>In China (probably elsewhere too, but China is the relevant place here), apparently yes. https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=5046 touches on some of the dynamic there; the "Western" bit is definitely key.
The part about China listening more to foreign voices with the "Guanxi Bias" - very much on the edge about that. I've noticed a trend towards nationalism in China (and worryingly all over the world), so the fact that they chose the voice of a foreign person over that of "one of their own" might point to the Reddit thread being convincing, even if only a minor investigation is required to debunk it.
Unless there's inherent racism in China, a black, African female of the same position should have had the same power, fulfilling the role of "foreign person".
But the main point was really about attributing these unwanted characteristics specifically to white, Western men as opposed to Dale taking that responsibility on himself. Regardless of background, he is in a position of power (however you want to attribute that to him) and he made a mistake.
I agree with your main point that the main issue here is personal responsibility and personal power, and that any group memberships are only relevant insofar as they affect that.
> I've noticed a trend towards nationalism in China
Sure. That sort of thing is not incompatible with perceiving other countries as "systematically better". In fact, one common form nationalism has taken (not just in China) is "those other people are currently ahead of us, but we will overtake them and then we will be ahead".
As far as I can tell, racism is just not something the ruling party cares about much, and they spend all their thought-and-speech-policing efforts on the things they _do_ care about (like their own survival). For similar reasons, racism was rampant in the Soviet Union and is rampant in Russia now.
Add to that that most Chinese have no personal experience with someone who looks "black", so all they have to go on are stereotypes, and it would be pretty surprising to _not_ have racism be prevalent in the culture.
The part about China listening more to foreign voices with the "Guanxi Bias" - very much on the edge about that. I've noticed a trend towards nationalism in China (and worryingly all over the world), so the fact that they chose the voice of a foreign person over that of "one of their own" might point to the Reddit thread being convincing, even if only a minor investigation is required to debunk it.
Unless there's inherent racism in China, a black, African female of the same position should have had the same power, fulfilling the role of "foreign person".
But the main point was really about attributing these unwanted characteristics specifically to white, Western men as opposed to Dale taking that responsibility on himself. Regardless of background, he is in a position of power (however you want to attribute that to him) and he made a mistake.