Is everyone happy that the title is politically correct and not stereotyping Taiwanese in any way whatsoever? Good, so I shall begin ranting. (PS: warning - I swear a lot).
I recently enrolled in a driving school for a few hours of lessons before I take the local license test. My assigned instructor is aboriginal Taiwanese. When we first met there was a great rapport, lots of laughing and joking and in turn this helped me feel comfortable about the whole stupid test course.
He kept asking me every five minutes how much I earned each month to which I replied ‘enough’, but he kept pushing it because he saw my ARC with ‘investor’ on it. In the end I just wanted him to get off the subject so I divided my real earnings by ten and told him that. Oops, obviously not low enough as things changed drastically.
Every other sentence that comes out of his mouth is now some snidey comment about how rich I am or about how I should go home and sit on my ass until more money comes my way. Roughly translated:
[i]“Okay, you’ve had a hard hour’s driving, you should go and rest to earn money now.”
“You can’t be wasting too much time here, you should be playing on your computer to make money.”
“I’m thinking about going back to school so I can earn NT$x/month sitting in front of a computer but some of us are too poor.”[/i] (Err actually I do a lot more manual labour than you, mate. Wanna swap?)
“Don’t leave that expensive jacket there or you will have to earn even more money to get a new one.” (I’m sorry, but I had to respond to this one… ‘I’m glad you like it but it was NT$200 from 大買家, fuckface’).
I don’t know where the fuck all these assumptions are coming from but I’m guessing his ass. I was brought up by a single parent in a council flat surrounded by drug addicts that was knocked down shortly after we left because it was declared criminally unsafe. I never went to college. My grandparents sacrificed a lot just so we could have a roof over our heads. I never asked for anything as a kid because I knew my mum didn’t have any money to pay for it. I have a very comfortable life now but that’s because I’ve worked every day of my life since the age of 14 instead of sitting on my ass and whining. I’m proud of what I have because nobody helped me get it but I’d like to think I have some humility as well and this is what upsets me when faced with resentful attitudes on a daily basis.
But is this how us white devils are still seen by Taiwanese, regardless of our work ethic/income/background/personality? Snooty, lazy, stuck-up rich assholes who get paid for being white? It’s sad that the real friends I have in Taiwan are mostly wealthy entrepeneurs, simply because it seems so hard for everyone else to deal with the concept of a young businessman without making backhanded comments every ten seconds. So many people here want so desperately to be rich and become seethingly jealous of anyone who appears richer than them. Seems like one big mad circle to me.
Should I just smack him one in the jaw and have done with it? That’s the working class Liverpool way, after all.
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Apologies for length, I’m having a bad month.
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for those who need it.
Trying to sully my good name, it’s a disgrace. And to think I changed my quoting style for you.
No, they didn’t. Don’t worry.