Interested Party, your own individual attitude reflects exactly the problem that goes on in china. This following comment you posted:

I think to use the term racism is not really accurate. China has, and always has had, a very
stereotypical opinion of what an English teacher should look like. In other words a
white guy. AB BB and CB Chinese with great skills in the English language find it just
as difficult to find employment as an English teacher in many places here because a
Chinese person is NOT what people expect to see, you can hardly accuse them of being
racist in that regard.

This in fact shows you are a willing cog in the corrupt machine of private esl education, 99.999% of which is garbage in china. Yet you still decide to make yourself feel more up by labeling a group of people as naive. Let me ask you, how many ethinically chinese people are there in this world who don't live in china? 55 million. I myself find it awfully funny from my own experience when I hear a parent of a child at a training center doubt someone's native english authenticity based on the teacher's looks but then at the same time will comment on how they know someone personally (very often someone from within their very own family and/or a family member of a friend) who isn't living in china.

Let me explain to you in very clear detail of what I think these people may be thinking: They are the ones who want to control other people's opinions and how others see reality. It's never good if someone who doesn't fit the stereotypical profile but is qualified, NO IN FACT you must be EXACTLY what they say. I had a discussion (at least it was a discussion on my end) not too long ago on this board with another individual named "english online" and when I tried to point out as objectively as I can the flawed logic of many chinese I was met with a harsh, low, curse word filled diatribe from this person filled with threats; no doubt because I said things that challenged his way of thinking and he saw me as a threat.

IP let me ask you would you really trust or befriend someone who just had this "i'm right because i said i'm right and i think i am right and there shall be NO DISCUSSION ABOUT IT!" type of mentality? I believe we always try and stay away from these children types, right?

IT IS RACISM because the chinese choose to use labels such as "white face" or "you are chinese" to describe people who they've never met. They know other countries define what definitions such as what qualifications and backgrounds make you good for the job in a completely different manner. But do they, have they ever publicly acknowledged this in a complete manner anywhere? I for one have not seen any chinese with power in any field including education actually honor their foreign guests' values on a consistently receiprocal basis. The chinese intentionally choose to stick to what they believe in and THEY MUST CONTROL the last word to make everything centered upon them. Modesty is in scarce supply these days.

Let's not forget, if you ask a chinese who has been in a western country who arrived there to settle en masse first, the chinese or Africans (albeit forced)? Of course they would say the African people but then they will always attach African like those of the darker skin don't belong. But then there is always the shorter "mei ban fa" without giving a reason why they cannot accept them.

It is racism, pure and unadulterated. We have all lived it, and you are not in a position to criticize others as you haven't shown a willingness to understand where we are coming from with these opinions. Just look at the earliest threads on the esl discussion board on this website.