美国网友问：亚洲地区的“白人特权”现象严重吗？

亚洲很多国家都可以看到欧美国家白人的身影，不过，我们也发现一个问题，那就是白人在亚洲地区的地位都是高高在上的，甚至用为所欲为都毫不为过，而亚洲人在西方则显得有些唯唯诺诺，甚至还会遭到他们的歧视的。在美版知乎Quora上，美国网友提问道：亚洲地区的“白人特权”现象严重吗？这引起各国网友的关注和围观，我们看看他们的观点。

问题

海外网友额恩斯特•亚当斯的回答

I remember one of my Malaysian Chinese colleagues once told me that when she first went to Australia to study, she was "shocked" to see white people doing garbage collection and other things - because in Malaysia, this kind of work is almost always completed by dark-skinned immigrants, almost every white person is at least some senior managers, and children will go to high-end international schools.

我记得我的一位马来西亚华裔同事曾告诉我，当她第一次去澳大利亚学习时，她对看到白人做垃圾收集之类的事情感到“震惊”——因为在马来西亚，这种工作几乎总是由深色皮肤的移民工作完成，几乎每一个白人都至少是一些高级管理人员，孩子们都会去读高档的国际学校。

In fact, I have been here for more than ten years. I only saw a white man driving a garbage truck and collecting garbage from door to door. I still remember that rare picture.

事实上，我在这里已经十多年了，仅见过一个白人开着一辆垃圾车，挨家挨户收集垃圾，我至今还记得那个罕见的画面。

You can imagine that millions of Malaysians almost think the same way. You can imagine the extent to which Malaysian white privilege has developed. The root cause of the problem is more complex because there are too few white people here, which is related to scarcity, supply and demand.

你能想象数百万马来西亚人几乎都是这样想的，可想而知马来西亚白人特权发展到什么程度了。问题的根源更为复杂，因为这里的白人太少了，这与稀缺、供给和需求有关。

My guess is that in terms of employability, being white may be more valuable than getting a top degree. I mean, even in the United States, the net worth of African Americans headed by college graduates is far lower than that of white families headed by high school dropouts.

我的猜测是，就就业能力而言，成为白人可能比获得顶级学位更有价值。我的意思是，就算在美国，以大学毕业生为户主的非裔美国人的净资产要远远低于低于以高中辍学者为户主的白人家庭。

Anyway, I'm not complaining about myself - I'm "culturally white", so I'm more or less a beneficiary. My wife is white, and my children are white - this white gene seems to be very domineering!

无论如何，我不是在为自己抱怨——我是“文化上的白人”，所以我多少是一个受益者，我的妻子是白人，我的孩子是白人——这种白人基因似乎非常霸道！

Listen, white privilege is not only a problem of the United States or Europe. In fact, it is most serious in developing countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

听着，白人特权不仅仅是美国或欧洲的问题，事实上，这在亚洲、中东和非洲的发展中国家最为严重。

中国网友班森•崇的回答

That's for sure. I worked with three colleagues for four months. They graduated from Cambridge University, Yale University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In a local high school, their salary was much higher than mine. Although they did not prepare classes at all, the teaching task was just to play games with students in class.

这是肯定的。我和三位同事一起工作了四个月，他们分别毕业于剑桥大学、耶鲁大学和麻省理工学院，在当地的一所高中，他们的薪水比我高很多，尽管他们根本不备课，教学任务只是在班上和学生玩游戏。

What's worse, that Englishman always criticizes my teaching because he thinks "how can Chinese teach English?" When our supervisor makes absurd comments on Chinese, everyone always keeps me silent and turns a deaf ear to his criticism. He thought that I should give priority to "free conversation" rather than correcting students' grammatical mistakes. But I improved my students' TOEFL scores because they knew nothing about TOEFL (an Englishman doesn't even want to spend time planning courses, how can he know what TOEFL is).

