All this “Taiwan wants to attract foreigners” stuff is just shite. It should say “the Taiwanese government wants to attract foreigners.”
The Taiwanese themselves want to attract foreigners about as much as they want to attract roaches to their kitchens. That much is made patently obvious by stories like this.
He teaches English literature but can’t even get the name of a premier British university correct. Hey everyone, I went to Canbridge 
Sure, academia is a brutal world. You clamber ahead by destroying the arguments of your peers. But I’m sure we’ve all worked for enough Taiwanese bosses to realise that it’s a very unique blend of bureaucratic madness they dole out here, especially as things turn foul as so obviously happened in this case.
HG
[quote=“sandman”]All this “Taiwan wants to attract foreigners” stuff is just shite. It should say “the Taiwanese government wants to attract foreigners.”
The Taiwanese themselves want to attract foreigners about as much as they want to attract roaches to their kitchens. That much is made patently obvious by stories like this.[/quote]
Yeah, but this bloke doesn’t seem to be a provincial BSR from down south. He is Catholic (translated the Pope’s New Years Message in '86), attended the Catholic uni in Taipei, and tranlated a speech for Madame CKS back in '87. I’m guessing he is a WSR. And a pretty xenophobic one to boot. You would expect someone of his background, religion and education to be slightly more accomodating and compassionate towards foreigners and a little less confrontational.
[quote=“Chewycorns”][quote=“sandman”]All this “Taiwan wants to attract foreigners” stuff is just shite. It should say “the Taiwanese government wants to attract foreigners.”
The Taiwanese themselves want to attract foreigners about as much as they want to attract roaches to their kitchens. That much is made patently obvious by stories like this.[/quote]
Yeah, but this bloke doesn’t seem to be a provincial BSR from down south. He is Catholic (translated something from the Pope), attended the Catholic uni in Taipei, and tranlated a speech for Madame CKS back in '87. I’m guessing he is a WSR. And a pretty xenophobic one to boot. You would expect someone of his background and education to be slightly more accomodating towards foreigners and less confrontational.[/quote]
Whatever.
You’re overlooking the fact that he forgot to put away the vaccuum!
He forgot to put away the VACCUUM!!!
HE FORGOT TO PUT AWAY THE VACCUUM!!!
[quote=“Mother Theresa”][quote=“Chewycorns”][quote=“sandman”]All this “Taiwan wants to attract foreigners” stuff is just shite. It should say “the Taiwanese government wants to attract foreigners.”
The Taiwanese themselves want to attract foreigners about as much as they want to attract roaches to their kitchens. That much is made patently obvious by stories like this.[/quote]
Yeah, but this bloke doesn’t seem to be a provincial BSR from down south. He is Catholic (translated something from the Pope), attended the Catholic uni in Taipei, and tranlated a speech for Madame CKS back in '87. I’m guessing he is a WSR. And a pretty xenophobic one to boot. You would expect someone of his background and education to be slightly more accomodating towards foreigners and less confrontational.[/quote]
Whatever.
You’re overlooking the fact that he forgot to put away the vaccuum!
He forgot to put away the VACCUUM!!!
HE FORGOT TO PUT AWAY THE VACCUUM!!!
[/quote]
viewtopic.php?f=82&t=65056&p=779363&hilit=vacuum+sex#p779363
Well, at least no bathrooms, theft, intercourse or detergent were involved in this spat. 
[quote=“Maoman”]Ha - Michael Turton blogged about this a few days ago, and it was also reported in the Liberty Times. Turton pointed out this quote from the plaintiff, and I agree - it’s a winner:
[quote]周曉青表示，提告並非排外、仇外，也不是為了要報復，而是希望藉此嚴正要求外籍老師絕不能對同事或學生使用語言暴力，更希望有關單位能正視外國人在台灣產生的負面情緒或不當行徑的問題。
Zhou Shaoqing said that the suit was not a rejection of foreigners or prejudice, nor was it about revenge, but in the hope that through this, it would be seriously demanded that foreign teachers not speak to their coworkers or students using violent language, and also that the authorities should pay attention to the negative mood produced by, and inappropriate behavior of, foreigners in Taiwan.[/quote]
So she’s not racist or anything, but would the authorities please pay attention to the “negative mood” foreigners produce in Taiwan! :roflmao:[/quote]
This is obviously code for, “we don’t need foreigners taking our jobs in higher education.” But anyway, let me say, up yours zhou shaoqing.
They probably try to copy US legal cases to get big bucks in their bank accounts … 
[quote=“Chewycorns”]The Department Head, who still teachers there but is no longer head of the department as far as I can understand, has a webpage and a profile below. With his interest in Christian poetics and the other prof’s family history of missionary work, you would think they’d hit it off.
flld.ncnu.edu.tw/flld2004/teacher.asp?no=4
staffweb.ncnu.edu.tw/paulchow/
[/quote]
And they say the birth rate is declining…
You said it . . . and it’s getting even more brutal these days because there is less money around and there is more competition for fewer and fewer jobs. In fact, this is one of the main reasons that local teachers and profs are becoming increasingly ‘territorial’.
Although academics have never used the sword to maim their oponents, they do have other ‘weapons’ in their arsenal as Stephen Pinker notes in his fine book, How the Mind Works:
Brandishing a switchblade - or a chib 
- at a scholarly conference would somehow strike the wrong note, but there is always the stinging question, the devastating riposte, the moralistic outrage, the withering invective, the indignant rebuttal, and means of enforcement in manuscript review and grant panels.
