For the thumbs up and down; the most racist answer got the highest votes. But everyone elses answer sayed it was a racist question and childish. So people answer one way to show that they are not racist, then they vote another way. Clear hypocrisy.

That message means the question or answer was harmonized or vapourized. Many of the things I've written have disappeared and I don't believe I'm a racist, at least not in a negative way.

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Just another day at the office...
Jan 07,2013 Feedback

I always love coming to work in the morning to find that the Answers board has exploded into a fit of mass hysteria while I was asleep!

So what can be done about the dreaded Wu Maos, eh? In short—not much. Since this board was created, certain users have assigned the pejorative label “Wu Mao” to other users whose posts, opinions or attitude they disagreed with, demanding that they be banned immediately. Were some of these people actually Wu Maos? Who knows, the Internet is still mostly anonymous (in all likelihood, probably, as TIC). But Wu Mao is really just the Chinese version of a “troll” (albeit with a financial incentive), and the act of trolling is certainly not exclusive to China. Unintended or not, users who repeatedly accuse other users of being Wu Maos, or post incredibly derogatory remarks against the country we all live in as a sort of “revenge” often times end up looking like trolls themselves. From a moderator’s perspective, this whole situation is a really slippery slope, which can sometimes be settled in private mediation, but oftentimes requires difficult decisions to be made. This is not something that is taken lightly, but it is also not something that can simply be resolved with at the drop of a hat. Users who continually violate the Answers board guidelines will be dealt with according to the listed warning & banning procedures in a timely manner. While I continue doing my best to moderate these difficult situations, I ask that all users maintain a respectful and productive tone on the Answers board, which most of you thankfully already do.

So that’s the broad overview, here’s some more specific points I’d like to add:

I didn’t think that this needed to be said, but apparently it does so here it goes: talking to me aggressively or threatening me/eChinacities in a PM is a great way to get me not to like you. Threats and personal attacks of this nature will be dealt with the same way they are for user-to-user incidents according to the Answers guidelines: warning and/or possible banning.

Not cool: posting Private Messages on the board. What’s the point of having this feature if you’re just going to post it in public? From here on out, doing so will net you an automatic temporary ban of 3 days. Look for it in the Answers guidelines shortly.

Also not cool: subverting my role here as board moderator. If you have a problem with another user, talk to me about it in private. Don’t go out and try to play moderator yourself, it’s incredibly annoying. This board is a public space for asking and answering questions about being an expat in China. It’s not a place to conduct your own witch-hunts.

Finally:

Some of you have been gracious enough to point out that this whole forum moderation business carries a fair amount of “grey area” with it. I do my best to be fair and partial, but every once in a while something’s bound to come along and throw a monkey wrench into the established system. Thanks for your understanding while we try to work the kinks out.  

It simply means the question was banned, and probably not just for the obvious reason of racism. It was probably banned for multiple reasons. It is also inflammatory, and ChickMag has posted several questions all in a similar vein - the assumed superiority of China, and all things Chinese, over the inferiority of the rest of the world.

Was the question racist? Most definitely. It even used the word "race," specifically the "Chinese race" and once again prompted the world to support without question the assumption that the Chinese are superior in every way to the rest of the world. While they  might not be the exact words, the meaning was very clear.

Was my answer racist? I don't believe so. I pointed out character flaws of Chinese people living under a flawed political system. The Chinese people in Hong Kong and Taiwan do not have these character flaws, and actually openly make the same statements that I did about their fellow Chinese in China. These are reported daily in the public media. The same sentiments are expressed by citizens of every country on earth, as well as their governments. The same sentiments are expressed by Chinese leaders and academics. These same sentiments are expressed by Chineses people in China.

I actually find it amusing, as well as extremely hypocritical, that ChickMag plays the racism card when his own racism has failed dismally. When confronted by his peers on this site, concerning his own racism and denying mine, he continues to believe he is right and everyone else is wrong. Even  having the question banned by the owners of the site, he still continues to protest that he is the victim.

I believe ChickMag is a product of the corrupt and amoral political system in China. His attitudes to non-Chinese are matched by his poor attitudes to, and low opinion of, women, as has been displayed in several of his other posts. These are typical of the indoctrination process China forces upon its citizens. In that respect, I feel pity for him, and not the contempt that many people would form.

I would point out to ChickMag that his hate towards non-Chinese has blinded him to the fact that I also the defend the Chinese against their exploitation by unconscionable foreigners, who seek to exploit the Chinese people by pretending to be qualified teachers, amongst other things.