Half a year? Were you unable to get away from him or something?
2 Likes
Haha. He was taking a b.s. program near the college I was at. I avoided him as much as possible.
Ah, the “arrogant” charge. That got my attention enough to post.
That word is used in two ways: an arrogant action and an arrogant personality. Nobody’s saying this guy did anything out of bounds, so I’ll guess it’s the latter.
What is an arrogant personality? Merely self confidence in someone with whose opinions you disagree.
If you think someone is arrogant in this sense, he almost certainly thinks the same of you… that is, unless you lack self confidence.
A person who talks and acts like if he or she knew everything, without ever considering he or she may be wrong, who likes to show off and brag all the time, and who thinks that they’re entitled to give lessons non stop to others. You can see it as self confidence, and that’s an ingredient to it, others see it as an idiot who’s sometimes wrong but too stubborn and stupid to realize it.
4 Likes
Over the years, I learned much about Taiwan from his posts. Will miss the posts about his bike trips around the island.
1 Like
agree on his bike posts. used his blog for many references on cycling trips.
his bud Andrew K has a great bike trip blog, too, but rarely posts anymore.
anybody know AK’s reason for fewer and fewer postings? also tired?
I will say this – I found his last post to be rather pompous. Senators, presidents, prime ministers, senior bureaucrats etc. have written less self-aggrandizing farewells. 
And the list? Knee-jerk left with one or two notable exceptions.
1 Like
haven’t read it. Not that one, not the others. I guess I started a couple of his posts but I don’t have for it I guess.
In my experience, arrogance is manifest in an air of superiority, braggadociosness (Trumpism), patronizing words, a preachy attitude – in the sense that one knows best, interrupting others, even thinking others care enough to post a blog (haha). In terms of arrogant actions, words are the most common means of showing arrogance. Negative “emotives” are relevant here (see Reddy’s writings, although they address this kind of speech act in a tangential manner). P.S. the previous sentence was for both instructive and demonstrate purposes, as is this one 
.
I agree with the observations of the quotations below:
His blog is closing! Thank God!
The link below is the best thing Taipei Times has ever published. One of their scribes, in so few words, totally disarmed Turton:
I don’t have much to say about Turton, just, if he was worth following he wouldn’t live in Taizhung County.
1 Like
But wait a second… one thing is to stop writing and a totally different one is to take it down. What is he going to do? It would be weird and stupid to close it down.
I dislike his bashing of Reagan—the article states – “Since [Ronald] Reagan it’s been an obvious train wreck.
Whether you like or dislike Reagan, you can not discount his impact. His sunny, big-tent conservatism ensures his place in history.
Whether it was winning the Cold War through outspending the Soviets and hardline rhetoric, his openness to Cold War liberals-turned Neoconservatives, his regulatory deregulation (starting with Carter but accelerating under Reagan), and his contribution to democracy in Taiwan: Political violence in Taiwan - #3 by Comrade_Stalin, he deserves respect, not idiotic soundbites by political blowhards. Such one-liners, devoid of substance, made that blog often second rate.
Historical debate often needs balanced perspectives. While it improved, overall that blog was certainly not balanced. It was overrated by foreigners that shared his one-sided views.
As a human being very kind, knows Taiwan up and down and gave his life to what he thought was the best for Taiwan. His most enjoyable writing involved good tips for bike trips, cultural observations, photos of daily life. As a political writer, had valid insights into Taiwan politics and did a good job dissecting pro China bias in western media, but lost all credibility by hitching his political wagon to Trumps right wing advisors and yelling at everyone that didn’t agree with his myopic worldview as capitulationist.
He would write 10 pages of detailed vitriol against any politician not on his own team, but lacked the courage to criticize the neocon advisors he knew he needed to cuddle up to in order to further his push for independence. If questioned, would either resort to ad hominem attacks (so and so is a moron) or childish sarcastic barbs. Unable to entertain ideas he didn’t agree with or handle criticism without lashing out. Too bad, because his very poignant insights into Taiwanese life were drowned out by arrogant smearing of anyone that disagreed with him as an idiot or China capitulator. Very unbalanced coverage, at the end laughable.
Like most middle aged white guys slipping in relevance, a last ditch hail mary jump on the Trump train seemed like his ticket out of obscurity and blogging. It backfired on him, and he ended up alientating would be supporters with every jabbed barb or snarky comeback.
Ill miss his posts about non political things. As a writer, disappointing sell out and locked minded. Maybe he’ll learn from it.
2 Likes
Wait, so you praise him for pointing out the pro china bias in western media but at the same time criticize him for supporting the republican china hawks?
Dude can’t win.
2 Likes
I was taking your post seriously until you started in with the casual racism.
3 Likes
I guess I am slipping in relevance too
I was never relevant in the first place.
2 Likes
I think like a lot of people he would have learnt a lot about those around him for expressing support for Trump. I doubt I could say as much for those intolerant enough not to respect his opinion.
This is funny as hell!!! As someone who supports neoconservative ideas (Scoop Jackson, Wolfowitz, Feith, etc.), I laugh at you labelling Turton as such.
Turton is a Peace-Corp-liberal-turned-Asian-backwater-academic. His simple-minded DPP-good, KMT-bad belongs in straw-hat-taike activist manuals sold for 2NT at a betel nut stand and sold in foreign expat communities by pol-sci arts graduates teaching at Kid Castle but championing independence in their hobby hours. Now that being said, he may be friendly with one or two pro-Taiwan neocons but the Taiwan Lobby is an odd mix of right and left. But Turton as a RWBW hawk. Too funny!!!
3 Likes
He’s pretty consistent in supporting politicians and academics who are pro-Taiwan, regardless of their position on the political spectrum, and in spite of his own far-left politics, which shows he has a modicum of integrity, unlike certain posters…
1 Like