A question of trust (and Racism)

Published by Caberea in the blog Blogging Inside the Chimney. Views: 266

So for those of you who've been watching my youtube channel lately, you'll know that I switched to recording with a free version of Bandicam. It was the best recording program i could find that had free trial recordings (and i mean of decent length, unlike fraps), so I asked my father if we could get it (offering to pay for it with the small amount of money i have left).

He says that he'll check it out and about a week later i get this response.

Dad: "I checked out Bandicam and i really don't trust the site."
Me: "Why?"
Dad: "Well the english on it isn't very good, I think the people who make it are Chinese, and i don't recognize the things that recommend it."
Me: "Well if they're Chinese, wouldn't it make sense that you can't recognize the sites, and It's pretty hard to get a second language perfect."
Dad: "Yeah, but I wouldn't count on something Chinese to be squeaky clean. The site felt dirty and it probably has a ton of viruses"
Me: "I've already downloaded the free version, which contains the entire file and all the payment does is unlock the rest of the file, and I've already checked the file for viruses and it's perfectly fine."
Dad: "I wouldn't trust a site like that, you know how the Chinese are."
Me: *Stares Blankly*
Dad: "Try and find another program"
END OF CONVERSATION

So the problem I'm faced with here is really more about how I felt about confronting this, I've already found a different program which he's agreed to get (He seemed to very quickly agree to it once he saw the sites English). The way I'm looking at it I had three options.
1. Side with Dad and agree that Chinese people are untrustworthy (And be far too Racist for my liking)
2. Accuse Dad of racism and end up arguing for half an hour about the Chinese (And likely end up losing the argument, along with wasting both of our time)
3. Keep silent (As i did, and now end up wondering if i shouldn't have gone with option 2)

So what are you're thoughts on this? I know it's a kinda touchy subject, which is probably the reason that I'm feeling so torn between my decision.
Jul 11, 2012
  • mike406
    mike406 Jul 11, 2012
    I actually understand your father's concerns. The program may seem legitimate, but I'd hold off for a little bit. It may not be the program, but who you're sharing your credit card/billing information with. Some of those websites may offer some legitimate programs, but I've gotten some attempted identity theft in the past as a result. Real example that happened to my mother last week: $400 spent randomly to a site hosting service. Luckily they canceled the charge, but unfortunately the card also.

    Long story short, be careful who you buy from. I'll help and look into this company and get back to you with a response.

    I will say this though. I've been using FRAPS for around 5-6 years now and I've never had any issues with it. Yes the trial is bull, but I love the full version.
  • Caberea
    Caberea Jul 11, 2012
    Thanks. I would figure the program is legit though cause I've got a number of friends (irl) that have recommended this to me (Though knowing them they probably have cracked versions of it). Either way, I've found another program, Quobi, which he seems okay with (I have no idea on what basis though, maybe cause it's a lot cheaper).

    The main problem i had here was more one of feelings. I could see where he was coming from, as there are certainly untrustworthy sites out there, but the problem i had was that he was choosing not to trust it because he thought they were Chinese. That's the real thing that wasn't sitting right with me. I would have been fine with this whole thing if he had just said that the site didn't look legit, but when he went and started bringing that kind of stuff into it and that's why I've been feeling all torn up about my decision.
  • Rarit E
    Rarit E Jul 12, 2012
    You can't judge a website on it's country of origin. And yes, i would say your dad is of an overly judgmental nature. Though that doesn't always mean he's racist.

    That said, if you see a chinese site (or any other language) with bad english translation, there IS a possibility that the translation isn't just messy, but also incorrect. I'm not saying it's a case of intentional deception, but badly translated websites can lead to misunderstandings. It's best to buy stuff off a website you speak the language of.
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