西方白人种族主义和中国种族主义的区别

西方白人种族主义和中国种族主义的区别

罗伯特 波尔顿， 英孚英语教授

（注：此文是在Quora上一个美国黑人教授针对“西方白人种族主义和中国种族主义有什么不同”的问题的回答。谷歌翻译，云易稍作编辑修改。后面附有英文原文）

 

OK, 作为在中国生活了6年的非裔美国人，我认为我非常适合回答这个问题。因此，请坐下并通过一个真正的局外人的眼光来看这个问题。

 

首先，两者的起源和根源完全不同。西方世界的种族主义是北欧学者创造的，目的是贬低非白人和非基督教徒的人性或人格。这是一种世界观，旨在使奴隶制和殖民主义合理化，并帮助那些明明知道自己正在犯下无法形容的暴行的参与者能够在晚上睡个好觉。白人种族主义的思想要深得多，普遍得多，而且要古老得多。白人种族主义得到优生学和进化论等“科学”的支持。它使得人们相信，一个群体的人只要不是白人、基督教徒和“文明人”，他们就是天生的卑贱者。此外，它是基于固有的欧洲白人至高无上的地位，以及他们如何在各方面都更加优越的认识。这个认识实际上又是基于历史是从野蛮到文明的线性发展，并且欧洲人是是这个进化的高峰的理论。

 

然而，现在西方世界的种族主义已被视为一种历史残暴，人们也似乎正在努力改变之。在我看来，要么是在试图根除（美国），要么是在说服自己他们已经是如此进步和开明，以至于已经超越了种族主义，甚至不再提种族一词（欧洲）。在美国，这一点很重要：种族主义是系统性的，这意味着认为黑人卑贱的种族主义已渗透到各种机构和政策之中，虽然身在其中的成员可能不会这样认为。

 

中国的种族主义甚至还不是种族主义。它更像是仇外心理，其间掺杂了“非洲恐惧症”，以及建立在优越感之上的自卑感。中国显然存在着肤色歧视问题，并认为，基于其五千年的文明历史，它绝对应该在某些民族和文化之上。我曾经问过一位中国同事。她说：“我们（中国人）应该处于最高地位，我们应该成为世界领导者。” 她虽然是个个体，但是她的话却让我不觉得陌生，因为它和我从许多中国人那里听到的关于他们绝对中国应该怎样的感受产生了共鸣。我不知道为什么，但是在中国文化中似乎有一种文化至上主义色彩。很多普通的中国人就像美国人一样，对外界几乎一无所知，但却会根据匮乏的信息和非常薄弱的批判性思维能力做出武断的结论。对这个种族主义倾向我不看好，我觉得只会变得更糟。在中国的6年间，我看到蓬勃发展的非洲贸易中心被剥夺了，商人因当地对艾滋病和疾病的担忧而撤离。中国对每个获得签证去中国的外国人都做艾滋病和其它疾病检测，但当地人对“艾滋病”的担忧则只限于“非洲人”。

 

中国的种族主义处于起步阶段，它的各种不同成分目前才开始混合在一起初见稚形。比较一下中国人认为新疆维吾尔人都是小偷或恐怖分子，以及非洲人都很懒惰的态度，然后将其与欧洲人把在美洲遇到的“野蛮人”和“异教徒”的看法进行比较，之后请告诉我您的想法。

 

 

What is the difference between western, white racism and Chinese racism?

By Robert Burton, Adjunct Professor at EF English First

 

O…….k. As a an African-American who lived in China for 6 years, I think I am uniquely suited to answer this question. So, sit down and see yourself through the eyes of a real outsider.

First, both have completely different origins and roots. In the Western world, what we define as racism was created by Northern European scholars in order to debase and dehumanize people who weren't white and weren’t Christian. It was a world view created to rationalize slavery and colonialism and help the participants to sleep at night, knowing that they were committing unspeakable atrocities. White racism is much more thought out, much more pervasive and is much older. White racism is “backed” by “sciences” like eugenics and evolution. It’s the belief that a people are inherently inferior because they aren’t white, Christian and “civilized.” Also, it’s based on inherent white-European supremacy and how they are supreme in every human way. It’s actually based on the linear progression of history from Barbarity to civilization and that Europeans are the height of human evolution.

However, racism in the western world is seen as a historical atrocity and, it almost feels like, people nowadays are trying to work on it. Either, it feels to me, people are trying to eradicate it ( U.S) or are trying to convince themselves that they are so progressive and enlightened that they are beyond and above racism or the mention of race (Europe). In America, and this is important, racism is systemic, meaning that it has permeated policy, and has been ensconced in institutions that perpetuate the idea of black inferiority even though the members of the institution might not feel that way.

Chinese racism isn’t even racism yet. It’s more like Xenophobia, mixed with Afrophobia, mixed with an inferiority complex that’s on top of a superiority complex. China clearly has a colorism issue and feels that because of its 5,000 years of civilization it should be “above” certain people and cultures. I once asked a Chinese coworker about this. She said “ we(Chinese) should be on top, we should be the leaders of the world.” She is one person, but what she says resonates with me, it resonates with what I hear from many Chinese people about how they feel about where China should be. I don’t know why, but there does seem to be a cultural supremacist tinge in Chinese culture. The average person, is like an American, they know very little about the outside world but make authoritative judgements based on scant information and poorly formed critical thinking skills. I don’t see it getting better, I see it only getting worse. During my 6 years in China, I saw a thriving African trade center get stripped down and the merchants moved out because of local worries about AIDS and disease. China test everyone who gets a visas to work there for AIDS/HIV but these locals were only concerned that in their minds “African” means “AIDS.”

Chinese racism is in the nascent stage, it’s a disparate set of ingredients that are just now beginning to be mixed together in the proverbial soup. Compare Chinese attitudes about how the Uighurs in Xinjiang are all thieves or terrorists, how Africans are all lazy, and then compare that to what Europeans wrote about “savages” and “heathens” that they met in the Americas, then tell me what you think.