Shanghai Jobs for Caucasians
It’s happened again! My company needs more foreigners. Last time I whined about this on Sinosplice for several months Micah ended up working here. Success! As the company grows, however, two foreigners are not enough. They’re looking to hire up to four more.
Anyway, if you have some English teaching experience and you speak Chinese, you might be interested in the position. Check out Sinosplice Jobs for the details and shoot me an e-mail if you’re interested.
Now for the bad news. Not only does the company hire only native speakers of North American English, but they want them to be white as well.
At first I denounced this as just blatant racism, but it’s actually a little more complex than that. My company has actually hired Chinese Americans before. The problem is that when clients hire a teacher or a teacher trainer from our company and they pay extra for a foreign teacher, they are looking for the “whole foreigner experience.” That means not Asian, because other Asians look too much like the Chinese, and that’s just boring. And it means not black or Indian simply because a lot of Chinese people are racist. If the company actually tried to use non-whites as teacher/trainers, most of the clients would just reject them and demand a white one.
Yes, it’s still a racist hiring policy. It’s clear that the bottom line is money, and if being anti-racism means less profit, then the company isn’t going to do it. This attitude is pretty prevalent. What’s really needed is to attack prejudices at their roots — in households. Then demand will change and businesses will respond. The sad thing is that foreign teachers in kindergartens are a great way to give kids positive exposure to foreigners at a young age, and it would be much more beneficial if the foreigners weren’t limited to mainly white ones.
I have been hiring people with a rainbow of colors for over five years and have never had a problem.
Tim H,
I’m glad to hear that… there’s definitely hope. That doesn’t mean the problem doesn’t exist, though.
I’m sure the racist parents know enough through word of mouth that they won’t take their kids to your school.
The problem does exist; I have heard some of the kindergarten principals voice racist objections with my own ears.
I agree that it does exist, but I also think that it’s not as hard to solve as it might be in other places. Like the KKK for example.
The whole white preference thing is very common here in Korea as well.
Although you can’t be blamed for the racist hiring practices of your employers and their customers. By actively helping them, advertising on your site and including their racist demand, you cross the line and become a participant in their racism.
It really isn’t any more complicated than that, it is blatant racism.
John isn’t any more (OR LESS) a participant in racism than you or I. His company will probably be less racist as a result of having him there. Anyway, racism is the concern and responsibility of all of us, not just those in the trenches.
John, kudos for speaking up and doing as much as you already have about it. And we all should just keep our eyes open for new opportunities to speak out and effect change in the future.
The Chinese hiring of pink people over their own kind show clearly how much self-hatred exists in Asian populations. It’s truly pathetic, and it amazes me Chinese people can be so shameless in their self-hatred. I’ll kill myself first before I harbor such ideas.
Raising the issue is a good thing. Posting a WHITES ONLY job ad is participating in racism.
Perhaps this might have been better as 2 posts. 1 job ad followed by an explanatory post.
All credit due for not including race requirements in /jobs/ ads. I hope that will continue.
Ooo.. lame.
This reminds me of a summer study activity I participated in. Each of the participants were assigned to local Chinese families to hang out with for a weekend. However, when it came to matching the three Chinese/Japanese-Americans to families, they were left out. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed dude was snatched up as soon as the choosing began. One of the parents got so pissed off when the program director tried to assign one of Chinese-American students to their family that he punched the guy’s lights out.
Seems China still has a ways to go…
as to black or india, i don’t think it based on racism. there’s a severe accent in most of the indians which is hard to understand. and some black people speak so fast that audience can’t follow.
Henry:
Whoa, wait a minute.
They don’t choose black people because they talk too fast? I don’t think that’s it. I’ve been in many-a-meeting where all the Chinese people had trouble following what was going on because the white dude at the front of the room had one-too-many lattes.
The only reason no black dude is getting hired is the color of their skin, or unless they’re from Africa.
Many Africans and Indians are native speakers. English is their first language and mother tongue. But it seems you are more welcome if you speak Afrikaans.
What if the candidate is not a native speaker, but speaks English in a way that kicks arse to 99% of China’s population, and most of North America? Such people exist, I have met them; and that’s truly prejudiced not to give them a chance (no, that’s not me, my English is terrible).
John,
There are non-rascist Chinese companies. I’ve worked for small and large Chinese language training companies, all successful, that would not allow the customers to dictate the color of the teacher. If the company and the teacehrs are good enough, the client will take what they get.
wulong
just my view, i didn’t say “all”, and i admit someone prefer white. the bias on races pervasively exists in every country, any absolute point is not right. so why make conclusion so quickly?
Henry,
I’m sorry, but your opinions are completely ridiculous.
There is a VERY SIMPLE reason why some [most?] Chinese prefer pink people and don’t want blacks and Indians. It’s simply this: these Chinese think Caucasians are better than they are; and think the blacks and Indians are worse. It’s racial insecurity. That’s all there is to it.
Chinese people think Caucasians are better than they are? But I’ve heard more than a few theories (told by the Chinese) about the natural higher IQ of Asians. It seems to me that Asians admire Western culture (which accomplished more than they did in the recent past), but have a lot of confidence that their race will regain its rightful place in the world. Or maybe it’s because I live in North America.
Whenever I read adverts like that, I seriously consider applying speaking only in AAVE (or in an Ozarkian accent).
Interesting comments, but I have a slightly different take on the whole issue. But first, let me give my background data. I am a white guy married to a yellow gal (Japanese), living in China, but not working in the language game (hence, I am not unduly influenced by progressive liberal concensus thinking).
We do have a lot of Chinese friends, some very close (we have more Chinese associates and friends than we have either white or Japanese). From the business people and blue collar types that I know, there are very few that consider white people race-wise or intellectual-wise to be superior to themselves. If I divide the human race into three components (for this discussion), white, yellow, and colored people (all others), then Chinese consider white people to be admired (because they entered the industrial economic phase first, with its consequent increase in wealth and power), but consider the colored people inferior (because they did not enter the industrial phase except for some now). The other yellow people fall into a few different groups. The Japanese they do not like (WWII, but also because the Japanese also feel they are superior, and therefore not quite humble enough for the Chinese), the Koreans and Vietnamese they think as OK because they are still in their traditional tributary status (or so they view it as such), and the rest of the yellow people are inferior.
For Chinese people they have different viewpoints. For Taiwanese, HK people, and other overseas Chinese, they generally do not like because these people come over here and because they know how the system works and know the language somewhat, they bully the Chinese into lower wages and harder working conditions (or at least that is how many view them). The Chinese that went to America or other places come back and because of their connections, quite often have good jobs (making American salaries, making a lot of money on the side, and live a better life). That connection is not lost on most Chinese. They want their children to have that same type of connection, even a loose connection.
So what DXC sees as self-hate, I really see as an attempt to get some guanxi, because that guanxi has paid off handsomely for other Chinese.
