Here’a a test I use to see if a generalization holds some water. If you relate an experience to many locals and they are not shocked, then you can assume that a large segment of the population feel something like that is no big deal. For example: If you say to someone, “I saw a father beating the crap out of his 2 year old on the street with a wire hanger and everyone just walked by without a glance” and the reaction you get is “that’s his business”, or “the little kid must have been naughty”, or “parents have to use any means to control their kids”, then you can assume that the behavior of the father and the passersby is not seen as strange or apprehensible by a large segment of the population. You don’t just have to ask a lot of locals to get a feeling for social norms- you can also watch a broad range of TV programs, commercial and movies to see what is acceptable. Using these methods you can make valid generalizations about a culture. You don’t need to resort to saying stuff like “oh, that happens everywhere” or “you can’t generalize, everyone’s different”. Those statements that everything is relative and we can’t make judgements about anything are brain numbing. And to Jonathan! who said that people who fall through the cracks in the US would have a better chance of being helped in Taiwan- yes, they most often would be helped by their family, not by government agencies in Taiwan.
I doubt very much if you asked a bunch of Taipei locals the question…“Would you stop and help a traffic victim”…that they would ALL say, “NO! THAT IS THEIR BUSINESS!”
The phenomenon of people passing by accidents is not unique to Taiwan. There is a morbid curiosity in human nature that makes people want to watch…but not participate. Just look at the popularity of "REALITY TV shows here in the US right now. Or how many of you have been in a traffic jam…only to realize hours later, that the cause of it was some guy parked on the side of the road changing a tire. EVERYONE had slowed down to take a LOOK at WHAT he was doing(not to help)…so a traffic jam started.
Are New Yorkers more inclined to help than Taiwanese? That is open to debate.
New Yorkers aren’t known to be the most compassionate people either…but after 911, many an attitude has changed.
I just put forth the opinion that the argument that Taiwanese are less likely to help is LESS a TAIWANESE thing and MORE a HUMAN nature thing. You see it EVERYWHERE.
Yes, it is our human nature to put our own selfish interests above those of others. But different societies and cultures express their ‘humanness’ in different ways. So, we can still examine the question of whether Taiwanese society is better or worse than others in the area of acting in a civil way toward each other, in particular in the area of helping those in immediate trouble.
(There is still a trend to suppress certain kinds of opinion-expression, even [or especially] by those painting themselves as more ‘open’, to be frank. It really stilts these forums in an unfortunate way.)
Now that I think more about this topic, I wonder if Taiwanese aren’t worse than Americans in big cities. And Taiwan is basically one never-ending big city. I am from the Midwest, and people in the Midwest stop immediately to help those in need. In the Midwest, I have never seen a crowd of people gawking at someone in an automobile accident with no one helping. Never. But maybe the Midwest is a much more caring place than some other parts of the country. But I imagine the West and South are the same. In fact, probably every part of the U.S. outside crime-ridden metropolitan areas are similar in attitude to the Midwest.
Maybe I don’t know the U.S. well enough to generalize about this. So, let me generalize about the Midwest of the United States. The average Midwesterner is much more caring toward strangers than the average Taiwanese. I didn’t realize how kind Midwesterners are until I came to Taiwan. There is a big difference between outward, symbolic ‘polite’ behavior and real human concern. A Grand Canyon of a difference.
For my 2 cents on the reason, I think it is animism. I don’t know any animist society that isn’t extremely inwardly oriented and that doesn’t rely on fear in order to organize society and control ‘citizens’. But I imagine that is a fruitless contribution here. Just 2 cents worth!
Oh, I forgot…The Chinese do not have a concept of ‘citizen’ as a person whose well-being is bound with others of her/his community, a condition that demands certain duties toward others. The nearest that the Chinese have is a concept of behaving in a ‘civil’ way – more accurately: to behave in a ‘polite’ way. I imagine this is common in ‘group-centered’ East Asia (which is amazingly un-group-centered).
I wouldnt say oppossing view points on this board is a bad thing. I healthy to debate…and even though I disagree with some on this board…I dont think that means I want them to stop saying how they feel. On the contrary…keep saying how you feel…and others will repsond how they feel. That is after all how this is supposed to work isnt it?
