I do not mean this post to sound negative, because the majority of people I have met in China — both Chinese and foreign — are great people and my friends. But I guess I have been a little down lately because of a few foreigners (Westerners) who seem to hate China and complain about everything, yet they live their entire lives here.

As an example, one person I know made a huge deal, in front of a very kind Chinese person, that "all Chinese food is terrible, from any province! It's all disgusting!" Then, people get all excited over Burger King and badmouth Chinese food.

Next, I have lately had a few foreigners tell me something like, "I don't even try to speak that stupid Chinese. If they can't speak English, then I have no need for them."

And I know some Westerners who only hang out with other Westerners, only eat Western food at Western restaurants, only do Western things in a little Western world.

Moreover, the thread here about Random Acts of Kindness has so much vitriol and negativity about China that some people are actually arguing that it is WRONG to help someone in need.

I am just really down about this. I have to wonder, why do some Westerners even live here? They seem to hate China, Chinese food, Chinese people, the Chinese language, Chinese culture, and everything else Chinese. They go on and on, complaining about how terrible everything is (while never actually interacting with China). Why are they even here? I could not imagine forcing myself to live in a place that made me so miserable and angry.

Again, please do not take this post the wrong way: it is just a show of my frustration. But I really do want to know. Any ideas?

Hah. I read the title wrong...you mean only a select few foreigners :)

you is also jumping to conclusions. if people have a bad china day they vent and you notice this. we all have bad china days. if it is a good china day we dont vent and dont notice this. i know some chines back home who only eat chinese and mix with thier own people and watch chinese movies etc. most are imigrants (expats) or first generation chinese. you have nto made the assumption 'all foriengers' extendt this to not making the assumption some foriegners-all of the time. ref not helping others - this was one of the first principles i was taught by other chinese aka don't get involved aka look after your own.

That a very good questions. Who knows? I think the only thing you can do is worrying about yourself because trying to figure out why people do this or that will leave you frustrated. For me China is an amazing place despite somethings I just can't get used to about it. In life, you will always encounter people that want to rain on your parade. Best thing to do is to ignore them and hang out with those who have a positive attitude.

agree liuminke's words. just some days it all gets a bit frustrating and we all need to vent. some have sport, some alcholo some forums some all 3.

maybe some stay for cheap booze and gf who will... for the price of a BK

Your post is talking about a very specific kind of attitude— the people who have no interest in the language or hate all the food have no business here in the first place.

Still, I think a lot of people end up staying in China longer than they should. It's always hard to leave a place and start again somewhere else, even if that somewhere else is "home." And in a place as different as China is from the US and Europe, it can be hard to see a clear direction to move in career-wise when you are looking to leave China, further complicating matters. Many people also start to feel like they need to accomplish something concrete before leaving China, and stay here striving or searching for that. It is quite common to get to a point where you feel a little stuck here, and that breeds resentment and frustration. It ain't easy, and we all need each other's support.

the plentiful booty

Excellent post! I think the people you speak of are those who can not be honest with themselves and are in denial. They remain in perpetual Culture Shock and never assimilate to the new culture. They are in denial because they do not admit the REAL reasons why they left their country of origin.

Many foreigners (westerners) I have met in China are here because they can no longer afford to live in the west. Others are here because they are alcoholics and they can continue in their addiction(s) without many obstacles. Another reason is just plain ignorance. For those of us who have really travelled abroad, we know that the world is not like the west. The ignorant people expect and demand that the rest of the world be exactly the same as the west. The ignorance is most evident in the attitude you describe and in the way in which they express themselves in this forum. Note the many grammatical errors, the failure to capitalize at the beginning of sentences and the many spelling errors. All proof of the ignorance.

I won't know about that @kingofthekerb.HaHa.