Here even in States, I have the strange feeling that the blacks haven’t given the same opportunities as the whites. For example, in my current University Department, only 1 professor out of about 40 is black. Anyone know why?
Groan!!
That makes me really annoyed. And its not even limited to different colours — when I was living with Tibetans they really took some serious crap from some Chinese tourists.
On the other hand, I know that when jobs come up at work, my Chinese friends are very unlikely to get hired due to being Chinese. A decade ago, it wasn’t a problem for NZ-born Chinese, but now it is too because they are lumped in with Chinese students.
Currently, Chinese have a reputation within the university of being dishonest and lazy. That amazes me, since for years they have had reputations as hard working citizens. Because of a whole lot of plagiarism cases, the country has turned against all Asians. Even if we don’t use the word racism any more, its still there.
Yeah, I agree with Kaili. There are enough discriminations everywhere around the world. Though in developed countries, they have better laws to prevent people speaking out their discriminations loudly.
Adam P,
I didn’t post a whites only job ad. I placed a regular job ad, and then I posted a blog entry calling attention to it.
The reason I did this is because last time I advertised on my site, I got a lot of Asian American applicants. I felt terrible rejecting them, but the company just won’t hire them. I’ve argued with my company before, but it does no good. They tell me that if I want to change the situation, argue with the racist clients.
As for “participating in racism,” I think that’s sort of a ridiculous claim. Is anyone living in China “participating in totalitarianism (or however you want to characterize the current regime)”?
Like Alaric said, you can do your part to work within the system for positive change.
I don’t want to hijack your comments so I’ll try and shut up after this.
Yes, The job ad and the post are seperate. I’m wrong. I should have worded my comment better. Sorry.
“ridiculous”, ouch.
I’m very sorry you felt terrible rejecting them(Asian American applicants).
Why did you feel terrible?
i thought shanghai people were more open minded about stuff like this? although i’m a chinese canadian teacher in dalian (northeast-china where people are less open minded than shanghai) it doesn’t take long for new students to figure out i can teach and i can speak english as good and clearly as ‘whites do. it’s nice to get called for jobs these days because the customer wants someone who can speak some chinese and understands chinese and western culture.
this kind of thing probably happens in japan and korea, too john’s right, we have to educate the parents and children.
Totalitarianism and racism are apples and oranges.
Don’t really agree with the whole self hatred thing.
I think it’s got something to do with the whole authenticity issue.
I reckon that all Chinese have an issue with getting ‘value for money’ – in every aspect of life. And when they sweat over their hard earned wages for some English tuition, they want to know that they’re getting the Real Deal.
The only problem being – how can they tell whether someone can speak Englize or not? Well, if they’re yellow skinned and look a lot like everyone else on the street you could forgive them for thinking that they have been had.
But give them blond hair and blue eyes, then from their POV, this guy must be authentic – even though in reality the guy is probably Swedish, or Norwegian.
Therefore I contend that it’s got nothing to do with racism, but perceived authenticity. It’s like me walking into a Japanese restaurant just to find it run by a bunch of Indians…my eyebrows start to quiver and I begin to wonder about the quality of the sushi. Who cares if the Indian chef actually has spent his life in Japan and is fluent etc. Pre-conceived stereotypes are a fact of life, but it is important to distinguish this from racism.
Chinese students/employers lack the ability to evaluate the fluency of people they are paying for language teaching, so naturally end up making judgments on the basis of skin colour.
This may be racist, but its a defensive racist aimed at not being screwed, which is a different caliber of racism than the “no dog or Chinese” sentiment many foreigners have harboured against Chinese for eons.
So… its wrong. But John certainly doesn’t deserve spite for posting the ad.
Yuu,
IQ scores are ridiculous. If IQ really measured “intelligence,” the Chinese would be ruling the world, not having stinky-ass toilets. The only thing that IQ tests measure is how well the person does in TAKING IQ TESTS.
Ke Meng,
“For example, in my current University Department, only 1 professor out of about 40 is black. Anyone know why?” Yes, black American culture values education a lot less than most other groups; thus, comparatively, very few blacks actually get Ph.D.s and apply for tenureships at elite universities. It has nothing to do with racism. Indeed, racism explains VERY little of why some ethnic groups do well in American society (e.g., Chinese, Indians, etc.) and others don’t (e.g., blacks, Hispanics).
Kaili,
Chinese have the reputation for being lazy?!! Really?!! This is definitely not the case in America, where they’re, for better or worse, the “model minority.” How come New Zealand are importing all these lazy-ass Chinese? 😉
To Da Xiangchang:
Just as John’s post demonstrates, hiring is a complex process, and an industry dependent process as evident in JFS’ comment. Blacks are not in faculties due to lack of them with PhD’s but also due to racism in hiring — they will do that if they can get away with it. Asians, on the other hand, do get hired not because they are respected as “model minority” but because of their sheer number in the candidate pool. The so-called model minority has often become the target of jealousy (I don’t know if it is racism), since this minority jacks up the SAT entrance standards, the real estate market, etc. Asians are not perceived as lazy? Haven’t you heard, or even said, that Asians are not creative compared to Americans?
In universities, the faculty of each department is more like a family than a company. The members thus behave very much like any family: likes and dislikes based on pure impulse, judgmentalism based on imagery, jealousy towards anyone prettier, dirty tricks on any less pretty, reluctance in admitting any new member, much less any member from a different
racevillage.A company, on the other hand, has less such concerns, the main criteria being skills and abilities. There less attention is paid to imagery, unless PR or marketing departments are concerned.
Therefore, to those who cry against John’s post:
Thus John’s company had its practical concerns being that it is in the catering the parents business (less the teaching the kids business, haha), and educating and changing the public’s attitude towards races is the key but is a much tougher and longer endeavor — look how long and how much it took the Americans.
Da Xianchang,
If I have missed the sarcasiam in your reply to Kaili, I’m sorry.
To JFS & Kenny:
My first reaction towards JFS’s post was “do you think Chinese are so ignorant/stupid that they’d think that Chinese-Americans wouldn’t have the same connections/guanxi as white Americans in this country?”, but what Kenny points out is essentially, yes, some Chinese are that ignorant. It’s kind of sad. I’m not sure that it’s self-hatred, though I think that many mainland Chinese still think that Western=white=unique/exotic/better (not sure if Taiwan, HK, and Singapore ever were in that phase, but if they were, I think that they’re definitely out of it now). Hopefully, this attitude will just change through time (along with the dismissive attitude towards most people from the equatorial parts of the world), though I have a nagging feeling that this is also a by-product of Maoist Communism. In Taiwan, HK, and Singapore, Communism didn’t destroy a large part of the intellectual and cultural heritage, so I get the feeling that those societies (who have managed to synthesize traditional Chinese culture with Western ways) never suffered an inferiority complex to the extent that many mainland Chinese seem to currently.
