does taiwan have a prefered kind of foriegner? does playing along with the system literally guarantee “success” here? does having standards and morals tend to do a person in here?comments. serious discussion,please.
I don’t know that Taiwan has a prefered kind of foreigner. I honestly don’t think Taiwan, collectively, cares that much. The question is more whether or not you are the kind fo foreigner who prefers Taiwan. It’s not about playing along. It’s about: Can you function here? Can you be content here? Taiwan is Taiwan. If you cannot come to terms with it, you will be miserable.
[quote]comments. serious discussion,please.
[/quote]
by the way, ren and stimpy are my favorites!!
Yeah, they were the best. I’m a grown man over 30, but I love my cartoonies.
I think they like the ones who don’t do drugs, show up at work fairly reliably, and don’t molest little girls or boys. That seems to be pretty universal.
The people I actually know seem to have a few more specific preferences too. They like people they believe they can trust, they like people who don’t bitch about Taiwan too much, they like people who can show up and do their job without creating dramas, and they like people that are easy to get along with. I suppose basically they like people that like them and show a bit of respect.
As long as there’s respect on both sides then standards and morals aren’t going to hurt you, because Tawan will respect that you have your own way of doing things in the same way that you respect that you can’t force everyone to do things your way. If there’s a shared will to get along then I don’t see why you can’t figure out a solution to any disagreement together. Of course, the solution may be for you to do your own thing somewhere else, but I wouldn’t see that as ‘doing you in’.
It can be perfectly amicable. In fact I would even go as far as to say that Taiwanese people are often more willing to work things out than their western counterparts.
Generally I’m of the opinion that if a person or organisation has a recurring problem then they should stop looking to blame everyone else. Some companies have a high turnover of staff, some people can’t hold a job, some people can’t get along with the people around them, some are impossible to get along with. Whatever the case, it’s hard to change anything other than yourself - and that’s not easy.
but i’ve seen some foriegners just mess it up for others. like my old company. the ones that were kissing ass, not pointing out the mistakes that were their job to find and correct (didn’t want to insult the writer, the boss’s wife) and generally just going along with the status quo, also ratting out other foriegners, these bastards were moving up.
look at TV. act like a fool and you will be on every show. tell about all your sexual exploits so the locals can feel superior to you. be happy all the time. have magic tricks up your sleeve to show kids. sing sappy ass songs on the street with clown make up.
there’s this one weirdo who wears women’s clothing and he’s got a girlfriend and works for a kindergarten. the guy’s a fucking cross dresser, for crying out loud! like the more normal you are the less they think of you, the more messed up you are the more you’re a ‘real’ foriegner and they like you.
i got dissed in tien mu because i wasn’t tall, blonde, and blue eyed and therefore not a real foriegner and the ladies in the class wanted a real one. fuck!
i don’t go looking for problems. but all the problems find me.
i’ve found taiwanese to be VERY adverse to ethics. my first school didn’t want me to teach my class to the best of my ability so that the students would fail and have to take it over. i was told this DIRECTLY.
i still encounter crap like this. i don’t see how anybody could live here and not encounter this stuff.
[quote=“Loretta”]I think they like the ones who don’t do drugs, show up at work fairly reliably, and don’t molest little girls or boys. That seems to be pretty universal.
The people I actually know seem to have a few more specific preferences too. They like people they believe they can trust, they like people who don’t bitch about Taiwan too much, they like people who can show up and do their job without creating dramas, and they like people that are easy to get along with. I suppose basically they like people that like them and show a bit of respect.
As long as there’s respect on both sides then standards and morals aren’t going to hurt you, because Tawan will respect that you have your own way of doing things in the same way that you respect that you can’t force everyone to do things your way. If there’s a shared will to get along then I don’t see why you can’t figure out a solution to any disagreement together. Of course, the solution may be for you to do your own thing somewhere else, but I wouldn’t see that as ‘doing you in’.
It can be perfectly amicable. In fact I would even go as far as to say that Taiwanese people are often more willing to work things out than their western counterparts.