更糟糕的是，那个英国人总爱批评我的教学，因为他认为“怎么让中国人教英语？”当我们的主管对中国人发表荒谬的评论时，大家总是让我保持沉默，对他的批评充耳不闻。他认为我应该优先考虑“自由交谈”，而不是纠正学生的语法错误。但是我提高了学生的托福成绩，因为他们对托福一无所知（一个英国人甚至不想花时间计划课程，怎么可能知道托福是什么）。

After all, before I came to this school, half of the rich and lazy children had an average score of only 40 points in the TOEFL test, while the full score was 120 points. Three months later, I helped all of them improve by 20-52 points. One of them got 92 points and was admitted to the California Academy of Arts in 2012 (reading score was 29 points). This is a great progress for her.

毕竟，在我来到这所学校之前，一半的富人和懒惰的孩子在托福考试中的平均分仅40分，而满分120分。三个月后，我帮助他们所有人提升了了20-52分不等，其中一人获得了92分的成绩，并于2012年被加州艺术学院录取（阅读成绩为29分）。这对她来说是一个巨大的进步。

I have no respect for those who have no professional ethics and take privileges for granted. So I don't have white friends in my workplace. I don't know why English people have such low EQ... Especially compared with more sociable Americans. Once, after living in London for a year, my student commented that the old Englishmen pretended to be gentlemen, while the young people did not want to pretend, revealing their rude and arrogant personality.

对于那些没有职业道德，认为特权是理所当然的人，我一点也不尊重他们。所以，我的工作场所没有白人朋友。我不知道为什么英国人如此低情商。。。尤其与更善于交际的美国人相比。有一次，我的学生在伦敦住了一年后评论道：老英国人假装绅士，而年轻人不想假装，暴露出了他们粗鲁傲慢的个性。

In addition, I rarely go to local white restaurants (even high-end restaurants), because I'm afraid that I will use Sichuan dialect and English to curse those Chinese waitresses who look down on the dishes. Last time, I wanted to pour this glass of water on her face because I was fed up with her winking at us when she flattered a white couple.

此外，我很少去当地的白人餐厅（甚至是高档餐厅），因为我担心我会用四川话和英语咒骂那些看人下菜碟的中国女服务员。上次，我想把这杯水倒在她的脸上，因为我受够了她给白人夫妇拍马屁时冲我们翻白眼。

A few years ago, when my colleague suggested that we go to the bar to practice English, I was shocked. Hell, no! This is the last place I want to go. This is the best place for those who want to enjoy the highest "white privilege".

几年前，当我的同事建议我们去酒吧练习英语时，我感到震惊。见鬼，不！这是我最不想去的地方。对于那些想要享受最高“白人特权”的人来说，这是最好的地方。

If I were white, I would take the first flight to emerging Asia and enjoy the white privilege of promoting career development. But I am Chinese, and I hope this phenomenon will disappear as soon as possible.

如果我是白人，我会坐上第一架飞往新兴亚洲的飞机，享受这种促进职业发展的白人特权。但我是中国人，我希望这种现象尽快消失。

亚洲网友皮特•蕾切尔的回答

It absolutely exists in East Asia, although like all forms of privileges, it has a very background and will change according to your environment, the people involved, the people around you and the mood of the day.

它在东亚是绝对存在的，尽管与所有形式的特权一样，它是非常有背景的，会根据你的环境、所涉及的人、你周围的人和一天的心情而变化。

However, in a broad sense, white people are regarded as exotic and attractive, while black people are regarded as suspicious and often associated with crime, no matter how honest and upright they are. I am not sure how people view the Indian and Arab people. Like many Asian cultures, pale skin color is considered more attractive, so the color of foreigners meets this standard.

然而，从广义上讲，白人被视为具有异国情调和有吸引力的，而黑人被视为可疑，并经常与犯罪联系在一起，无论他们有多诚实和正直。我不确定人们是如何看待印度和阿拉伯人民的，与许多亚洲文化一样，肤色苍白被视为更有吸引力，因此外国人的肤色符合这一标准。

Anyway, the key point is that white privilege exists in many fields: in terms of dating, I have seen rude old men and girls in their twenties go on intimate trips. I must think that as a tall white man, his attractiveness will rise from about 6.5 points in the West to 8 points in China. If you wear a suit, it may be 8 points higher.

不管怎样，重点是，白人特权存在于很多领域：在约会方面，我见过粗鲁的老男人和20多岁的女孩亲昵出行，我肯定觉得作为一个高个子白人，他的吸引力会从西方的6.5分左右上涨到了中国的8分，如果穿西装的话，可能会高8分。

In terms of employment, many schools are more likely to hire white Russians with poor English skills than black Britons. Some companies hire white people just to make them look professional, so they can pretend to be an "international" enterprise.

