Chinadopt: Adopting Children From China
Be Nice!
12/20/97
(This post, from an INS officer at the US Consulate in Guangzhou, was in response to a post on the e-mail list on the subject of prejudice in small American towns.)
Prejudice and bigoted attitudes can be found the world over, not just in small town America. At this Consulate, I see every day adopting parents from America who treat our local Chinese staff (or anyone they think is a local staff member), rudely, demand to talk to "an American", and obviously never stop to think that anyone else ever uses this facility. I've had more than one adopting parent mistake me for a local employee and hand me dirty diapers, ask for chairs, glare when I politely ask that they move a stroller so I could get into my office, the list goes on. Every day we have parents and agency representatives reduce our local staff to tears on the telephone (one of them called a local employee a liar when she said she didn't work in Adoptions, and she truly doesn't) -- now we try to intercede as soon as we sense trouble on the line. What is really sad is how much people's attitudes and demeanor change when they figure out that not all Americans are Caucasian, i.e., when people realize that I am an American despite being ethnically Chinese. Suddenly, I'm an "equal".
Thought for the day: If this is how we as Americans treat Chinese people, how then will we treat our Chinese children?
Regards from a not-so-small town in China,
Jeannette Chu
Officer-In-Charge U.S. INS - Guangzhou
T81886968x62051
chukett@gitic.com.cn