I can understand not wanting a Chinese-American English teacher because it doens’t “seem” one is learning from a foreigner. And learning from a non-Chinese is part of the experience. However, you’d think any other non-Chinese would be okay if that’s the real reason. Many Chinese then don’t want native-English speaking Indians or black Africans but they’ll accept non-native speakers who are white. Weird.
Just cause a system’s racist doesn’t mean you have to play along. Also, yes many people in China are biased or rascist, but many are not and will take whoever can provide the best service.
Gin, regarding the hiring of black professors, I’m more inclined to see it as a lack of applicants than racism. Most American universities that I’ve seen have lots of foreign professors. Even in my small univ. in a predominately Dutch-settled area I had professors from S. America, Eastern Europe, Africa and (I believe) India. Racism towards American blacks and towards foreigners might not be the same thing, but would you expect faculty who embrace foreign-born professors to reject educated American black people?
Also, Gin, laziness =/ not creative!
And also in my area, in which there are few Chinese, there’s no stereotype about laziness, but the reputation for cheating/plagiarism is starting to spread around. The only Chinese student I ever saw before going to China was kicked out of class during an exam in which he was rubber-necking at our classmates’ papers.
As an English teacher to Chinese students who were preparing to study abroad, I tried to inject a few lessons about plagiarism and proper attributions (like works cited pages etc), but it was ignored.
Da Xiangchang:
I certainly didn’t agree with those racist theories about intelligence that nobody can prove!
If IQ really measured “intelligence,” the Chinese would be ruling the world, not having stinky-ass toilets.
I’m probably being nitpicky but I don’t like this statement. If having high intelligence means you must rule the world, then if you don’t rule the world (or have “stinkyass toilets”), it must mean that you don’t have high intelligence. There’s much more to “ruling the world” than just intelligence (or IQ), as I’m sure you’d agree.
I think IQ does actually provide some measure of intelligence, but that intelligence can be manipulated and nurtured from childhood. It’s only partially genetic and not related to race.
Sorry to digress.
Richard:
I would suspect that Mainlanders would consider that American Chinese already have connections (Family, if not others) and they (the Chinese) would just be sucking hind teat and be bullied by that rich yellow guy. The white guys, they would think, and probably correctly, have no connections in China and are open.
Kikko Man:
The system is not racist, but they now cherish the right to free association. One issue is what consists of racism. I have a rather narrow view, but that is because of the educational system I was brought up under. When racism was taught to me, it was always in the context of Nazi orthodoxy, in other words, it was some system related to genetics. All other acts that you probably consider racist, and I do not, are related either to newness or perceptions, and that can be changed, but ususally change will be more rapid if it appears to be natural and evolutionary rather than unnatural and forced.
When my wife walks out around town, no one pays any attention to her (although she is an American). When we walk about together, we get a lot of stares, when I walk about alone, I get a lot of stares. Here, we are still different. In Shanghai we do not get the same reaction, probably because we are not different anymore. When I get the opportunity to talk, formally, about America and Americans, I always emphasis somewhere in the discussion, that Americans consider other Americans to be any race, any religion, any other human being, that is, any human being has the has a theoretical option of being an American. It may not be much, but it is my part in attempting to identify in others the concept that we Americans, theoretically at least, are rather cosmopolitan in our ideas of citizenship.
Also, Gin, laziness =/ not creative!
Agreed. But creativity = talent + hard work, forgot who said it. Thus if IQ is there, courtesy of Da Xiangchang, and counts for (most of) talent, then a large chunk of noncreativity can be attributed to lack of hard work. That is where I was coming from. I do like DXC’s stinky-ass toilet argument but link it more to laziness in the broadest sense of the term, including “we Chinese have shitted this way for thousands of years” — that I call laziness with uttermost pride.
Hiring a few minority (or female) profs may be good, but unfortunately one can often dig out a story or two behind such hires. It’s not uncommon that such hiring represents what they cannot get away with, namely, a result of enforcement/threat from the US government with federal funding as a leaverage. True, majority of academicians are socially conscientious (some say liberal) but when it comes to admitting/living with someone as a “family member,” second thoughts such as “rather an African than an AfAm” or “rather an Asian” suddenly come alive.
Gin,
I have a VERY hard time buying the argument that American university people won’t hire blacks. On the contrary, they would JUMP AT THE CHANCE. They would do so for a very simple reason: university employees are the most leftwing fanatics in American. They are therefore ALWAYS jumping at the chance to show how enlightened they are when it comes to race. As such, they would undoubtedly hire a black guy over a white guy, even if the black guy is less qualified. This is just a basic trait of pink liberals, whether in academia or newspapers. Don’t believe me? Here’s an example: check out the bios of the columnists of The NY Times and find the one with the LEAST credentials, and you’ll wind up with that braindead token Bob Herbert.
Liberals tend to be hypocrites and don’t put money where their mouth is.
On fear that I may be biased because I had based my argument on data (impression) of science faculties in my field, so I just clicked into a few lib-art departments. Columbia PoliSci, 2 black faculty members among 44, Texas A&M PoliSci, 3 black profs among the 20-30 with pictures, U Michigan, PubPolicy, 1 black male + 2 black female among 45, Wash U St Louis PoliSci, 1 among 18 with pictures, UCLA PoliSci, 4 blacks among 40+.
Of course, those are better numbers than, for example, Columbia Chem, 1 black female; Columbia BioSci, 1 guy looks, maybe, black; Columbia Math, 1 among 23 with photos; Physics, zero.
John, I respect you and know you’re a good guy. Just the fact that you’ve done so much for this whole China blogging community means that non-whites coming over here to get job have benefitted from your work. And I know it’s an awfully tricky spot you’re being put in by your employer, that probably a lot of us have not knowingly been put in.
With that said though, I DO think that in the absence of extremely extenuating circumstances, the right thing for us whiteys to do is to not work for companies that won’t hire non-white native English speakers. What if a company were trying to pull the same shit back home? Not hiring women or not hiring homosexuals or not hiring a certain race…we wouldn’t give much weight to the excuse of the customer base’s preferences, would we? And yeah, I know businesses in the U.S. have the law on their side whereas Chinese businesses are quite on their own when it comes to these matters but still…if you have the choice to work for a company that hires non whites versus one that refuses, can there be any question which company you should work for? In practice, it’s obviously a hard call to make and a lot of us armchair observers haven’t been asked to make the same judgement call.
But the fact remains, if whites refused to work for a company that would not hire non-whites, then these companies could not continue with their current practices, correct? It’s true that some good change can come from the inside, and encouraging that is the very least that could be expected from any of us, but I’m not sure that’s good enough. When scabs go in to break the strike, especially when their families aren’t starving (which none of us priveleged Westerners are), I can’t help but think that they deserve whatever vitriol and garbage that is thrown at them. They’re betraying the cause and weakening the efforts of those who would make a principled stand. Of course, it’s much easier and FAR more effective to make a stand once you’re already a valued member of the organization.