在就业方面，许多学校更可能雇佣英语水平糟糕的白人俄罗斯人，而不是黑人英国人。还有一些公司雇佣白人只是为了四处公关，让他们看起来很专业，所以他们可以假装自己是一个“国际”性企业。

But the white privilege in East Asia is not absolute. Some parents will prohibit or distrust foreign male and female friends because they "cannot understand Chinese culture". The career ceiling of white people is far lower than that of Chinese people. Without Chinese partners, foreigners cannot have the right to develop certain types of business.

但东亚的白人特权并非绝对。一些父母会禁止或不信任外国男女朋友，理由是他们“无法理解中国文化”。白人的事业天花板远低于中国人。如果没有中国合伙人，外国人就不能拥有发展某些类型的业务的权利。

In terms of system, native people only enjoy great privileges on their own land.

从制度上讲，本国人在自己的土地上才享有巨大的特权。

If I, as a white man, have an argument with an immigrant worker, the bystander - if the truth is on my side - is likely to be on my side.

如果我作为一个白人，与一名移民工人发生口角，旁观者——如果道理在我这边——很可能会站在我这边。

Basically, like the West, the social environment is much more complex, although, yes, if you just come here as a young temporary expatriate to earn some money and have "experience", then it is beneficial to be white.

基本上，与西方一样，社会环境要复杂得多，虽然，是的，如果你只是作为一个年轻的临时外派人员来这里挣点钱并有“经验”，那么成为白人是有利的。

新加坡网友哈尔威•史蒂芬的回答

This only applies to the English teaching job market. It may also be some modeling jobs, or some acting and television host positions. Other job markets are strictly prohibited for all foreigners, whether white, black, brown or yellow. Anything beyond this mode is an exception to this rule. They like tourists, especially if they have light skin.

这只适用于英语教学工作市场，也可能是一些模特工作，也许是一些表演和电视主持职位。其他就业市场对所有外国人，无论是白人、黑人、棕色还是黄色，都是严格禁止的。任何超出此模式的内容都是该规则的例外。他们喜欢游客，特别是如果他们是浅色皮肤的话。

If you are a Westerner, you will usually be more polite when receiving services. The clerk will smile at you and want to practice English with you. But this is not always the case.

如果你是西方人，在接受服务时通常会更有礼貌。店员会对你微笑，并想和你一起练习英语。但并非总是如此。

Some local people will like to date you, make friends with you, practice English and experience it.

一些当地人会喜欢和你约会，和你交朋友，练习英语，体验一下。

Disadvantages: The salaries of foreign language teachers and models/actors are not so high. Some people make a lot of money, but most people don't.

缺点：外语老师和模特/演员的薪水没有那么高。有些人赚了很多钱，但大多数人赚不到。

This is temporary. They really don't want you to stay there too long. Immigration and citizenship in Asian countries is a nightmare. The longer you stay, the less welcome you feel. "Are you still there? When are you going home?"

这是暂时的。他们真的不希望你在那里呆太久。亚洲国家的移民和公民身份是一场噩梦。你呆得越久，你就越觉得你的欢迎越来越少。“你还在吗？你什么时候回家？”

They really don't want you to be a member of their society. Even if you succeed in becoming a citizen, they will never treat you as a person because you have a different face.

他们真的不希望你成为他们社会的一员。即使你成功地成为了一名公民，他们也永远不会把你当成一个人，因为你有一张不同的脸。

There are only so many ESL teaching jobs and modeling jobs in the market. These jobs vary with age, and other economic departments are usually closed to you. Therefore, although an Asian can come to the West, become a citizen, and do a lot of things there, a Westerner is usually not welcome to participate in other areas of the economy, unless he carries a large amount of money.

市场上只有这么多的ESL教学工作和模特工作，这些工作因年龄而异，其他经济部门通常对你关闭。因此，虽然一个亚洲人可以来到西方，成为一名公民，然后在那里做很多事情，但通常不欢迎一个西方人参与经济的其他领域，除非他随身携带大笔资金。

In short, Asian whites and Asians in the West do not have the same opportunities. They don't want you to immigrate. They like you as a guest. They are also temporary working guests and are limited to limited areas.

