i can name thousands of small us companies that suck and would never succeed internationally. what does that prove, exactly? how many successful korean companies can you name besides the big conglomerates?
how many small businesses in germany are all that successful or well-known?
Mod lang I agree completely with you, many countries and regions have benefited from being colonies of more advanced countries, Singapore and Hong Kong comes to mind, and hell, even U.S. was once a colony of the British. But I still find it offensive that someone would suggest that Taiwan, at this point in time, is only fit to be a colony.
Well, large swathes of the smaller companies here are mickey mouse operations, who would find it hard to survive in the US.
[quote=“Flipper”]I can name thousands of small us companies that suck and would never succeed internationally. what does that prove, exactly? how many successful Korean companies can you name besides the big conglomerates?
how many small businesses in Germany are all that successful or well-known?[/quote]
Even large companies in Canada are having a difficult time competing globally. Molsons, our biggest brewer recently had to merge with a larger US brewer to remain competitive.
Young Taiwanese companies are being asked to compete in a playing field that even older western firms are having difficulty adjusting to. Why are you surprised that many are doing a poor job? Look at how poorly US auto makers responded to the Japanese imports in the 70’s. They almost went belly up. Ford was almost destroyed but it restructured itself and made a spectacular comeback. Not every company was as successful. Would you conclude that the workers and management of these failing firms deserve to be colonized?
Besides, since when has economic success been a hallmark or a pre-requiste to sovereignty? I started a business once and it ran rather poorly. Do I thereby forfeit rights that Mr He, a more successful manager, gets to keep? Of course not.
That said, I know exactly Mr He’s frustration. Sometimes you just want progress to happen a little faster.
Perhaps Taiwan should join up with some major world power, so the Taiwanese people could learn to get their act together … become a colony of the USA perhaps …
It would not be difficult to do … according to all the talk I hear around Washington, D. C. these days … and the first step would be for the Taiwanese to discard the ridiculous notion that they have any “relationship” to China … in fact I suggest that the Taiwanese distance themselves (politically, socially, legally, etc.) as far away from China as possible, so that they won’t get hurt by the upcoming China meltdown !!!
[quote]Falcon Wrote: Perhaps Taiwan should join up with some major world power, so the Taiwanese people could learn to get their act together … become a colony of the USA perhaps …
It would not be difficult to do … according to all the talk I hear around Washington, D. C. these days … and the first step would be for the Taiwanese to discard the ridiculous notion that they have any “relationship” to China … in fact I suggest that the Taiwanese distance themselves (politically, socially, legally, etc.) as far away from China as possible, so that they won’t get hurt by the upcoming China meltdown !!![/quote]
Unfortunately, China is now Taiwan’s largest export market and (the situation is not vice versa). It would take enormous will power or self control for Taiwan to “ween” itself off China- even if China promised no arm retaliation. I think the US should just protect the people of Taiwan by offering US passports to anyone willing to become a citizen of its “colony” -first step.
Next step, negotiation for the land to live or a sub-region can begin. Without the passports or US citizenship, the traiwanese are really in no position to negotiate. They will be too afraid to distance themselves sufficiently.
Third step, China should just treat all such green card holders as overseas Chinese or foreigners. The Taiwan colony or 53 state of US can officially begin when all the passport has been issue.
This plan is actually quite good because it will probably avert a war.
Taiwanese foreigners (holding green cards) will continue to invest in
China and China benefits from no sudden withdrawal of investment.
All those loyal to the US colony should gradually divert all their investments away from China, distance themselves from Chinse/Mainland culture etc…
The argument appears to be that Taiwan has lot ofcompanies that produce crappy products and offer lousy service; therefore Taiwan is not fit to be an independent nation.
Anyone ever own a British car or motorcycle from the 60s/70s? Have to deal with Lucas electrics?
Now there’s an argument for colonialisation
pw1.netcom.com/~krk/lotus/humor/lucasjokes.html
Lucas Electric Humor
Lots of Trouble Usually Serious (LOTUS)
Ah Jaysus, Start ! (AJS motorbikes)
And so on.
It appears there is some light at the end of the tunnel. After decades of making things invented by foreigners, Taiwan may be starting to invent, design, and develop its own stuff. If this is the case, then bravo. Slogans like “Innovalue” and “It’s very well made in Taiwan” appear to me to be almost self-parody.