I am not surprise this situation in China especially in Shanghai. Taiwan is the same they always require teachers to speak North American accent rather than Ausi or British English. It’s the same in Japan too.
John, I respect you and just the fact that you’ve done so much for this whole China blogging community means that non-whites coming over here to get job have benefitted from your work. And I know it’s an awfully tricky spot you’re being put in by your employer, that probably a lot of us have not knowingly been put in.
With that said though, I DO think that in the absence of extremely extenuating circumstances, the right thing for us whiteys to do is to not work for companies that won’t hire non-white native English speakers. I know businesses in the U.S. have the law on their side whereas Chinese businesses are quite on their own when it comes to these matters but still…if you have the choice to work for a company that hires non whites versus one that refuses, can there be any question which company you should work for? In practice, it’s obviously a hard call to make and a lot of us armchair observers haven’t been asked to make the same judgement call.
But the fact remains, if whites refused to work for a company that would not hire non-whites, then these companies could not continue with their current practices, correct? It’s true that some good change can come from the inside, and encouraging that is the very least that could be expected from any of us, but I’m not sure that’s good enough. When scabs go in to break the strike, especially when their families aren’t starving (which none of us privileged Westerners are), I can’t help but think that they deserve whatever vitriol and garbage that is thrown at them. They’re betraying the cause and weakening the efforts of those who would make a principled stand. Of course, it’s much easier and FAR more effective to make a stand once you’re already a valued member of the organization.
Lynn, you left out one line, that old “Workers of the World, Unite” line. If John wishes to boycott or not is up to him, but I see no partiuclar value intellectually or morally in doing so. As your “scab…vitriol” remark alludes to, if they do not get the hint, then what will you do; as the chechens, go take a school and wipe out the students as a lesson to the SOBs. I just do not buy into that nonsense. Look on the positive side, since all those Asian American and other colored people cannot get teaching jobs over here, then if they want they will have to get some other type of work, probably productive work. Since, with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the only place left for Marxists is in education. maybe in this way we can get at least the non-whites weaned off that useless tripe.
Joyce, what are you trying to say, that the customers do not have a right to buy the education they want. If I am in China, and I want to buy the services of a teacher, and a teacher appears with a heavy Anhui accent, I may not want that accent. That is my priviledge. What is this, you guys have been in the socalist education system so long that you see nothing wrong in denying the customer the education they want, but only see good in the education you want to force feed them.
On the accent issue, I definitely agree with JFS. There’s nothing wrong with the company wanting to only hire those with North American accents. The company is trying to teach consistent pronunciation, and the pronunciation model the company uses is the American model.
Sure, adults may want to choose which variety of English they want to learn, but these are just kids. It’s best not to confuse them with multiple accents, and I think in most cases the parents want them to learn American English anyway.
If a kindergarten wants its kids to learn British English, they’ll choose a different company’s materials.
I agree with both John and JFS. What comes into play is if you are a native speaker with a standard North American accent. I for one feel its more an issue of the business than the clients. Having taught in Shanghai and being a non-white teacher, I found the only challenge was the initial contact with the company that hired me. After several classes my students all warmed-up to me. Being a non-white native speaker I’ve perhaps changed people’s opinion on what a native speaker “should” be. Though shanghai is “developed” financially it is still years behind most North American cities when it comes to social development.
I’ve only been reading this site a short time but I absolutely had to jump in on this one. I’m a black American, (fourth-generation free slave), who had been accepted in an “open” academic program through a local university to teach in China and rejected three weeks before departure probably because my hair was not straight in the photograph I sent at the last minute to complete my application (or so my friend from Singapore deduced). Realistically, people with brown-black skin and un-straight hair are disregarded all over the globe. I know this. In the comfort of a university atmosphere, I momentarily forgot.
If “To get rich is glorious,” one can imagine why parts of Asia are scrambling to touch the feet of the West. That’s where the money is and the white fist holds the cash not the brown or black. As for Asian Americans getting high-paying jobs in China, I imagine Mainlanders wouldn’t take to that any better than the average black American takes to well-paid African professors who can hardly speak English. The outward appearance is similar but the cultural differences are enormous.
To whom it may concern,
Why are there so few black American professors? Accomplished professors are typically in their 50’s and up. When people my parents’ age were deciding whether or not to go to college, black Americans were still being lynched in the streets! Anyone attempting to take a stand had about as good a chance as an intellectual during the Cultural Revolution. Give us a couple of decades. We and the Chinese people will mature.
Taryn:
Interesting letter, but I find a few comments not quite digestible. You know your genealogy, but four generations born free. Slavery has been abolished in the USA for 140 years now, four generations in 140 years, although not impossible, would be rather peculiar; even for white Europeans who are breeding at a very slow and nonproductive rate.
W.E.B. DeBoise was famous (infamous for some whites, perhaps) professor way back at the beginning of the 20th Century. There were numerous Black colleges in the South. The lack of cblack college professors is not a function of “being lynched in the street” so much as it is function of the general poverty of Blacks. Fewer poor people go to college to begin with, hence fewer poor people become professors, college usually being an initial requirement. The correlation between being poor and going to college runs across all race lines. Eight generations in America, it was my generation that first went to college at all.
As a side note, the state and fed governments give a lot of tax money to subsidize college tuition. All segments of society pay taxes, even the poor. The average income in most states (I am thinking of Washington State specifically here, California also, and Oregon, the States I know best) is higher for parents of students at State colleges than at private colleges. Consequently, the poor are net payers, that is they subsize in net, the rich kids going to college (just because most poor kids do not go to college).
JFS,
Good use of math. My parents are old and my great-grandmother was born right after the Emancipation proclamation was issued. I guess I should have specified, fourth generation to be BORN free…
I agree with you, poverty is the ruin of the poor. Too often though, people overlook the social history of blacks in America when they make comments, that’s all. Things are looking up though. Another Klan member just got jail time: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/23/national/23cnd-killen.html?hp.
Taryn,
Great points!
JFS,
Calling the dude’s genealogy out was just not right.
Tim H.
I am not sure what “calling the dude’s genealogy out” means, and I am not sure why it is not right. I made no attack on Taryn, he made a statement and the numbers or dates did not seem quite right, nothing more. I am acquainted with my family history, and I enjoy giving each generation its due. I recall one time, I was driving from work with a colleague, he was desribing some issue about birth control or abortions or something of that nature (he and his wife were pro-life). He had made some statement involving numbers, and I stopped him and said there is something not quite right with your numbers, and I went the the sequence of what those numbers would really mean. The next day he told me that he told his wife, and she responded, “you engineers are all the same, that was just hyperbole, no one is suppose to analyze the numbers, the numbers are just to make a statement.” Why not do away with the hyperbole and nonsense and try resolve the issues of our times with some rationality. We are all human beings and came into this world naked.
