Foreigners Who Don't Acknowledge Other Foreigners on the Street

So don’t take it personal when you see this coming at you.

[quote=“kage”]Here is another smile for you!

Miss you![/quote]
Miss you two. :slight_smile:

Me too. Sometimes I also shout “Harro! How AH YOOOO?”[/quote]

Why is it that expats are so afraid of acknowledging each other here?

It’s so bad, that I’ve started turning to my wife every time I see one and whispering loudly, “don’t look, honey. It’s another Big Nose!”

You know, it’s almost as if most westerners here are embarrassed to be in Taiwan.

Just lighten up!

[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]It ain’t right to walk around the streets making eye contact and nodding at strangers. Next thing you know, they might start humping your leg or worse.

I know because stray dogs used to follow me home.[/quote]
Stray Dog followed you home??!!! :astonished:

I have a permanent scowl, but it’s a genetic defect, not a personality defect.

So, if you see this in Tainan:

Think nothing of it. I’m just being friendly like.

Not complaining or trying to be a jerk or playing mod; this is strictly for, well, it’s for your reading enjoyment, it is.

Here’s a 26-pager on the subject, that starts in June of 2002 and ends in April of 2005:

Here’s part two of the above, a seven-pager that starts and ends in April of 2005:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=31066

Here’s a similar one, an eight-pager that starts in October of 2002 and ends rather unpleasantly in March of 2004:
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … =21&t=5360

[quote=“Charlie Jack”]Not complaining or trying to be a jerk or playing mod; this is strictly for, well, it’s for your reading enjoyment, it is.

Here’s a 26-pager on the subject, that starts in June of 2002 and ends in April of 2005:

Here’s part two of the above, a seven-pager that starts and ends in April of 2005:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=31066

Here’s a similar one, an eight-pager that starts in October of 2002 and ends rather unpleasantly in March of 2004:
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … =21&t=5360[/quote]
Say no more…

[quote=“bismarck”][quote=“Charlie Jack”]Not complaining or trying to be a jerk or playing mod; this is strictly for, well, it’s for your reading enjoyment, it is.

Here’s a 26-pager on the subject, that starts in June of 2002 and ends in April of 2005:

Here’s part two of the above, a seven-pager that starts and ends in April of 2005:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=31066

Here’s a similar one, an eight-pager that starts in October of 2002 and ends rather unpleasantly in March of 2004:
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … =21&t=5360[/quote]
Say no more…[/quote]

I wasn’t trying to discourage anyone from posting about it. I guess it’s a perennial, even if there isn’t always a fresh thread devoted to it.

Edit: Whoa, I just now noticed the merger. I wasn’t fishing around to get you to do that, but it’s a cool thing that you did! :thumbsup:

(Please note, though, that I think you should bear in mind what a seasoned old Gunners Mate First Class once told me: “Never give a hundred percent, or they’ll start expecting it of you.” Just kidding, don’t listen to that old GM1. He’s a bad influence. :laughing: )

did not know there was already a thread on this subject. sorry. it must have been, still is an issue.
just noticing the attitudes when I meet people on the street. I know there are a lot of “white” Americans or ? school teachers here. weird boat there to start with, but I do go out of my way to make teachers welcome.

Down here in good ol Yilan you at least exchange a smile with other foreigners. I have noticed the cold shoulder in Taipei though. Although one dude in a grocery store (in Taipei) went out of his way to tell me he liked my hat. That was cool, I shoulda gotten his number :wink:

[quote=“SFOD-D”]did not know there was already a thread on this subject. sorry. it must have been, still is an issue.
just noticing the attitudes when I meet people on the street. I know there are a lot of “white” Americans or ? school teachers here. weird boat there to start with, but I do go out of my way to make teachers welcome.[/quote]
:ponder: what’s with the “white”???

According to the above quotes, in the context of this thread, many young guys who cross my path are pissed off about something. While, and I didn’t mention this in my last post, the older dudes often nod and sometimes even say ‘Hey’. Interesting. Why are the young dudes so often pissed off?

I’ve noticed the chill in the air when I meet foreigners for quite awhile. I’m a hillbilly so I don’t get a chance to socialize much with them if I see them. But here is a question. Is this just a Taiwan thing or has the world changed?
Here’s an example of what I’m trying to say…
I lived on a Kibbutz, a communal farm in Israel. We had people working and studying there from all over the world. We even had a Japanese Religious group there too! We had preppies, ex Parisian taxi cab drivers, nerds, geeks, drunkards. We even had people whose home countries were just at war with each other (Britain/Argentina) and we were not all Jewish either. Even though some us of did not like each other we still seemed to be in each other’s rooms drinking beer, coffee and what not.

In Europe, I did the EurRail thing. Same thing. Met foreigners in the youth hostiles and we went out. Visited Museums, and the bars, quote Monty Python. We all didn’t love each other either.
Here, I get the feeling that if two foreigners meet, it is like anti-matter meeting with matter.

