Then why ask whether all of Taiwanese culture is yellow trash? The thread title “could TWese culture be defined as “yellow trash”?” paints with as broad a brush as is possible.
[quote=“Dangermouse”]I think theposter is not trying to paint everyone who is Taiwanese with the same brush here, but merely trying to identify the parallel of what he considers to be “white trash” back home in the US.
I don’t believe his posts are hate filled either. There are some nasty scrotes in Taiwan. If one can feel free to label a group of people “white trash” in the US, then why not 'yellow trash" in Taiwan if they mirror the kind of people theposter is talking about?
It seems we spend most of our time pussy-footing around trying not to offend other cultures, but we feel free to offend ourselves and aspects of our culture.
White trash is a widely accepted term and while derogatory, refers to a category within society who exist with certain traits, habits and dare I say, culture.
Why should the same not hold true in Taiwan?[/quote]
Then thread title should reflect theposters itentions more closely, non?
Both expressions are ignorant, abusive, insulting…
Yep - perhaps I didn’t really apply the thread title once I had read all the posts on the matter. The thread title is the obvious giveaway so I stand corrected.
Are you sure you have succeeded? Mentally, that is? Of course, I don’t mean to imply anything about you. No, no, that’s not my intention at all.
I ask with a question rather than a statement, then backpedal claiming innocence, because that’s the game you’re playing with your thread title – raising ugly, hateful notions (as usual just like under your previous handle) but cloaking them in question form and then backpedaling in the text of your post (“just want some definitions and opinions. pains me to ask this question. no hatred here.”).
Pains you to ask. Yeah, how stupid do we look?
We can all see through this game, I should hope. 
If it smells like a fish…
Are you sure you have succeeded? Mentally, that is? Of course, I don’t mean to imply anything about you. No, no, that’s not my intention at all.
I ask with a question rather than a statement, then backpedal claiming innocence, because that’s the game you’re playing with your thread title – raising ugly, hateful notions (as usual just like under your previous handle) but cloaking them in question form and then backpedaling in the text of your post (“just want some definitions and opinions. pains me to ask this question. no hatred here.”).
Pains you to ask. Yeah, how stupid do we look?
We can all see through this game, I should hope. If it smells like a fish…[/quote]
It stinks so rancid that it could be compared with a Shanghai hooker the day after a gangbang.
I am going to have to add (and likely get flamed for) that if you wish people to think of you as a higher class, work on your typing.
Bad punctuation and grammar from a native speaker are tell-tale signs of lack of education. Lack of education is a tell-tale sign of lower class. (Or as you would put it, “Trash”). It reads like someone who writes “yer stoopid”.
Also, your anger issues tend to be not all that classy looking.
In other words, maybe the reason it bothers you so much is that it reminds you of something you fear in yourself.
[quote=“Dangermouse”]I think theposter is not trying to paint everyone who is Taiwanese with the same brush here, but merely trying to identify the parallel of what he considers to be “white trash” back home in the US.
I don’t believe his posts are hate filled either. There are some nasty scrotes in Taiwan. If one can feel free to label a group of people “white trash” in the US, then why not 'yellow trash" in Taiwan if they mirror the kind of people theposter is talking about?
It seems we spend most of our time pussy-footing around trying not to offend other cultures, but we feel free to offend ourselves and aspects of our culture.
White trash is a widely accepted term and while derogatory, refers to a category within society who exist with certain traits, habits and dare I say, culture.
Why should the same not hold true in Taiwan?[/quote]
I disagree. I might talk about some of my family members like something awful (even my bitchy older cousin), but I will not tolerate the same sentiments coming from someone outside my family. I don’t see anything wrong with that. It’s not a matter of sensitivity. It’s more like, “Who do you think you are to be talking about someone you don’t know that well?”
Some people here live in serious culture bubbles and only gleam a few things from the local culture. If they choose to seek the negative, they shouldn’t be surprised when their bubbles are burst.
The Simpsons and South Park are yellow trash. (Except for Apu and Chef.)
BFD. People here use the phrase “white trash” all the time. That seems to be ok.
Yes but to say the entire culture is yellowtrash is beyond the pale of ignorance.