Expecting China to abide by US/Canadian/Western European values is, at this point, too much. While Westerners can try to encourage, educate, and set an example for the Chinese people they meet, true change on a societal, economic, political, and racial level will come from within, from the Chinese people themselves. If you don’t ever want to feel the least bit complicit in racism, in economic exploitation, or in a morally bankrupt political system, China’s not the place to be. Avenues for progress exist, but be realistic.
Liu Bang,
You said:
If you don’t ever want to feel the least bit complicit in racism, in economic exploitation, or in a morally bankrupt political system, China’s not the place to be. Avenues for progress exist, but be realistic.
Well said. I completely agree.
I have to admit, though, it does feel like a moral cop-out. So I still do what I can from where I am.
John,
I think we all can make a lot of theories on this one, but at the end of the day, I honestly feel that you have sold out!
History is full of examples of what happens when you tolerate this kind of behavior.
I am sorry for you, and sorry for the message you are sending.
John, maybe you should follow the Japanese method and commit Seppuku to show them your real feelings.
Jack,
So tell me… are you some kind of superhero fighting racism around the world, or do your efforts consist solely of posting disparaging comments on a blog from the comfort of your first world home?
John,
no actually not, I am a simple european finance manager working on my fifth year in China. I started out as an expat and now on a local package here in Shanghai.
Maybe it is my European heritage that causes these feelings.
But maybe it is also the fact, that I have been down that road before, having to sacrifice careerwise in order to live my values.
Maybe you don’t feel you have that option, being financially dependent on the job to stay here with your girlfriend and thats why I feel sorry for you and people in your situation.
Change has a price and someone has to pay
Jack,
In that case, the quote once again:
If you don’t ever want to feel the least bit complicit in racism, in economic exploitation, or in a morally bankrupt political system, China’s not the place to be. Avenues for progress exist, but be realistic.
If you can honestly say your conscience is completely clean on all those counts, then I daresay you don’t know everything that’s going on around you.
Jack:
Then I wonder if your values just aren’t as strict as John’s.
Jack:
If I may, I would like to ask a question, because I am somewhat puzzled? As I read your post, I take it that you restrict your association due to your values, is that correct? If that is correct, then my question is what are the limits of your association or non-association? From your posting, I take it that you limit your employment to value approved entities. But since you are a finance manager, does this entail this activity also? If your employer has made purchases from entities that are non-approved value types, do you refuse payment, or do you add a surcharge for their non-value positions. Do you refuse business to those whom you suspect are not value minded as you?
I am also rather perplexed by your European heritage comment. Whether in France, Austria, Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, even Ireland, there are rather vocal ethnic or racist elements; or do you define those Europeans as non-Europeans?
You can believe as you wish, you can feel sorry for people as you wish; but I still will associate with whom I wish. And I do associate with all sorts of types whom I disagree politically, religiously, socially, economically and so on. My list of active acquaintances range from thugs (or wanna-be thugs) to high brow types, to government officials (well, ok, they may be thugs too), to business people to just the regular guy or gal. There is hatred running all over the matrix here, but I still associate with them anyway; and I do not feel my values diminishing one iota.
JFS:
I tend to focus on what I can influence, as a finance manager aswell as a person.
So I will not pay companies who do not have proper licenses, issue fapiaos etc. I insist all staff are paid the minimun social benefits and salary etc
I cannot change the world, but I believe I can influence things by my behavior. I can not stop racism, crime or similar, but I can choose not to support it.
If my HR manager has informed me of the request for caucasian staff, I would have informed her of my opinion and I would certainly not have done anything to help fill the position etc.
The remark about European heritage refers to I have family dying for all the wrong reasons during WW2, my grandfather is a prison camp survivors, my father a refuge so I tend to feel strongly about racism and similar issues.
I don’t want to pretend to be perfect on this, but I try, my comment was intended (in a little provogative way) to make other people try as well.
Suggest we end it here and I will continue to enjoy John’s superb Blog in silence.
Cheers
Jack:
We can end the dialogue, unless we think there is more to be said; and I think there is more usefull words that can be said. At least I will try.
I think the issue that was raised is how does an individual with values live in a community that does not share those values, may even have values in start contrast to your own; what really is tolerance; what really is diversity?
I am not here to fend in behalf of John, he can do that himself; but your first posting I took as an attack on myself, even if you did not mention or even know that I existed. So I responded, fair enough. but your response has left me puzzling as to what you really were trying to say.
My own belief is that one lives cheek to jowl with the heathens (I define heathen as those who do not subscribe to the same values as you do, it is not necessaryilly a perjorative), one rubs elbows daily, and it is not a condition of “selling out” one’s values by such associations, even when their values are in stark contrast to one’s own. When it comes to race, I have had all sorts of “racist’ friends (whites who hated blacks, blacks who hated whites, yellows who hated blacks, Mexicans who hated yellows, Koreans who hated Japanese, Vietnamese who hated Chinese, etc., it becomes rather complicated at times). I never required complete orthodoxy from anyone, if they did from, then our association would end. Generally that never happened, even my racist black friends accepted me and my acceptance of whites.
But this is my belief, the free association of people. What I find from some of the Politically Correct is an evangelicalism that rivals any fundamental Christian church. Complete conformance or disfellowshipment. The problem with that is the natural evolution of such thinking leads to Pol Pot’s solution.
Which comes to something you wrote in your last posting, about your European heritage (btw, unless the language is evolving in ways that I am unaware of (which is possible), heritage is ususally taken in the positive sense (unless satire or irony is involved, and there was no indications of that in your postings); that is, it is the cultural heirlooms that our ancestors bequeath to us). The brutality that people can do to other people. I do not equate that which annoys us, or even seriously grieves us. If we do begin to define brutality to the annoying aspects of others; then it quickly trivializes brutality and can easily lead to the Pol Pot scenario. The tragedy that befell you ancestors (your father and grandfather) were truly tragic. But many people have suffered brutality. My own ancestors, a few generations removed suffered so. They were part of a small community. Their neighbors, despising them, raided their farms. Where they were able to, rounded up the men folk (some as young as eight) and executed them. Where they were able to, rounded up the women folk and raped them. The magnitude was not as great as what the Europeans did to one another; the extent of the perversities was not as great as what the Europeans did to one another; but the trauma and bitternes each of the victims felt was probably similiar. It is fashionable in America today to wear our victimhood on our sleeves, or develop some means whereby it can be made public for our own benefit. To me the proof is in the pudding. You can wear your victimhood, or religioushood, or moralhood, or social standinghood, or wealthhood, or anyother hood on your sleeve, but the proof will always be in the pudding, not in your hoodness.
