Do you ever openly ignore someone because you don't want to get into the strain of a second-language conversation? Do you ever push through a crowd or have an expression of disgust because you can no longer stand people being everywhere, not lining up, spitting on the street, etc.? Do you sometimes act with uncharacteristic rudeness?

The symptoms

If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be a sufferer of AFS – Arrogant Foreigner Syndrome. Depending on the frequency of outbreaks, AFS can be a serious threat to global health. AFS is highly contagious, and when spread to a native host, it evolves and takes root as a much more dangerous strain, All Foreigners Suck. Both strains of AFS are caused by a rise in the brain's production of NCO (No Consideration of Others). It has been noted that NCO is vastly different from TCD (True Cultural Differences), which can result in symptoms similar to AFS but is spread much more slowly among hosts. If you are unsure whether you are suffering from NCO or TCD, please contact your local native. 

There are many ways to avoid the spread of AFS. The best and most effective is to be courteous on a regular basis, avoiding behavior that would be considered rude even in your own country, unless it is canceled out by a True Cultural Difference and that TCD has been checked with your local native. Smiling has been shown to sometimes kill AFS immediately, and at the very least tends to weaken the onset of the disease. However, overuse of preventative action can cause one to suffer from one or many STDs (Scam Target Disorders), so be sure to keep some firm denials with you at all times.

Behaviour check

All joking aside, the way people conduct themselves in a foreign land is a serious issue. Ideas and opinions – particularly negative ones – have the ability to become a disease that cripples a nation or even the globe. It’s easy for us, as travelers, to think that getting out of your home country is relatively simple. Granted, we have to work through visa nightmares, book expensive plane tickets, and go through the process of determining what we absolutely must take and what we can live without. However, once we are settled in and surrounded by other world travellers, it’s easy to fall into a casual attitude towards travel as the difficulties and shocks of our initial journey fade into the background of memory. We meet people from different countries all the time. We understand that there are annoying people from every nation, and are typically pretty good about ignoring the rude ones while giving the rest the benefit of the doubt. We're adjusting to a new culture, and sometimes it seems like people are sometimes going out of their way to be rude, so it doesn't matter that much if we return the favour, right? 

However, our very experiences can alter our own perceptions of travel, foreigners, how different cultures act, and in a way that isn't necessarily for the best. Expats can easily forget that WE are the only direct link to the outside world that a lot of people come across. While we get to meet thousands of Chinese people every time we step outside, most of them will only meet one foreigner. We have all found ourselves in situations where we're the first foreigner someone has ever seen or talked to in person. What we sometimes forget, however, is that our actions and attitude often affect and have the potential to completely alter the way that people perceive the rest of the world. If we are blatantly rude and inconsiderate to our hosts, they are highly likely to assume that all foreigners are the same way. If we are polite and respectful, they are a lot more likely to think positively of people from other countries. And, as you can never be sure if the person you're frustrated with today will or won't become a good friend of the foreign policy expert for the CCP tomorrow, it’s always good to leave people with positive impressions.

Understanding our hosts

Chinese culture, like all cultures, gives its citizens a unique view of the globe and of the others who reside in it, and visiting foreigners are often graced with a gentle understanding from our hosts when we mess up. A lot of people will forgive minor gaffs and brush it off as cultural differences (often while pointing and laughing), but blatant rudeness or inconsideration is often universal. Sure, upon arrival you learn that standing in line is not a universal form of politeness, but forcefully pushing people out of the way is still unacceptable (unlike its close cousin, sneak-in-while-she-isn't-looking). And while we sometimes blow off rude behavior on our parts, remember – the story spreads, and it spreads fast.

Out of all of those Chinese people you catch staring at you on the street, many, if not most, are going to tell others about seeing you. If people try to talk to you, its almost a sure bet that you will be spoken of around that evening's round of mahjong. If you understand at least a little bit of Chinese, then you have surely heard the whispers as you go by, or people sharing their opinions about you before you're even out the door. Even if you don't speak Chinese, a simple smile, ni hao, and abashed shrug after they try to talk to you more can mean a world of difference between whether they go home saying they met a polite foreigner who was able to speak a few words of Chinese, or complaining about a rude foreign devil who thinks they are too high and mighty to attempt learning the language of the country they are in. 

People have heard all this before – if you've ever done a study abroad or even a corporate trip, you probably have heard something along the lines of "You are an ambassador for your country, school, etc." How true this is, and how strangely it sometimes manifests itself. During my first study abroad I was asked a question that absolutely floored me in its simplicity. As a bit of a tomboy back in those days, I always wore my hair in a strict, no-frills ponytail. One day my host mom inquired about it:

"Do all American girls wear their hair the same way every day?" She said, glancing at a ponytail that seemingly hadn't budged since I moved in.

"No, they don't," I replied, slightly confused.

At the time, the only thing going through my head was of course most American girls don't wear their hair the same day in and day out, what a ridiculous notion (I managed to keep my mouth shut on that thought, thank goodness). But upon further review, I realised that question wasn't so silly after all. I was the first American my host mom had ever interacted with on a daily basis, and she projected everything I did onto Americans as a whole, even down the dull repetition of my hairstyle. On the one hand it was a slightly naive question (as I knew a lot of native girls who also wore their hair the same way all the time), but on the other hand she'd never been to America, so it could be difficult to separate what I did because I was an individual and what I did because I was American.

So whether it’s based on your drunken shenanigans as you and your friends stumble back to your apartment at 3am, your attitude towards your students or coworkers, or how you conduct yourself every time you order from your local chao fan vendor, people are going to come to decisions about your country and your culture based on how you act around them. Granted, some natives already have immovable opinions about foreigners, but this country is rife with undecided people. It’s important to feel comfortable in your new land and it’s not healthy to regularly bottle up frustration for the sake of saving face for your home nation. However, it is also important to remember that the second we stepped off that plane, we became not only global travellers but also personal representatives of where we came from. You never know who you are brushing elbows with today or who will grow into a position of power tomorrow, and it’s always a good bet to foster a friendly spirit and be aware of how your actions might be perceived by others.

Remember: prevention of Arrogant Foreigner Syndrome today can result in yourself or someone else not having to suffer the symptoms of All Foreigners Suck tomorrow. Just avoid STDs!
 

Related links
Expat Racism Towards Chinese
Is There Really No Racism in China
The 5 Stupid Questions Foreigners Ask Chinese

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: how to behave in China foreigners in China AFS China what is AFS Arrogant foreigner syndrome