简而言之，亚洲的白人和西方的亚裔没有同样的机会。他们不希望你移民。他们喜欢你来做客。也是临时工作客人，而且仅限于有限领域。

美国网友西蒙•基纳汉的回答

On the one hand, I think I have white privilege in Thailand. Because of my skin color, I am considered very beautiful by people. People will bleach their skin in order to look like me. It is difficult for me to find beauty products that do not "whiten" in the store. When I was young, I was very cute. Everyone wanted to hold me and give me candy. Now I am still a child of eighteen or nine years old, and the situation has become worse. I am not only beautiful, but also considered to be amorous and promiscuous, because Americans always behave like this on TV. Due to different national conditions, Thai men sometimes scowl at me because they won't do such things to their women.

一方面，我觉得我在泰国有白人特权。因为我的肤色，我被人们认为非常漂亮。人们会为了看起来像我一样而漂白自己的皮肤，我在商店很难找到不“美白”的美容产品。小时候我很可爱，每个人都想抱着我，给我糖果。现在我还是个十八九岁的孩子，情况变得更糟了。我不仅漂亮，还被认为是多情滥交的，因为美国人在电视上总有这样的表现。国情不同，泰国的男人有时会对我怒目而视，因为他们不会对自己的女人做这样的事。

I was treated very well because they thought all Americans were rich. I am always treated as a rich guest. But I am still a foreigner. Everyone stared at me, and sometimes children or teenagers would give me warm greetings. People will come to me and ask for my photos.

我受到特别好的待遇，因为他们认为所有美国人都很有钱。我总是被当作一个有钱的客人。但我还是一个外国人。每个人都盯着我看，有时孩子或青少年会对我嘘寒问暖。人们会走到我身边，要求拍我的照片。

I look like a celebrity, especially in a place where foreigners are scarce. When I lived in Changmai, which has a large number of foreigners, I got better treatment. People still stare at me occasionally. I am treated better than many Thai teenagers. When there is only one white man around you, he is always the focus of the crowd.

我像是一个名人，尤其是在外国人稀少的地方。当我住在拥有大量外国人的昌迈时，我得到了更好的待遇。人们仍然会偶尔盯着我看，我受到的待遇比很多泰国青少年都好。当你身边只有一个白人时，他总是人群的焦点。

Take another friend of mine for example. He believed that "white privilege" existed widely in South Korea and Japan. When teaching in Japan, when the Japanese see his face and talk to him, they will automatically think that my friend has a "Chinese accent", although my friend can't speak Mandarin, and has received education in Canada and the United States (by the way, my friend is actually from Southeast Asia, but most Americans and Canadians can't tell the difference when he speaks, because he has been in North America for a long time.)

再拿我的一个朋友举例子。他认为“白人特权”广泛存在于韩国和日本。在日本教书时，当日本人看到他的脸和他说话时，他们会自动认为我朋友有“中国口音”，尽管我朋友不会说普通话，而且在加拿大和美国接受的教育（顺便说一句，我朋友实际上是东南亚人，但大多数美国人和加拿大人在他说话时都无法分辨出区别，因为他在北美待了很长时间。)

In South Korea, even if you have a doctor's or master's degree in English, your nationality is also important, because if you do not have a passport from seven approved (i.e. South Korea) countries, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa, even if you come from countries that speak English well, such as Norway, Sweden, etc., you are unlikely to find a job teaching English in South Korea. Some Asians and Africans who may grow up and receive education in the West are often considered Caucasians, because many Koreans believe that only white Americans can teach English better than Asians and Africans.

在韩国，即使你拥有英语博士或硕士学位，你的国籍也至关重要，因为如果你没有七个批准（即韩国）国家的护照，即美国、英国、加拿大、澳大利亚、新西兰、爱尔兰和南非，即使你来自英语说得很好的国家，如挪威、瑞典等，你不太可能在韩国找到一份教英语的工作。一些可能在西方长大和接受教育的亚洲人和非洲人往往被认为是高加索人，因为很多韩国人认为只有白人美国人才能比亚洲人和非洲人更好地教英语。