Westerners, what's your impression on the Chinese Diaspora? And what does the people around your area of residence think of the Chinese Diaspora?
from DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world on 22 Feb 14:48
https://sh.itjust.works/post/55740936

Inspired by a recent question someone else posted.

Note: Tourists do not count since they are merely visiting, not staying.

#nostupidquestions

threaded - newest

TheLunatickle@lemmy.zip on 22 Feb 14:53 next collapse

Australian here, I feel exactly the same about them as I do any other group of Australians. Except for those damn new Zealanders, strutting around with their chilli box’s and better weather.(/s)

piwakawakas@lemmy.nz on 23 Feb 04:17 collapse

Better weather is debatable at the moment. Heatwave vs floods.

Chillibins though, that’s winning!

TheLunatickle@lemmy.zip on 23 Feb 11:20 collapse

As someone raised in the tropics, I’ll take cooler weather with floods over a heatwave in a heartbeat.

neidu3@sh.itjust.works on 22 Feb 14:58 next collapse

Most people around me don’t think about them, as there aren’t many (any?) around where I live.

Personally it’s a bit different, as I work with a lot of them when I’m traveling on business. They’re like me: they do what they do because they have bills to pay. The only difference is that I butcher the pronunciation when using their names.

While probably not sanctioned by the Chinese state (or our employer), I did get quite a few chuckles because of an offhand comment/joke about Taiwan that doesn’t align with Xi’s worldview or policy. This leads me to conclude that all the reporting about “China is doing X/Y/Z, omagerd!” Is limited to the state, and while the state certainly has its supporters, the populace as a whole don’t care and just want to live their lives like anyone else would.

Forester@pawb.social on 22 Feb 15:01 next collapse

Usa here

Depends on when they immigrated and how much they are integrated. Most older folks are super cool.

Nemo@slrpnk.net on 22 Feb 15:06 next collapse

I don’t really have a lot of experience with it.

When I was in college I knew a lot of students who came from China and weren’t planning to return after graduation, and I knew a lot of students who were children of professionals who had done the same a generation ago.

But since leaving college I have not really interacted with first or second generation Chinese immigrants.

FiniteBanjo@feddit.online on 22 Feb 15:09 next collapse

If they chose to live outside of China, forfeiting their rights to return, then they seem like good people to me. Some Chinese heritage have lived in the US since the colonial days, being a very distinct group from modern Chinese culturally and an important part of American Culture. During the pandemic a lot of racists used the Chinese origin of the virus to push agendas and harass them; which I was strongly opposed to then and now, despite having no tangible connection to them I would protect their rights as much as my own.

Something I have trouble trusting is when they are still allowed to return to China, and/or they come to the USA specifically to learn and work in the medicine and tech industries before returning. That just seems like espionage.

Kolanaki@pawb.social on 22 Feb 15:11 next collapse

Without it, my home state of California wouldn’t be what it is today. My neighbors probably think it’s cool, too, since a lot of them are various flavors of Asian, including Chinese.

Apepollo11@lemmy.world on 22 Feb 15:18 next collapse

UK resident here. Absolutely no issues whatsoever - why would there be? People are people at the end of the day.

Funnily enough, the route between my bus stop and my office takes me through Manchester’s Chinatown. Even though I walk through it every week, I still think I’m really lucky - the archway is awesome, the decorations are interesting and the shops sell all kinds of stuff it’s hard to find elsewhere.

prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 22 Feb 15:21 next collapse

Why do people even give a shit? Who cares, they’re people.

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works on 22 Feb 17:47 collapse

Cuz I’m one of them and I’m just curious lol.

One of the things I notice a lot is microaggressions.

I hear the “Do you speak english?” question get asked a lot… which is mildly annoys me once I recognize the implications… cuz I’ve been in the US since I was 8 basically close to a native born IMO, so that kinda made think like: if I was white they probably wouldn’t have asked that right?

I mean I don’t really get that offended, there are a lot of Asian immigrants… so they probably have a statistical bias in their mental image…

Literally 2 days ago I had an appointment for my depression and the… I guess a therapist (cuz not licensed to write medications so not a “psychaitrist”)… a white male… was like “Do you speak English?”…

I was just like… 🙄

(Its fine tho, vibes were okay)

so I was just wondering what sterotypes people have…

Zer0_F0x@lemmy.world on 22 Feb 15:25 next collapse

In Greece they all seem to own or work at big stores that sell randomly branded clothing and low to OK quality tools, fishing gear, cooking pots, gardening stuff and a myriad of random electronic devices like flashlights, LED strips, chargers, selfie sticks etc, all sold dirt cheap.

Some of them learn the language at some point, but most don’t. They don’t seem to even hang out amongst themselves, it’s seemingly isolated families here and there.

They keep to their own and bother no one.

AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world on 22 Feb 15:28 next collapse

I live on the edge of my city’s Chinatown (Oakland, California) and it’s an important part of the local culture. I’ve lived, worked, and studied with Chinese/Taiwanese nationals, and if they weren’t there I’d feel like something was missing.

Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world on 22 Feb 15:43 next collapse

People are people, m’theydy. While I don’t really concern myself with what other people think, I’m not aware of anything divisive. Thanks for trying though.

wildncrazyguy138@fedia.io on 22 Feb 16:06 next collapse

For someone to completely uproot their life, separate from most of their family, their friends and their upbringing takes guts. I’ve moved within my own country a few times and it was jarring enough.

People who are willing to such should be celebrated. I personally appreciate the culture, entertainment and food that they bring with them.

That said, I worked at UConn for a few months for a project, and I was taken aback by how many students were of Asian descent compared to how many were white or black. It made me reflect just how much more populous that part of the world is.

And while I do celebrate culture, and am even a proponent of open borders generally, I do think culture needs to be preserved. I live in the US and not China for a reason. The people who move from China, for more than a short term visit, should expect to follow American laws and social norms. That is to say, come freely to add onto our patchwork quilt here, but be ready to add to it, rather than replacing an existing patch with your own.

As for what people think here. I live in a small college town. We have folks from other cultures here already. I think they would be welcomed in town generally, but the outlying county folks would have more reservations - they’d be more accepting for those that talked or acted like them, hunting, fishing, 4-wheeling, big trucks and all of that.

thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.world on 22 Feb 16:13 next collapse

At least for me, a lot of them I encountered are wealthy and were opposed to the current government and sought escape.

They seem to believe in US exceptionalism.

Most I meet seem privileged and detached.

From the ones who aren’t fell wealthy families they are just like everyone else generally very kind and polite.

whaleross@lemmy.world on 22 Feb 16:43 next collapse

Sweden. It is common with Chinese students here in the universities. I don’t think anybody thinks much anything of them. They are just people.

GreenBeard@lemmy.ca on 22 Feb 16:52 next collapse

Canadian, here. I think they’re great. Most seem like really nice people. Except the ones that astroturf for the CCP. Those can go back to China if they prefer it so much. Spare me the incessant propaganda. I’ve spent my whole life putting up with American lies, I don’t feel the need to replace them with Chinese ones.

But most of the ones I know are honest, good people, interesting perspectives, competent, if not particularly exceptional.

adespoton@lemmy.ca on 22 Feb 17:32 next collapse

What exactly do we consider the Diaspora to be? First generation?

Because there are people living in my area whose ancestors came from China 200 years ago.

Peehole@piefed.social on 22 Feb 18:47 next collapse

Idk man, some are good people, some are shitty people, like everyone else I guess. I get your frustration and it’s valid, but I think it’s kind of outside of your control and maybe something that even if it’s understandably hurting you not very helpful to focus your energy on. I know it’s tough, but you have one life and only so much energy to spend.

southsamurai@sh.itjust.works on 23 Feb 05:00 next collapse

Which wave?

Or are you just talking in the general sense?

I ask because I’ve heard the term applied specifically to the Chinese workers on the railroads in the late 1800s, here in the US, plus another that came between the end of the first World war and some time after the end of the second.

In the specific senses, it’s too far in the past for me to think of it much at all. The more modern wave has essentially integrated and their descendants are just plain old americans for the most part; meaning they hang onto the parts of their ancestral culture to the degree they want, and otherwise may not have any connection in that regard. So it’s more a point of historical interest than something influential on current events. That seems to be the prevailing take I’ve run into with others as well.

More recent immigrants, I don’t have enough experience to have formed an overall take. My area doesn’t run high to Chinese immigrants. We get more folks from the Americas and African nations. But I haven’t had any standout bad encounters, nor have I seen any patterns that would make it seem like a bad thing.

Can’t lie, racism against asian folks in general is present here. It isn’t as prevalent as that against Latinos, Africans or African-Americans, but it’s there. Afaik, nobody thinks of it as an overarching “thing” at all. Folks here tend to look at immigration on a smaller scale than a diaspora. If there isn’t a significant inrush of a given group, nobody really notices.

TheButtonJustSpins@infosec.pub on 23 Feb 05:35 next collapse

USian. No opinion. People are people.

TheRedSpade@lemmy.world on 23 Feb 06:22 next collapse

This is the first time I’ve encountered the word “Diaspora” outside of the social network. Seems to just mean migrants. Why would I think anything of them?

ExtremeUnicorn@feddit.org on 23 Feb 15:21 collapse

Whoa there, no reason to be that hostile!

ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net on 23 Feb 16:21 next collapse

Generally seen as keeping to themselves. Don’t bother anyone but also don’t integrate.

jimmy90@lemmy.world on 24 Feb 11:50 collapse

it’s silly to try and generalise so many people but i have noticed they are loyal to the old country and culture, and even politics, but also integrate with the new culture and rules very well