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Chineseperson
Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 19
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 Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:22 pm Post subject: Racism? |
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Have you ever experienced the following:
When you are in public, either just walking on the streets or using public transport, some random people might just "look at you" in a rather negative way for no apparent reason at all - you don't know each other at all.
Do you think this might be due to racism? |
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assis104s
Joined: 31 Mar 2003
Posts: 145
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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| in what context, and are they chinese people or english people? |
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slcheang
Joined: 21 Oct 2006
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I used to get "odd looks" from the public, especially in little towns and villages where slanty eyed chineses are a rarity. Once I was asked by an elderly chap when waiting in a garage reading the paper, "Can you understand what you're reading?". I dunno to laugh or feel offended but replied quite sarcastically. It was a copy of the sun though so I could understand him asking. I swear it wasn't page 3 that I'm "reading" when he asked. But in big cities like Bristol no one really gives a damn as they are used to it. I even had abuses from certains yobbish trash eg "chinky", "sweet and sour chicken". I just tell myself that we are probably doing a similar thing by calling them "gwei lou" or "sei gwei lou" except that we don't get too verbal about it. |
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Chineseperson
Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 19
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Well it's more subtle than that, just negative looks from random people on public transport in London, nothing verbal, but usually it's from white people rather than black or Asian people. I've never experienced other Chinese people "giving me negative looks". |
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Jeff Minter
Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 342
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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Useful tip: smile back smugly. These folk have a chip on their shoulder about the way you look and there's nothing like smiling back at them like there's not a worry in the world to mess up their psyche.
I've also read an article recently on social anxiety, if you perceive their looks as something else it could entirely change your outlook. They could feel threatened by you, are worried about unfamiliarity - you can tell a lot from the way people act towards you if you are not society's perception of "the norm".
There's also a good chance that if they're female they might want to bonk you and hence look at you with their deer eyes.
| slcheang wrote: | | but replied quite sarcastically. |
what did you say, and what was his reaction? |
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Chineseperson
Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 19
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't have "slanty eyes", I'm also quite tall and have quite a large frame. I don't think I look "abnormal" at all. I am perplexed why some people might look at me in such a way, especially when they don't even know me. |
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Jeff Minter
Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 342
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| Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh it's definite then. If they're male they're intimidated by you and see you as a threat. Seriously, my cousin (he's a 6ft 2 national basketball player) and when he came here the guys were obviously unsettled. Competition and all that. |
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slcheang
Joined: 21 Oct 2006
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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| hi jeff, i smiled smugly at him and said "I wouldn't be reading it if I could not understand it would I?", this was followed by his wife hushing him up and telling him not to be so rude. I decided not to take offence with the incident as I'm sure he meant no harm. To be fair, most elderly generation in rural areas do tend to look at non-caucasians with a curious eye. Not that they're rude/racist, just coz they don't see us yellow skinners much except in takeaways (and how many elderly farmers go to chinese takeaways I wonder?). As with regards to those racist remarks made by yobs and the likes, I tend to pretend not to understand...it's too much time wasting trying to think of a response to these low intelligence life forms. Sometimes I'm tempted to say "If you ever step foot in my surgery as a patient, I'll do a Shipman on you...." He probably won't understand a word of it. |
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Jeff Minter
Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 342
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| Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:56 pm Post subject: |
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Aww, opportunity wasted... asking if you read from left to right again would have produced a great reaction. And yobs are a difficult bunch - back in college I would have told them to go back to their council flats - ironic seeing as I lived in one, but hey - but they're a bit more violent these days.
| Quote: | | Not that they're rude/racist, just coz they don't see us yellow skinners much except in takeaways |
That's worse though, isn't it? Ignorance is racism without the offender meaning to be racist - same amount of hurt, with no-one to blame. I heard something on Radio 4 a few months ago, they talked about racism in the countryside - a case of fearing, and not letting in, the unknown. And they just don't want to learn; it doesn't affect their life much, so they never will grasp the concept of racism. |
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slcheang
Joined: 21 Oct 2006
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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I agree ignorance is not an excuse. But I feel sometimes us "Chinky's" are partly to blame for not willing to integrate into the british society. Try seeing it from their point of view. We come to the UK to study/work/live. If we don't learn and embrace their language and culture it's not surprising that we are frowned upon by certain individuals. Simple things like saying "hi/morning" to strangers, helping the elderly cross the road etc. These are simple courtesy in the western culture but not commonly practised by us "foreigners". I do like talking in chinese in public places (sometimes loudly especially in restaurants), it's almost a chinese culture to shout to be heard in a noisy restaurant but at the same time I can understand how a caucasian might find that a tad intimidating coz they don't understand us (or the things we eat!). Please bear in mind these are the views of a first generation chinese.