The above poster compared midwesterners in the US to the Taiwanese…and thats cool. O would imagine its true, that the midwesterners might be considered “friendlier”…but then you could say that about Midwesterners and New Yorkers.
Personally it comes down to experiences. I have travelled thru the USA and have met good and bad people in ALL areas. Some things piss me off about people I met in cities…and more rural areas. Same in Taipei. Mostly though…I have good impressions…and I don’t try to let the bad impressions color my opinion too much.
I heard a speaker at my college once say that humans are what he called “DELETION CREATURES”. That we focus on what we want to focus on. And although we may experience pain…or may be hurt by a certain type of person, or place, or experience, that it is up to us if we let it go or not. Take for example a party. Two different people could go to this party. Like a camera…they would focus on things at that party. Perhaps one of them happens to focus on a couple that was arguing at the party and the other person instead focused on the great music and people dancing.
The first person might leave the party thinking…man that party sucked…everyone was fighting or not having fun…while the second person might say…man, that party was ROCKIN! Its all about what we CHOOSE to focus on. I generalize like anyone…but I always try to analyze why…or at least be open enough not to close a door for all time…least I miss out on something.
“Nowadays if you’re the type who always ends up
being the life of the party – then you’re not
likely to be invited…”
I was walking down the street one day in Peitou.
A poor man had just been whacked at high speed
while riding his scooter. But nobody came
to his aid or comfort! Several people stood
on the sidewalk, staring dumbly. I instinctively
and immediately ran out to see if he was okay
and offer him some comfort… Cars were just
speeding around him like he was so much refuse
on the road! The driver who hit him was stunned
and made little approach. I waited until the
ambulance arrived and I hope the guy lived
through that one… Anyway…
~ Society is a microcosm of the contemporary
psyche – or at least the dynamic of our
“ability” to socialize certainly does reflect
the degree to which we have been able to
develop an “open” sensitivity… Nowadays,
I think the really interesting question touches
on being able to see if societies which are
physically distant from one another are actually
becoming more the same as each other…
I think that the reproduction of mores
and patterns of acceptable behavior truly
is being reduplicated globally. Of course,
as more and more ready-made ideas are sold
simultaneously around the world, there are
still some people who are able to stretch
forward towards personal freedom. Most of us
would agree that getting an education broadens
and frees you. So I think, with respect
to this topic, it is fair to say that the Chinese
“want” to become more open and free. But I
would also qualify that with a quip: perhaps
the present state of China and its economic
development is only a parrot process and they
are now imitating the less liberal modes
of development; ie.: the commies are really
behaving like American capitalists and they
could care less… Anyway, while so many of
us are brought up to keep our mouthes shut
on real problems – merely to save our own
skins – we still ought to try to be human
beings; and to define humanity requires
deliberately INTELLIGENT action, not selfish
idiocy: humanity is defined by how well we
can take care of each other. So, freedom
comes from sharing it, not protecting yourself
from other people… You have to give before
you can understand how to relax and receive
others…
Blah, blah. Nevertheless, I do believe that
all people have some chance to be free –
but it also goes without saying that you
are not likely to take that opportunity. Too
often we retreat into our formation and cannot
accept the simple differences we experience
around us as natural… For example, why do
I feel that it would be great if we could take
away all the women in Taiwan and replace them
with village girls from the Bali of 1920? I
don’t know…
I feel sorry for society: it should be easier
to escape the restraints upon character that
are imposed by family, superstition and more
than ever before – economy… We lose ourselves
in the process when we fail to see the aim of
the human design is to commune, to love and
so – understand each other… Life goes on with
you, or we let the world leave each other behind
for some excuse to be selfish… Give up? It is
never good to quit, but I dare you to defy your
conditioning! Can you escape the contemporary
taste for brief novelties made of instantly
replenished, pre-conformed images – and instead,
go for a deeper and perhaps more difficult
effort of contemplation? I hope so !
a moto for the happy in love:
“I won’t ever tell you what to do darling…”
ppppppppppppppppooooooooooooooopppppppppppppppoooooooo