New unfriendly foreigners

Over the years I have noticed more and more foreigners that are obviously new that make no attemptat even the slightest bit o friendliness.
what's up with that?
Back when I first got here I was saying hello to everyone I ran into, now they can't even make eye contact.

Your existence ruins their China experience.

ha ha, Stil, you just beat me to it.

exactly, their experience is only valid if they are the only laowai in town, experiencing things that no other laowai has ever dreamed possible.

I agree!!!  Wankers of the world treading a pathway in their minds.

There is a chance though that they are very English. 

Haha, yes, what they said.

This is especially true if you happen to be in someplace that the wankers consider to be "off the beaten path" or "undiscovered."

Does moving into my own little village and hanging a "Foreigners Stay The Hell Out!" sign on the village gates qualify me as a wanker? 

I'll admit that I'm pretty damned surprised when I see any other foreigners even near where I live, but I'm always friendly to them.

I am thinking of getting a shirt made that says "I was here before you loser"

Honestly I never really say hi to other foreigners when I pass them in the streets, most looked like smacked arses anyway. Plus sadly enough most look like fairly unpleasant bastards anyway, hung over or just giving out the grumpy vibe.
If I saw another foreigner in my neighborhood then I would be very surprised. There is one that lives in my apartment complex but we've known each other for ages and are decent mates so he doesn't count. I don't hang out with him very often because his wife is fairly off putting and my wife thinks the same.

Well, not to sound like a grumpy curmudgeon but I don't say "hello" to every laowai I see. Why would I? It is not because their presence destroys my China experience, it is simply because I see no need to do so. I don't engage every Chinese person I see in conversation either.

I'm with ETR. I didn't say hi to every foreigner I saw--I do that with people I know. There were times I'd start up a conversation in certain situations though (standing on a really slow line to buy something). I'm not the most sociable person, so the other person usually would start the conversation with me.

My impression has been that many of the ultra-standoffish types are afraid that other foreigners may reveal their great deception; other foreigners will know that they're actually not "so handsome!" or "so clever!".

Well, not to sound like a grumpy curmudgeon but I don't say "hello" to every laowai I see. Why would I? It is not because their presence destroys my China experience, it is simply because I see no need to do so. I don't engage every Chinese person I see in conversation either.

yeah im with you on this one. For sure i will look and sometimes even wonder if they are british or american. on occasion i will look for eye contact and if its friendly i might initiate conversation but often im met with a stoney face. But then i attribute that to a new experience of being stared at by all and sundry which i found a bit weird when i first landed too.

I just think it is funny they almost go ut of their way to avoid any contact. One time at a bakery a guy and girl did everything to avoid me then later at a party they were all apologetic. By that point I just walked away, they lived in the same building as I and couldnt even be bothered to be pleasant until they were forced to.
Last night I saw some new guy and he was looking everywhere but at me in an attempt to avoid me, I do not mind not being addressed but when they try to avoid me thats just sad.

It's Daffyd Thomas syndrome. 

I (re)noticed the same thing when I was in Shenyang yesterday.  After a while you give up trying to smile at other 'foreigners'.  I was trying to explain the concept to the other girls yesterday.  They were horrified.  Oh well...

When I see another foreigner, my mouth drops open, I point, stare and giggle and then yell HELOOOOOOOOOO! 

Actually, when I see another foreigner at my school I almost always try to talk to them. I mean, I live in a small place and yeah, kinda feel like it's "mine" and I know all the foreigners so I always try to be friendly, see what their story is and if I can help them. I've met a few interesting people that way.

But if I'm somewhere like Hangzhou or a bigger place, then I just do the smile and nod thing. i mean, that's what I do at home when I pass someone on the street, so why not here?