PS your tip on the "council house" reply is brilliant. Hope to use it successfully in future and not get beaten up. |
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slcheang
Joined: 21 Oct 2006
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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Hi chineseperson. Hope you don't mind me asking about your original post. Do you feel uncomfortable with yourself in public? Has self esteem/confidence ever been an issue you're concerned about? There is a good website for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy I regularly recommend to my patients. Let me know if you're interested as it has good evidence in improving these matters.
No conflicts of interest to declare
David |
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catz
Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Posts: 42
Location: London
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| Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 7:10 pm Post subject: |
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| slcheang wrote: | | hi jeff, i smiled smugly at him and said "I wouldn't be reading it if I could not understand it would I?", this was followed by his wife hushing him up and telling him not to be so rude. I decided not to take offence with the incident as I'm sure he meant no harm. To be fair, most elderly generation in rural areas do tend to look at non-caucasians with a curious eye. Not that they're rude/racist, just coz they don't see us yellow skinners much except in takeaways (and how many elderly farmers go to chinese takeaways I wonder?). As with regards to those racist remarks made by yobs and the likes, I tend to pretend not to understand...it's too much time wasting trying to think of a response to these low intelligence life forms. Sometimes I'm tempted to say "If you ever step foot in my surgery as a patient, I'll do a Shipman on you...." He probably won't understand a word of it. |
:lol: it must be very tempting....btw i hope you're not my doctor?!
the best thing to do i ignore it as people like that will get their dues soon enough. my bf is chinese and i actually have to tell him to be quiet sometimes because he can be quite mouthy to strangers.
he was in a restaurant with a pakistani friend once and an old couple were saying how disgusting it is that pakistanis don't wash their hands and it's unhygenic (they had no evidence to support this claim of course), so my bf started up a very loud conversation with his friend about the state of england and the rising number of teenage pregnancies amongst white girls, and how sick those white peodophiles like ian huntley make him feel. the couple soon took the point and stopped staring and concentrated on eating their meal! :lol: |
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Jeff Minter
Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 342
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| Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| slcheang wrote: | Simple things like saying "hi/morning" to strangers, helping the elderly cross the road etc. These are simple courtesy in the western culture but not commonly practised by us "foreigners". I do like talking in chinese in public places (sometimes loudly especially in restaurants), it's almost a chinese culture to shout to be heard in a noisy restaurant but at the same time I can understand how a caucasian might find that a tad intimidating coz they don't understand us (or the things we eat!). Please bear in mind these are the views of a first generation chinese.
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I thought first generation were those who were born here? I'll agree with that though, often as a kid my parents took me to distance family restaurant gatherings - thought my eardrums would explode! They just wouldn't shut up :) Though western culture has it's equivalent in bars, it's a shout to get noticed ideal but in different settings.
Though not quite sure what you mean about helping the elderly and such being simple courtesy here (and no way in the States) - I've never seen anyone help another person from the kindness of their heart - with the exception of myself carrying stuff for a heavily pregnant woman back to her house. You're more likely to see the young take advantage of them, rob their money and beat them to the brink of death. It's all "me me me" everywhere in the world nowadays. |
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Jeff Minter
Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Posts: 342
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| Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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| catz wrote: | because he can be quite mouthy to strangers.
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Sounds like a top man. People's perceptions won't change by keeping quiet. |
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slcheang
Joined: 21 Oct 2006
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Catz, well done to your bf for shutting up the couple. If only people will learn more to look at themselves before judging others. Regarding the state of UK and it's high teenage pregnancies, don't even start me on this. I don't blame the people. The media and the Govt should be held more accountable. How many times have you seen young adults/teenagers at it on TV (eg hollyoaks)? And how may times has the topic of contraception/condoms been brought up? The media has trivialised sex, especially casual sex and unprotected sex. Not to mention teen magazines aimed at underaged girls selling articles about seduction and sex. These should be banned. Young girls are pushed into maturing before they are ready for it. Look at the clothes in Tammy etc and you'll know what I mean. A 12 year old wearing a see through and mini skirt is not sexy thank you very much. S Club 7 junior??? Don't even get me started.
The above has nothing to do with race, just me venting out frustrations. I do love the UK. Just not agree with certain govt policies and how they've run down the health and education system.
I'm sure I'm not your dr catz, I don't venture out to london for my practice. But if you happen to drop by on holiday at the weston seaside, you might find me there! |
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