Overall, Taiwan is a cool place but man stuff is getting to me
1-Foremost, I like to dress nicely and as much as it sounds a bit grandiouse I like to keep up with Trends. Taiwan has the worst fashion sense known to mankind. Literally, you can combine modern Japanese fashion, cheap end walmart garment and half-assed design work-and BAM you got Taiwan fashion. It kinda sucks because I had to shop for new clothes today-total pain in the ass. Probably gonna save up some cash and go to HK or BKK and buy as much clothes as I can.
2-The logic of laws here. Read in the Taiwan papers a few weeks ago that if a person kills someone recklessly on the roads they get 5 years in prison yet if they are drunk it’s only two years. Logic being that it’s more serious that you’re not drunk because you are aware of what’s going on around you-basically an insanity plea. So if you drive recklessly, go get drunk when you kill someone you get less time
3-Little stuff-people walking slowly and not aware of others around them, people only wanting to speak English with me, isolation
Taiwan has it’s positives, but man the negatives kill me sometimes
I’ve been trying to figure out for years whether Taiwanese people who bump into, push past, and cut in line in front of others don’t actually see the other person, or simply choose not to care. I don’t get too worked up over it, but it is still somewhat of an irritant, this pervasive lack of spatial awareness and “Me first!” attitude. In Taiwan, you either learn to live with it or spend your days unhappy about it.
I don’t see much of a logical thinking problem, but then I tend to agree with Harlan Ellison’s assessment of the cognitive skills of most human beings, so I set the bar very, very low. Certainly, penalties against drunk drivers are far too light.
For clothes, you’ve got to find a few outlets that offer imported clothing at a discount. I’ve found a few shops in Tianmu that offer inexpensive, name-brand clothing from the homeland, and in sizes that fit a tall person like myself. Nautica, Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, etc. I don’t know the name of the street, but one of my favorite shops is on a main drag in Tianmu, near the California Fitness Center. What other people choose to wear doesn’t bother me much–I’d disappointed if there weren’t some folks walking around in Japanese-inspired get-ups worthy of a chuckle or two.
Bah! You guys need to take a holiday in HK. To give you some indication, Taiwanese are generally shocked at the how rude the stumply legged crowd containers are here.
But don’t come to HK for treads, far better to go to Bangkok where at least they have taste.
Oh ya. This burns my butt too. Please be aware of more than just yourself on the sidewalk, or road. Argh!!!:fume:[/quote]
Another “oh ya” here. People ambling slowly side by side down the sidewalk, then suddenly stopping or changing direction as you attempt to pass them. The only way to pass them is to crawl over some parked scooters and walk in the street. Grrrrr…
And when people approach an escalator seemingly with the intent to get on, then stop or suddenly turn around when I’m right on their heels. This happens a lot!They’re lucky I haven’t crashed into them yet, but one day I might.
As for fashion, as someone who has zero fashion sense whatsoever I find it great that people here are poorly dressed because it makes whatever crappy thing I’m wearing look cool. Plus, what other people wear doesn’t bother me one bit - if they’re wearing something that makes them look stupid, that’s their right and not my problem.
I think it goes beyond a lack of spatial awareness. I think there’s a pervasive lack of self-awareness. A while back, my sister-in-law was eating while the food in her mouth was visibly going around and around like a washing machine. I found an opening in the conversation and started talking about how V and I had to actually teach the kids on our summer tour to eat with their mouths closed and not to talk with their mouths full of food. Her reaction? “Oh, myabgh Goawghd - tharghsh awfugggl” Mouth wide open and full of food and she didn’t skip a beat.
I think it goes beyond a lack of spatial awareness. I think there’s a pervasive lack of self-awareness. A while back, my sister-in-law was eating while the food in her mouth was visibly going around and around like a washing machine. I found an opening in the conversation and started talking about how V and I had to actually teach the kids on our summer tour to eat with their mouths closed and not to talk with their mouths full of food. Her reaction? “Oh, myabgh Goawghd - tharghsh awfugggl” Mouth wide open and full of food and she didn’t skip a beat.[/quote]
I think that’s an example of the lack of ability in connecting known facts together. For example, ask any road-user in Taiwan (with a straight face) if the roads are crowded or busy. 100% will moan about how busy the roads are, how congested it is, how dangerous it is out there, and so on. The next time they operated a vehicle they will still behave as if they are the only one on the road, pull out onto busy streets or change lanes without looking first, etc. etc. Simply ‘knowing’ something doesn’t necessarily make it register as important enough to require a change in habits.
