It would simply mean he’s being polite and trying to save you face on account of your mother-in-law being with you and insulting him constantly in Mandarin.
Uh huh. Yes. Uh huh. My point exactry!
But then again, after today I have the answer:
The people here are just EFFIN RUDE!
This might not happen in urban USA, like LA or NYC. But that’s because the population is exposed to internationalism due the diversity.
But go to rural USA and it happens more often than not.
This might not happen in urban USA, like LA or NYC. But that’s because the population is exposed to internationalism due the diversity.
But go to rural USA and it happens more often than not.[/quote]
No AC, this doesn’t happen in rural America at all. Rural Americans don’t speak foreign languages. 
It would simply mean he’s being polite and trying to save you face on account of your mother-in-law being with you and insulting him constantly in Mandarin.[/quote]
LOL. Good one. 
[quote=“Buttercup”]Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but you CAN’T approach strangers in that way in my country. If you yap at a stranger in the street, the reaction will be fairly hostile.
[/quote]
Aw, you’ll get to miss it after you leave Taiwan. You get used to (in your own turn) being able to strike up a conversation with absolutely anyone you please, anywhere, any time. Mighty cold place, the US of A, in terms of friendly conversation or interactions in general.
[quote=“ac_dropout”]
This might not happen in urban USA, like LA or NYC. But that’s because the population is exposed to internationalism due the diversity.
But go to rural USA and it happens more often than not.[/quote]
Well I’m not in rural Taiwan. I’m in Taipei. Which is about as urban as Taiwan gets. So the comparison doesn’t stand.
Neither does basing what’s rude in a Taiwanese person on your own personal culture of rude. While it’s probably not considered polite in Taiwanese society, the issue of language choice is far less “marked” in Taiwanese culture (and Chinese culture). People seem to have no problem whatsoever with someone speaking a language they do not understand right in front of them, or doing so to others. I think that, especially in mainland China, there has traditionally been so much misunderstanding of spoken language because of the dialectical differences (even within a few miles in China, sometimes) that people just couldn’t afford to get steamed about it. And from that we get an entirely different sense of what is “offensive” and what is not regarding language.
Anyway, I don’t believe this situation you’re talking about is one of deliberately trying to cause offense…it’s just a very common phenomenon, well documented in the social sciences, about group membership/attribution. The visual channel is very strong. There have even been studies showing that people gave different ratings of recorded passages depending on which pictures they were shown of the “speakers”. So you can get upset all you want, and rail that people are being rude, but you’re kinda fighting City Hall on this one. It’s not just Taiwanese by a long shot.
This phenomenon is clearly a Metro Taipei thing. Move outside of Taipei, where far fewer people have passable English abilities, and the problem will vanish.
Uh huh. Yes. Uh huh. My point exactry!
But then again, after today I have the answer:
The people here are just EFFIN RUDE![/quote]
:bravo: Generalizations, so fun to hear
I’ve said it over and over again, but you guys just don’t listen!
Taiwan’s mental health system is very lacking. There are retarted people everywhere, and you can’t always identify them. Retarted people need your sympathy, not your contempt!
Say something funny like, “I can’t speak English. Pee Pee Poo Poo!” and just watch their face light up!