[quote=“Taiwan_Student”]I’ve noticed the chill in the air when I meet foreigners for quite awhile. I’m a hillbilly so I don’t get a chance to socialize much with them if I see them. But here is a question. Is this just a Taiwan thing or has the world changed?
Here’s an example of what I’m trying to say…
I lived on a Kibbutz, a communal farm in Israel. We had people working and studying there from all over the world. We even had a Japanese Religious group there too! We had preppies, ex Parisian taxi cab drivers, nerds, geeks, drunkards. We even had people whose home countries were just at war with each other (Britain/Argentina) and we were not all Jewish either. Even though some us of did not like each other we still seemed to be in each other’s rooms drinking beer, coffee and what not.

In Europe, I did the EurRail thing. Same thing. Met foreigners in the youth hostiles and we went out. Visited Museums, and the bars, quote Monty Python. We all didn’t love each other either.
Here, I get the feeling that if two foreigners meet, it is like anti-matter meeting with matter.[/quote]

Yeah, I’ve noticed that too.

Maybe so many of us are embarrassed to be here?

Or, is it because they’re working so hard to go native, that they forget that we stick out like… well, like something that really sticks out. (Sorry, mind went blank.)

I think that we should all embrace our ridiculousness and bask in the glow of everyone’s admiration.

Or leave.

There are some quite complex dynamics at work here, and different reasons/ excuses given for the way foreigners treat other foreigners in Taiwan. IMHO they have some things in common: Unhappiness, not being at ease with one’s situation, and denial.

I have lived in a few countries, including Asian ones, and found that a cheery disposition, a smile to a stranger and positive attitude gets you a long way. Doesn’t seem to work in Taiwan, where it seems like you need to play a more complex game in order to survive.

[quote=“Taiwan_Student”]Here’s an example of what I’m trying to say…
I lived on a Kibbutz, a communal farm in Israel. We had people working and studying there from all over the world. We even had a Japanese Religious group there too! We had preppies, ex Parisian taxi cab drivers, nerds, geeks, drunkards. We even had people whose home countries were just at war with each other (Britain/Argentina) and we were not all Jewish either. Even though some us of did not like each other we still seemed to be in each other’s rooms drinking beer, coffee and what not.[/quote]

I don’t see any obvious reference to Americans. Maybe that made the difference. :laughing:

[quote=“pgdaddy1”]There are some quite complex dynamics at work here, and different reasons/ excuses given for the way foreigners treat other foreigners in Taiwan. IMHO they have some things in common: Unhappiness, not being at ease with one’s situation, and denial.

I have lived in a few countries, including Asian ones, and found that a cheery disposition, a smile to a stranger and positive attitude gets you a long way. Doesn’t seem to work in Taiwan, where it seems like you need to play a more complex game in order to survive.[/quote]

Sorry mate, but you’re full of it. For most of us, the exact opposite is true. Taiwan is largely a friendly, warm society.

You had a miserable experience here. Can you not see that this colours your every comment about Taiwan? It would be a good idea to refrain from making comments about a place where you knew little but misery.

[quote=“Tomas”][quote=“pgdaddy1”]There are some quite complex dynamics at work here, and different reasons/ excuses given for the way foreigners treat other foreigners in Taiwan. IMHO they have some things in common: Unhappiness, not being at ease with one’s situation, and denial.

I have lived in a few countries, including Asian ones, and found that a cheery disposition, a smile to a stranger and positive attitude gets you a long way. Doesn’t seem to work in Taiwan, where it seems like you need to play a more complex game in order to survive.[/quote]

Sorry mate, but you’re full of it. For most of us, the exact opposite is true. Taiwan is largely a friendly, warm society.

You had a miserable experience here. Can you not see that this colours your every comment about Taiwan? It would be a good idea to refrain from making comments about a place where you knew little but misery.[/quote]

I must defend pgdaddy1 to some extent. Maybe he did have a miserable experience here. It’s really easy to have here. I’d like to learn more about his experiences. I had a good time in the citified area but chose to go to the country because of family. Yes, I was lucky. I married into a supportive family but I was subjected to a lying cheating boss, discrimination in various regards and other hassles.
But i had ways of fighting back and there are good times here to be had too. Better if I could learn the language I’d say…

But there is a strange thing about foreigners here… The foreigners I’m talking about are the young English teachers. They often wear sunglasses, shave their heads ( I should do that though) and act like they’re so cool. They act like they no every thing.

A few timesi got to know a few of them, I gave friendly advice about the “old steal the tax refund game” that is played in my village. And they are like, “Hey man, I know what I’m doing” … Then later… sometimes I’ll get a phone call, and I’d have to play like colonel Hogen and help them get out of Stalag thirteen. …

A few time foreigners who would live in my village would show up at the Family Mart store in my area and not say “Hi”. I’m thinking it’s me. I probably look too scruffy, old or scary. Maybe old boss painted a bad picture of me. I worked for him when he was the only school in town. Of course I had to leave when I finally got my working papers… thank goodness. There was some bad blood and feuding, but that was almost six years ago.

And even if the boss did warn the teachers to stay away from this crazy foreigner, I’d think it strange that such a bad dude would have a large family, drive a car and lead a pretty open life in such a small village. I’d check him out. …
Again, as I wrote before… When I first came to Taiwan, I met foreigners in the city In Keelung, and Tainan. Foreigners were very friendly with each other. I met the weirdos! I enjoyed their stories of old times.
Even now, I call myself Taiwan_student because I’m always learning something. I’ll always ask an old looking (established) foreigner for a Restaurant recommendation or where to buy something or what to see when I’m in a new village. But these young dudes. They act and think like they know everything and they are just plain naive!

EDIT: I read pgdaddy1’s situation. If it weren’t for my supportive family who stood by me and helped me stand up to that *&# boss I had, I would have been bitter. He had a really bad experience and it was a family experience. Taiwan is strange. I count my blessings. Taiwan is warm and generous and also evil cheating and deceitful.

Its kinda a strange situ. Its like if two aliens met up at MacDonalds , one feels like he should nod his acknowledgement that theres another alien there. But on the other hand, dont a lot of you peeps hate to be singled out? Hate to be treated different then a regular person on the street? Hate to be spoken englrish to, etc?

If one Korean runs into another Korean at the Niagara falls, should he have to acknowledge that person?

Its a catch22. You dont want to be singled out and yet you want to single out the other Pink Elephant in the room? Who maybe just finally settled to a point of feeling “local” ? And just because you are two foreigners you have to say hi? Would you say Hi to each other in your own country? IF you wont? They why do you HAVE to on the wan?

Besides he could be from NOrway and you from France? And the both of you dont speak english?

[quote=“tommy525”]Its kinda a strange situation. Its like if two aliens met up at MacDonalds , one feels like he should nod his acknowledgement that theres another alien there. But on the other hand, dont a lot of you peeps hate to be singled out? Hate to be treated different then a regular person on the street? Hate to be spoken englrish to, etc?

If one Korean runs into another Korean at the Niagara falls, should he have to acknowledge that person?

Its a catch22. You dont want to be singled out and yet you want to single out the other Pink Elephant in the room? Who maybe just finally settled to a point of feeling “local” ? And just because you are two foreigners you have to say hi? Would you say Hi to each other in your own country? IF you wont? They why do you HAVE to on the wan?[/quote]
Good question… I think they do acknowledge. I was an asianphile for a long time. I hung out with the exchange student’s in the university and they did meet and chat when they ran into a fellow Chinese on an outing.

I don’t mind if a local speaks English too me, if it’s good English. Not someone yelling Hellooooooo to me as if they are calling a dog. I’ll move the conversation to Chinese… I did not say I did not have friends. I have local geek friends who I speak English with and talk about computers.

I don’t want no discrimination, or unfair exclusion from opportunity based on race. …
Alien meets Alien It is a known fact. Even if you travel out of state, you would be more likely to talk to people from your home states that you would normally have nothing to do with… It’s a matter of sharing resources. … Mars is so far away. There is a strong chance that we may like, want or need similar things from our home planet. Like, say Toms of Main Deodorant or share the same taste in reading material so we could bring a book or two back from the states and share them.
That’s what I did in Israel and Europe. I’m really lucky I have a Taiwanese friend who is a flight attendant. I could ask her to get an important small thing for me once or twice.
PS: What does it mean to “feel local” I speak mostly bad Chinese, but better than their English, I love stinky Tofu, chicken feet, drink taiwan beer, belch. I’ve got a car license, a motor cycle license a business license and a marriage license . I don’t do beatle nut, smoke or sing KTV. How would saying hi to some foreigners spoil my “fantasy” of feeling local.

[quote=“Tomas”][quote=“pgdaddy1”]There are some quite complex dynamics at work here, and different reasons/ excuses given for the way foreigners treat other foreigners in Taiwan. IMHO they have some things in common: Unhappiness, not being at ease with one’s situation, and denial.

I have lived in a few countries, including Asian ones, and found that a cheery disposition, a smile to a stranger and positive attitude gets you a long way. Doesn’t seem to work in Taiwan, where it seems like you need to play a more complex game in order to survive.[/quote]

Sorry mate, but you’re full of it. For most of us, the exact opposite is true. Taiwan is largely a friendly, warm society.

You had a miserable experience here. Can you not see that this colours your every comment about Taiwan? It would be a good idea to refrain from making comments about a place where you knew little but misery.[/quote]

Actually, I felt exactly the same way before things went wrong for me in Taiwan. Back in the days when I was so positive about Taiwan that I was ready to settle down and start a family there - I still remember looking at the reticent looking foreigner that I passed in the street and wondering, what’s making him so miserable ?

As for people like you asking asking others not to express their genuine opinion, well I think that this sadly proves my point.

I also make some positive and helpful posts here too, by the way, which I assume that you have overlooked.

Put me down if it makes you feel good, but when you next take your head out of the sand you would do well to listen to people more qualified to comment than me because they made a success of their life in Taiwan, like Taiwan Student who had good experiences as well as bad ones, but can still see the truth. They have had the life experience from living and travelling other countries so they can make a meaningful comparison.

Taiwan Student, I like your philosophy of lifelong learning. It reminds me that I need to get back to reading some books again !