Testing. I am half White and look it. Read, write, and speak Mandarin 30%, Japanese 20%, and
Korean 40%. Interested in working in China, Taiwan, or Japan either Teaching English or in the
Engineering / Technical fields for one or more years
to fluently learn Mandarin and/or Japanese for future business basic skills set. Long term, would like to work mostly in Asia.
ha — how do you educate people about it?
tried telling people that i’m an ethnic minority in north america, but they think i’m too white to believe that.
i decided to quit teaching english, go learn chinese and open a noodle stand. oops, i can’t get a work visa for that.
maybe i’ll start a rock band and sing originals in mandarin — beats the “get off the plane, find an english teaching job” anyday. got forbid the day cctv picks up on it.
rock.
I wouldn’t say that at all. Most schools I’ve worked in (in Taiwan) have refused to hire black teachers, including one of my friends from college who was a linguistics major.
I don’t think it is that weird that most schools only hire whites. I live in the U.S. and I want to learn Chinese, but I don’t want to learn from a white person. Do I have anything against white people? No. But unless you grew up there, you are going to speak with an accent, and your chinese will never be as good as someone who is chinese. If I wanted to learn French, I would learn from someone who is French, Spanish- Hispanic, etc.
But, Ann, does race matter? You said that if you wanted to learn French, you’d want to learn from someone who is French. How about a black Frenchman? That would still be okay, right? This topic is about Chinese people who refuse black and/or Asian-looking Americans (or Brits or whatever) as English teachers.
Insisting on a native speaker seems perfectly fine to me. Insisting on a white one doesn’t.
So much nonsense! The problem is not hiring only caucasians. After all, Chinese are racist. They do not like blacks. The problem is the school accepting only native North-American English speakers (e.g. Canadian and American). That is really hilarious! Just being a native speaker does not make one a teacher. I am Brazilian and my mother language is Portuguese. However I don’t dare teaching it. As far as English, though, not only can I teach it but I can teach it well. I proudly have a CEELT II Certification and a “with honors” Michigan test certificate. In addition, I worked for five years in the past for a bi-national center and also corrected TOEFL essays and taught grammar for the teachers (including the so called “native speakers”. Give it a try: ask a common native speaker what an inverted conditional is, what is the correct definition of a stative verb and why it cannot take continuous forms, and finally, an easy one, what is the technical difference between if and in case. I would not dare ask about syntax…
Cheers
Ah yes
Chinese white -worshipping is at again.
If it was n’t for white privilege you wouldn’t even have a job in China
Its a fact that a lot of chinese people prefer to be white then any other colour, let alone black.
We have been brain washed for many decades(mostly by white people) that blacks are the low of the lows and that the darker you are the worst you are.
Its all a lie, the truth is that all people from diferent colours are the same, no one is better then other.
What is funny is when chinese people leave China and leaves abroad, then he or she will realize that white people are not what they seem.
racisms begets itself or dwindles by what people of all levels of society choose to pitch in. perhaps your company can help facilatate ideas of multiculturalism in america (which is its own effort of undertaking in US itself.) i.e. educate through (interpersonal, small-scale literature) campaigns non-threatening compassion, humor, openness, warmth (NOT all business-like transaction of white-ass-for-chinese-yen-and-unquestioned-prejudice), THAT AMERICA ISN’T A STRICTLY WHITE EXPERIENCE, AND IS “BROWNING” AT EXPONENTIAL RATE. if they want to have less surprises in their global (bottomline: business) experiences in the future, your chinese clients need to anticipate multicultural encounters.
interestingly, asian americans are hot property more than caucasians in the entertainment industry, as they carry a westernized exotic aura that makes them ready-made idols or personalities of desire and grandeur. so i guess it balances out where people are excluded/privileged. what a world.
Well, this the country trying to become a super power. English is not about color. Color can not reflect ability.
Continue with your racism, good sign of development. Hope u will make more million dollars by supporting ricism and chinese will speak white english.
Why try to “attack prejudice at the root”? Why would it be “much more beneficial” to the students if the teachers could be non-white too? Stop crusading for multiculturalism and start appreciating Chinese culture. It is only “much more beneficial” to have a diverse range of teachers if non-white people are superior to whites (think about it). This is ultimately stupidity on stilts.
Kemeng, wake up and smell the coffee! The reason few university professors are black is because of the low average IQ of black people. The ones who are professors probably got there by positive discrimination too rather than their own efforts.
As a Chinese I am ashamed for a Chinese company’s white only policy. Long long way to go to stop any knid of discrimination in any country in the world, no matter what the system they have. I doubt there is a day that the dream of every one is equal can become true.
Don’t know why, but everytime I hear some guy go on about IQ differences between races, I suddenly envision a penniless fat guy in a trailer using such scores to feel better about his own pathetic life.
Hi after reading few comments here the thoughts came in my mind as my wife possess a Ph.d degree in english litrature and being an Indian I would say the time has come where all the nations are going global , removing the barriers of cast , breed , coulour have become essential in the highly competetive global market if few companies of some nations dont understand that ,they themseleves are to be blamed I personally feel merit has no colour as we all possess one common thing in us ,that is soul,and achievements are made with brains and brawn not only with brawn finally i would say the smart compny is that who understands the demand and geting it fulfilled in the least possible time effectively, if we block our mind and have diffrent notion other then merit we will be left far behind in achieving what we want to be it economy or mere education
The Chinese are generally racist and none of us here can change that. Pretending otherwise is bullshit, chastising those who have chosen not to pretend is plain idiocy.
The “European heritage” thing is the funniest of all. I wonder who forced all those WWII refugees to escape Europe, Africans?
Da Xiangchang: you just reveal your own prejudices! You are trying to weave an environment where honest discussion becomes impossible. Why are you unable to put your argument forward on a rational, logical basis? Kam Kalra: well done for sticking up for India’s national self-interest disguised as globalisation whereby we allow you to emigrate in large numbers to our countries. Unfortunately I see through the guff and clearly perceive your posting as just another attempt to advance one country’s interests, in this case India’s. Globalisation, wo de pigu.
DJW,
Well, there’s a simple answer to your question: I don’t take seriously the opinions of a yellow man originally from Southeast Asia who pretends to be a white guy online and blabs about minorities ruining the “white” West. I mean, how sad can a guy be? Haha.
DXC, what on earth are you talking about??????
Oh boy, this is getting juicy…
DJW,
It’s very simple: I THINK YOU’RE ASIAN, HAKKABOY.
Man, some people really get around, don’t they. . .
Hello readers,
Could someone tell me if is it easy to have a job in Shanghai China as a Teacher. Presently I am teaching here in Xuzhou. I am not a native English Speaker, I am a Filipino Hope someone will be able to give me someinformation.Please send an email to me at jorlita@yahoo.com .
Thanks for your time and Godbless!
Even though its dicrimination, its what they want. People in China are free to choose and not be forced by their goverment to hire who they think they dont want, I know I would not like to learn CHinese from a non Asian. It just would not feel real to me.
