Sadly many of the expats I meet in my travels are some type of substance abusers. It does not make for a whole lot of long term meaningful friendships.
:s
I can not think about anyone, but then I don’t consider thos who get shitfaced on alcohol during the weekend “White trash drug abusers”. Different standards maybe?
I have met the Westerners I know in Taiwan primarily through Forumosa, through the gym, and through work. I’d say I know 50 or so Westerners fairly well, and having passing acquantance with another few hundred.
The vast majority of those I have worked with and met at the gym are healthy, functioning human beings. I think one or two might enjoy the ocassional doobie.
The folks I’ve met in person through forumosa or some other social network tend to be very balanced people.
Sure, you hear about the drug addicts, the long-term overstayers, those who live outside the law, but you don’t really meet many of them.
I think maybe our boy Mordeth is either too cynical or hanging out with the wrong crowd.
A lot of the long termers here in the south that I have met are drug abusers. Many of them are very open about it, too…in front of their friends, their kids, other people’s kids…it’s actually very disturbing.
It should also be mentioned that these folks own cram schools here.
[quote=“Tomas”]I have met the Westerners I know in Taiwan primarily through Forumosa, through the gym, and through work. I’d say I know 50 or so Westerners fairly well, and having passing acquantance with another few hundred.
The vast majority of those I have worked with and met at the gym are healthy, functioning human beings. I think one or two might enjoy the ocassional doobie.
The folks I’ve met in person through forumosa or some other social network tend to be very balanced people.
Sure, you hear about the drug addicts, the long-term overstayers, those who live outside the law, but you don’t really meet many of them.
I think maybe our boy Mordeth is either too cynical or hanging out with the wrong crowd.[/quote]
These are interesting points IMO. If I lived in Taipei, I might have a different view on how many western people here are drug/alcohol abusers, etc…but living in a small area in the south where everyone knows everyone else and there isn’t much in the way of choosing a crowd, per se, you are thrown together with people who you wouldn’t necessarily normally hang out with if you were in a different living situation.
But, having such a wide mix of people thrown together who know each other quite well can be very interesting, even when it means socializing at the pub or at parties with those of “ill repute.”
I agree with Tomas. I wouldn’t categorize the western expat community as drug addicted white trash. I think very few individuals would fall into that category.
I can only think of Mordeth because he told us so himself. Then again, he also said he’s recovering and clean, so I suppose even he doesn’t really count.
A decade or so ago I knew one or two sad lost souls, but they’ve long since departed.
I also tend to choose pretty carefully who I associate with.
[quote=“sandman”]I can only think of Mordeth because he told us so himself. Then again, he also said he’s recovering and clean, so I suppose even he doesn’t really count.
A decade or so ago I knew one or two sad lost souls, but they’ve long since departed.
I also tend to choose pretty carefully who I associate with.[/quote]
I assume “associate” doesn’t include posting here…
ETA: And why is the Quote function all fucked up?? Don’t tell me, I know, the admin is drug-addicted white trash…
It is very easy to accuse someone of being white trash, whilst ignoring the criteria, or the fact you yourself may be white trash, too. So, I think it is a misnomer, most of the time, this expression. It’s like calling someone any name that is unpleasant, and usually, unfair. Not that there isn’t such a thing as white trash… But true white trash, in the sense of the hick-accented, poor, drunk and trailer-park-bound variety so common in America and the U.K., just simply do not really make it over here… So, it all comes back to using a word inappropriately… You may well be white trash, but not in the worst sense of the expression… So it makes voting in this poll a little difficult, perhaps impossible. I suggest you redo the poll, and make it into a drug use survery instead…
Drug use is a pretty clear and hard to refute category, which you either belong to, or do not belong to…
( P.S.:
It would be most interesting to survey the personality types who do come to Taiwan, and search for patterns of motivation: to determine, as it were, the underlying rationales that inspire individuals to persuade themselves to come here in the first place…: ie.: running away, starting over, finding oneself, escaping, etc… )
Any forienger over here who abuses drugs, could be a drug user. But never a ‘white trash’ drug user.
There are certain requirements to being white trash.
Must live in a government rented trailer or rented trailer
2)Must have Judge Judy or Jerry Springer to watch
3)Must have access to Blue ribbon beer
4)Must have dental problems
Opitional but is owner of a confederate flag
Nickname or name has to be bubba, jr, billy, bob, randy, or jimmy sally may
Have at least on pair of overalls
8)Access to snuff
9)Have a girlfriend that could compete with a sow
Has groped cousin on drunken occations
have a fine collection of country music of Johnny cash
…and in that context we try to find out what is the percieved reality.
How many could be considered white/black/yellow trash, and how many could be considered users, abusers or addicts of drugs could be polled seperatly. Here we are voting on the allegation that 50 or 80% of us match the description in the original topic.
But true white trash, in the sense of the hick-accented, poor, drunk and trailer-park-bound variety so common in America and the U.K., just simply do not really make it over here…
I think the relative proportion of “White Trash” here compared to back home is significantly higher - and the amount of idiot foreigners here seems to be higher than places like Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.
