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Q: Mixed - positive, negative or neutral.

I was yesterday witness to a round talk around a little newborn. Maybe it is the translation, but all Chinese call the baby "mixed". Now I hear that as a derogative, as "it's just a baby" no need to label it with a skin color or anything.  The conversation also had weigouren and laowei and zhonggouren thrown around a lot. And no actual contents about, does baby sleep at night, does baby have 10 toes etc. Just racial garbage from all sides. 

 

How come Chinese people suck so hard ???? oh, that is not the question here goes.  How do you see the word "Mixed" would it be a fitting label for your own offspring? 

9 years 48 weeks ago in  Family & Kids - China

 
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It would seem to me that it is still a 'them and us' outlook on people.

Most foreigners here in China would probably fall into the 'mixed' category due to historical population movement, emigration etc., but to us it is normal and accepted without question.

(i often point out to local friends that genetically it makes us stronger)

 

This poor child, if he/she grows up in China, will probably be subjected to similar pointing and comments everywhere, from on the street to in school, and children can be particularly cruel in this area. 

 

A lot of Chinese still have to learn that people are people, no matter where they come from. It does not make us any different from them.

But this is learned behaviour (witness the rabid anti-Japanese sentiments propagated through 'education')

A child is a child, no matter where the parents come from. They should not be given such a label from day 1.

I think the most important thing for any child is their health, environment etc, not if they are 'mixed' or their racial background.

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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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Its much better than "half-breed"...

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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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My little girl needs constant "security" so to speak when I take her outside to play. She's 1 now and clearly looks different the local babies. My wife gets furious when adults try to touch Heidi or pick her up. Yes, some people are brazen enough to try this! We hear "Laowai" constantly when Heidi is interacting with the other babies. I am sure Heidi thinks her name is "Laowai". She is singled out and pointed at as if she is a circus freak.

 

Thank god it will be over in 6 weeks. 

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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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For them, it's probably just neutral.  Chinese love stating the obvious:

 

1.  Look, a foreigner/mixed baby/insert person or entity of non-Chinese origin

2. He's so dark/white/fat/tall/insert descriptor non-typical of Chinese

3. The rain is so heavy/the sun is too strong/the night is so dark/insert other random no-shit-sherlock comment

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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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"Mixed Baby"

 

My wife is a member of the GZ mixed baby group.  They sometimes call themselves the "mixed baby club", the " half blood club", the " foreign baby club" and so on.

 

They have regular meetings in downtown GZ, and so far they have had reporters from China Daily and the local TV news station doing stories on them.

 

It's a good friendly group, and most of the women involved are also part of an informal national Weibo group with the same interests.

 

Membership numbers are surprisingly low. They maybe have 60 couples in the GZ group. Which for an urban area of 30 million is amazing. But it's mainly for the long term people. The people who are committed to keeping their kids in China for as long as possible. Having said that, the group is open to all.

 

Yes the kids get pointed at, and have random people take their pictures. But that should not be a reason to bail out and deprive them of their loving extended families.

 

In my home country I have experienced "mail order bride" comments from people who should know better. I would prefer my daughter stays here, where there is genuine ignorance, rather than be in a country where there is genuine bigotry from educated people.

 

Taking offense at a comment is all about the state of ones mind. You can laugh at it or be offended. Our family laugh a lot .

 

 

 

 

derek:

This is a good read.

9 years 48 weeks ago
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xinyuren:

Yeah, i really get the part about genuine ignorance vs. actual bigotry.  I don't expect to experience much bigotry if I go back to my homeland and the mail order bride comments may come up only if there is a stark age difference.  But, given the choice,  I'd go with the ignorance.  Just not in China.  She will not grow up here.

9 years 48 weeks ago
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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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I don't mind the mixed/hybrid baby thing, we get it all the time. I'd say it's neutral from my perspective. Your perspective may vary during online play.

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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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I actually think its a positive.   No, wait. I dont think its a positive, im more neutral, but I mean THEY say it as a positive.  I hear it all the time from the MIL, extended family, my friends, her friends.  " Mixed babies are soooo cute, I cant wait for you guys to have one! "  I hope its a daughter! Mixed girls are sooo pretty.  

 

When it comes to babies,  i think they say it with just ignorance, not any negative meaning whatsoever so its hard to get mad about it. 

 

As for the pointing and picture taking and treating it like a freak, im sure ill be donkey punching alot of people when the kid is born, but thats a completely different topic then what OP was talking about.

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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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I think most women will be neutral or even slightly positive since Chinese women tend to find western babies super cute, so a mixed one will be the best of two worlds.

 

As for the pointing out, remember most Chinese are still backwards, narrow minded and don't really realize that there is a world outside of China (or rather their village and the closest town). Combining that with curiosity and non-existent personal boundaries there is bound to be starring, pointing and comments although not necessarily malicious in intent.

 

As for other kids, well kids can be cruel and anything which sets one kid apart from the rest can be used as an excuse for bullying, in China or in the West alike. Ginger haired children can have a hard time in western schools for example. 

 

All in all, there is no fucking way I'm raising my child in China, mixed or not.

Hulk:

Have upvotes. Welcome to eChinaCities.

9 years 47 weeks ago
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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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I was out with our daughter in the stroller.  My wife off buying something.  Lady out of no where comes up, doesn't say anything, and grabs our daughter right out of the stroller!  I was really close to beating the woman because I thought she might be attempting to do something crazy!  But no, she just wanted to adore our daughter.  Geez, I felt like saying, "Lady, you were seriously 1 second away from losing your arms and having your head smashed against the curb."  I did grab our daughter and return her to the stroller immediately.  I think the lady kind of realized what almost happened.  I could smell her fear.  She walked away.  F*ckin think people. 

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9 years 48 weeks ago
 
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