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Apparently an African American with a B.A. in Geography has a better chance of landing a job teaching English in the People's Republic of China or South Korea than an Asian American with a B.A. in English and a teaching credential.
Considering how cultures evolve and change over time, some enlightened folks in China have realized that there is value in learning English-based creole languages, such as African American Vernacular English (aka "AAVE" or "Ebonics'), Hawaiʻi Creole English ("HCE" or "Pidgin"), and Jamaican Patois (aka "Jamaican Creole" or "Patwa") in addition to standard English.
Here are some folks in China that wouldn't mind learning English from black folks...
But the thing is, I don't speak AAVE, I speak standard English with a bit of Midwestern/Upper Midwestern, and a slight bit of British English thrown in.
What I find particularly amusing is that the very people who tend to advocate a merit-based approach to hiring here in the States do not appear to be opposed to the race-based system espoused by the Chinese vis-a-vis American workers in this case.
One reason why I say African Americans whine too much. Most of the world is unabasedly racist. Actually to be more accurate they respect power and achievement. As far as the Chinese are concerned Blacks haven't created or done anything that demands their respect.
Neither has the West, from the Chinese perspective! The Chinese look down on the West's so-called "civilization", from the perspective that the Chinese pretty much invented "civilization" several millennia ago.
But the thing is, I don't speak AAVE, I speak standard English with a bit of Midwestern/Upper Midwestern, and a slight bit of British English thrown in.
A similar thing happened to Americans who wanted to teach English in Romania back during the Ceaușescu regime. He passed a law prohibiting American English from being taught in schools. He wanted everyone to learn a Brit accent.
A similar thing happened to Americans who wanted to teach English in Romania back during the Ceaușescu regime. He passed a law prohibiting American English from being taught in schools. He wanted everyone to learn a Brit accent.
Doesn't surprise me about Ceauesescu doing that. This was the Eastern Bloc we are talking about.
What I find particularly amusing is that the very people who tend to advocate a merit-based approach to hiring here in the States do not appear to be opposed to the race-based system espoused by the Chinese vis-a-vis American workers in this case.
Well where do you think the Chinese got their ideas about race from?
Fifteen pages of responses and hardly anyone read the actual article or has any idea about the policies in Korea and China for English teachers. The least preferred ethnic group for ESL teachers in Asia is English-speaking Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders. The Chinese don't want English-speaking blacks from either the US or UK, but they are even a step above another Asian in the pecking order for jobs. It's not really some sort of concern about "ebonics" considering blacks from the British Commonwealth are equally discriminated against.
The Asians want their kids to learn from what they perceive as the typical American in their minds--tall white people(being blond helps), because that is who they imagine as being the best English speakers. I knew short olive skinned people of Southern European descent who sometimes even had a harder time finding jobs in Korea. But the worst is for Asians from the US or Canada or the UK. If you're a Korean-American who speaks perfect English but no Korean, the Koreans will look at you as some sort of aberration...and you will likely not be hired for ESL jobs.
Hypothetical question since I'm not interested in becoming an ESL teacher - what would be the likelyhood of me getting hired? My background is Asian Indian, born and raised in UK. I speak with an English accent and I have a master's degree from a US university. I'm very familiar with Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultures but I do not speak any of the languages.
But the thing is, I don't speak AAVE, I speak standard English with a bit of Midwestern/Upper Midwestern, and a slight bit of British English thrown in.
One can learn AAVE.
If folks from the People Republic of China can figure out how to grow dreads and play reggae music, an African American that only speaks standard English should be able to figure out how to acquire some proficiency in AAVE.
Neither has the West, from the Chinese perspective! The Chinese look down on the West's so-called "civilization", from the perspective that the Chinese pretty much invented "civilization" several millennia ago.
It goes both ways: EVERY culture thinks they're number 1.
If folks from the People Republic of China can figure out how to grow dreads and play reggae music, an African American that only speaks standard English should be able to figure out how to acquire some proficiency in AAVE.
That "Ebonics" needs to be buried. All it does is make Black people look stupid. Sheesh!
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