How long is the contract? What kind of qualifications do you require? How can I get some more information?
Thank you,
Elisha
GUYS I HAVE BEEN LIVING IN CHINA FOR 6 YEARS, TAIWAN 2 YEARS, JAPAN 1 YEAR and KOREA 6 MONTHS. I speak fluent 4 languages and graduated from a top 10 university. I know MANY owners of schools and even government teachers and heads of schools, colleges and universities, I can honestly tell you, this ONLY WHITE idea is TOTAL and UTTER BULL S**T. It honestly does not exist. I think the person who posted this idea has serious personal race issues and should seek professional help. The days of the white man knows best is LONG gone. May i suggest you stop taking that crack cocaine or whatever it is your on and live a normal life (dont forget that professional help). I have seen MANY black and pink (white) teachers all over asia.
Hi,
I was just in Shanghai to study the language and yes, the city still has a bit of preference for whites going on, over other colors. But I wasn’t really affected until I started asking around for work and thought, maybe I could teach English. I’m Filipino-Chinese and in the Philippines (well at least in Manila), we speak English as the 2nd language and in school, the subjects are taught in English. So this has become like second nature for us to speak the language and I thought it should be easy teaching it. But I was told that they only wanted “native” speakers, translating to you looking like one. I got acquainted to someone who just got hired to teach English in Shanghai and she’s blond with green eyes, but not a native of the US. That I’m sure of.
So, John would you know of other profession that one can get into in Shanghai? I just really love the city.
Thanks!
When Chinese pay money to learn English they want to hear Standard English in the typical American accent/non-accent. The safest bet in that regard is to hire a white person.
Filipina,
That’s hard to say, not knowing your skill set. Translation, maybe?
I guess most people miss the irony of a westerner calling Chinese racist for not having the “correct” views on the subject of racial egalitarianism or non-egalitarianism. Yeah, I guess the Chinese are just stupid for their “unreconstructed” racial views. Keep preaching it…………
“John”:
“When Chinese pay money to learn English they want to hear Standard English in the typical American accent/non-accent. The safest bet in that regard is to hire a white person.” That’s a very silly argument cuz, uhh, most of the “white world” doesn’t speak English or live in America. I’d bet the safest bet is hiring a person born and raised in America. I mean, who speaks better English, a Chinese American or some German guy raised in Munich who goes into a Chinese classroom and probably says, “Guten morning, I vill now teach proper Amerikanisch Englisch. Ja, let’s start mit ‘Hallo, wie geht’s? Scheisse, I mean, ‘How ahhrrr you?'”
Yes everyone is right – it is disgusting that only ‘whites’ are accepted. If I may add however, ‘North american english speakers’ are also only allowed. Those of us who have lived in in China for a long time know that there are many differences (dialects) in the way Chines people speak, just as there are in the UK, and other English speaking countries. Anyone who posts an advert for ‘North American English’ is either stupid or part of the great American imperial machine that wants people who don’t know better (usually Asian people, I’m sorry to say) that Americans have their ‘own’ language’. It’s like saying that Shanghai people and Suzhou people speak such different variations of Chinese because one or the other is insecure about it’s cultural identity.
To many English speaking people around the world this idea that asians have about ‘American English’ and ‘British English’ is both offensive, culturally derogative and most of all – stupid……….. I suppose we should all ask for ‘Taiwanese’ Chinese speakers when we want to learn the cultural and historical language of China……..
Take a pinch of white man
Wrap him up in black skin
Add a touch of blue blood
And a little bitty bit of red Indian boy
Like a colour kinkies
Mixed with yellow Chinkees, yeah
You know you lump it all together
And you got a recipe for a get along scene
Oh what a beautiful dream
If it could only come true, you know, you know
What we need is a great big melting pot
Big enough big enough big enough to take
The world and all its got
And keep it stirring for
A hundred years or more
And turn out coffee coloured people by the score
You say Asians won’t hire blacks because they are rascists but will hire whites. Please explain to me whether Asians show that particular color preference in any other choices they make in life. You can’t cause its BS. In fact the whole theory of of rascism based on color it completely unsupported by fact or logic. It has to do with behavior, real or perceived. Since Aians have a limited internal history with blacks it must then be how they perceive blacks. So said, just how could they possibly have a low opinion of blacks based on Rap Music, crimes statistics all over the world and that great example of black success, Africa.
I got very disappointed when South Korean job recruiters told me I didn’t qualify because am not from a native English speaking country. But I speak English like heaven and earth (been doing it for 19 yrs of my 23 years) and don’t understand why they think I can’t teach it. Not mensioning my 2.1 BA degree in English.
Just imagine with more than fifty countries in Africa and only South Africa is recognized as an ideal place good English Speakers!No, I think this has to be revisited.
ops! whoa! i think it’s bias to hire only white people because yoo are only looking for physical appearance not how they speak and teach or socialize with other…… huh!? I can say you must also hire those from asian that are very good english speakers and many schools and companies do that actually…. well….any comment??
some of my friends are working actually in school .. somewhere in china…
but me.. hmmmm… i guess i have no time for it…. i just wanna say filipinos can speak good english … any comment? read the history^^^.
I’m a Filipino-Chinese and I studied in a Chinese school for almost 10 years and there are few things I have learned in learning a foreign language. First, it would be beneficial if my teacher would at least speak a language that we both can understand and second, I think I prefer a teacher who is a Filipino who learned to speak Mandarin as a second language just like me and of course he must be fluent with it. So, If I were a Chinese trying to learn English, I think it would be great if my teacher will be an Asian- American who speaks Mandarin but speaks English well just like the pure American counterpart, he surely knows the difficulties in learning English and how to overcome it.
P.S most of my teachers don’t even speak English that’s why a lot of our pure Filipino classmates who are trying to learn Mandarin graduated highschool not being able to complete a grammatically correct sentence in Mandarin.
I live in the UK but have Indian heritage. I also have a chinese girlfriend in Shanghai so I feel I am qualified to talk on this subject.
My chinese girlfriend certainly has preferences and has indicated a dislike of black skin but not because she is racist. Rather she finds brown or light brown skin more visually pleasing. She is also not a big fan of extremely white skin either, saying to me that white skin is best for girls but brown skin is best for boys.
She has spent a long time learning english and does seem to have adopted “American english” rather than “British english” but when I confronted her about this she said that generally she prefers Europeans to Americans because she finds Americans arrogant.
In many ways the chinese are less racist than other nations because they feel that they are subject to the same discrimination suffered by Africans and Indians.
However, I have never worked in China nor have I tried to find work in China and I suspect that this is where I am likely to find the most racism. I too harbour a gut feeling that the chinese are racist but having visited the country twice, I find them extremely well mannered generally. I do think that they may have a slight preference for the white community but this can mostly be put down to the fact that cash is king.
