I hate it when other foreigners be snobs. I said “Hey guys” and gave a little wave as I walked past a couple of foreigners today, and all they did was look at me for half a second, if that!
SNOBS :fume:
Mate, don’t worry about it.
You have your friends.
[quote=“TaiwanPsycho”]I hate it when other foreigners be snobs. I said “Hey guys” and gave a little wave as I walked past a couple of foreigners today, and all they did was look at me for half a second, if that!
SNOBS :fume:[/quote]
A friend of mine believes many expatriates here are deeply unhappy people. Seeing another foreigner, for some, makes them reflect on their own short-comings and, therefore, they try to avoid contact. It’s what’s inside them that’s got them behaving all weird and not you, per se. For others, they may believe they are on some sort of an ethnic cultural adventure and the presence of other westerners bursts their bubble, so to speak.
I can understand not acknowledging fellow foreigners in a large center like Taibei, where there are just too many. But out here in the sticks, where you don’t see near as many western foreigners, the avoidance behavior is more pathological.
I agree with Toasty. There aren’t that many happy people in the world to begin with, and many foreigners in Taiwan live their lives in a constant state of mental anguish. Not returning a hello is not a reflection on you. Just laugh it off, feel sorry for the poor folks who lack social skills, the friendliness gene, or both.
I’m pretty damn happy.
True dat.
Me too.
wtf is wrong with the rest of you guys?
TaiwanPsycho, that was you? Sorry dude. Thought you were someone else.
i would return a salute in the streets,
however i would avoid places where expats do crowd out coz it’s same old shit all the time,
-drunks…
-dudes talking all night about how they got this and that back home,and did this and that in various part of the world,yet they work in kinder for 30k/month
-peoples constantly shitting on “the locals”
-assholes who treat taiwanese girls like dirt because local gals happen to be smitten by 6ft Arian types
-expat girls who’ve lost all sense of hope in getting laid,hence becoming embittered and lacking all and any socializing skills
much better spending the night playing pool with binlang chewing friends!
oh i miss that!
[quote=“TaiwanPsycho”]I hate it when other foreigners be snobs. I said “Hey guys” and gave a little wave as I walked past a couple of foreigners today, and all they did was look at me for half a second, if that!
SNOBS :fume:[/quote]
You gave a little wave? Next time, nod. It’s really not snobbery to ignore people who engage in unfamiliar rituals when in public. 
I’m happy.
I will nod or otherwise exchange pleasantries with foreigners who at least give me eye contact. If they choose not to, no big deal. I’m not going to greet the side of someone’s head.
Throughout my travels, I’ve noticed this happens more in Asian countries than in Western countries, at least with Americans acknowledging other Americans. In Europe, South America, or the Middle East, when I came across another American, it was like they were happy to see a fellow countryman and wanted to exchange notes on their experiences in the country they were visiting. In Asia, I’ve only been to Japan, Korea, Thailand and here, but in all places it seemed most foreigners (read Caucasians) couldn’t be bothered with each other.
I wonder if in Asia, foreigners view each other as competition. The ones working here are competition for jobs and the ones just hanging out like the attention they get sticking out like a sore thumb. Other foreigners are competition for the jobs and the attention. Just a thought…
I’ve always noticed this, too. In the UAE in the city I live in, expats are pretty friendly to each other, and I have noticed this throughout the Middle East and Africa. Not in Taiwan though. It’s like westerners go out of their way to avoid eye contact, let alone engage in conversation. Weird dynamic or something.
Must say I get that a lot to, after many a year here I still nod and say hello, to be greeted with a look of in consequence, or who the hell are you expressions. Those that do speak look away as they say hi and walk faster. In the early 90’s most people i knew in Taoyuan always said hello to each other, but in other cities and as time progressed much more ignoring took place.
Glad it isnt just my observation, and the idea that your breaking into their dream bubble of importance might well be the answer. I did think it might be an American thing of not greeting people on the street, but from what I have heard recently, people no longer say hi on the street these days either. Perhaps the world has changed and saying hello in public has become an issue?
I don’t think it’s a worldwide issue, I think it’s a strange phenomenon in certain places.