I don’t see anyone saying every white American in Taiwan is white trash.
first of all, i wasn’t fighting in public. i was quietly arguing with her and she thru showing the dissatisfied look on her face,… anyway. okay, as i remember it was more like 3 people but still.
look at the tai-ke attitude: i dress this way, talk loud, drive my motorcycle the way i do, and that’s called a point of pride, not a shame. just like white trash bragging about how much beer they drink on saturday night.
i think i see clearly that white trash are fair targets but yellow trash is not. how about "cha bu douh"ism? how about getting 5 people to hit one person? what kind of monkey culture takes 5 on 1? it’s just like a bunch of monkey’s jumping on a smaller one.
all of you will change your minds once you’ve been beaten like that.
what i’m trying to expressin my posts is this. i endured hatred from white trash. i was called a “chink lover” for hanging around taiwanese people and helping them. i worked for 3 years in china town and was considered a loser for that too. i immersed myself in as much of chinese culture as i could while still trying to keep who i am. now i come to taiwan and find that my life may have been for naught. should i have just stayed in white trash culture and been one of them? if i can’t succeed in taiwan because of tai ke ism, then what’s left? what do i have to go back to? maybe go to LA? yeah maybe. i’m open to anything. but i rather like living here dispite the problems. i rather love the Twese people dispite a lot of things. sometimes those who love the most say the hardest things. don’t you guys get that? are is your head stuck too far up your liberal asses to nitpick words rather than hear people’s heart?
what’s worse? white trash or yellow trash? i can’t decide i’m not saying that all taiwanese culture is YT though it looks like that from my title. should have said Tai ke. but you nit pickers could have tried to understand my INTENT.
[quote]
are is your head stuck too far up your liberal asses to nitpick words rather than hear people’s heart?[/quote]
My arse are is up my liberal ass if that means disagreeing with you.
Here is more of my word nitpicking:
i was quietly arguing with her
look at the tai-ke attitude (do you even know what “tai-ke” actually is?)
that’s called a point of pride
i think i see clearly that white trash are fair targets but yellow trash is not.
what kind of monkey culture takes 5 on 1?
it’s just like a bunch of monkey’s jumping on a smaller one.
all of you will change your minds once you’ve been beaten like that.
I will stop there before I get too personally involved.
Please forgive my name calling. With that said, my personal opinion is that you are a bigot. Please stop posting your hate messages here and yes, they are simple hate messages. You sound exactly like the skinheads in my old neighborhood preaching hate and supremacy blindly following Hitler’s political agenda. Please correct me if I am wrong, I hope that I am. One thing I love about Taiwan is that I have never met a Taiwanese that hates me becuase I am Jewish. It is a wonderful feeling.
I am not a grammar police poster or a pretentious teacher who hangs on every misspelled word one might make. It would be hypocrisy for me to do so (I make mistakes more often then not). However, with your prejudice attitude and your lack of open minded thinking, your communication skills and lack of grammar/spelling capabilities are are not helping you prove any points here.
Learn to express yourself at least in an acceptable level of social correctness to at least make some of us feel (at least me) that we can have a semi-intelligent conversation and hopefully respect each others views in the end.
So it’s mind reading you want, theposter? As my dear departed mother used to say “sleep with dogs, wake up with fleas.” All rather easy, don’t ya think?
HG
first of all to compare me to skinheads when i have sacrificed A GREAT DEAL FOR THE WELFARE OF CHINESE PEOPLE IN THE STATES IS A REAL INSULT AND THE HEIGHT OF STUPIDITY.
i have nothing against jews either. in fact i would LOVE, I REPEAT LOVE to take hebrew under a rabbi. but i hate how many jewish people try to put everything under the same light. skinheads. i’m really insulted. that kind of shit WILL make people hate jews if you’re just baiting people all the time.
i suggest you read Finklestien. he’s a Jew and he thinks Jew baiting sucks, as i do.
I should have known better. Every time I mention that I am Jewish, I get bigoted responses.
And I regrettably quote:
i hate how many Jewish people try to put everything under the same light.
that kind of shit WILL make people hate Jews if you’re just baiting people all the time.
he’s a Jew and he thinks Jew baiting sucks, as i do. (Jew baiting, that is a new one for me)
You would think I would have learned by now. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen, read, heard and felt the words hate and Jew in the same sentence or breath. I have been called every name in the book with Jewish undertones. I have been hated just from my appearance of looking like a Jew. Here, I will give you some material of things off the top of my head so you can at least have the correct spellings when throwing your hate my way:
“I hate your family because they possess too much wealth.”
“I hate you because you claim that you are the chosen people.”
“Everyone hates Jews because they killed Jesus.”
And my personal favorite,
“We hate Jews because they are an inferior race.”
The last statement is the reason I am talking to you now. From your postings, you seem to think that Taiwanese are an inferior race. I disagree.
Jewish people have always been a convenient group to single out and blame for everyone’s troubles. It is the same for Taiwanese people here.
You say you sacrificed a great deal for the welfare of the Chinese people in the states. What exactly have you sacrificed?
