sitting next to Ronaldo.

Well, often it's not a kid but a Chinese beggar lady, with no teeth and drab, tattered clothes, sitting next to Ronaldo on the bench, with Ronaldo's arm around her. What a delicious scene -- this destitute old villager, resting from another day of begging, completely unaware of the implications of sitting next to shiny happy Ronaldo McDonald. I'd take a photograph, but it just seems too cruel to the poor old woman. The image, though, will never leave my mind.