Job Discussion Forums

[theoriginalprankster]

A (black) Zambian mate of mine has a gig at <insert Royalty here>, and the students love him to bits and pieces. As do the management and staff.

He is 110% charisma, and smart and eloquent to boot. Not sure if he's a decent teacher of Engrish or not.

He has been in town for a few years though, as a student. I think he's actually one of the minor foreign celebs in town.

Can be achieved, just need to break through that initial 'concrete' ceiling of ignorance I guess.

EDIT: That said, when I visited Ningbo a couple months ago, I got the most intense, hostile stares I've ever experienced in 10 years in larger China.

It wasn't the harmless gormless stares I get in other cities. It was straight up in my face stares. Guys backpedaling to eyeball me. People slowing down as they walked past me, having a short power meeting then kinda ghost trailing me for a while.

That said I was walking with a Chinese lady - my friend's wife, as he was at work in the days, so we (his wife and I) went strolling during the day.

It was a pleasure to get on the plane back to my city, where the locals don't blink twice.

[Javelin of Radiance]

[kungfuman]

[wangdaning]

The only reason "change" happens with regard to racism is government penalties for it. If someone is racist you will not change them, only alter their direct outward behavior. However, not everyone is racist, this has always been true.

People in isolation with/from a certain group have a tendency to be racist. The two ways a person changes are one, through government penalties, and this is on the surface as you cannot change what they believe, and two, through the persons realization their belief is wrong. Thinking you can change someones belief is like thinking an atheist can convince a Christian to abandon Christianity.

But, what interest does the Chinese government have in alienating its own population to protect people from other countries coming here to work? I think they have bigger issues to deal with, especially with regards to worker's treatment and rights.

I do think this school is in the majority, not the minority in China. The only difference is the school actually told your friend why they weren't hired. The person who sent the message did not seem to be racist and probably had little choice in the decision.

[mambawamba]

Agree with the hostility for foreigners of any colour in Ningbo. It's a pretty nasty city to live in. Was so happy to get the flock out of there.

[mwaltman]

I am confused about why everyone is calling this racism. Racism as a cultural entity varies from country to country. Why would you go to a foreign country and expect them to follow your own country's beliefs?

[roadwalker]

[GreatApe]

I'd like to weigh in here if I can ... I'm not necessarily going to take sides in the matter. I'm just going to give my opinion and thoughts.

IMO, racism is an absurd poison which eats at the heart of humanity on the one hand, and China is China and is not going to change overnight, on the other.

Having said that, I've worked 3 different jobs in two different provinces in the roughly 3.5 years that I've been living in the PRC. At each job, I worked with at least one black man. I work with a black South African man at my present job. All three of the guys I've worked with have been incredibly bright and better than your average backpacker ESL teacher. I know that's not saying much, but two of the guys were what I would call outstanding teachers.

The first guy lives in Guangdong and has been in China for more than 9 years. He is married to a Chinese National and they have two small, interracial children together. He and his wife do very well together; don't ask me how they deal with the strange comments and stares and discirmination they face on a daily basis. I can only say that they do very, very well. He's a very good kindergarten teacher, and he consistently gets more work than he can handle year after year after year. We used to teach at the same kindergarten together when I was working my first job at a Language Mill and I'm happy to call him a friend of mine.

The second guy I worked with in Guangxi. He was from Cameroon. A great teacher who was loved by his students. He seemed to take the racism he faced in stride and while he was definitely the quiet type outside of class, I might even say --aloof-- he developed very close relationships with Chinese friends and students. The school we worked for welcomed him with open arms and he had taught there for a lot longer than I had when he moved to Wuhan. He has a "free pass" to return to the school and teach for them anytime he wants.

Honestly, the guy I work with now faces more discrimination at the school where we work than he should face. He also deals with it in a more confrontational, angry tone and it doesn't help in most cases. Yes, the discrimination he faces comes from his skin color and nationality, but it also comes from the fact that most of the other teachers here find him to be "overly sensitive" to any problem and any issue which arises where it be: race related, teaching related, student related, testing related, class related, or work and schedule related. Racism, prejudice and discrimination are very tricky things when you're working in an International school with a bunch of foreign teachers from all over the world ... it's taken to a completely higher level when that International school is located in China.

I've known student's parents who have flat-out refused to have thier children in a class where the teacher is black. I've known parents of students who have pulled their child out of the school where the black teacher worked. I've seen young Chinese students burst into tears at the site of a black man walking into the classroom to teach; I have caused this same reaction in kindergarten students on 3 separate occasions, and I am white.

The point is, that the changes and movement in and around China at this time is unprecedented in history -- World History, not just Chinese history! Mass amounts of people are moving to the cities. Poor local, rural farmers and workers who have never ridden a bus in their lives are moving to bigger cities in the hopes of finding work and wealth and a better way of life.

The Chinese people themselves are going through a kind of cultural and ethnic diaspora and "culture shock" in that sense. Anyone foreigner who pays attention while walking down the street or going to the Carrefour to shop can get a pretty accurate idea of which Chinese people and families have seen a foreigner before and which are seeing a foreigner FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME when you walk by them. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about.

Let's not pretend that racism is okay, or that it should be condoned in any way, but let's also not pretend that we're going to change China overnight, especially as foreign teachers! Yes, I think we should continue to fight the "good fight" and not give into racism or ill-treatment and I think it's important to stress the difference between different groups of people both INSIDE and OUTSIDE of China to our students. It's a "teachable moment."

China is extremely diverse in the amount of different ethnic minorities and cultural groups it has to offer; it is also a country where people hold strongly held opinions and prejudices about other people. IMO, racism should be fought against and combated whenever it is found, but I also believe that education is the one true answer as opposed to protest.

The entire world is becoming more and more "brown" ... which is the way the world should be considered in the first place, rather than "black and white." The world (and China) will assimilate the acceptance of different people and different cultures and different groups or beliefs the way it has always done-- SLOWLY.

That's just my $ .02

--GA

[choudoufu]

[GreatApe]

^^^^^ I thought the same thing!

--GA

[rogerwilco]

[Sarcastro]

[GreatApe]

@ Sarcastro

You might suspect that if you were judging me based on some of my former kindergarten students when I first met them!

On a positive note, kids are very flexible and maleable .. they get used to new things pretty quickly. I don't remember ever causing a single student to cry for more than a week. In my experience, they usually adjust to "The White Devil" (or "The Black Devil", for that matter) pretty quickly after the first few classes, particularly if you can break the ice and make them laugh and smile and have some fun.

A couple times the parents had to kind of stick around before or after the class and interact with me to show their kid that I was not going to kill anyone, or cause anyone to spontaneously combust.

Then again, it could have been my teaching that caused them to cry!

I mean, I'm experienced and credentialed, but I had never taught kindergarten in my life before coming to the PRC!

--GA

[wonderingjoesmith]

[rogerwilco]