Been living here for 14 years, and in Taipei, I can only see some good things staying good and some bad things getting better:
more international restaurants and shops, cheap and efficient public transport, low crime, motorcycles being removed off sidewalks, and now drivers are even supposed to let pedestrians cross the street!
OK, Taipei is not a world-class destination, but still, I can’t think about anything that really got drastically worse over the past 14 years. Just like other Asian cities, it takes a little time to get adjusted to the noise and chaos, but once there, Taipei turns out to be one of Asia’s most liveable cities. And that’s got nothing to do with blues or greens, mayors of both “colors” contributed to that over the past decade.
Isn’t Taipei kind of boring? I never lived there and only went there a handful of times in my two years in Taiwan. I think it’s more interesting to live somewhere else in Taiwan.
Well…the point I was making was not that the infrastructure is getting worse…I am saying that the overall atmosphere of people and the attitude of people are getting worse…I think that is what the original poster was trying to point out…
To Pluck-A-Duck and J…(etc. to a lesser extent, since you are no longer in Taiwan)
It seems to me that you are experiencing an overall negative culture shock about Taiwan in general. Taiwan today is a VAST improvement from 5 years ago when I first arrived (as far as Western conveniences go- I DON’T consider all the McDonald’s and other western chain restaurants to be an improvement).
There are rude people working in all service industries in all of our countries.
Are you seriously going to contend that the basic service in Taiwan is less responsive and friendly than in Western countries!!?? Come on, they are incredibly attentive here!!
Seriously, I know there are frustrating things going on in this country. I’m frustrated with A LOT of things going on in my home country right now (the US).
My one main problem with forums like this is that negative opinions like Pluck-A-Ducks and J(etc.) tend to be posted A LOT, by the same users. These opinions are most definetely NOT a reflection of the general feeling in Taiwan. It’s great that they get to be heard, but its sad for people considering a move to Taiwan that they get such an untrue reflection of life on this island by reading this thread.
The original poster states that she is originally from Taiwan, she left at 4, and would return occassionally, remembering it as a place with happy memories. As she slowly grew up, she noticed it became more and more “chaotic” to the point that she would not even consider living here…well, I do not know how long you have been in Taiwan, but many who have been here for the long term (~30 years or 20 years???) have seen what she is talking about…so I agree…what she says is a true statement…many people who have made this place there home for the long term have slowly seen Taiwan getting worse and worse…althought she makes trips back ever-so-often to visit relatives, the trend that she is seeing is true…this has happened over a period of time…during the 80’s, although the traffic was a mess, there was a general feeling that the country/society was moving forward…to sum it up…people were in a “good”/positive mood in general…you could walk into the night market, buy something…bargain with the seller on a friendly basis, leave…and if the item was broken, you could go back and get it replaced with little haggling and excuses by the seller…nowadays…that is virtually impossible…I am guessing she remembers people buying newspapers and breakfast from local family operated corner stores where the owner would know your name and would give candy to the kids…nowadays, you walk into a 7-11 where the student working at the counter doesn’t even look up to greet you…these are obscure examples, but it was the way that Taiwan operated a while back and were the “happy” memories that many carry from their youth…but the attitude today in Taiwan is that people DO NOT CARE…as long as their 30 ping concrete box is not leakng water and money is in their pockets, everything is OK…this was not the case before…to many who just came to Taiwan and did not see this “de-evolution” they may just accept it and find some bright/good points about the island…I have no problem with this and think it is a great attitude…but to those who have seen it slowly rot, and who are BORN in Taiwan…how exactly do you think that makes them feel? How do you think she is feeling right now…so obviously, the next logical question is does she feel ashamed that she is associated with Taiwan…it isn’t exactly a good experience when a Caucasian comes up to you in a New York school and asks where you were originally from, and when you say Taiwan…his first reply is, “oh yeah…that is the place where your politicians throw their shoes at each other and fight!”…it is the same idea as a foreigner in Taiwan constantly facing comments like, “you are fat”…you try to ignore it and brush it off with an open mind…but you cannot necessarily say that it does not take a psychological toll on you to the point that you feel a little ashamed about your own body…but in her case, the shame may be towards her country of origin…
The next comment I make is political…but do not tell me that the current state of Taiwan has never been discussed with any political innuendo before…as a Taiwanese kid growing up overseas, her Taiwanese parents most likely will have a political view…you hear your parents discussing Taiwan with their friends…you see your mom and dad watching Taiwanese satellite news and watch the politicians fight and call each other names…you more or less, even if you grew up overseas, form some sort of opinion as to the state of politics in Taiwan…one of the things that Taiwanese parents stress to their children is that Taiwan is a democracy that we should be proud of…well, Taiwan is democractic written on paper, but does Taiwan really utilise its democracy to what it is intended for, or do they take ADVANTAGE of their democratic rights making it into the big mess that it is today? It is interesting to hear a Taiwanese youth who grew up overseas to see what they think…many 50~60 year old “KMT-associated” parents say, “God…Taiwan is what it is because of Chen Shui-Bian and those rotten DPP’s…things weren’t like this when the KMT were in power”…does her parents’ comments influence her mindset? Is Taiwan’s problems political? Did the chaotic state of politics in Taiwan contribute to the “negative” mindset we see among Taiwanese nowadays? Does the constant barrage of media attention on the negative side of Taiwanese politics affect what Taiwanese youth think about the future of Taiwan?
