Racism?

Hi, this is my first time posting on the forums, but as I was going through the possibility of studying Mandarin in Taiwan and I came up with a question I couldn’t find an answer to. Is there any significant racism in Taiwan. I mean I know there’s racism every where in the world and it cant be helped, but am I going to have a hard time making friends, or even possibly dating in Taiwan cause of skin color. Im somewhat of a hybrid male in that im Trinidadian(West Indian)+African-American+many other ethnicity’s… and have brown skin. Im just trying to figure how what to expect, Am I going to be stared at all the time, ignored?, insulted?, have tough time meeting people?, girls?. Any help or insight would be appreciated!

Thanks

As you already pointed out, racism is everywhere, especially on Forumosa :stuck_out_tongue: (j/k)

Depending on how you interact with the locals, if you are friendly they will be friendly to you too, if ya arrogant than well…

Some will speak behind your back, because of your skin color. There are still not so many colored people in Taiwan (from my own experience). BUT they wont harness you in public, they wont say things like ape, Negro (sorry for those words, dont take it personally) or whatsoever shit to your face, unless they like to get beaten up :slight_smile:… you might hear words like Hei gui (black ghost), dont take it personal, they call Caucasians Baigui (white ghost) or Adoa (taiwan. for foreigner) …

To sum up, always depends on how you interact with the locals…

Have fun in Taiwan :slight_smile:

[quote=“guanbatt”]
Some will speak behind your back, because of your skin color. There are still not so many colored people in Taiwan (from my own experience). BUT they wont harness you in public, they wont say things like ape, Negro (sorry for those words, dont take it personally) or whatsoever shit to your face, unless they like to get beaten up :slight_smile:… you might hear words like Hei gui (black ghost), dont take it personal, they call Caucasians Baigui (white ghost) or Adoa (taiwan. for foreigner) …[/quote]

They will and do call you names in public. If they call me baigui in my hearing, I will give it back.

So whether people are racist or not towards you depends on your attitude? That’s really shitty. You’re saying Taiwanese people are racist if they don’t like you? guanbatt, you really don’t sell Taiwan very well.

OP, Taiwanese people can be shitty about this. They will call you names and stare. There are also really good people here too that have a bit more world knowledge. Half the time, those who make the stupid comments really don’t mean offence, they are just not people who travel, or read or have much of a world view. Don’t let it affect your choices.

[quote=“guanbatt”]To sum up, always depends on how you interact with the locals…

So whether people are racist or not towards you depends on your attitude? That’s really shitty. You’re saying Taiwanese people are racist if they don’t like you? guanbatt, you really don’t sell Taiwan very well. [/quote]

hmm… does it really sounds like that? Did I say Taiwanese will be racist towards you because of your attitude?

If so, I have to correct myself, it depends on how you interact with the locals, if you are friendly they will be friendly to you too, if you are an asshole who likes to educate locals, than the locals will be assholes too. … Does it make sense to you, now??

I have read my comment over and over again… “there are racist everywhere… if you are friendly they will be friendly to you too… bla bla bla” does it really sounds like “Taiwan. are racist if you are not friendly to them”…

But I guess its my poor English skills…

Ach, it doesn’t matter. Sorry, if I missed your true meaning.

My point was, yes, Taiwanese people can be racist with a level of ignorance that will baffle you, but it certainly isn’t everyone. There are great people there too and you should definitely visit. How you behave shouldn’t affect whether people treat you with racism; however shitty people are, you shouldn’t respond with racism. Longterm expats tend to believe that they control their environment through their behaviour and cultural knowledge, and so when bad, random things happen, they have a tendency to attribute this to the newbier person, rather than the local culture. It’s understandable, but it’s not really right.

Keep a positive attitude and a smile, be outgoing and friendly, and most of Taiwan will treat you well. You’ll get stares, yes – but all foreigners do. You just have to get used to that part.

I think you’ll find less racism if you hang out with more highly educated or cosmopolitan crowds. I’ve never seen any racism in my workplaces (professional and academic environments).

I wouldn’t worry about it – just come and enjoy the adventure!

I remember reading Black in Taiwan by Paul Lejoy a while back and thought it was quite insightful.

Peoples views might have changed somewhat since the book was written, especially in the more populated areas and with the younger generation.

Most of the time when I hear a racist comment here (which is not very often), it comes from ignorance/cluelessness, or is made by someone who’s just being a harmless asshole (e.g. joking with his friends) and thinks the target can’t understand what they’re saying.

Only very rarely have I come across racist statements that are made in a vicious, threatening or hateful manner.

The “slur” (if it can be called that) which I hear most is “adogah”, which is the Taiwanese word for “gringo”.

I once asked an adult conversation class if there was any discrimination in Taiwan. One student stated, “Yes, there is discrimination against the aborigines.” “Why?” I asked. He replied, “Because they are born to drink!”

