A lot of the 'loser back home' talk is just nationalist wumao propaganda

EXACTLY RIGHT!!

One could make more working at a cannery in alaska, undoubtedly harder worker, harsher environment and longer working hours, but a summer of that would let you live 2 years in China without ever having to teach an english class at all. So this whole loser back home nonsense is just a crock of shit, even doing a manual job in the West pays far better than teaching english in China, even at the higher levels, but I will concede to the lower living costs in China, provided one stays away from bars/western food all the time.