Bingo! I’ve not known Mainlanders and wondered how similar they might be; but you seem to sufficiently describe Taiwanese. Koreans have a passion for life and they easily get hot under the collar to boot. Taiwanese, on the other hand, seem like robots in a way; and I’ve rarely seen displays of Taiwanese anger as I’ve seen in Koreans. There’s little in the way of drive, impetus, animation, dreams, or even emotions — good or bad. And when there be emotions, they’re crassly conveyed.
In the West, though our desires and emotions may differ person to person, they are definite and unmistaken. One woman, for example, may be overwhelmed at the beauty of a flower and ponder over it for a time: a strong, distinguishable, sincere emotion. Another woman may not care for such trifles, but rather highly interests herself in analyzing things and gets curious and engrossed about the finer details of her job. Though different from the first, a palpable emotion nevertheless that helps us appreciate who she is, that defines her personality.
With many Taiwanese, I’m often scrambling to find evidence of a drive strong enough whereby I can assess their disposition; I can’t easily figure out their personality or what makes them tick. As you said, they’re hard to get to know — though they be approachable and easily make friends or engage in conversation.
I’ve often wondered if that explains their obsessive interest in star signs: to help them identify each other, or identify with something. And ironically, while they’re looking to all sorts of animals for personality clues, I swear I could discover the character of any dog quicker.
Upon leaving shops and restaurants, patrons often greet them with this jinx: man-man-zou, roughly translated “slowly, lazily, dawdle” — and that’s exactly what they do. I used to think, how quaint; they’re smelling the roses. But I’m not so sure about that now — rather, I think there’s just not an anticipation; not something to particularly look forward to at the next destination. Not depressed or sad really. Just…dawdling. Koreans seem to move along at a good clip; especially during business hours.
But what about the frequent vitriolic fights in Parliament? Doesn’t that suggest fire and passion? It appears they really care about politics.
Even so, I struggle to convince myself that they possess the emotional wherewithal to pull off such spirited spectacles. Then, a recent news article unraveled the illogical paradox: these displays of apparent, political “passion” are just as fake as their night-market wares. It’s all a show — complete BS.
Not that that’s surprising; after all, to properly feel outrage is to have a rock-solid sense of justice — both of which sentiments seem to overreach their emotional speedometers. So this is what we’re reduced to: bogus outrage — legislators heartily joining the fray so they can be seen on TV jostling, clawing, wrestling in a bid to show voters just how “passionate” and “emotional” they likely aren’t.
dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a … ge_id=1811
Whether staged tantrums, crocodile tears, or contrived chuckles, these machinations and put-ons — though not unknown to Westerners and encompassing maybe 5 to 40% of their expressions depending on individual sincerity — comprise up to perhaps 70% of emotional palettes in Taiwan; to show social solidarity, to BS you, to feel the moment, to act out the circumstances, to imitate genuine human behavior in a quest to appear normal, to be normal, like emotional wannabes. Indeed, even in their emotions, they are a copy-cat, plagiarist society — an inevitable development anytime creativity broadly lacks.
Is it even possible to create when there is little ability to emote? After all, emotions are the storehouse from which we judge something to be better, more clear, more beautiful, more pleasant, or more of what have you. They guide our creativity; they are our creativity. Creativity is irredeemably tied to the emotions. Without them, creativity is beyond our purview. Could the curse of temperamental poverty and accompanying creative lack have anything to do with why Taiwan is often regarded as the fashion hell-hole of Asia — and why excellence is generally shunned? Without a developing of emotions, perceptions, and judgments, a nation’s people necessarily rely on the creativity of more singular individuals and societies to apprize it of such values — in other words, copy them.
Incidentally, I recently read the most popular American novel in the twentieth century: Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.
I was shocked; it seemed to be the perfect description of the differences between Taiwanese and American culture — Japanese is probably somewhere in between. In her book, society puts down singular individuals to encourage social “equality,” but ends up achieving mediocrity. All the bright inventors, managers, engineers get together and rebel, because they’re not being rewarded for their talents — and society crumbles as a result.
My eyes popped out reading the dialogues: they were strikingly similar to ones I had at work. Many of the main antiheroes in her book just as well be Taiwanese, or have Taiwanese names.
The movie was scheduled to show in 2008 starring Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie: be sure to see it. The status is in turnaround now, which means the producer is wanting to sell the rights, so it’s uncertain now…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrugged_(film
Flip some taxi driver the bird if you want to see fire and passion 
[quote=“jotham”]Incidentally, I recently read the most popular American novel in the twentieth century: Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_shrugged
I was so shocked; it seemed to be the perfect description of the differences between Taiwanese and American culture—Japanese is probably somewhere in between. In her book, society puts down singular individuals to encourage social “equality,” but ends up achieving mediocrity. All the bright inventors, managers, engineers get together and rebel, because they’re not being rewarded for their talents—and society crumbles as a result.
My eyes popped out reading the dialogues: they were strikingly similar to ones I had at work. Many of the main antiheroes in her book just as well be Taiwanese, or have Taiwanese names.
The movie was scheduled to show in 2008 starring Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie: be sure to see it. The status is in turnaround now, which means the producer is wanting to sell the rights, so it’s uncertain now…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrugged_(film)[/quote]
Ah, so you find that your insights into the nature of human emotions strongly resonant with the work of Ayn Rand.
That explains a lot.
what the heck is she/he on about here??
[quote=“MikeN”]Ah, so you find that your insights into the nature of human emotions strongly resonant with the work of Ayn Rand.
That explains a lot.[/quote]
No, they’re different things entirely. I pasted them from different posts on another forum; I didn’t mean to conflate the two issues by juxtaposing them.