And he goes on to say:
In principle, it is the ideas themselves that are, as we say, compelling, but the champions are not always averse to helping the ideas along with tactics of verbal domination, among them intimidation("Clearly . . . "), threat("It would be unscientific to . . . "), authority("As Popper showed . . . "), insult("This work lacks the necessary rigor for . . . "), and belittling("Few people today seriously believe that . . . “). Perhaps this is why H.L. Mencken wrote that ‘college football would be more interesting if the faculty played instead of the students’.”
Expect this kind of subtle insulting to increase in (buxibans, schools, colleges and) universities, as well as more resignations a la Zhou Shaoqing because of ‘fights’ with foreign faculty.
[quote=“lotusblossom”]
Expect this kind of subtle insulting to increase in (buxibans, schools, colleges and) universities, as well as more resignations a la Zhou Shaoqing because of ‘fights’ with foreign faculty.[/quote]
Sounds like a war…and in war, one should try to understand their opponent and adjust their methodology accordingly. Insulting a Taiwanese superior, who is keen on causing a huff, is not intelligent. There is a reason this guy is teaching in Taiwan and not in a western university.
Aye indeed. Suckered into coming to Taiwan by a fancy ad.
How is this defamation? Maybe a lawyer can correct me on this, but isn’t defamation about making false claims about someone that ‘defame’ his character. For example had the dude called his colleague a ‘c0cksucker’ when, in fact the man in question did not suck cocks, but merely gave handjobs, he could then sue for defamation. But making suggestions about where someone can stow their vacuum cleaner can’t be defamation can it?
Correct. In the US (and probably most other countries), actionable defamation is when one intentionally makes a false statement concerning material (ie., important) facts about a person. To recover compensation the person must prove that the defamatory statement caused actual damages. Usually emotional distress isn’t enough; it has to cause actual monetary damages. Saying “up yours” is not even close (it’s not a statement of facts). Saying “you’re a fucking moron” might come closer to defamation if it were false, which is debatable in this case. But even a statement such as that should fail, because it’s somewhat subjective and is more a statement of opinion than a statement of facts. Statements of opinion are totally permissible, so one can say “I believe you’re a cock-sucking, ignorant cunt” with impunity in the US. But of course this is not the US, it’s Taiwan and they’ve got some ridiculous laws in this country (ie., adultery being a criminal offense) and the judges and lawyers tend not to be the sharpest bunch, so there you have it. A simple common insult can be mischaracterized as defamation here and the law is dumb enough to prosecute. But what did you expect?
The correct reply, instead of ‘Up Yours!’ would have been:
‘Put it where the sun don’t shine!’…same intention, but much less legally actionable.
After all, it might be argued that he merely meant to protect the appliance from possible damage from the elements. Being as the closet was locked it could have been a show of concern for university property.
Its so easy for ones words, verbal and print, to be mistaken and used in an unseemly manner against one. As Bismarck so aptly has shown re: those in academia.
He should register on Forumosa and participate in the Crossfire thread 
It’s funny. Tradition has always had these academic types on a pedestal so they get inflated such inflated egos. I once had one of these professor types live behind me in Mucha. He on occasion appeared on TV.
Biggest arrogant cnut I’ve ever had the misfortune of running into. Was always parking his car in a manner that blocked the garage…fighting with his wife at late hours. Gave me a lecture about foreigners when having a small ‘conversation’ about how his students over for a BBQ should stay out of my yard. For some reason he managed to give you the strong impression that because he was a professor, he knew more than you about most everything.
I feel sorry for anyone who might have had to work with him…
As an additional incentive, his mother poisoned the stray cats around the apartment and would arrive unannounced at our house, (once even walked in), to tell me wife how horrible the, Taiwanese were. I caught her stealing our herbs once. Typical WSR.
I disagree. There are arrogant pricks in all professions. Having grown up with a prof for a dad and abundant family friends in academia, I believe profs are as likely to be mild-mannered and decent – or more – as they are to be boastful and arrogant. I’ve found ranchers, loggers, chip truck drivers, green-chain pullers, cops, judges, soldiers, criminal defense lawyers, financial advisors, CEOs and people in all sorts of other professions, or even those without a profession, to be just as likely to be arrogant pricks.
BUT, if he’s the kind of guy who puts “Dr” before his name or “PhD” after it in regular, everyday usage, that’s a sign he’s got an ego problem.
I disagree. There are arrogant pricks in all professions. Having grown up with a prof for a dad and abundant family friends in academia, I believe profs are as likely to be mild-mannered and decent – or more – as they are to be boastful and arrogant. I’ve found ranchers, loggers, chip truck drivers, green-chain pullers, cops, judges, soldiers, criminal defense lawyers, financial advisors, CEOs and people in all sorts of other professions, or even those without a profession, to be just as likely to be arrogant pricks.
BUT, if he’s the kind of guy who puts “Dr” before his name or “PhD” after it in regular, everyday usage, that’s a sign he’s got an ego problem.[/quote]
Should have been more specific - Tradition in Taiwan holds, (or used to), professors as pretty sacred. I find this less true in US, but then again, I had some pretty arrogant prof’s in grad schools. And of course, no profession enjoys exclusivity from pricks.
Doesn’t sound anything at all like my in-laws, who are WSR.
