Byron John Eveson

beveson@yahoo.com

DURING this time of COVID and lockdowns, people are scared and they don’t want to get sick. People are losing their jobs; their families are breaking up and they want to blame someone for it. But blaming others because of where they are from or how they look is racism and this kind of hatred has no borders.

A few years ago, in my hometown, Vancouver, Canada, a couple of my neighbors blamed Chinese buyers for the rise in real estate prices and claimed the Chinese immigrants didn’t belong there. When I challenged them and argued that it was not the Chinese but the wealthy and the economic growth that drove up property prices, one of the angry neighbors scoffed and said I was biased.

Another time, when my Chinese family and I traveled to Australia, we stopped at a restaurant that had set up Chinese dishes for our tour group. I made my way to the Western part of the restaurant for a guilty pleasure of a beer and a burger. When my wife messaged me to say they were leaving, I walked a little behind the group and overheard the doorman make a derogatory comment about Chinese people. I confronted him with the fact that tourists contributed to his income and that instead of disdain he should show some appreciation.

Now I’ve been in China for 11 years and I have a very loving Chinese family. My time here has taught me how to be a better man and has opened my eyes to be able to appreciate a culture that I did not grow up in. I came here to teach history and English and have had some difficulty learning Chinese so I empathize with my students who have difficulty learning English.

However, since the arrival of COVID-19, there have been some added difficulties to my life and that of my foreign friends. Last year I was in the hospital doing a medical check to facilitate my work visa. The nurse gave me a form to fill out but it was in Chinese. I told her that I was sorry but I can’t couldn’t read Chinese. Then, a young man beside me rudely asked, “Why are you in China if you can’t speak the language?” Perhaps this seems a logical question but it hardly makes one feel welcome. He had no idea of the efforts I have made to learn both the culture and language of China and his words struck a nerve. I calmly replied in my best Chinese that I have difficulty reading the language. I also told him that I am a teacher and part of my job is to educate young men to demonstrate better manners, something that he didn’t seem to have. He replied by asking if I had a Chinese girlfriend and when I told him I had a beautiful Chinese wife he accused me of stealing Chinese women from Chinese men. To avoid any further argument, I had to walk away.

I’ve also been stopped by security guards because my mask had slipped off my nose who nevertheless allowed maskless Chinese people to pass by unimpeded. I could understand the need to protect each other from the virus but the security guard was apparently discriminating against me because I’m a foreigner.

These issues may seem trivial. But, how many people with a bad attitude does it take to ruin your day? Careless words and actions can weigh heavily on one’s soul long after the incident is over.

I still believe that most of us are working together to make the world a little better and it’s only a few narrow-minded people who cause us grief.

So how can we stop this hatred? Perhaps we can just ignore it, but will that really make things better? News agencies could take more responsibility by shedding light on the issue. I’ve seen personal videos shared on the internet exposing poor behaviors but it doesn’t seem to curb the “us vs. them” mentality that runs rampant throughout the world.

I think the answer lies in education. Our children love us and will emulate what they see. If we are not careful with our words and actions, we can rob them of their choice to be a better world citizen.

When we are scared or angry or simply out of sorts, maybe we can attempt to find a productive outlet for our bad mood instead of blaming other people. In doing so we can better influence our children in a way that we ourselves would like to have been raised. Our children are our future but we are the ones that are directing theirs; let us do so through love and not hatred.

As a final note, the few negative experiences I’ve had here are far outweighed by the love and acceptance from most of the people I’ve met. Shenzhen is my home and its citizens, my family. Like any family, there can be disagreements. I feel it important we politely point out our issues and make Shenzhen a better international city. This is something we can do together, speaking truth but with kindness.

(The author is a teacher of history and English.)