Ayn Rand trumpets a society that cultivates excellence, which means emphasizing the individual. She doesn’t delve into personality. In fact, her characters are often criticized as being cardboard. It’s the plot that distinguishes her books, along with her focus on singularity and greatness.
Oops, I thought this was about porn.
You’re from Pingtong? That’s way down south where people talk and act more animated; it’s almost like being in Korea down there. What I’ve described probably better explains Taipeinese than Taiwanese.
You’re from Pingdong? That’s way down south where people talk and act more animated; it’s almost like being in Korea. What I’ve described probably better explains Taipeinese than Taiwanese.[/quote]
YOu want Taiwanese to be like Koreans?? Koreans are hotheaded and prone to fighting on the spot over disagreements. Why should Taiwanese emulate the such? Most Taiwanese are embarashed by the antics of the Legislature.
Whats wrong with docile? YOu equate gentle with robotic, gentleness with robotism??
No, that would be foru.tryst.subrosa.
This is foru[i]mosa[/i].
I’m not saying anyone should or shouldn’t be like anyone. It’s just mere observation.
As are Westerners.
I disagree that gentleness is absence of spirit, but rather self-control of spirit. Nor would I say Taiwanese are necessarily gentle because of “robotism,” for the same reason I wouldn’t employ that word to describe, for example, unpowered robots.
Interestingly, new research suggests that anger, the real kind, increases one’s reasoning skills — another trait I see lacking in Taiwan. I personally doubt that anger per se makes one analytical; it’s more likely the increase of any emotion period, of which anger is one. That might make a good future subject of research.
http://www.livescience.com/health/070611_anger_rational.html
you are prejuding people purely based upon appearance here. In your vein of thought, Italians must be far more intelligent and advanced , just look at all their body langauge? And Japanese must be stunted mentally as they are so reserved. But you dont see the depth of their passion you are fooled by the placid exterior .
No, I’m not prejudging Taiwanese to be lacking in reason due to a lack of anger: I witness that lack of reason firsthand. I may have mistakenly put one and one together where there is no correlation, but that isn’t prejudgment — it’s miscalculation of the whys and hows.
When I first came to Taiwan after living in Korea for a time, I prejudged Taiwanese in my limited experience to be like Koreans, which assumption proved wrong. After actual observation, I can now describe what I see. I’m an open-minded, reflective individual. If you can shed light on the matter, you have my avid attention.
Neither did I imply that Taiwanese are unintelligent. If international test results are an indicator, the opposite holds true, as it does for most Asian countries. Being analytical and being intelligent are two different things. Criticism abounds of Asians who memorize answers and even whole textbooks, but who don’t think, reflect, or form an opinion on them. That’s being intelligent but not analytical. Conversely, I suppose one can be analytical but not intelligent. (Is that what you were insinuating about Italians?)
In the West, we tend to be analyzers and reasoners regardless of IQ. For example, an unschooled housewife (or -husband), though uneducated, may nevertheless possess acute discernment and make perceptive, meticulous observations concerning product brands, fashionable clothing, cooking and laundry methods, children’s habits, and a good many other things. Such analysis and sharpened intuition is no less keen or beneficial than when applied to intellectual fields, like chemistry, business, engineering, and the like.
In Taiwan, I just don’t see people, educated or not, making curious observations about their world so as to understand and then solve problems in it, be it construction, medical, banking, publishing, or…stocking shelves. Perhaps the IT sector is one exception.
I think that the Taiwanese as a whole are too money oriented and money seeking. This is perhaps due to their being newly rich. As opposed to a culture that has been fairly wealthy for some time. Thus allowing themselves the luxury of art and leisure and to lend themselves to thinking in those terms.
A society’s traits are certainly affected by the situation it finds itself in and within its historical context.
Pressure to conform is different in different societies. The average Taiwanese does seem to exhibit more “group mentality” then the average Western European or American. This is re-inforced by the activities common on the island versus those found in Western Europe or America perhaps? NO fun going to a KTV by yourself is there?
Francis Fukayama has written that modern liberal western societies developed with liberal economies and the great change in the 60s happened because of the switch from manufacturing to a service industry which allowed for greater mobility and individual freedom. As Taiwan changes to such an economy I see the same freedoms we take for granted in the west being taken up by the young, or anyone who want it. Taiwan is where is should be in the continuum from conformity to freedom.
Yes, you’re very right about these things. Taiwan has only ten years of democracy compared to Japan’s sixty years. The shackles of autocratic-era thinking hasn’t been completely shaken off in Taiwan, and probably won’t be until the older generation passes away. The younger generation is still affected by the attitudes and behavior of the older generation, but that influence on the whole of society is on the wane, especially as the younger become the new grandparents. We Westerners are a product not only of present democratic realities but also of our grandparents’ habits and mannerisms, which, unlike Taiwan, were fashioned by well-established, deeply-entrenched democratic thinking — even in their time.
It’s all very well to talk about social history, exposure to democratic modes, etc.
Yet so much of this avoids the absolute population density, something like second highest in the world. This is going to have an impermeable affect on social interactions. The only time most modern urban residents of Taiwan socialize is when they are driving, shopping, or taking out the garbage. In that order. Factor in an over-abundance of watching a multitude of shite on TV, and it’s no wonder there’s not much social interaction (other than a massive sale, or fisticuffs in the legislature) between the locals.
Let alone with those inharmonious, foreign devils.
Who only care about sapping our precious bodily fluids.
Well, no-one mentioned Confucius so far? It’s not for the KTV that they try to blend in so well into society mainstream here.
Confucius… family discipline… find your place in society… suppress your emotions so everyone can keep face.
Family and friends are all that matters.
However, people once told me here I would be racist or something saying it like this. So… OK… it’s the KTV 
Ironic, no?