CNN: Hong Kong King of Rude

Politeness is a distancing mechanism and is the opposite of friendliness. I find that people in Taiwan are much more polite than Americans, but a lot less friendly. They’re pretty cold here, not a lot of displays of personal warmth.

Not my experience at all. “They’re” pretty damn warm to me. Unless I’m wearing my stink eye. Why is it that Americans just cannot “get” when people want to be left alone?

Yeah, but you’re from Scotland. People not shouting abuse at you on the street seem friendly in comparison.

Notice that less and less people are yapping at full volume on their cell phones during movies??
Re:uncle bus vid. I would have clocked the prick as soon as he turned around. Geez, what a wanker

I lived in HK for just about as long as I lived in Taiwan. I found the people in HK to be less rude in comparison. Things like holding the door for someone else or greeting people you walk by don’t really apply in cities the size of Taipei, Hong Kong, and New York. So, you can’t really consider that rude.

But when it came to line/queue jumping, I found that far less a problem in HK. They at least actually have lines. Aparently, Archangel Michael’s invention didn’t get quite so much press in Taiwan.

For those who think HK is worse, I just have to say:

HK just has more belief in its own cultural superiority than Taiwan.

Not my experience at all. Perhaps it depends on whom they’re reacting to?

Then I must change into a totally different person whenever I’m in America or in the presence of Westerners.

Besides, do you think I’m remotely like my internet persona in real life?

One thing that I’m pretty sure that most can agree on is that Taiwanese tend to be quite shy. They are afraid of strangers and you can’t just strike up random conversations in the street like you could back home, at least where I come from. I also think that part of the reason that we disagree about this is that though we are all “foreigners” here in Taiwan, we are all actually from quite different cultures. In small town middle America, people tend to be quite friendly - yes, that particular stereotype is true. So in comparison, Taiwan seems like a cold place. But if you come from a place like NYC or Scotland or somewhere else where the culture is cold, Taiwan seems like normal. I suppose someone from a notoriously touchy-feely culture with lots of warmth such as Italy or Latin America would find Taiwan quite cold, as well.

Also, you live in Taipei, while I live in south Taiwan. It’s easy to find large circles of foreigner-friendly Taiwanese in Taipei. Not so easy elsewhere in Taiwan. Taipei is a comfortable bubble for foreigners; living in the real Taiwan is much tougher.

Taiwan is very much a guanxi culture. People are only friendly to people within their guanxi network. They are polite to people outside their guanxi network, but like I said politeness is the opposite of genuine warmth. That’s why it’s very difficult to make friends with random people you meet in Taiwan, as opposed to back home where you can strike up a friendship waiting at the bus stop.

Maybe it’s the population density, but in America people at least acknowledge other people’s existence. Here in Taiwan, nobody ever looks at anybody else when they’re walking down the street. It seems so strange the way that they seem to try so studiously to remain oblivious to the people around them.

Back to the excessive shyness…I find Western girls much more approachable than Taiwanese girls for that reason. Actually, I generally don’t have to approach Western girls because they aren’t afraid to approach me. Also, since there is the widely-held stereotype in Taiwan that all Western males are predatory sex wolves, which keeps a lot of the Taiwanese girls ‘on guard’ and stand-offish (I’m talking about ordinary Taiwanese girls, not the foreigner-groupies that hang out in Carnegies and other night spots.) Which is to say that most Western girls tend to treat me like a nice guy until proven otherwise, while Taiwanese tend to treat me like I’m guilty until proven innocent, because I’m just another drunkard, white-trash foreigner asshole only here for the money and easy sex. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but since no one ever gives you a straight answer about how they really feel here, the place creates a state of paranoia.

The CNN video was based on a Readers Digest survey - which also found Taipei to be 28th (out of 35) in politeness - i.e. one of the rudest. The China Post has one of the funniest rebuttals from Mayor Ma and pals.

So there you go - I hope those of you who give up your seat or help people in trouble are suitably ashamed :laughing: :laughing:

Its a good point that Mayor Ma makes, I have had several old people refuse my seat on the MRT. I assumed it was because they thought they were too young to need it but of course it could just be that they don’t want to sit in the foreigners chair!

^^^ :laughing: Nice spin management there. The Iraqi information minister himself would have been proud.

Shouldn’t that be “drug dealing drunkard, white-trash foreigner asshole only here for the money and easy sex”?

Oh, sorry, ML, I mistook you for a Canook…

:canada:

I’m beginning to wonder if you need to self-impose a ban about discussing America. I am from Chicago, my god are we a bunch of friendly people. Various degrees around the city. Last time I was there, I went to school on the South Side of chicago, where i spent my childhood. As a child, it was common, and actually rude, if you didn’t say “Good Morning” as you passed another person. Fast forward to 2003, and they are still saying it. I was so suprized because I live in the suburbs and it had been awhile for me to walk around the SS. It’s also annoying when there are 3 people 3 steps behind each other, and you have to say " Good Morning" “Good Morning” “Good Morning”
:smiley:

I have also found that LA is rather friendly once they are outside thier cars and off of the 405 :laughing:

it’s not just local peoples tough,i’ve seen a foreigner the other day going completely berzek at a waitress for she brought chopsticks to his girlfriend but normal silverware to him,he said he was being a victim of racism :loco: :astonished:

Quote:Things like holding the door for someone else or greeting people you walk by don’t really apply in cities the size of Taipei, Hong Kong, and New York. So, you can’t really consider that rude.

Whenever I get the opportunity, I will hold the door open for someone.I feel it makes us big nosed forgigners seem not so barbaric in their eyes, but most of all I like to see the surprised looks on their faces.Funny to see some hesitate not knowing whether to pass or run the other way.

I’ve gone completely local. I try to catch people in lift doors and hold the door closed whenever I fart.

HG

Whenever I get the opportunity, I will hold the door open for someone.I feel it makes us big nosed forgigners seem not so barbaric in their eyes, but most of all I like to see the surprised looks on their faces.Funny to see some hesitate not knowing whether to pass or run the other way.[/quote]
I totally agree. By going beyond the norms of courtesy you are showcasing what society- even in the big city- should be.

But my point is that you cannot take that as the rule. If you held the door for everyone coming behind you as you would in a small town you’d spend an hour a day holding the door for people. And if you greeted everyone you passed by you’d make yourself hoarse. So, it’s not fair to expect that behavior of people as a general rule, and thus if they fail to do so it is not really rude.

When the opportunity comes to be courteous- to hold a door or offer a friendly hello and a smile- doing so doesn’t make everyone else who doesn’t do it rude. It makes you a gentleman or a lady.