People here look at racism totally differently… the Western world has it’s own self-hatred… Whites come to believe that we’re to blame for the world’s poverty because of our success and that somehow racism against us is OK, but not against anyone else…
Places like China and Korea… they don’t think of racism like that. The words “wai guo ren” and “wei gook in” are used for anyone who isn’t Chinese or Korean… and it basically means an outsider… and being an insider is synonymous with being one race… Outsiders can be treated however they want… for that matter, so can insiders… so often here in China, Whites receive superior treatment…
But, in a sense it’s a little arrogant to bring our concepts of total equality here… these are also Western constructs… they work as a functional apparatus, but how many of us 100% believe in our hearts everyone is %100 physically and mentally equal… not many people… but our society is based on our willingness to suspend disbelief…
For the vast majority of the world, this is not in their value patterns, for better or for worse… we can try to educate… but if we really want to flee the scene.. i.e. leave China.. pay no taxes to the totatilatarian bastards who block xanga… well, that probably ain’t gonna help much…
What i see here is racism towards whites and a chance to express that hatred and jealousy. So what if they pick whites that is T
HEIR business! Im glad that someone would want to pick me instead of the hatred that I usually see towards me as a white everywhere else spread by websites such as these.
Get over it
Hello,
I accidentally came across this page.And reading all the issues about racism here made me realized something.
Recently i have been trying to apply in several companies and school as an English teacher.
But sadly enough, and what makes me quite annoyed as well, these people who interviewed me(the Chinese) did not even look at my CV or read my CV where i clearly put my nationality there(Indonesian-Chinese but me and my family moved overseas since i was 9 years old).They gladly called me for interview.Where I also gladly responded to their calls.
When i stepped my foot at the office, one of them said,”You look like Chinese?” , I nodded,”Yes, i am from Chinese descendant.” (Hey, I am not going to lie and say that I am Korean mixed with American or European, although i can speak German–I speak 6 languages),Then she asked for my passport,my degrees etc, and then giving me a contract to sign.I gave her my passport etc, signed the contract, finished the interview, shake her hand and went home.
To my disappointment, the next day, instead of calling me or informing me that the application is not successful (Which she should have done it yesterday–so that i can accept other interview offers instead of rejecting it), she just kept quiet(this happened twice, with 2 different Chinese lady in 2 different companies), and when i sms her asking what is going on? She will provide thousands of reasons and ‘I will call you later’ reply.
After waiting and waiting like an idiot, and sending sms with no reply or ‘I will call you later’ reply, then I realized how fucked up these people are.
They don’t dare to say up and front that your application is not successful.And leaving me to wonder by myself.Not replying my sms or call.Just disappear into thin air.
Then why bother calling me for interview?And why asking my passport, my personal information, my degrees. and even ask me to sign a contract?!
I am sorry but i am quite annoyed and i think these Chinese people are not professional.
And what does it have to do with putting this comment on this page?
After i read the racism issue in this page, then i realized that the Chinese wanted a native speaker.This is the reason why i said that they must have not read my CV.Perhaps they just looked at it and say,”Wow.Its in English!Cool~Let’s call!Let’s call!”
Which sadly enough..the lady who interviewed me..her English is the worst English i have ever heard in my whole life when it comes to -English Speaking School-.
They really waste my time and energy and money.
correcting native speaker as :blond with blue eyes.
I am currently learning Mandarin and work close to a section of the city which is primarily Asian. On many occasions I am treated as if I do not belong because I am white. I immediately stop the practice by calling attention to it and letting people know that I do not treat others this way and will not accept it from others – especially when I am a paying customer. Maybe the people in your company need to stop whining and start a public awareness program. How anyone can assume they are better than someone else because of there skin color is sickening, uneducated and barbaric. Just remember, reverse discrimination puts those that promogate this type of behavior in the same class as those being discriminated against. Stand up for yourself and good luck!
It was interesting discussion!!
Human skin color can range from almost black (due to very high concentrations of the dark brown pigment melanin) to nearly colorless (appearing reddish white due to the blood vessels under the skin) in different people. Skin color is determined by the amount and type of melanin, the pigment in the skin.
Truly advanced countries like America rose above racism. Its just these 3rd world countries with inferiority complex considers themselves inferior/superior other races. What you really need is to travel the world and EDUCATE yourselves.
Oh! by the way I did employ 18 Chinese and I am Indian. Should I fire them?? No! I employ people if they are suitable for a position and not because of skin color. Its time for Chinese people to Wake if they want to be a world leader and not just a developing country. you got a long way to go!
The key issue here is that these Chinese parents believe they got their money’s worth by having the experience of learning English from a perceived “native speaker”. The preconceived notion of such experience is a white English speaking person teaching their kid Ebglish so that thier kids can hopefully speak a perfect north American English. Dose rasism exist in Shanghai or China? you bet; bur it also exist in many other parts of the world in an overt and covert forms. The sad reality is that some Chiness still believe white people are better than they are.
I only read a little, requiring a “white” teacher is open racism, regardless of the reasoning or rather unreasoned opinions behind it. You should be ashamed of the company you work for, although from what I hear the majority are that way.
I am a Music/Mathematics teacher and came across this site when looking for the words and chords for the song “Melting Pot”. I see that Roger Cook has used Verse 1, 2 and the Chorus of the song to make an interesting point. It is a great song. Do you have the music or know where I can get it?
Good and bad attitudes come from practice. Just like all the other skills we acquire, we make daily decisions to become better at what we believe we can achieve.
Good luck and good self esteem everyone.
kenny is the only intelligent blogger on this site:
“Don’t really agree with the whole self hatred thing.
I think it’s got something to do with the whole authenticity issue.
I reckon that all Chinese have an issue with getting ‘value for money’ – in every aspect of life. And when they sweat over their hard earned wages for some English tuition, they want to know that they’re getting the Real Deal.
The only problem being – how can they tell whether someone can speak Englize or not? Well, if they’re yellow skinned and look a lot like everyone else on the street you could forgive them for thinking that they have been had.
But give them blond hair and blue eyes, then from their POV, this guy must be authentic – even though in reality the guy is probably Swedish, or Norwegian.
Therefore I contend that it’s got nothing to do with racism, but perceived authenticity. It’s like me walking into a Japanese restaurant just to find it run by a bunch of Indians…my eyebrows start to quiver and I begin to wonder about the quality of the sushi. Who cares if the Indian chef actually has spent his life in Japan and is fluent etc. Pre-conceived stereotypes are a fact of life, but it is important to distinguish this from racism.”
This is affirmative action in reverse. There are many white people in the United States that are highly qualified for professional positions that have been denied jobs or advanced oppurtunities simply because companies are required to maintain a hiring quota based on race. If so called minorities want a level playing field and get hired for their qualifications instead of their race, then I invite them to select the option not to disclose their race on any online application where the application asks them what their race is.
10 years later after the original post, it is WORSE.