[quote=“tommy525”]Here in cAlif, im amused that people feel threatened by your presence when you are within ,sometimes , fifty feet of them. When one person is walking to his/her car and approaches another person within fifty feet of him/her, its obligatory to say “hi” to acknowledge each other.
In Taiwan they can be sandwhiched right up to you in a crowded bus and they still will NOT say hi.
Taiwanese will walk right past each other on a crowded footpath and not say hi, but Americans will say hi soon as they come within fifty feet of each other it seems, less if theres a curve in the path.
Its a matter of personal space perception. In a country with lots of space, we tend to project our personal space. Whereas in Taiwan, its a dense pack society. Taiwanese do not feel they are invading YOUR personal space even if they are 3 inches away from you in as crowded space and even if they are one foot away from you in an otherwise fairly uncrowded space.
The concept of personal space is a lot different. They will only say dway bu chee if they actually RUN into you on the street (and then only maybe).
But Americans are NOT saying Hi because they are friendly. They are saying HI because they feel threatened and want to see if you are a friend or foe.
Taiwanese dont feel threatened by other people while walking in Taiwan and therefore do not feel the need to cross check someone they come across as friend or foe.
Regarding pleasant company on crowded buses. I do not leave things to chance. I will stand next to pretty ladies rather then men (old or young) because I know how tightly pressed you could be.
YOu can practically be slow dancing on those buses. Choose your partners 
Nowadays I don’t think TW buses/ MRT get THAT crowded anymore. Which is generally a very good thing. However, sometimes one can miss the “close fellowship”.
If nothing else, it makes you feel more human.[/quote]
Are you sure people are saying hi because they feel threatened?! In Canada, not everyone says hi… usually just old people… and no, it’s not from 50 feet away… more like 10 feet.
Yeah… I don’t want to be a pervert by purposely standing next to the most attractive female… hahaha… but, well, I suppose one might as well! It’s great when an attractive member of the opposite sex chooses you, though. That means that you are attractive… rather than a pervert!
[quote=“mups”]I can deal with the lack of personal space in public…I don’t like it and the lack of it is probably a reason I don’t enjoy public excursions to the city, but I can deal with it.
What I consider an even greater violation of my personal space is the noise pollution. I go to work then on the weekend I want some peace and quiet in my own home. Instead I get random firecrackers going off at all hours, goddamn loudspeaker trucks, and where I live we have these town crier speakers where some old leatherlungs makes announcements once a week.
I don’t understand why Taiwanese put up with this crap…many of them work longer hours than I do, at worse jobs…but if you can’t relax out in public, and can’t do so in your own home, that ain’t good for the state of mental health. If I had a kid or sleeping problems I’d probably lose my shit with the constant noise barrage…and it’s always on the weekend.[/quote]
Yes, this is the thing I hate the most about Taiwan, too. At least ugly/dirty/messy can be ignored when you are at home… or you can avoid brushing up on old men and young women by staying away from crowded places…
Are you also a connoisseur of “The Many Sounds of Jackhammer”? Or, am only I a connoisseur, because I live in a middle-class and lower area?
What I wonder is… what is the explanation for not giving a crap about noise? WHAT IS THE EXPLANATION!!! Is it rapid economic development?
Hahaha… well, maybe they’re just really good at ignoring sound? Like, I’ve seen people almost get run over by ambulances, because they didn’t notice it coming down the road. An AMBULANCE with lights blaring and sirens… that are… as loud as the garbage truck. LOL. But yeah, almost killed by the ambulance. She looks up and, “Whoa! Where’d this ambulance come from?!”
[quote=“Mucha Man”]I remember when I first came here it was common to still use public telephones. If I wanted to use a phone, I would wait a respectful distance from the person on the phone only to lose my place when he finished as no one thought I was waiting, and so jumped in.
But other than that though it’s never bothered me. Italians bother me because they like to talk too close. Taiwanese talk at a comfortable distance though they will stand or move around you at a much closer radius than in Canada. However, there is no awkwardness in this (ie, they don’t project discomfort) so I don’t feel it either.
People walking super slow, now that bugs me, though like most things here, if you just accept the local ways it’s pretty easy going.[/quote]
Hahaha… that’s exactly what happens to me at the post office. But, I always say, “Hey! You cut in line.” Then, the person profusely apologizes and gets behind me.
About discomfort… yeah… it’s true. Like, I can stand really close to someone and they won’t care (if there’s a legitimate reason, of course).
But, what about the pushing and shoving? It doesn’t happen too often, but every now and then, someone will really push (usually old ladies)… or maybe they push by accident? I push back in the same manner (oops! accident!), and nobody ever says anything.
