Then if they say 外國人 walk out again.
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Some people are just ignorant and that’s just something you’ll have to get used to here. Or anywhere you’re a foreigner.
I was ordering jiro fan at some shit lunchbox place last week and was using my crap Chinese to order. Now my Chinese isn’t the best, but I can order food fine. This chicken rice ahma thought it was a laugh riot and was laughing, imitating me, and generally taking the piss out of me to her fellow chicken rice ahmas behind the counter like I wasn’t even there. To their credit they were mostly ignoring her. I guess she’s the annoying “Karen” of their outfit. But last time I go there. If any business makes you uncomfortable, then just stop giving them your money and find a place that respects you.
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I live in an old walk-up with 6 families total. After 3 years, people still call me 外國人 instead of my name and blame me for anything that is not right. I have a new Taiwanese roommate and she said neighbors have asked her to tell the 外國人 about the trash disposal rules. It’s our neighbor who isn’t following the rules. I used to think that my home country had the market on racism but realize that we accept people more easily. I’d never refer to my neighbors as “foreigner”. They do it on American soil too. Call Americans foreigners while they are visiting us. I have to think it goes back to thinking that 中國 is the center of the universe and everyone else is an outsider.
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It’s a neutral term for Taiwanese people. Can be positive or negative in different contexts. But the issue is, it’s not polite and makes people feel a certain way in most cultures where this would be extremely rude and offensive.
So although you shouldn’t take it as an offense in most circumstances; people should understand how that word would be perceived.
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I recall a friend of mine who lived here back in the 90s and he told me about this. Up until not too long ago it was still viewed, by many, as a somewhat derogatory term. They are “Chinese” and we are just outsiders who can’t really speak their language and don’t understand their culture. Their culture and language are far more superior than anything else out there so therefore we are the “outside people” and will always be that regardless of how long we live here, how well we speak the language, and even if we know what the garbage rules are. As someone else pointed out, anytime something goes wrong, then it must be the foreigner who did it.
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It’s the same in Japan and Korea. All East Asian countries are insular and even if you live here for decades, follow the culture perfectly, have mastered the language, married into a native family, etc… you’ll still be an outsider deep down.
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It’s as big of a deal as you want it to be. It rarely features on my radar, but I appreciate how it could be annoying.
If it pisses you off call people out on it. Otherwise deal with it.
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This advice could be applied to any personal conflict in life, not just living in Taiwan.
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Indeed. Starting a thread on an online forum will make no difference, other than letting off steam.
It is occasionally irritating to be, in woke terms, othered. Either you confront it or accept it. I’m not sure what else there is to discuss.
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Yes, it’s exactly like this. “Foreigner” is just a convenient translation for “外國人.”
The terms don’t actually equate. Witness: When Chinese go to other countries, they don’t become “外國人,” but the non-Chinese people who inhabit those regions remain “外國人.”
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You will deal with a lot of low level workers in your life, lots of uncultured and uneducated people. What seems like common sense, is not to many people. The more I lived life and work on my professional career, the more I know this. This is why people hire me and gives me chances.
I know how to act around people in different circumstances. I would never use that word in front of a client, I would avoid anything that can possibly alienate or offend someone when trying to earn their business. Many people don’t have these insights. Thats why they work at a phone store.
So don’t let it bother you.
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Korean Fish don’t work in no phone store and there are plenty of knuckle draggers like him in positions of power. This is not just about the uneducated (not that I want to suggest that Korean Fish is educated. Sorry, if I offended anyone). This is a cultural thing.
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Yes. They aren’t educated in understanding most cultures would find such a term offensive and rude. Education is not just academic. It’s learning how to behave in life as well.
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I’d expect most insular cultures not to find that an offensive term. Isn’t it only offensive in multicultural countries?
It’s really only offensive when white people do it, I guess.
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Probably not in Siberia.
Usually because in these places, you have to be somewhat culturally aware if you want to live there.
Ah, but to them there is only one correct way and that is their way because everything else is lesser whether it’s academic or cultural.
In their view they, are educated about other cultures (usually in a very simplistic/black & white/good & bad manner). And they are educated to believe that their culture is the superior one so why pretend that it’s not?