So can you also understand Korean? 
Hereās why I get pissed off and negative about Taiwan.
Youāve probably not heard of it in the English news but a mountain hiker by the name of Lee Ming Han was saved recently after spending over a month trapped in the mountains - 30 days of which were spent with two broken legs. He crawled 10km on broken legs to get a signal for his phone, survived the torrential rains that hit Taiwan twice last month, and managed to hold out till folks rescued him.
A manās life was saved, and itās kinda amazing. They could make a movie out of it.
But thatās not the story thatās in the news. Most of the Chinese language news is focused on criticizing him and talking about how much money his rescue cost.
We have a country whose successive governments have been corrupt, successive leaders whoāve stolen money from the people amounting to billions of dollars, a construction industry thatās in bed with the government, a food industry that canāt seem to keep industrial waste out of the human food chain (and when discovered is fined a laughable sum of money), but the people are mad that this guy āstoleā 1.5 million NT dollars of ātheirā money.
Fuck those people. Iām glad the money was spent because that guy survived and if he were my family or friend Iād be over the moon that he didnāt die.
I like to think I live in a civilized society in which we all contribute to the emergency services in case we need them.
I donāt sit here bitching and complaining about the waste of money when firefighters rescue an old grandmother from her burning house after she forgot to turn off her gas. If I was like these assholes complaining about Lee Ming-Hanās rescue Iād probably be screaming about āmyā million NTD and saying that I donāt even have a grandmother, why should I pay for someone elseās grandmother to be saved from her own stupidity? And if you think that sounds ridiculous, well thatās how I feel about all the assholes complaining about the money spent to save this guyās life.
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But, what about all the local Taiwanese that voice their discontent about their situationā¦shouldnāt they leave too? Oh, thatās right, they are!
Hey Charlie,
Sure I will answer these questions.
- no
- they def have logic!
- I donāt mind the rain. I come from a place where drought had major implications on farming which translated to low income and a sub-par standard of food for certain parts of the country. Also, our garden would look like shit.
- I donāt care about being considered Taiwanese, I am proud to be South African and will stay that way.
- I think drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes does more damage than the pollution. I would prefer lower pollution levels but itās not the worst in the world.
- Property will fall soon, there is bound to be a collapse in the market. I donāt go for drinks at Club XXX, things people complain about are tax %'s on things like imported cars, clothes etc. And beef/milk/cheese being expensive.
- I am South African.
After 3 years, I am NEVER going back to South Africa. I am going to get APRC and live out a happy life here 
maybe even get married who knows! I just think its shit listening to people constantly complaining about a really safe country which pays well for the work you do and has a lot to offer 
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This thread has actually just allowed people to complain moreā¦this is sad.
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No.
It is just that we are poor.
Let me explain: if you can pay 400 ntd, maybe average up to 1000 ntd, you will get a pretty decent cut. A student fare 100-150 ntd restaurant āsteakā is as much a steak as I am Madonna. I have more faith behind night market steaks.
Same logic behind 50 ntd to 100 ntd bientang blob at self serve restaurants. True, paying mroe does not guarantee quality/cleanliness, but paying less is even more dangerous. Literally.
My main complaint in Taiwan is that people are not are not really that competitive in an office environment but really donāt want to see foreigners or anyone doing too well. People spend way much more the criticizing others than doing their work
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The thing is that most of my fellow compatriots come here with a mind set - this place sucks - and everything that happens or whatever they see just adds as āproofā to that initial predisposition. it is like the women who complain āmen are liars and pigsāā¦but only go out with guys who are cheaters. They simply cannot accept a different position/idea and that is sick.
There is adifference between objectively noticing thinsg or circunstances that are not ideal or unjust or could be better, and another one completely to find fault in everything.
It is said that children who are prettier get smarter becaus ethey get more attentoon/care and positive feedback. That attractive people make more money, and their ideas get approved easily. Overweight people make less money in spite of accomplishments, because they are perceived as ālazyā. Somehow, we made Taiwan the ugly fat gal at the ball.
The media here is a problem. It focuses on all sorts of trivial and wrong-headed issues and helps whip the éę° up into a frenzy. If you donāt think itās wrong - and I mean that not only from a moral point of view but also a āsenseā point of view (why does the media focus on such crap when there are real issues out there?), then just give it time. I lived in Taiwan for almost my entire adult life (six times longer than you have).
