The REAL Reason Why You Can’t Trust YouTube

Hey my fellow travelers

So, there’s a lot of fakeness going on in the “Black in China” YouTube space. These guys aren’t really showing the truth about what it’s like living in China as a black American man, so I gotta expose some things.

I’m a black American who has been living in China for 8 years, so I think I’m qualified to put the truth out there

So buckle your seat belts, we’re about to get started

Okay, so why am I saying that there is fakeness in this black in China Youtube space?

Well, If you type in the phrase “Black in China” into YouTube, most of the YouTubers that are gonna pop up are Africans. In China, believe it or not, there TONS of Africans. Many of them come here as students, and some stay here to work in Chinese companies or they start their own businesses. And a lot of African guys get married to Chinese women

But, here’s the thing – as an American, your experience in China is probably gonna be significantly different than that of most African guys. Because we can’t just put all black people in the same box and pretend like we are all going to have the same life experience in China.

A black person from the UK, an African black person, and an American black person will all have somewhat different experiences in China. Because many Chinese people do respond differently based on where they think you come from

And why do I feel the need to distinguish between American black people and African black people?

Well, The fact is that your American passport gives you a lot of privilege and prestige when you’re traveling and living overseas…. I was watching a livestream the other day, shoutout to CoolDMG (link his YouTube) – he talked about how, when he was traveling through Malaysia, he noticed that the people there wouldn’t treat him so nice when they thought he was African, but after they found out he was American they were much nicer to him.

And that seems to be the case in China as well, and many parts of Asia. In general, Asians just seem to have a negative perception of Africa and African people. I don’t know why – probably it has something to do with the perception that people have of Africa as poor.

And also African people are usually darker skinned, and in Asia the beauty standard is that lighter or whiter skin is preferred, and a lot of Asians generally prefer European features. So, the combination of thinking Africans come from poverty and not liking how they look doesn’t really work in favor of African people who come to Asia

A lot of my audience is black American men, and although our ancestors came from Africa, as black Americans we are VERY disconnected from Africa and African people. I mean, the way we look, our culture, even the way we dress – if you put an African person and an American black person next to each other, a lot of the times the difference is very obvious.

And many people in other countries can also tell the difference, so they treat us differently. You might not like it, but the country you come from often affects how much respect you are going to get from the person that you are talking to.

For example, the Chinese and Japanese have a really long, bloody history with each other. And, I’m telling you, you might think that Africans get treated badly in China. That’s NOTHING compared to how a Japanese person might get treated in China. And it’s the same way – a Chinese person might also receive some bad treatment in Japan.

That’s just the world we live in – a lot of these countries have beef, and that affects how the people of these countries treat each other. If someone doesn’t like your country’s government, they might just take their frustration out on you. Trust me, I know as an American many people in other countries don’t like the American government, so when they find out I’m American, they start treating me like I’m some kind of spokesperson for the American government…. it’s really annoying…

I saw a video the other day where Floyd Mayweather was saying that he doesn’t want to be called African American – he wants to be called black American. Because he feels that African is a label that people but on us black Americans when they wanna try to separate us from being Americans. Like, they put a label on us as African because they want to separate us from being 100% real Americans

Now this was an interesting point that Mayweather brought up that I never thought of, but there is a lot of truth behind it. As black Americans our ancestors come from Africa but we AREN’T really African. I mean, I follow a couple black Youtubers who are traveling in Africa – shoutout to Auston Holloman and Taylor Made Dreams – and based off what they’ve told me, and based on my own experience hanging out with Africans, you as black American are not gonna be treated as an equal when you interact with a lot of these African people.

I can’t remember what country he was in, but Auston talked about how when he was inside of a nightclub, some of the guys were staring him up and down, because they could tell he wasn’t a local. These African guys, they know when someone who isn’t African is standing in front of them

I mean, America is the richest and most powerful country in the world, so when you go to these African countries, they might not be looking at you as a fellow brother, they might just look at you like you’re a rich foreigner. I mean, because you basically are – compared to most of the people on this planet, the average American has so many opportunities that it’s kind of like people in other countries view us as rich.

You know, when you traveling in Africa, based off what I’ve heard, you as an American might even be viewed as a target to get taken advantage of. So it seems like a lot of them definitely aren’t viewing you as being the same as them. I’ll tell you, a lot of the times when I meet African guys here in China, when they find out I’m American, like 70% of the time they start acting kinda weird, like they just met a celebrity or something, or they treat me like I’m some kind of cartoon character who is supposed to represent American and American culture. It’s kinda awkward

And, believe it or not, a lot of Chinese people are able to tell the difference between American and African black people. They know that our faces and bodies look different, and the way we dress is different.

I know there are gonna be some people who say “Oh, Danny you’re light skinned, so of course Chinese people know you’re not African.” Well, actually, the younger generation of Chinese people consume a lot of Western media like sports and music, so they have more and more experience knowing what black American people look like. If you put an American black guy next to an African black guy, an educated Chinese person might be able to tell the difference

Honestly, in terms of social interactions, I can’t even really think of any situations where I can be sure that you as a black American are gonna be treated the same exact way as an African. Because as an American, you’ve just got too many privileges, man. As soon as Chinese people find out your American, in my experience, their whole demeanor changes.

The Chinese, they have this kind of competition thing with America, where many Chinese people want China to surpass America. But even though they want to surpass America, they still respect Americans because of all the things that our country has done and accomplished. And also, for better or worse American pop culture influences the world- and pretty much everybody has something that comes from America that they like – it might be movies, sports, clothing, their favorite actor. In China there are a lot of people who like to ride motorcycles, and Harley Davidson is one of the most respected brands of motorcycles…. and it comes from America

Maybe the only situation that I can think of where you’ll be treated the same way as an African is if you are dealing with a Chinese person who really hates or is racist against black or darker skinned people. Ok, in that kind of situation, being American probably isn’t gonna help you that much. But, honestly, it’s gonna be pretty rare to meet someone who has that much hatred in their heart. You probably won’t often experience that kind of overt racism in China.

So, bottom line – in China, as a black American man, in general, you are gonna be treated much better than black men who come from Africa. And that better treatment includes things like jobs, dating, visa applications, renting apartments, etc.

So when you see these African “Black in China” YouTubers making videos, you gotta take their experience with a grain of salt. Pretty much whatever experiences they are having in China, your experience will probably be 10 or 25% better, simply because you’re American.

So, if you’ve got an American passport, be grateful for that thing. Because that’s one of the main reasons that you can live such a high quality life in these other countries

So what do you think? Do you agree with my points that us black Americans are very different than Africans? What’s your experience? Message me using the “Contact Us” form and let me know your thoughts

And that’s all for today, guys. Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you next time.