Comments on: My Least Favorite Thing About China http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/ A multimedia hip-hop project about the life of an american expat in China Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:02:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Sun Zoo’s American Expatriate » Being a Person http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/comment-page-1/#comment-603 Sun Zoo’s American Expatriate » Being a Person Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:17:10 +0000 http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/#comment-603 [...] I have previously explained, one of the things that really bothers me about China is the attitude and assumptions most people [...] [...] I have previously explained, one of the things that really bothers me about China is the attitude and assumptions most people [...]

]]> By: Sun Zoo http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/comment-page-1/#comment-601 Sun Zoo Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:55:12 +0000 http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/#comment-601 Yeah, of course, I'm not suggesting the same sort of thing doesn't happen in the US, but because the US is much less racially homogenous, I think it happens less often. How often do people stare at you in restaurants? Yell "你好!" at you out the window as they drive by in cars? Tell you you don't understand American and/or have no right to comment on America because you weren't born there? When you go to the supermarket, do people try to speak to you in Chinese instead of English? At restaurants, do they gesture at you, or do they speak to you? How often do your American friends exclude you from conversations or disregard your opinion because you're "not American"? I'm sure that stuff DOES happen, sometimes, but I'm not sure I'd believe you if you suggested that it happens with the same frequency that it happens to foreigners here, or even close. Of course some people are going to have absurd/racist/xenophobic ideas about you, especially once they know you're ethnically Chinese, but that's not really what I was talking about in this post. Chinese people ask equally ridiculous questions of me, but it's understandable, and it's a separate issue from the one I was discussing. Yeah, of course, I’m not suggesting the same sort of thing doesn’t happen in the US, but because the US is much less racially homogenous, I think it happens less often. How often do people stare at you in restaurants? Yell “你好!” at you out the window as they drive by in cars? Tell you you don’t understand American and/or have no right to comment on America because you weren’t born there? When you go to the supermarket, do people try to speak to you in Chinese instead of English? At restaurants, do they gesture at you, or do they speak to you? How often do your American friends exclude you from conversations or disregard your opinion because you’re “not American”?

I’m sure that stuff DOES happen, sometimes, but I’m not sure I’d believe you if you suggested that it happens with the same frequency that it happens to foreigners here, or even close.

Of course some people are going to have absurd/racist/xenophobic ideas about you, especially once they know you’re ethnically Chinese, but that’s not really what I was talking about in this post. Chinese people ask equally ridiculous questions of me, but it’s understandable, and it’s a separate issue from the one I was discussing.

]]> By: Yue Feng http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/comment-page-1/#comment-600 Yue Feng Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:20:02 +0000 http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/#comment-600 I think you're over estimating the US. I have lived in NYC for 20 something years, since elementary school. Citizen for 15. Served in the Army for 6 years. Yet I still get the "Where are you from?" "No, where are you really from?" "Do you know Karate?" type questions. I think you’re over estimating the US. I have lived in NYC for 20 something years, since elementary school. Citizen for 15. Served in the Army for 6 years. Yet I still get the “Where are you from?” “No, where are you really from?” “Do you know Karate?” type questions.

]]> By: Sun Zoo http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/comment-page-1/#comment-598 Sun Zoo Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:15:46 +0000 http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/#comment-598 I haven't read any Alan Booth, but I'm not surprised at all to hear that the same phenomenon exists in Japan... I haven’t read any Alan Booth, but I’m not surprised at all to hear that the same phenomenon exists in Japan…

]]> By: Roy http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/comment-page-1/#comment-595 Roy Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:28:56 +0000 http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/#comment-595 I totally agree with you, I had the same experiences too and that was also why I could not live there at the moment. I think it's quite a common phenomenon. Have you read the books of Alan Booth? He had the same experiences in Japan and wrote very well about his experiences, he was a fluent Japanese speaker. It's a type of ethnocentrism that seems particularly strong in East Asia - historical isolationsim perhaps. I totally agree with you, I had the same experiences too and that was also why I could not live there at the moment. I think it’s quite a common phenomenon. Have you read the books of Alan Booth? He had the same experiences in Japan and wrote very well about his experiences, he was a fluent Japanese speaker. It’s a type of ethnocentrism that seems particularly strong in East Asia – historical isolationsim perhaps.

]]> By: Mayline http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/comment-page-1/#comment-583 Mayline Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:05:31 +0000 http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/#comment-583 Personally I think that a lot of things are based on ethnicity, even just for visual cue sake. The idea of the of the "other" is manufactured, but is a functional reality. Will I ever truly know what it's like to be white, or male, or physically disabled? probably not, just due to the complexity that makes up identity. So in that sense, maybe there is an impenetrable wall to full understanding. To be fair though, I can see how it must be frustrating and hurtful to be thought of as ignorant or incapable of grasping something when it's very obvious that you're not the average. I think that overall though, it might not necessarily entirely be a ethnicity thing, but just feelings that a person may be inclined to get. To some extent, everybody feels like no one truly understands them, especially in areas of disagreement. It's always easier to believe that one's evaluation is correct because one has the entire set of facts, and that someone else's is wrong because the other person is missing things. Nobody really likes to think that they're missing things. So in short, it may be because you're American. It may be because you're male. It may also be because what she's feeling isn't rational anymore, and is instead emotional. For things like fear, sometimes there really isn't an explanation. Personally I think that a lot of things are based on ethnicity, even just for visual cue sake. The idea of the of the “other” is manufactured, but is a functional reality. Will I ever truly know what it’s like to be white, or male, or physically disabled? probably not, just due to the complexity that makes up identity. So in that sense, maybe there is an impenetrable wall to full understanding. To be fair though, I can see how it must be frustrating and hurtful to be thought of as ignorant or incapable of grasping something when it’s very obvious that you’re not the average.
I think that overall though, it might not necessarily entirely be a ethnicity thing, but just feelings that a person may be inclined to get. To some extent, everybody feels like no one truly understands them, especially in areas of disagreement. It’s always easier to believe that one’s evaluation is correct because one has the entire set of facts, and that someone else’s is wrong because the other person is missing things. Nobody really likes to think that they’re missing things.
So in short, it may be because you’re American. It may be because you’re male. It may also be because what she’s feeling isn’t rational anymore, and is instead emotional. For things like fear, sometimes there really isn’t an explanation.

]]> By: Dad http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/comment-page-1/#comment-572 Dad Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:13:09 +0000 http://sun-zoo.com/roadsontheearth/2008/12/01/my-least-favorite-thing-about-china/#comment-572 Today in class we watched the interview with the Taiwanese tourists. They were surprised by the notion of inter-marriage between Taiwanese and mainland Chinese, because to Americans that would hardly constitute "inter-marriage." After all, most of us are the product of Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, and Ireland, to name just a few, and that is tame for a country whose new president-elect is the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I guess having a population as ethnically pure as the Chinese really underscores the notion of "other" in their minds. This is nothing you do not know better than I; I just thought I saw a connection between your post and our class conversation... Today in class we watched the interview with the Taiwanese tourists. They were surprised by the notion of inter-marriage between Taiwanese and mainland Chinese, because to Americans that would hardly constitute “inter-marriage.” After all, most of us are the product of Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, and Ireland, to name just a few, and that is tame for a country whose new president-elect is the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I guess having a population as ethnically pure as the Chinese really underscores the notion of “other” in their minds.
This is nothing you do not know better than I; I just thought I saw a connection between your post and our class conversation…

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