Perhaps Taiwan should join up with some major world power, so the Taiwanese people could learn to get their act together … become a colony of the USA perhaps …
!!![/quote]
Hmmm sounds good, we should all learn to eat mayonaise sandwhiches, live in trailer parks and drop our IQs just a tad. Once we have accomplished that, cousins should marry and live in the countryside where city folk will refer to them as “hicks”. Then we should put people of darker skin through a period of discrimination so that they may find their cultural identity, live in debt and give children guns for school :loco: Wow, only if we had seen this from the start…
Which would be different from Taiwanese Joe Betelnut’s current existence exactly how?
Oh, right. They eat fried rice and chicken feet, not mayonnaise sandwiches.
They live in grotty overcrowded apartment blocks, not trailer parks.
Not as many guns. But a heck of a lot more gangsters (hei dao) on this island.
The oppressed people of darker skin are ethnically Malay-Polynesian, not of African origin.
What is the Chinese term for “hick”, btw?
台客, I think
In mandarin it is “tou” 3rd tone. Means earth. Sorry, my pinyin is terrible. Mr. He, I understand “Tai ke” as you’ve written, carries a similar meaning.
In Taiwanese it is “song biao biao”
[quote=“mod lang”]
What is the Chinese term for “hick”, btw?[/quote]
土包子
In Taiwanese you can also use “Huanna”, though they used to reserve that as a racial slur for aborigines. You might want to be sure you’re aiming it at a Minnanese… 
Xiang ba lao
The oppressed people of darker skin are ethnically Malay-Polynesian, not of African origin.
What is the Chinese term for “hick”, btw?[/quote]
Hmmm Malay-Polynesians were never barred from schools or public facilities by law.
And the Chinese term for a “hick” = “Si ah do wa!” ( had to compromise a bit with Taiwanese)
I always thought Chen Shui-Bian was the Chinese term for hick. 
Hey Mr. He, how many companies have you had dealings with? You are over-generalizing. One butthole company passing off crap products on some US company that hired you to sort it out. Must be some big customer.
You know the Taiwanese could make it spot on perfect, but they learned how to cut corners from the best of them, the USA. The USA is all about cutting costs and marketing with big $$$ cheap crap products as if they were the best in the world.
Most of the buyers in the USA and elsewhere just keep pushing the Taiwanese to give them a cheaper price. The quality has to give out somewhere.
Anyway, again, I want to stress the Taiwanese could make things perfect, but they choose to get rich quick. I guess when you might be invaded any day by a million brain washed goosestepping Commies it tends to make you think about the short term not the long term!
If they were no longer threatened by the corrupt gangster thug Commies in Beijing, then things might change.
No, the only truly screwed up company I have dealt with here was my former employer. I now avoid shitty suppliers like the plague, and I have learned what to look out for.
What I deal in is something, where the quality is very important, and well… i have to spend my time making sure the product is perfect, as the producers have been conditioned into starting trying to make it cheap. I deal in quality, my prices are competitive, but I would rather bow out of a possible than cut corners on the quality. I will happily go in details as to why I don’t like dealing with people only shopping on price, but not here.
[quote=“Hobart”] You know the Taiwanese could make it spot on perfect, but they learned how to cut corners from the best of them, the USA. The USA is all about cutting costs and marketing with big $$$ cheap crap products as if they were the best in the world.
Most of the buyers in the USA and elsewhere just keep pushing the Taiwanese to give them a cheaper price. The quality has to give out somewhere. [/quote]
They can, if you are willing to work with them and you stress that you need a quality product.
[quote=“Hobart”]Anyway, again, I want to stress the Taiwanese could make things perfect, but they choose to get rich quick. I guess when you might be invaded any day by a million brain washed goosestepping Commies it tends to make you think about the short term not the long term!
If they were no longer threatened by the corrupt gangster thug Commies in Beijing, then things might change.[/quote]
There are producers here you can force into making top quality. Some of them are even interested in doing so, as long as you don’t push them too hard on the price at the same time. I am very often impressed by them on that count.
Kedge was a rotten apple, and while there’s a fair amount in this particular barrel, then I would like to stress that there’s a few good ones as well.
Sorry, way off-topic, but “Huanna” means ‘savages’ and is the only Taiwanese (Hokkien) word for Aborigines.
Brian
Sorry, way off-topic, but “Huanna” means ‘savages’ and is the only Taiwanese (Hokkien) word for Aborigines.
Brian[/quote]
You could also say soa dei lang or lai soa lang.