Anyone else feel like Taiwanese are very inflexible people?
As in things need to be done a certain way, even if its bad/inefficient/not smart/inexplicable because they have always been done that way.
Some examples might be:
Forms, procedures, policies. For example some places insist on you using your personal chop (which can be made in any locksmith) while banks in other countries accept a passport and signature.
Everyone drives in the middle lane, even when the other lanes allow for traffic in the same direction
People road hog in the fast lane and stick to about 10kph below the speed limit. They wonât budge even if other drivers flash or honk them.
Happy to hear your stories, especially contrary ones if you have them.
Iâve started taking some private Mandarin classes and it has been my observation that it could be because language makes culture. The way you speak and write - down to the last stroke (which direction, what order) - are all done in a certain way. Therefore from the Taiwanese perspective, there is a âright wayâ to do things and they wonât change.
Thus I would posit that Chinese speakers in general could be ordered and inflexible in the way things are done because of the language.
There is a lot of this, though, as per your examples. Most people arenât paid to think, thinking too much will just get them into trouble. Not worth it.
Every language is perscriptive to some extent. For the stroke order, my understanding is it makes a difference when people write quickly and the strokes start to meld togetherâŚ
People in East Asian countries are generally trained to be cogs in a machine and to join the rat race from a very early age, I donât think this is news anymore.
Not sure what your rant is here, banks in Taiwan also accept a passport and signature.
I find most people try to drive in the left lane, rightmost lane is generally best for making progress.
There is no fast lane, if youâre referring to the overtaking lane then, yes, hogging it is a problem, as it is in many other countries. It is illegal to flash or honk at drivers though and far more likely to get you a ticket than driving below the maximum allowed speed.
Not my bank, as I discovered to my dismay a few days ago. I forgot to bring my stamp but had my passport. Couldnât do what I set out to do.
I heard that in the Taiwanese driving tests, there is no requirement for drivers to stay in the slower lanes unless overtaking, or to generally drive in such a manner as to not inconvenience other drivers.
And of course the fact that honking and flashing lights are illegal, means that effectively criticism of other driversâ skill or situational awareness is forbidden, and so people remain bad drivers.
Have you heard of anyone getting a ticket for honking or flashing lights?
do as romans do, pass them on the right. fuck it, drive like them if you want to survive mentally here. I stopped to care and get where I need to be faster.
So far only the post office is anal about this, every other bank allow you to use signature (bank of taiwan actually forbids foreigners to use their seals, they didnât let me use mine).
that would be a huge improvement
Employees are paid to do a job, not to think. Thinking if you are not the big boss leads to trouble.
What u r describing is not inflexibility
Itâs called formality (礟, lÇ) in Chinese culture or I should say confucianism which is the driving force in asian country
It put emphasis and teach people to be formal and follow a certain routine and discipline and habit always so for example my coworkers they all eat lunch at exact same time or take nap in same way, and I been seeing them do that for years now in my company. Everytime I go to work I see the same cleaner cleaning the same place at the same time every single day.
So this system of routine can be seen as very inflexible especially if u come form a country which focus more on spontaneity and adaptability.
Ability to use signature varies. More state owned banks like the post office absolutely insists on stamps. Commercial banks like chinatrust and such will accept signatures.
