In today’s Taipei Times, Noah Buchan coins a term—“mountain assholes”—that we almost thought we didn’t need. It’s a great read!
Guy
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Dude comes across as a bit of an asshole himself…
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Honestly it’s not easy being an introvert in Taiwan, where blaring devices compete for attention.
In addition to his truth telling, I give Mr Buchan credit for knowing how to write and for doing a bit of research too. : D
Guy
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If only the author had been stung by that gnarly looking centipede…that would have made for an interesting story.
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Not much chance of changing that I’m afraid. I always suspected the noise is mostly meant to keep wraiths and such away. Wasted words IMO.
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It’s never been enough to bother me. The swarms of instagram dumbasses hogging the most scenic places for hours are the true mountain assholes.
Luckily they only seem to know about xiang shan and that rocky trail in neihu so you can avoid them by going elsewhere.
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I’m far more disturbed by our 120-decibel system for making vital “community announcements”
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Yeah my theory is silence freaks people out here. They’ve lived in noisy environments since birth.
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Makes me think I’m living in a communist controlled place!
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Noise is a silent killer according to the latest research.
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Keeping it real. 
And this is the reason why I never hike trails that the average asshole citizen knows about. So fucking annoying to have people out in nature just exercising their normal Taiwanese selfish behavior that they are the only ones in the world who matter.
Stop beating around the bush, Mr Reynolds. Tell us what you really think! 
Guy
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Anyone who has a low tolerance to noise shouldn’t consider Taiwan as a place to live.
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He certainly likes an em dash.
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That’s why I have a sleeping disorder for the last 15 years. I’ve lived in the mountains before, quite, but not really convenient.
Only one sentence out of place:
Whether reading a book at National Taiwan University’s Drunk Moon Lake (醉月湖) or trying to take notes on the MRT, no public space seems immune to noise made by the entitled.
Spaces don’t read or take notes!
Guy
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Off topic. Muzhi Mountain is better known as Thumb Mountain, which is aptly named. If you look east along certain east-west running streets in southern Taipei, you’ll see a big boulder on top of the mountain that literally sticks out like a thumb.
Agree with the basic observations…as have encountered many such people on the trails.
Was involved in “restoration” of one park which was basically taken over by people living nearby who would cut down trees and vegetation to make way for their own personal exercise and relaxation areas (of course with music). They hauled so much crap into the park they had to build their own storage shed as well.
Park assholes!
Guy