Generally I’m of the opinion that if a person or organisation has a recurring problem then they should stop looking to blame everyone else. Some companies have a high turnover of staff, some people can’t hold a job, some people can’t get along with the people around them, some are impossible to get along with. Whatever the case, it’s hard to change anything other than yourself - and that’s not easy.[/quote]
Classic post.
You need to be clean cut, and it is best if you were sent here by your company, rather than came here to teach or came on a tourist visa, then applied and got your job. Otherwise, you’ll be clocked as a loser. You aren’t supposed to know Chinese, besides only a few Chinese words and phrases so they can tell you how great your Chinese is and pat your head like a dog. They can’t control you as well if you know Chinese and have been around the block. Don’t learn any Chinese or you are poison. Being white is a big plus. It is OK to be SE Asian or Indian or Black, as long as you are the CEO of a foreign bank or big foreign company or work for a trade office or embassy. It is OK to be gay too, as long as you are the head of a trade office or multinational, because that means you don’t have any diseases. You aren’t allowed to date and try out new partners–you have to pick one woman and stick to her.
And I wonder why that is. OK, no I don’t. At all.
because i am a shit magnet. shit runs to me like metal to a… well, a magnet.
but i enjoy the challenge.^^
Hard to tell if you’re asking about perfection within the society or within a local company. Perfection in the eyes of other people can be highly unsatisfying for oneself.
There are many different types of foreigners living here. Being a country manager, etc. for an international company is a rare route and they basically float on in for 2-3 years at a time before going on to their next assignment. There are people who spend decades here and either become respected, widely considered nuts, or both. In-between there is a range of people who make their lives here – as entrepreneurs, as teachers, as professionals, etc.
What do you imagine yourself as in 10 years’ time? Position yourself and take the steps to go there. For example, in recent months I’ve been stockpiling smoking jackets, pipes, immense globes and leather-upholstered furniture for my future life. Here’s a recent picture from my home:
I’m the one on the left in the midst of telling my learned colleague what I think of his year of fieldwork spent living among the Sambia tribe of New Guinea. In preparation, he spent nearly 3 years as a member of the Bush cabinet swallowing all sorts of noxious goop.
But seriously, find something you would like to do and get the experiences necessary to get yourself there. You don’t have to be the “perfect” foreigner but you do have to survive long enough in an industry that you can open up the doors necessary to get to the next step in life.
what i want to do i always get blocked from doing. would i be here bitching if i wasn’t running into walls? i’d be out doing my thing.
Well, what do you want to do?
Screw lots of hot chicks. Play his guitar before adoring fans.
The word Ran is looking for is “cockblocked”.
[quote=“ran the man”]but i’ve seen some foriegners just mess it up for others. like my old company. the ones that were kissing ass, not pointing out the mistakes that were their job to find and correct (didn’t want to insult the writer, the boss’s wife) and generally just going along with the status quo, also ratting out other foriegners, these bastards were moving up.
look at TV. act like a fool and you will be on every show. tell about all your sexual exploits so the locals can feel superior to you. be happy all the time. have magic tricks up your sleeve to show kids. sing sappy ass songs on the street with clown make up.
there’s this one weirdo who wears women’s clothing and he’s got a girlfriend and works for a kindergarten. the guy’s a fucking cross dresser, for crying out loud! like the more normal you are the less they think of you, the more messed up you are the more you’re a ‘real’ foriegner and they like you.[/quote]
And you consider these people to be successful? 
I don’t see how you can continue living here and dealing with this kind of crap. Why don’t you make some positive change, instead of blaming others in one breath and accepting that you’re a shit magnet the next?
Don’t try to screw people out of their money by trying to do as little as possible for as much money as possible.
Stop being so “me, me, me” and start thinking about others.
Keep your head down and stay out of office politics whenever possible, but be a sympathetic ear to those who need one.
Put your heart into your work and not spend your time thinking of where you’d rather be.
I don’t know. I’ve managed to survive well and get promoted to positions of power over others who couldn’t manage to do those things.
People generally like people who try their best and who look for the best in what they do. No big secret there.
Do you mean “averse”?