Is it so bad to be called a 'waiguoren'?

[color=red]Mod note: Split from this thread[/color]

[quote=“DaveorJimmy”]Gretel, some years ago, I have seen a guy with a T-Shirt which said
something like “chu guo, ni jiou shi wain guo ren”.[/quote]

Last year, I went on a company trip to Thailand. One night, 4 Taiwanese co-workers and I went to a nightclub to drink and dance. The club was a typical Thailand tourist spot, full of Europeans, Aussies and Kiwis.

As we came to the entrance of the club, one of my co-workers exclaimed,

[quote=“smerf”][quote=“DaveorJimmy”]Gretel, some years ago, I have seen a guy with a T-Shirt which said
something like “chu guo, ni jiou shi wain guo ren”.[/quote]
As we came to the entrance of the club, one of my co-workers exclaimed,

[quote=“daasgrrl”][quote=“smerf”][quote=“DaveorJimmy”]Gretel, some years ago, I have seen a guy with a T-Shirt which said
something like “chu guo, ni jiou shi wain guo ren”.[/quote]
As we came to the entrance of the club, one of my co-workers exclaimed,

Gosh, some Taiwanese just don’t know how to take a joke :slight_smile:

Anyway, I’d like to apologize on behalf of my people and culture. A few thousands years of believing that we’re the “Middle Kingdom” and everything else is foreign is hard to undo :laughing:

Thanks, but there really is no need to apologize. Life is good regardless of whether or not my Taiwanese co-worker can handle being called a “waiguoren.” :slight_smile:

Actually, that was more directed to DaveorJimmy but it wasn’t clear :blush: Actually, he’s probably going to tell me he’s well aware of the limits of ‘waiguoren’ too so you may both take it as just a general comment on the T-shirt :slight_smile:

I guess it is if you have some superiority complex or attitude about who you are - like suggesting that some WASP socialite who is proud of being able to trace her ancestry back to the founding fathers (for want of a better example) might be mistaken for an ‘immigrant’ under some circumstance. I agree it’s a pretty lame attitude if that’s indeed the sole cause of the hostility.

Hypersensitivity to words and looks doesn’t sound very mature to me. :s

Face it smerf your friend is a bit of a racist turd.

[quote=“daasgrrl”]
I guess it is if you have some superiority complex or attitude about who you are - like suggesting that some WASP socialite who is proud of being able to trace her ancestry back to the founding fathers (for want of a better example) might be mistaken for an ‘immigrant’ under some circumstance.[/quote]

That is a perfect analogy. She comes from a wealthy “mainland” family, pro-KMT, no Taiwanese language ability. I am sure that she sees herself as a “pure-blood socialite.” I always call her “princess,” which she seems to take as a compliment. :laughing:

She thinks she is superior to everybody because she was born rich and perhaps good looking. I have known lots of those. Complete psychos usually. Selfish, narrow…yick!

Answering…Is it so bad to be called a ‘waiguoren’?
No

I was in Paris in April on business but squeezed in a few days for sightseeing. There were hordes of tourists from everywhere of course, but the mainlanders stand out for their noise and bad manners. An elderly couple overheard me speaking Mandarin with my colleague and started on about the ‘waiguoren’ speaking Chinese. I asked them how they knew I was also a foreigner, being white and all I probably don’t look very different from the majority of the French. Puzzlement. Then I told them we could tell from 14km away they were ‘waiguoren’, smiling all the while. Puzzlement again, so I asked them if they understood the term ‘aliudzai’ instead :smiley:

Yeash, it just doesn’t make sense does it? I can’t even get my wife (Taiwanese) to comprehend this situation. Why, oh why, do they think it’s ok to call others waiguoren and think nothing of it? When it gets turned on them it becomes an insult. How childish, not you honey, the others.

Waiguoren doesn’t mean foriegner. It means hairy ass, big nose, funny smelling, black or white cockasian foriegner. Sometimes this is a very good thing. Sometimes it is a very bad thing. And sometimes it ain’t no thang at all.

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[quote=“smerf”]Her puzzled look then turned to a cold glare as she grumbled

Should have called her a taiguo ren.

HG

I object to the term “waixing ren”.

I object to the term “fucking Scotch git” but I don’t let it get me down.

[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Should have called her a taiguo ren.

HG[/quote]

Did just that today, to a five year old, who had noted to my face that I was a weiguoren. His mom ducked around the corner when I gave her the “where’s the kid’s manners” look. :stuck_out_tongue: