mrveitch

It is interesting to note that unlike most western “developed” countries (a very loaded term itself), when Chinese people make assumptions based on appearance, skin color is almost secondary. You are first seen as a foreigner, and then they pile the other stereotypes.

What this means is that I am first assumed to be rich. Then as a black male, I must be African. Having Obama in office makes it easier to explain that I am in fact American and Usain Bolt had given Jamaica enough recognition that my heritage makes sense too. Thanks to these men, the NBA, and Will Smith, the idea of the violent black man only persists in the oldest of Chinese people. Instead, we are strong, funny and handsome. 

My Mexican/Polish site mate who apparently even looks Middle Eastern or South Asian to fellow Mexicans, has a much harder time explaining his heritage and deflecting the ignorant and unfortunately common “do you make bombs?” line of questioning.

Still, we are treated like celebrities rather than looked down on or devalued. No matter how many bombs my site mate has made, he gets as many free meals as I do and is still paraded around like a trophy to locals friends. The pictures persist and the overall treatment is quite amiable. This stands in stark contrast to the treatment that we had been groomed to endure in the States. Admittedly, it is nice. After spending your most of your life feared and devalued, it is nice to be elevated a bit. The thing about Chjna is that they often skip “human” and thrust you directly into “God” or “oddity” which grows tiresome for its own reasons. I would not compare this to the treatment of celebrities. No one knows who I am but are quick to snap the creepiest voyeur style pictures of me on a daily basis. I’ve taken countless phones from people to delete pictures when they forget the flash on. I’m thousands of miles away from home and still don’t truly know what it means to be treated like a human being.

I don’t mean to paint a negative picture of China. I know some people who love the cameras and trophy feel. I certainly enjoy eating for free; it helps me stretch my living allowance further. I only aim to portray China as it actually is for ME on a day to day. Everyone’s experience will differ; it all depends.

My sex affords me certain privileges not afforded to my female counterparts and my mastery of Chinese creates an interesting dynamic. A little on what the intersection of race+gender looks like will follow in another post. I’m also working on digging into the reasons for these things, but as you can imagine, the language barrier and fear of offending makes that hard.