The response I have been seeing to her post have been mainly of two kind…first, foreigners living in Taiwan who say that although Taiwan has its problems, it still has some bright sides…this is a great attitude and I applaud it…then, there are those who reply if you don’t like Taiwan, then don’t post here and just god damn leave…well, she can’t exactly “severe” her ties with Taiwan by packing up a suitcase…although she grew up overseas, she still obviously feels some sorta connection with her birthplace…if not, why would she still be posting on this forum? Why would she be posting this question? This is an issue that many Taiwanese children who grew up overseas are facing today…they are Taiwanese, but they feel ashamed about the chaos that is happening in their country…they are in shock that these “rude” and “inconsiderate” people are associated with them in some way…they simply cannot identify with Taiwan in any way…the key here is do they care…do they care enough about Taiwan to come back and contribute to its society to improve it…from her post, it is sad because she is one of those youths who is just fed up with this place and just said, “to hell with it”…this does not reflect well on Taiwan’s future…
I was under the impression that we were allowed to post our opinions and comments openly on this forum…but if my comments are “shit” then I will gladly leave…just because people post something that may not exactly fit into your realm of thinking or may poke at a soft spot, doesn’t necessarily mean their post is “shit”…have a nice day[/quote]
Good post.
In this coming 10 years, what we do will decide the fate of this island. Though I kept seeing Chen shui bian, as Marcus, the ex-prisident of Philippine. Many of my cohorts already took the job offer in Mainland, Korea. Is Taiwan next Philippine??
About the girl who start this thread, she’s just accidental to be a Taiwanese.
Parisiens are the rudest people in the world and Paris is the world’s biggest tourist destination. Perhaps the Taiwanese tourist board… er no… forget it…
In my openion, Chen is really not such a bad person, he just doesn’t know how to be a good prisident, and lacks a vision of international situation.
Anyway Taiwan is a much opener society now. Chen’s son in law and some of his trusted subordinates have been detained. And I can see the light through these. Compare to 20 years before people been put into jail by criticized KMT govermentment, Taiwan today is denfinitely not any worse.
Well, I am a Taiwanese who had been overseas for most of my life… and while I can accept living in Taiwan… I much prefer life in Australia. Everywhere in the world has goods and bads to living there, and I guess it’s just up to each individual what he/she prefers.
Pluck-a-Duck seems to be suffering from the “good old days” fallacy that is so common amongst geriatrics, or in his case, the prematurely middle-aged. This is the reactionary, knee-jerk assumption that modern society is progressively decaying and everything was so much better during the long-lost golden age of the past (the peak of human civilization that just so happens to coincide with your childhood/adolescence). “Back in my day, people had respect! Now get off my lawn, you spoiled little hooligans!” It’s sad to see such an attitude in a person so young. Back in the West, many people fantasize about a Ozzie & Harriet 1950s of sockhops and white picket fences that never really existed. Even though on almost every objective level, the people of Taiwan are better off and living an opulent lifestyle in comparison to the third-world peasant existence they had only a generation ago. Some people still want to fantasize about the good old days that never existed.
[quote=“Pluck-A-Duck”]
I was under the impression that we were allowed to post our opinions and comments openly on this forum…but if my comments are “shit” then I will gladly leave…just because people post something that may not exactly fit into your realm of thinking or may poke at a soft spot, doesn’t necessarily mean their post is “shit”…have a nice day[/quote]
You would think that would be the case, but it is not. Unfortunately you have stumbled upon the “forumosa zone” where individual thought is shamed and narrow-minded group mentality is the norm. You also have to remember that this website is their (not everyone, but many) little padded bubble so if you wish to continue to post, you must play their game (which I think they refer to somewhere as their rules). You gotta laugh though, when a Taiwanese person posts their view of Taiwan, based on years of experience and observation, and is basically told to leave the island/don’t come back.
