Yeah, definitely (I mean in regards to martial arts, I can’t comment on Taiwanese culture as a whole, because I’m a newbie to living in Taiwan, so I don’t want to speak of what I don’t know).
I think it is less pronounced in martial arts communities in the states because martial arts on a whole is more popular and sunsequently more is known in the overall population. Same in Japan and Brazil, where martial arts are immensely popular, and where actual competition weed out preteniousness within the community.