I honestly think that people see you there, standing in a queue, walking beside them or whatever. They just don’t connect that with what they are doing, and therefore cannot foresee the consequences of the one on the other.
Then it must be Japanese faults.
Taiwanese follow their fashion most.
But how about yours to us?better? [/quote]
Well I’m not that internet savvy so I can’t find pics to prove my point, if only I had this mag with the basic TW look, OMG I wanted to puke looking at it…With words I’ll tell ya, For men or women pants that look decent but have like a strange badly drawn flower or animal on them, Clothes that do not fit properly even on the locals, and women wear clothes like they are literally out of a fairy tale…Maybe I’m being cultural relativistic but to me TW fashion is like an amatuer artist trying to do modern art and failing miserably at it due to the fact that he/she has a lot to learn aesthetic wise-it’s just off…Note I like Japanese fashion but with them it’s like they had good artist doing good modern art.
I guess though you are right, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
On the fashion topic, I can’t stand how many of the local female broadcasters on the evening news reports wear the ugliest, most stupid looking blouses in the world. Bows, frilly shit, weird high collars from the Henry the VIII days, ruffles, it’s just atrocious. I can’t believe they are dressed up that way to go on the evening news. Someone actually thinks this looks good.
I guess it doesn’t frustrate me, but it irks me big time.
Ahhh…I think I may have some hint on this Taiwan fashion thing…
A lot of it has to do with the Taiwan female being faced with a dilemma - Fashion vs Sunshine.
They want to follow the dictates of fashion and a lot of this “fashin” emphasizes showing a lot of skin…short shorts, bare arms, short skirts, etc.
But, they are also told to not get a tan…“Dark Skin is Taboo!”…so whats girl to do?
She wears stupid looking black stockings that are too short or black leggings that only cover her lower legs…or funny looking ‘arm leggings’, or clothes on backwards.
Tuff problem.
Add to this the Taiwan male fragile juvenile ego and the weird rules that says it good to look like a 12 year old little girl while stocking your finger into your puffed out cheeks…it just gets weirder and weirder.
[quote=“James651”]Overall, Taiwan is a cool place but man stuff is getting to me
1-Foremost, I like to dress nicely and as much as it sounds a bit grandiouse I like to keep up with Trends. Taiwan has the worst fashion sense known to mankind. Literally, you can combine modern Japanese fashion, cheap end walmart garment and half-assed design work-and BAM you got Taiwan fashion. It kinda sucks because I had to shop for new clothes today-total pain in the ass. Probably gonna save up some cash and go to HK or BKK and buy as much clothes as I can.
2-The logic of laws here. Read in the Taiwan papers a few weeks ago that if a person kills someone recklessly on the roads they get 5 years in prison yet if they are drunk it’s only two years. Logic being that it’s more serious that you’re not drunk because you are aware of what’s going on around you-basically an insanity plea. So if you drive recklessly, go get drunk when you kill someone you get less time
3-Little stuff-people walking slowly and not aware of others around them, people only wanting to speak English with me, isolation
Taiwan has it’s positives, but man the negatives kill me sometimes[/quote]
I certainly can relate. Lately there has been more WTF are you doing days than not.
I often do the “Happy Gilmore thing” and think of happy thoughts.
When it comes to rude/unaccepable social behaviour, most people know no other way.
It’s what have learned to since they were 6 mo old riding hemeltless with the rest of the five family members on grandpa’s scooter.
[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Ahhh…I think I may have some hint on this Taiwan fashion thing…
A lot of it has to do with the Taiwan female being faced with a dilemma - Fashion vs Sunshine.
They want to follow the dictates of fashion and a lot of this “fashin” emphasizes showing a lot of skin…short shorts, bare arms, short skirts, etc.
But, they are also told to not get a tan…“Dark Skin is Taboo!”…so whats girl to do?
She wears stupid looking black stockings that are too short or black leggings that only cover her lower legs…or funny looking ‘arm leggings’, or clothes on backwards.
Tuff problem.
Add to this the Taiwan male fragile juvenile ego and the weird rules that says it good to look like a 12 year old little girl while stocking your finger into your puffed out cheeks…it just gets weirder and weirder.[/quote]
Very valid points. I also think the local perceptions of what is ‘cute’ explain alot about social choices in this country, fashion included. Factor in a loathing at straying from the herd and it’s a self-actuating process.
Not that I know a damn thing about fashion. One of the reasons I like this place IS the fact that one can dress in any absolutely horrendous clashing style at any time of the day or night.
So I was in line for food today when this 20 year old guy 1 foot short then me cuts in front of me. I tap him on the shoulder, and while towering over him I pointed for him to get behind me. It works and I was happy.