I then asked if there was any discrimination against blacks who visited or lived in Taiwan. He said, “No way! Taiwanese are much too scared of blacks to discriminate against them!”

I’ve encountered horrified reactions when I’ve asked local people if they have any Aboriginal ancestry. “Oh, heavens no!” is a common response…as if my question was somehow insulting. In fact, my question was intended to be a compliment, because in these cases the person tends to be unusually attractive.

I think for getting a girl it might be difficult.
More than racism, its the conservatism.

Taiwanese parents dont give the freedom you see in western cultures.
I mean if Im with a woman, i am expected to be serious for a long term relation. Not for sex.
This is not necesarily bad, depending what you are looking for.
But will nonetheless suck for you. Because the parents would not likely see you as a prospect to be their son in law. Afterall you will not live your life there, are you?

PS: I believe the slur ‘Adogah’ is actually a short for “do piah” which means ‘thin nose’.

I’ve encountered horrified reactions when I’ve asked local people if they have any Aboriginal ancestry. “Oh, heavens no!” is a common response…as if my question was somehow insulting. In fact, my question was intended to be a compliment, because in these cases the person tends to be unusually attractive.[/quote]

Haha backfired.

Im taiwanese. Sometimes i get asked if im mixed. Always took it as a compliment.
Now i will have to ponder if i was just drinking too much.
:roflmao:

[quote=“Mysticratboy”]I think for getting a girl it might be difficult.
More than racism, its the conservatism.

Taiwanese parents dont give the freedom you see in western cultures.
I mean if Im with a woman, I am expected to be serious for a long term relation. Not for sex.
This is not necesarily bad, depending what you are looking for.
But will nonetheless suck for you. Because the parents would not likely see you as a prospect to be their son in law. Afterall you will not live your life there, are you?[/quote]

But that applies to all foreigners, not just those with darker skin.

There are plenty girls here that like “black” guys for the lack of a better term.
But in all fairness, it’s not always easy being white here, we had a crazy neighbour before and she shouted all sorts of abuse at me and my GF (who’s local).
Ok, so she was nuts and not your average person here.
I find it’s mostly kids that say all the “foreigner words” when they stare at you, although people here do look at you strangely at time.
I have a beard and that’s not so common here either and I’ve had people stop on the street and look at me from top 'till bottom and up again…
I’ve also had a work colleague of my GF come up to me (someone I’d never meet before) and ask me what’s wrong with my face, as I happen to have very rosy cheeks.
You get all sorts here, but you also get a lot of very friendly, kind and helpful people as well, just because you’re not local.
Sometimes I get freaked out because there are so many people smiling and waving at me for no good reason and I wonder if I’ve made a mess out of myself somehow.
Then again, I had people in the UK give me abuse as I was a foreigner there and I was of course living off the well fare system there and having the government pay for everything I needed… as if…
To a degree it is what you make it, I mostly ignore stupid people, but as long as you chose where you hang out, I don’t see it as you will have any big problems here.
I know a fair few African’s here and they seem to quite enjoy living here from what I can tell and they are all finding plenty of girls that want to be with them.

[quote=“TheLostSwede”]we had a crazy neighbour before and she shouted all sorts of abuse at me and my GF (who’s local).
[/quote]

Taiwanese or a Norweigan? :laughing:

I certainly don’t qualify as a longterm expat (yet), but the longer I’m here, the less I believe my behaviour and cultural knowledge can control my environment. I find myself becoming more fatalistic by the day.

I certainly don’t qualify as a longterm expat (yet), but the longer I’m here, the less I believe my behaviour and cultural knowledge can control my environment. I find myself becoming more fatalistic by the day.[/quote]

Local, of some sort, her own family didn’t want anything to do with her…

I’ve noticed a few things so far… in my humble narrow opinion.

In the local population, lighter skin is favorable, especially among women. You will see women holding umbrellas, wearing large hats, and adding temporary sleeves (long gloves) to their cute outfits if the sun is out. In general, men here like light-skinned females. I also notice that those in service jobs tend to have darker skin.

In terms of foreigners, Filipinos seem to get the worst treatment. I actually saw a couple of Filipino gentlemen in their twenties get turned away from a restaurant last week and they were very displeased. I notice an ambivalent attitude toward English teachers of any race. Professional-looking high-tech workers and business travelers tend to get red carpets rolled out (figuratively) in many venues.

I encounter loads of staring. Little kids with no filter often point and yell “Mei Guo Ren” (American) or “Wai Guo Ren” (foreigner).

In Taipei, there are many foreigners so things may be different than I describe. In smaller towns, or older towns, most of the population has never left Taiwan or even met a foreign person so staring should be expected.

Buttercup: Just pointing out that I’m not part of the general tendency then, if indeed there is such a general tendency.