More Mean-Spirited Observations...
Asian culture generally, and Chinese culture specifically are noted for their lack of civic-mindedness. This is not a fault to my way of thinking, just something that strikes a lot of Westerners like me as meanness. They are, instead, concerned mostly with their family ties. They know where they stand in their work collective, their job, their family or their classroom, but they don't place themselves in the whole picture. This is one reason why so many Asians will ask you "Are you married?" and "How much money do you make?" as introductory questions. They have to know where they stand right away.
This is also why they are such inconsiderate drivers. Strangers don't figure into their moral thinking. Some people even drive with their headlights off at night. Partly to "save gas," but also because they can see just fine without them in a bright city. It doesn't occur to them that the purpose of headlights is so other people can see you.
It's also why it's so difficult to find a public trash can. Even city parks don't often have them. The logic being that then people from the neighborhood would just stuff all their house trash in the park cans. And they would. Once the trash is off their property, it's someone else's problem, even across the street in a park. People clean their cars and throw all the trash on the street. I've actually seen this.
Now I have to figure out how I'm irritating them...
posted by taiwanjason @ 1:17 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
They (the Chinese in TW) do sound mean, alright. But I'm not sure if this is not present in other cultures as well.
Here in SG (Singapore), the Asians are generally more tactful with their 'introductory' qns. Even tho' "what are you working as" is still more or less one of the more common ones asked. But I guess it's asked more to forge conversations than to see 'where they stand'. And trust me, as the Clean and Green City of Asia (and maybe the world), trash cans are literally everywhere in this country. Parks or no parks.
In JP (Japan), it's hard to find a trash bin anywhere, but not coz ppl would trash house stuff in public trash cans, but coz they encourage recycling (and reusing where possible). When in JP, do as the Japanese do. That's why you'll always find all kinds of rubbish in my pockets whenever I go home from outside. Haha.
Yes, I suppose the Singaporeans are an exception to all the rules. But I still think "What is your job?" is a question used to define the relative status of 2 people.
And the Japanese are pretty courteous drivers. I sometimes suspect that the real courtesy problem in Taiwan may have more to do with the millions of scooters on the roads. Since they're so manuverable, it's hard to leave room for pedestrians. And the scooter-driver mindset lets you think you can always move to the front of the line. Although, nobody here would ever wait in a line.
Hi Jason, in defence of the Taiwanese... I found people in Taiwan to be all those things you mention, but at the same time almost ridiculously keen to help out a lost or confused foreigner (me!) in many situations. I had a wonderful experience travelling through Taroko without private transportation which really left an impact on me. My friends and I didn't count on the fact that there was no bus through the mountains, and ended up hitching most of the way. Every (lovely and generous) person who picked us up warned us of the danger of getting a ride with strangers, all the while feeding us, making sure we were comfortable, and generally being unspeakably nice. Maybe it's not an example of 'civic-mindedness', but more an illustration of how wonderful the Taiwanese can be when you get inside that social structure...
Thanks. You're right. Taiwanese can be very thoughtful and considerate. I don't deny that. My mean observations usually hit me when I'm driving my scooter home from another day on the job past all these other people I rant about. Part of the problem for me is that I work in a city (Da-li City, Taichung County), that is known, even among the locals, as a dirty backwater gang of rednecks. At least that's what the rich city folk say in Taichung.
And, I'd venture to say that Chinese people would have a much harder time getting picked up when hitchhiking. Their treatment of foreigners is generally excellent, as I would be the first to admit.
"And, I'd venture to say that Chinese people would have a much harder time getting picked up when hitchhiking. Their treatment of foreigners is generally excellent, as I would be the first to admit."isn't that rather discriminating behavior on part of the Taiwanese ?
Hi Jason. Yeah, you're probably right about that being a foreigner privilege (and I am a very obvious blonde one), but the memory warms the cockles nonetheless. And it's not something that would happen in the mainland in my experience either!
You know what they say about the whole of Taichung County in Taipei, don't you? ;)
TaiwanJason wrote:
Now I have to figure out how I'm irritating them...Haha! Good post! I think there's a lot of insight in what you wrote.
The key word in there -- for the benefit some of your other commenters -- is "civic-mindedness" (Mandarin: ???; Hanyu pinyin: gong1 de2 xin1)
In other words, the people lacking in civic-mindedness are saying that "what is good for the whole of society takes a back seat to me, myself, and I," in complete ignorance of the fact that if everyone behaves that way, every individual is harmed. Try explaining that to many Taiwanese, and they'll give you that "rote" response that "you just have to endure." When people give me that line, I tend to want to tell them to "endure" my foot in their ass. ;-)
Now, onward to how you're irritating them: You're simply pointing out their behavior and its illogic. Doing that generally has heads exploding in no time!
Here is my blog -- for anyone who's interested -- which, when I talk about Taiwan (and I've been doing that a lot lately) tends to explode the heads of pan-blue supporters lickety-split.
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