An Introduction:
While the assignment was to tackle an internet keyword or slang that is contemporary in its usage, I felt the necessity to discuss and talk about one that has been slang and a key phrase for the longest time, and still is by definition an internet keyword, with endless reddit and Facebook posts on the debate of this phrase. “老外” or “Lao Wai” is a phrase/name given to non-Chinese natives or foreigners to China. If you’re Chinese or grew up around the language, then you’ll know how frequently it’s used and how much it blurs the line between slang and proper, and the line between offensive and innocent. As a 12-year-old walking with my family in NYC, and my parents would whisper “Laowai”, I always questioned the validity and niceties of that word. However, if you aren’t familiar with this word, hopefully this becomes a good and provocative introduction to the phrase.
This video, one of the first ones to appear when searching for “老外” as a term, explains some common scenarios of being called a “Lao Wai” in China, with a sequel of the video discussing the regional variations such as “Gwai Lou” as a word for westerners or “Lao Hei” for individuals of African descent. The video, however, starts an interesting thought process. How are some individuals not offended by these terms and take it as a kind greeting to start an interaction, while others find it as a hateful piece of slang that reduces individuals to their separation from Mainlanders.
Two sides of a phrase:
This leads me to how I want to cover two sides of the phrase “Lao Wai” and how it sits in the middle between offensive and innocent as a vocabulary term. On one side, you have those in Mainland China, who have used the term very frequently for all their lives, and would argue that there is nothing controversial, offensive, or bad meaning in any sense. Not only that, but there are also many foreigners who understand that this is not bad meaning in any sense and understand that this is just a word within the culture that people use to refer as a blanket statement to all foreigners, not something negative.
Facebook and other forums are a great way of understanding real people and their individual opinions. Following off this person, it makes a lot of sense that Chinese people won’t be able to distinguish between a German and a Dutch person, or a lot of western ethnicities. While using a very different comparison, westerners also make blanket labels of easterners, such as Asian, even though that encompasses a large range of actual ethnicities.
The other side:
On the other side, some westerners would find that “Lao Wai” feels like a rude and derogatory statement. If you’re a foreign person visiting China, it’s not likely that you want to be boiled down to a one-word catchphrase, purely representing your non-Chinese background. This is made worse by how some people can use “Lao Wai as more of an insult-slang term than others. Even while not warranted at all, the use of “Lao Wai” as derogatory and in a negative connotation reinforces already heightened tensions between Chinese and Foreigners. Because of this confusion between “Lao Wai” being a good or bad force, often results to westerners defaulting to it being a negative phrase.
Reddit being the choice of community-based discussions for this section.
Fast Forward:
However, I want to turn the page to something related, but pointing towards a more positive direction. China and Chinese people, in my own opinion, are more used to being less of a melting pot than other countries. While Asians in the US constitute 7.4 percent of the population (US Census 2022), Westerners with residence permits only constitute 0.05% of the Chinese population (Global Times). As such, it’s a very different approach and understanding to foreigners than how we see immigrants in the US, typically in a more blanketed way as “Lao Wai”
(No need to watch the whole thing at all.)
However, times have and currently are changing. The following video is one of the largest examples of a cultural movement in recent years. 94 million views is not a small feat, with a meaningful percent of Chinese, Chinese American, and American people having seen this video. The video itself shows Xiaoma, a non-Chinese individual shocking everyone in restaurants by ordering in perfect Chinese. Countless other videos or blog posts like this have come up since then. It shows how the typical image of a clueless foreigner is being rewired in people’s head as someone who can be accepted and isn’t just a “Lao Wai”
So how does this change? Or does it? In my experience, this specific phrase has a major disconnect between the people that use the phrase and the people that get referenced by that phrase. This disconnect gets closer and closer to a resolution the more people talk about it together, with friends or community, understanding the cultural differences and adapting to them ultimately helps everyone be more understanding.
-Ryan Yin
Sources:
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2024/asian-american-pacific-islander.html