I have met more people with your mindset that talking about this subject is second nature like blinking or breathing. Some get educated and some do not.
are you not getting it my friend? i said i would LOVE to learn hebrew from a rabbi. did you not hear that?
i don’t hate you. nor do i hate the Twese people. what i am fighting against is tai ke ism and localisation, which i believe is ONE AND THE SAME AS THE NAZI YOUTH PROPAGANDA. taiwan is headed down a bad road with localisation and tai ke ism.
i am FIGHTING RACISM against foriegners. in this country, ALL OF US ARE JEWS. don’t you see that?
I guess I am not getting it. It is possible this particular issue hits to close to home for me. How about I try a different approach?
You say you want to rid Taiwan of “tai ke ism.” From my understanding, you clump tai ke ism and white trash together. Are you sure you even know what tai ke is? Are you sure you are using the right terminology? Do you know what you are fighting against?
I try to use positive reinforcement when I can to get a point across when I get in my proactive moods. For example, the last time I was proactive is when I bought 500 small helmets, threw them in a blue truck (yes I have access to a blue truck, don’t ask), had t-shirts made that said, “Mom, where is my helmet?” in Chinese and handed them out on Da-Ya road.
However, I actually saw one of my helmets thrown on the ground, kids without helmets still and people not taking my “hand-outs” (that is how I felt). I felt worse about doing a good thing then I felt better. To be honest, I have not been proactive in anything since, except giving good service at my restaurant and not overpricing my food just because I am a foreigner (shameless plug).
If you are genuine in your pursuit to bring positive things to this country, make sure you do not bite off more then you can chew and pick your battles wisely. I didn’t with the helmet charity (if you want to call it that).
“Yellow trash” culture does exist in Taiwan. Tai-ke is an important part of Taiwanese culture. Just like in the U.S., there are plenty of “white trash” and Jerry Springer trash culture is an important part of American culture. But to tar an entire nation with the same brush is going way over the line. Not all Taiwanese are binlang spitting, sandal and wifebeater wearing, pile four people without helmets on one scooter, pachinko parlor gambling, loud trash. Not all foreigners in Taiwan are drunk, lazy white trash drug addicts who couldn’t get a job or get laid back home. People like that exist but not everybody is like that and it’s stupid to say so.
theposter, I think it’s important to bring up two things about “white trash” before you change its color. First, it’s a slur - whether you feel it’s acceptable or not, to call someone “trash” is not a polite form of address (and recall that a great many racial epithets were at one time or another considered “acceptable”). You also might want to consider whether or not it’s appropriate to swap racial adjectives in a slur. For example, if you say yellow trash, then you might as well also say black trash, brown trash, and red trash – in which case, remember that while “black man” and “white man” are generally considered acceptable, it’s generally considered racist to call someone a “red man” or “yellow man.” Besides, if you want to talk about a group of “yellow” people, it would be broader than “tai ke,” right? I mean, you could also say there are Japanese, Korean, etc. “yellow trash,” right?
Another point. “White trash” is unique insofar as it constructs whiteness. Bear with me for a moment. Wiki mentions the socioeconomic dimension of the term’s “allegation of low social status and poor prospects (downward mobility).” They also add:
So it’s not only a bizarre marriage of racism and classism (in places, the usage is the acronym PWT, or poor white trash), but it also constructs “whiteness” by defining its Other. In other words, as opposed to trash, real whites have good manners, high moral standards, cultured behavior, and good education – plus they should have a nice house and car and 1.5 kids. Which begs the question. What is it about saying “white trash” that makes you feel good about your own whiteness? And are you trying to set up “yellow trash” against “yellows” or are you judging “yellow trash” against your own idealization of “white”?
I understand perfectly well that while your thread title lumps all Taiwanese under the umbrella of “yellow trash,” you try to limit it to “tai ke.” So I’m not going to bother blasting you for totalizing (even though you still haven’t edited your thread title). But I don’t see a point in translating “tai ke” into English as “yellow trash.” “Tai ke” is a fairly controversial term to begin with, and it inevitably has political overtones. For example, there are those who consider Taiwanese a low-class gutter language. There are also those who believe Taiwanese have “crude manners, abnormally low moral standards, and lack of cultured behavior and/or education” – but to judge like that, you’ve got to have a standard, and in Taiwan’s past the standard was “yes indeed, we are the great Chinese and all Taiwanese are worthless.” And that’s just the political dimension of your “yellows” versus “yellow trash” - you might as well face the fact that they’re never going to be white.
You purport to be building bridges, but it sounds to me like you’ve built a prison – and you’ve locked yourself inside.