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Q: Do you think expats in China are more likely to be, shall we say, undesirable than people elsewhere?
And I fervently include myself in this list! Seriously though, although everywhere I've traveled and where I'm has its fair share of douches, do you think the concentration of these folks increases when looking at expats in China? Please don't take offense, I'm trying to be as objective as possible, and most of you guys on this board seem fine. I'm just wondering that's all, as I've met some pretty vile expats here and you always here stories of those that seem like the bane of human existence who do awful things here. Is it China that attracts such folk? Do we view each other more extrememly than we would back home (ie easier to make judgments as we're the minority here) or it is all in my head?
Are you comparing expats in China with the ski bums of the Alps ?
I think expats come in all shapes, slackers, douches, workaholics, alcoholics, sextourists etc. and maybe even some you would call normal people.
mArtiAn:
Slackers, douches, alcoholics, sex-tourists.......... You've been reading my profile, haven't you?
What would you expect in a society where even somebody with absolutely no qualifications and no experience can get by as a teacher? It's a broad brush statement but isn't that alone going to be an invitation for some pretty undesirable characters? Sadly, it's usually that type of character that becomes the prominent feature. Then everyone else gets tarred with the same brush.
Traveler:
Yep. Then those undesirables go out of their way to demand respect and equality, while attacking the integrity of the qualified and respectable teachers. See elsewhere on this board.
Sort of reminds me of Mao's mentality during the Cultural Revolution...
Unfortunately it's not all in your head, i've met a wide variety of visitors to this country over the years, but it must be said, the portion allotted on the graph to 'Sex Tourists' is large enough to be embarrassing for those who actually came here out of plain interest for the country. Many of those have been friends, and twenty years ago I could have easily been one of them, but within that bunch I have met some extremely unwholesome individuals. Funnily enough the two that have disturbed me most were both Brits. (No, not me and Hugh). One I seriously suspect was a pedophile and it worries me greatly that he is out and about, working with kids; and the other was a senior citizen who paid to.........have a girl of about 22 shipped here basically, from the Philippines. (He already had a Chinese wife by the way). I've never seen a sorrier looking soul as that young girl. And as Kaiwen pointed out above, when such people make the papers, we all get tarred with the same brush, such is the nature of people.
I have very little to do with expats, I regularly meet only one (mArtiAn), and in the 2 1/2 years I've been here I've drank with another 4 or 5 and 3 or 4 of them only once each.
I don't try and avoid other expats it's just that in the main my family (and work) are my life and so I have little contact with other expats.
Edit: having said that one of them was a little dubious, openly talking about Thai sex bars in front of his Chinese wife.
I think there's two types of people who come here. Those who are running toward something and those running from something. I have no doubt that my misguidedness toward thinking China would be the next superpower is outmatched only by those who thought fleeing their native clay would make them better people.
mArtiAn:
Excuse my pedantry, but doesn't that definition pretty much cover all runners? I mean, if you're not running 'to' something, you're running 'away' surely; I mean, where else is there to run? Unless you're a crab and all you do is run sideways, which come to think of it is what I seem to be doing most of the time, and I 'do' indeed have crabs, so hey, I think i've got another category for you: Those running 'to' something, those running 'away' from something, and those with crabs who are just running because their balls itch.
Hugh.G.Rection:
mArtiAn: A Scottish friend of mine (well Billy Connolly actually) told me of a guaranteed cure for Crabs, you need some petrol, a match and a hammer. Pour the petrol over the affected area, set fire to it, when all the Crabs (and hair) is burnt away put out the fire with the hammer.
Simple. 
