Job Discussion Forums

[creeper1]

It is indeed shocking and disgusting.

Why can't they understand that black people can teach and speak English every bit as good as a white person?

For relief I suggest a more tolerant and progressive country to the east of here. It can't be named but if you research on youtube you will find the people are lovely and much more friendly.

[the lowlander]

China is hostile regardless of colour.

You can be whiter than white and still be regularly subjected to endless cries of "Laowai, Laowai....ha ha ha" .....complete with full-on finger pointing and jeering as you walk down the street.

Laowi being a pejorative term for all foreigners, regardless of what the apologists might tell you.

OR

Be subjected to screams of "Gwai Lo, Gwai Lo (ghost man/foriegn devil) ha ha ha...." ....which I had shouted in my face (without any provocation) only yesterday, whilst minding my own business walking down the street in Zhuhai.

In my long and lengthy experience, the Chinese don't discriminate when it comes to colour, they believe in equal opportunities when it comes to dispensing racism.

"Black, white, brown, or yellow, if you're not Chinese then you're a very bad fellow"....

This is a local kindergarden song sung in English where I currently live....

Well perhaps not.....to tell the truth.....

But it might as well be given much of the local's behaviour!!

China is one place that really needs to rapidly get to grips with the widespread shouting of rascist insults towards foreigners in the street/anti-foreigner attitudes in general/the whole pointing/staring/laughing/thing

And their rampant, unquestioning, nationalism.

Hopefully, at some point, China can wake up and realise that we are all part of the same human race.

[lemak]

[the lowlander]

hilena_westb

What a lovely sentiment!!!!!!!



And would you dare say those exact same words to immigrants to your own dear country????

[cedarstreetcowboy]

Shenzhen is quite cosmopolitan. Nobody stared at me or called me lao wai when I was in public. I don't think the majority of people cared about the presence of foreigners. There are many different nationalities living there and they seem to be doing OK.

Shenzhen would have probably been a good location for the OP.

[the lowlander]

I know Shenzhen very well, and I've had the whole pointing, laughing, jumping up and down nonsense, there too.

Some places are better than others for foreigners (I was actually stoned by the locals, quite furiously, when I wandered into an outlying part of Guiyang) but at the end of the day, rascism is evident everywhere in China.

There is no escaping it, rascism is China's shame.

[cedarstreetcowboy]

Wow. Never happened to me in Shenzhen, and I lived in Shang Mei Lin, not exactly a great neighborhood. My job was less than stellar, but other than that I had a good time.

I'm not denying that happened to you, I'm just a bit surprised, as it's so far removed from my experience of the city.

[the lowlander]

So....no-one....at any time....pointed at you....shouted at you...laughed at you?

Not at all?

Ever?

It seems to me that there are "apologists" who for various reasons, swear blind that nothing ever bad, or rascist happens in China, and then there are the realists who admit to being insulted and discriminated against.

I've travelled the world extensively, and in my personal opinion, if there was an Olympic gold medal for rascism and being a dodgy boss, the Chinese would win every time.

[jg]

Thanks for all the helpful comments everyone. After the initial disappointment, I just have to keep plugging away - after such a big time/monetary investment to come here, what other choice is there, really - and try to find some of the positive qualities I saw here in the first place.

And so it goes

[doogsville]

Well I'm not an 'apologist' Lowlander, and I've lived in Zhuhai for over two years and never, ever experienced racism such as you describe. I'm not denying your experience, just sharing my own. Are the Chinese racist? No. There are racists in China, without a doubt, but to make a statement, such as the one in your other post, that
"White, brown, black, or yellow.....if you're not Chinese, then you're not a good fellow."
For my money, the above pretty much sums up the attitude of the vast majority of the Chinese population towards all non-Chinese folk"
well, frankly, that's a racist statement. How do you know what the vast majority of the Chinese population think? Have you spoken to all of them? You mention your 'long and lengthy experience', and I don't doubt you have it, but to make a negative statement about a race of people without basis in fact is racist.

Have I been discriminated against in China? Possibly. I wouldn't know since I have such a poor command of the language. The vast majority of people I have encountered here however have been very helpful and friendly towards me. Much more so than, in my experience, my fellow UK citizens tend to be towards foreign visitors to the UK.

Do the Chinese favour other Chinese in business deals and daily life. I have no doubt that they do. I don't see that as racist, since they're not actively behaving negatively towards other races. They're simply doing what pretty much every other race and culture on the planet does and taking care of those they see as their own first.

Do the Chinese discriminate and exhibit racist behaviour towards people of colour, as the OP has experienced. Yes, they do. So do the British, the French, the Dutch and the Germans. I mention those because they are the only ones I can testify to from personal experience. I have no doubt that such behaviour happens in other countries too.

[cedarstreetcowboy]

No they did not, and I've certainly had my share of that type of behaviour directed at me in an Asian country to the East of China that shall not be mentioned here, so I know it when I see it.

Of course I'm not a person of color, so maybe that's why, but no, I did not experience anything like that during my stay in Shenzhen.

[DirtGuy]

I was thinking of bringing up this very subject in my class one day and now I am sure I will do it. This is China and while I don't agree with their racist views towards people of color and certainly cannot change them, I can maybe introduce a different viewpoint. Perhaps I can get them to more closely examine and even question their attitudes.

All the FTs were invited to the annual Christmas dinner with the bosses and the subject came up about how hard it is to recruit teachers for a school out in the sticks. This is surprising as we are all treated well and paid promptly. Never being the type to keep my mouth shut, I asked the bosses why they don't consider people of color and not just white folk. Their responses were actually more honest than I expected and interesting. Now I want to see if my students share their views.

My own .02 is that we are all missing a great opportunity if we don't at least bring up the subject of racism in China, and maybe our own countries, with our students. This is the big problem in America - nobody seems willing to actually come out and talk publicly about problems. Nothing will ever change in the US until we can actually have some really brutal conversations with each other and I think the same is true in China. None of us are going to change the system here but maybe we can start a discussion with those who will someday lead the country.

DirtGuy

[hilena_westb]

So again, BOW to YOUR view of the world?

[hilena_westb]

[JamesD]

Something that struck me this morning is how the attitude of the younger generation has changed over just the last few years (at least in my city).
Of four kids who saw me today (elevator, bus, on the street) not one of them gave me a second look. Five years ago kids this age would have been either pointing me out to their mothers or staring.

Now that I think of it, the number of high school kids yelling "Hellooooo" has dropped dramatically. The only group that has maintained a certain level of wonder at the sight of a laowai is the manual laborers. Now I know how feminists feel when they walk by a construction site.

It's changing, slow but steady.