Others have also commented on the media. You wonāt see it unless your Mandarin is at a level good enough to compete with the locals online - but you wonāt want to anyway because youāll just be told to āgo homeāā¦ which is real helpful when you consider Taiwan your home and youād like nothing more for it to get better in every single way.
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If you read me again you will see that I said ā99%ā. And sorry, but I donāt think that the problem is that Iām poor. Itās a matter of standards. In my country we have cows and the fillets and steaks and so are 10,000 times better than here, and you donāt need to pay premium just for getting the real thing (not necessarily a good one). I pointed out this in another thread. What you buy many times in ārestaurantsā or even at the supermarket is not the real thing, is just an imitation of dubious health safeness. And if you want to have something ānormalā, not an imitation, then they look at you like āoooh, you want a really good one, then we have this, and this is so expensive because itās really good!ā.
Bollocks.
I thought people were criticising him because the guy who got rescued were complaining about the quality of theā¦how do you call that, rescue? So people were like heās such an ungrateful bitch.
Then his friend came out and said that what he said was taken out of context.
There were two issues that the media focused on. One was the discussion around quality of rescue (his words were indeed taken out of context) and the other was the question of whether or not people who go for a walk in the mountains alone should have to pay for their own rescue.
Thereās already mandatory hiking insurance in the works, that would deal with the problem.
Obviously he could complain that they almost let him die on the mountain but he could also express gratitude for the guys that hiked in and got him out.
Bit like Taiwan overall really.
They were right about no soap too.
He didnāt complain. It was nobodyās fault but his own that he was up on the mountain alone (I know people who know him and heās an extremely experienced mountain trekker). He expected to live another two days when he made contact with people who could rescue him, and it took them I think four to reach him (no food, probably no water either).
When he was rescued, practically the first question he was asked by a reporter was whether or not he supported the idea of people paying for their rescue, and his rambling (foolish?) response was that Taiwanās mountain rescue teams arenāt in fact as well equipped as their Korean and Japanese counterparts, and if the fees for rescuing people could go toward training and better equipment then yes, heād totally support āusersā paying for their own rescue.
Needless to say, parts of his comments were extracted in typical Apple Daily style, plastered all over the news and the next thing you know the éę° were out in force talking about āéēØ®äŗŗā wasting national resources yadda yaddaā¦
Like I said, the real story is that someone survived over a month with two broken legs on a weekās worth of food. And he crawled UP the mountains for 10km to get a signal. Itās practically a movie quality story, but the media is intent on creating a story that makes the guy look like a douche while simultaneously stirring up the dregs of Taiwanese society. And again, like I said, in the background weāve got real stories of institutional corruption, food scandals, and a great big country next door of 1.3 billion people waiting to swallow Taiwanese ādemocracyā wholesale, but no, letās demonize some kid instead for having the gall to be rescued off a mountain.
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Jeeze, remind me to never read apple daily. That is despicable.
The reporters asked him after the press conference, in private, about this, iirc.
But of course they would make it go public. Typical unethical bullshit Taiwanese media.
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Bound to happen when you ask about the negatives of Taiwan.
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Gee, I do not come from a place where we had filet mignon on our table every day, but my country of origin exported meat to US, top notch. At least when I was little, you could get tasty cuts, but I know many of those cuts now are extremely expensive - land especulation led to drastic reduction in cattle ranches. Money laundry is easier and faster.
First of all, locals that eat beef -which is no go in Buddist/Taoist circles, which is why we are stuck with pork burgers and pork hot dogs everywhere- do it like in beef noodles or other favor other cuts that are not steak, so steak is premium.
Foreigners, who should be making at least twice what locals do, as per local labor law, and hence, we should be able to eat steak if we feel like it. The thing is that if I know that a 150 ntd steak is more glue than meat, then I have to look for other options. Costco is only US meant, which as said, is not the highest quality due to chemicals, maybe then I can buy Australian at say City Super/Jasonās? Or treat me once a month on payday to a 400 to 700 ntd steak at a couple of places I know do it just right. Like when I was a student and payday fare was 100 ntd steak at My Home Steak -all you can eat for 100 ntd. That was some time ago.
When I was a student I couldnāt eat everything I wanted because it was a bit out of my budget and/or I did not knwo where to get it at a reaosnable price for good tasty fare. However, when I started working, I could have chocolate cake and steak and cheese and other stuff I couldnāt before. Later I learned to read labels and the news kept me updated with food scandals. That has shaped my choices more.