Actually, I remember the opposite happening our first year in 'Wan. My husband and I had been in Taiwan for about 4 months and hadn’t really met any foreigners yet by that point (living in a small city in the south). We were in Carrefour and a Brit walked up. He could hear my husband’s accent and immediately came up and chatted with us excitedly because he was also a Brit and was new and hadn’t met anyone yet either. He ended up becoming a good friend and coming around to our place every weekend.
Our first year in Taiwan, we used to meet other foreigners randomly in Carrefour and in other places, but after a while as more and more foreigners started filtering into the city we were in, I noticed a decline in friendliness. Strange.
Well I wouldn’t ignore you! I’d ask where you’re from, how long you’ve been here, are you teaching English? No? Something else? WOW! How cool is THAT! Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Are you married? How much do you earn? Would you like to join our church? Where did you get those shoes? How much is your rent? What’s your favourite pizza topping? Did you know you can get sour cream in Carrefour? AND creme fraiche? Do you have tattoos? Do you have to cover them up for work? Is your name Ed? No? You sure do LOOK like an Ed. D’you mind if I call you Ed? Have you been to Gongguan? It’s way cool! Look! Up there! That’s called a drongo. They’ll attack you if they have a nest nearby. It’s tunghhua blossom season. Have you been?
Yes, if you nod to me in the street, for sure I’ll reply. 
I normally greet people when I walk on the street when it’s obvious that I’m on my way somewhere and there is no danger of it becoming more than just a friendly greeting to a fellow human being. However, a greeting in a place like Starbucks, can be potentially hazardous.
In a restaurant or coffee shop, greeting somebody back can sometimes be seen as an invitation to come over and start a conversation. I find it much more effective in those settings to just avoid eye contact. However, if I do like to make contact, I would return the greeting.
I’ve had too many cases of having to tell somebody that I would actually just prefer to read my newspaper and eat my scone on my own. Then they act as if I am the one who has offended them, and spend the rest of the time in the coffee shop sitting at another table flashing angry looks, or making loud comments about me to their companions.
A greeting in a public place should be just that…a greeting. Please don’t make any other moves unless the person shows with his or her body language that they are interested in something more, e.g. maintaining friendly eye contact after the greeting, or running their their tongues over their lips while rubbing their breasts.
[quote=“TaiwanPsycho”]I hate it when other foreigners be snobs. I said “Hey guys” and gave a little wave as I walked past a couple of foreigners today, and all they did was look at me for half a second, if that!
SNOBS :fume:[/quote]
They might have been East Europeans or Russians who didn’t understand “Hey guys.” 
I like to greet people but sometimes it’s hard to tell if their station is up to mine. You can’t tell about class and breeding just by looking. I thought I saw Funk500 in the MRT once, but I wasn’t sure.
Some foreigners are living and floating on a different cultural cloud … they are afraid of falling off when responding to nod and wave of a more earthly type of foreigner …
[quote=“sandman”]Well I wouldn’t ignore you! I’d ask where you’re from, how long you’ve been here, are you teaching English? No? Something else? WOW! How cool is THAT! Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Are you married? How much do you earn? Would you like to join our church? Where did you get those shoes? How much is your rent? What’s your favourite pizza topping? Did you know you can get sour cream in Carrefour? AND creme fraiche? Do you have tattoos? Do you have to cover them up for work? Is your name Ed? No? You sure do LOOK like an Ed. D’you mind if I call you Ed? Have you been to Gongguan? It’s way cool! Look! Up there! That’s called a drongo. They’ll attack you if they have a nest nearby. It’s tunghhua blossom season. Have you been?
Yes, if you nod to me in the street, for sure I’ll reply. [/quote]
Now this an example of floating on another cultural cloud … a Scottish one fixed to Taiwan reality somehow …
[quote=“twonavels”]…
I’ve had too many cases of having to tell somebody that I would actually just prefer to read my newspaper and eat my scone on my own. Then they act as if I am the one who has offended them, and spend the rest of the time in the coffee shop sitting at another table flashing angry looks, or making loud comments about me to their companions.
…[/quote]
Last time I met a foreigner he ended up eating my scone and took my newspaper after we finished our nice friendly conversation … it wasn’t you by any chance, taking revenge for me keeping you off you’re coffee shop ritual …