Is there any racial/ethnic diversity amoungst us foreigners! It would be interesting to know.
I am Caucasian
African American or African Canadian
South East Asian (or of decent)
Aboriginal, Native Indian
Arab, or of Middle Eastern decent
South American, Latino
South Asian, or of decent
Once again I’m the “other”, damn it!
I’m all mixed up!
0voters
I will soon be arriving in Taiwan to start teaching. I come from a multicultural and diverse city (Toronto), where staring and pointing out “the other” is not common (as I’ve heard happens in Taiwan and other countries). For example, I know that in Korea, anyone who is black, is automatically assumed to be affiliated with the US army; If you are white, you must be an english teacher; If you don’t look conservative enough, you won’t be given the time of day.
Are there any similarities or stereotypes that exist in Taiwan that I should expect to encounter? Lets just assume that I may stick out.
If you don’t look like you could be Chinese, you will be stared at, you will be pointed at (usually by children), you will get embarrassed giggles and whispers of “A foreigner!”
Unless you could pass as Southeast Asian, in which case you’ll get dirty looks if any, most likely.
If you look Southeast Asian, they’ll assume you’re either a laborer or domestic help; if you’re white, you’re an English teacher or a student studying Chinese; I don’t know what stereotypes black and hispanic people get.
[quote]If you don’t look conservative enough, you won’t be given the time of day.
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Fortunately the society is diverse enough that there is no longer any one standard. From a man’s perspective, I’ve found women in their late twenties and thirties mostly prefer a man with short hair and a clean cut style. He does not necessarily have to have a lot of money as many Taiwanese are not materialistic. Younger women vary more and may like either the clean cut or the shaggy surfer, the scholar or the rebel.
People in the 40’s and 50’s and 60’s can either be very curious and friendly to foreigners or hostile and suspicious. Some may appear suspicious until they get to know you or realize that your chinese girlfriend is not a whore (old stereotype form the 60’s and 70’s when almost any Taiwanese women who would be seen with a foreigner was in the sec trade).
What Testuo said is true in a general sense. You will be stared at, though not that much in Taipei. Also, if you can learn to walk about completely immersed in your own mental world, no one will pay any attention to you. It’s the vibes you give off as an outsider that attract attention here. (Okay the white or black or brown skin doesn’t hurt. )
I live in Taipei and hardly notice anyone staring at me simply because I look different. They generally stare at me because of the freakish things I do in public.
I was also warned about feeling like a zoo animal there, but I never noticed anyone staring or pointing at me. There are just so many foreigners in Taipei that even being blond and pregnant at the same time didn’t make me interesting enough for them.
I find the reactions I get vary quite a bit. I am about 6 feet tall, large build with a goat tee and scraggly almost-shoulder length darker blond hair. Kids always stare at me, especially in places like Chungli, where I work. Adults in their twenties, thirties, and forties often seem to think I look like a criminal or ruffian – on many occasions when I was going to ask someone politely to move their car for a moment so I can get into my garage, as soon as I step out of the car they begin apologizing and move their vehicle without saying a word. As for the elderly, they often strike up conversations with me in Mandarin or ask me to help them with a chore, such as carrying out their trash on my way out to the street.
A little OT, but I remember going to the Taipei zoo back in 1996 and having the kids spend more time staring at me than the animals. That was uncomfortable…
Well, once you get used to it… The Locals living up here on the hill got used to the big noses a long time ago, so you stick out just as much as a polar fox on an ice shelf.
Children will sometimes remark on your exterior down in town, but not that often, I can walk in peace.
[quote]mod lang wrote:
Mucha (Muzha) (Muzha) (Muzha) Man wrote:
He does not necessarily have to have a lot of money as many Taiwanese are not materialistic.
BLQ wrote:
Cheers[/quote]
Since two now have posted ambiguous reactions to this sentence can one of you explain what it is your smilie is trying to say?
Don’t mean to nitpick but I honestly can’t vote in this one!
I honestly don’t think that caucasian is an ethnicity. I’m not even sure it’s a race (if there is such a thing), except in the minds of those who are not thought of as being, or think of themselves as, caucasian.
And most people in Spain or Italy, would they be caucasian or latino? Most from the Middle East, are they not caucasian too?
And no space for ‘foreigners’ of East Asian ethnicity?
I’m not being deliberately obtuse, I just don’t see any logic to the system of classification.
[quote=“kategelan”]Don’t mean to nitpick but I honestly can’t vote in this one!
I honestly don’t think that caucasian is an ethnicity. I’m not even sure it’s a race (if there is such a thing), except in the minds of those who are not thought of as being, or think of themselves as, caucasian.
And most people in Spain or Italy, would they be caucasian or latino? Most from the Middle East, are they not caucasian too?
And no space for ‘foreigners’ of East Asian ethnicity?
I’m not being deliberately obtuse, I just don’t see any logic to the system of classification.[/quote]
I like to split fine intellectual hairs as much as the next person, but I don’t think that’s the best measurement of this concept. Just watch the reactions of most of the locals to caucasians. They clearly see a distinction, whether logical or not, and they respond to it. That common, de facto classification, rather than the encyclopedic one, is what affects new people trying to understand and adapt here.
[quote=“kategelan”]Don’t mean to nitpick but I honestly can’t vote in this one!
I honestly don’t think that caucasian is an ethnicity. I’m not even sure it’s a race (if there is such a thing), except in the minds of those who are not thought of as being, or think of themselves as, caucasian.[/quote]
Would you rather he put “White”, “Black”, “Yellow”, etc.?
[quote=“Tetsuo”][quote=“kategelan”]Don’t mean to nitpick but I honestly can’t vote in this one!
I honestly don’t think that caucasian is an ethnicity. I’m not even sure it’s a race (if there is such a thing), except in the minds of those who are not thought of as being, or think of themselves as, caucasian.[/quote]
Would you rather he put “White”, “Black”, “Yellow”, etc.?[/quote]
Yes, I would! Then I’d know what to answer! Or else list a couple of continents and sub-continents to choose from…
Either you want to count that dubious quality called 'race’or you want to count ‘ethnicity’.
There’s a category confusion at the heart of the options offered! If it had said white / black /brown / yellow / etc I’d know what was being asked! I’m not sure I believe in ‘race’, but I could have a stab at answering!
One person’s intellectual hair splitting is another’s genuine puzzlement!
I don’t deny locals differing reactions based on skin tone / nose size / propensity to beer belly / etc :s But it’s scarcely how I identify myself!
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