you may argue all you want that lao can be respectful, however, in this case, it is simply not true. the phrase laowai should not be broken into its constituent parts for analysis but rather looked at as a whole in the context it is used. certainly, if someone asks you if you are laowai when on the phone, it is not impolite. however, there is a reason that they usually would ask with waiguoren and not laowai. when a person yells at you "laowai, hello," there is no way this is respectful. it reflects their inability to understand the humanity of foriegners.

there is much more evidence to support the argument that chinese don't believe foriegners are people. when ordering food i often find it necessary to repeat myself loudly three times while the xiaojie is looking for a picture menu. it's funny that i can debate politics in chinese as clearly as i can in english, but people on the street feel the need to use sign language to communicate with me even after i have initiated a conversation in chinese.

blaming this lack of understanding on a lack of exposure is misguided. even on the busiest of urban streets, when i can see five or more laowai at a time, i still hear the snickers and the hellos. so when someone pets my arm, i dont play games- gao shenme gao. if their society cant learn on its own that we are not dogs, i will not stand by and smile. no "ting hao"s will come out of my mouth.