As a Chinese working and socializing among the people from various backgrounds, I can feel and see some people have their stereotypes against Chinese people and culture. On the other hand, we Chinese have our own biases and stereotypes when we communicate with people who are different from us. All those stereotypes and biases cannot be eliminated straight away, as those biases and stereotypes have been in our lives for so long. However, what we can do now is to unlearn those, and to get to know people individually.
I remember sometimes people will complain how loud Chinese are, and they will ask me why I am talking in a soft voice. I do not know how to answer that question. I am a Chinese, and I am who I am. Not every Chinese has the same attributions. One time, I was on holiday in Indonesia, and at the airport, one Indonesian girl asked me where I am from. I told her that I am from China. She looked shocked and commented, “Oh, you are too dark to be a Chinese!” “Yeah, I just went to the beach for three weeks,” That’s all I could tell. Another time, I was having a conversation with one of my friends, and she said before she came to China the only impression that she got about Chinese is wearing a camera in front of their chests, taking photos all the time. She said, I did not see any one do that when I am here in China!
All those stereotypes that people hold about China and Chinese people are mainly from TV and other media. They come to China with the biases they held to treat the local people differently than people who share the similar culture with them. From those people’s interactions and attitudes, I can feel that Chinese local staff are not valued or respected much in our community. That makes me wonder if we cannot treat our colleagues equally, how can we promote inclusiveness in our school community. There is not much I can do to change the whole school’s atmosphere and tone, but what I can do is to collaborate with the team members to implement anti-bias education in our classes. We have experienced unfairness and it hurts, so we do not want children to be hurt emotionally or physically. We want the children in our classes to treat each other equally with respect, and to be proud of who they are and value the differences from each other.
Hi Xiyue,
ReplyDeleteI can certainly relate to the stereotypes that you mentioned. When I was college, a student was shocked to find out that I was Jewish. Her comment, similar to the one you mentioned, was "Oh, you are too dark to be Jewish." And I did not have a sun tan. Then, without hesitation, she told me "You have the coloring of a Mexican. I thought you were from Mexico." Of course, I do not remember my response, but I do remember the incident; just remembering demonstrates the impact of the statements. I wonder what coloring I am "suppost" to have.
Also, Xiyue, you are doing the 'right' thing and you are making a huge difference. Your goals for the children in your classroom are specific and part of an anti-bias curriculum. Hopefully, your teaching will gradually trickle up within your school. As we learned from many of our resources, it begins with YOU! Great post and great job in your classroom.