There is a very common phenomenon in China that is regional discrimination. In China, coastal areas are generally more developed than inland cities, both economically and in terms of education per capita, so many people from inland cities will come to coastal cities to pursue a better life. This is a very prospect and diverse phenomenon since different regions in China have very different food habits, cultures, etc., and the foreign population is actually very helpful to the development of local cities. However, there are some locals who will reject foreigners or treat them unfairly. In terms of the universality of the world, human beings, by nature, tend to get along with people of similar characteristics, and face. There is a lot of uncertainty if they get along with people of different identities, colors, or races. This is a universal problem that is better explained in psychological studies. Also in China or other regions, housing prices in developed cities tend to be higher than in other regions. The price of housing will of course become more expensive as the population increases. The housing pressure on the locals will increase synchronously. In addition to the price of housing, there will be more competition for education resources, urban welfare, and public services at different levels. The two types of discrimination mentioned earlier are general discrimination at the individual level and public policy discrimination at the institutional level. If we want to overcome discrimination at the individual level, it actually involves a change in perceptions and even values. It is difficult to say that we can make everyone free of discrimination, but we are still advocating for improved public policies to move towards justice and equality. At the level of individual values, diversity itself is an objective existence, but in public policies and social value formation, justice and equality are to be emphasized. Cities have a large number of immigrants, which is precisely the source of having dynamism, providing urban innovation and entrepreneurship. In a modern civilized society, justice, and equality are achieved even through reverse discrimination. Many resources are allocated on the basis of income, so it is important to systematically allocate resources in favor of disadvantaged groups in the income, racial or physical dimensions. In terms of personal values, there may be some “some people just look down on low-income people”, but in the construction of social values, the opposite should be true.
In general, this is very similar to what we discussed in week 11, the issue of immigrants in the United States. Many immigrants have suffered from discrimination and unfair treatment. From a psychological perspective, people prefer to live with people who have similar characteristics to themselves. From a public policy and resource perspective, people are concerned that their interests are being compromised. In fact, these are unconscious protections that people have for themselves. But on a larger level, people need these immigrants to enhance diversity and provide innovation and entrepreneurship to the city.
The local police hurled insults at outsiders and said outsiders are inferior to natives.
News about opposing the unfair college entrance examination system for non-local people.
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2012-10-19/141025394785.shtml
Resource from: The local police hurled insults at outsiders and said outsiders are inferior to natives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7mMdBF_LRE
Oppose the unfair college entrance examination system for non-local people. http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2012-10-19/141025394785.shtml
Thank you for your post, since I also live in a not so big city in China, I knew and even experienced many things like the post said. Also, I think there is also the regional injustice in China. And the injustice for immigrants or those from a smaller city may face discrimination is really often, though we all tried to change the old ideas and change the reality.
Great post, I always find it interesting to learn about what other people in other parts of the world have to deal with, I can also tie a few of these situations to people all over the world.
I really enjoyed reading your post. I did not know that China had discrimination like this going on. It is upsetting that discrimination is a world wide issue. Immigration has become an issue in the United States and I hope we can all get on the same (positive) page with this subject.
Thank you for sharing your post. It was a very well done. I was kind of surprised that racism is a big topic in Asia and especially at China. It is very sad that racism issue are spread out in every continent.
I agree with your post. To some extent, regional discrimination is similar to racial discrimination. People from small cities in China may face discrimination and injustice often happen, but in fact, it is difficult to change this social phenomenon at present.