:facebook: Why do Taiwanese have so little confidence in their own country?

[crusher]

@DrewC

@Taiwan_Luthiers

Too many Taiwanese I meet all dream of immigrating to some Western country, like everything there’s so much better.

Tell that to my wife!

mine too

[crusher]

@Brianjones

Taiwan needs to get it’s mojo back . Thats why many people think it’s ‘meh’.
Losing it’s mojo is not all due to China either. They need to be braver make bigger poicy decisions around immigration education , tax, business , environment …

If you look in Taiwan’s history they had some major policies that at the time were very radical.

Land redistribution, export free trade zones being two.

Good place but if they want to stand out they have to shake things up a bit . Gay marriage law was an impressive step though .

Immigration laws I agree need a big shake up. The adultery law is pretty backward being a criminal offense. Clearing out the public side walks of people who think but do not own them… The list could go on. However, things are coming along well for example animal rights issues, and I could rally off a list of complaints about country of origin more than Taiwan.

[rowland]

The only sustainable basis for a group identity is perception of a common interest. A common enemy will amplify the effect, but you can’t have a common enemy without commonality.

They need to understand fully what the stakes are - what they stand to gain and what they stand to lose.

[crusher]

@rowland

The only sustainable basis for a group identity is perception of a common interest. A common enemy will amplify the effect, but you can’t have a common enemy without commonality.

They need to understand fully what the stakes are - what they stand to gain and what they stand to lose.

The people of Hong Kong seem a lot more proud of Hong Kong than the Taiwanese of Taiwan.

[rowland]

Socially, I much prefer the company of Taiwanese. But in a fight, I’d rather have the HK’ers on my side if I must choose between the two.

Agreeableness has limitations.

[crusher]

@rowland

Socially, I much prefer the company of Taiwanese. But in a fight, I’d rather have the HK’ers on my side if I must choose between the two.

Agreeableness has limitations.

Good analogy. I can’t stand Hong Kong but they certainly know how to put on a good riot perhaps that’s the ex British connection lol

[Brianjones]

Taiwanese were known to have huge battles and riots in the past…the island was barely governable…but Japanese and KMT did their best to wipe out troublesome locals (little known but Japanese killed 14,000 locals when invading Taiwan).
The sunflower movement was pretty big just a few years ago .

[OysterOmelet]

@crusher

@rowland

The only sustainable basis for a group identity is perception of a common interest. A common enemy will amplify the effect, but you can’t have a common enemy without commonality.

They need to understand fully what the stakes are - what they stand to gain and what they stand to lose.

The people of Hong Kong seem a lot more proud of Hong Kong than the Taiwanese of Taiwan.

Not what I’ve heard. There’s no nationalism there either. HK people are rugged but that place is more money-grubbing and individualistic than even Taiwan.

[KHHville]

i think the DPP taxi drivers can cause a shitload of trouble if it came to the point of riots, etc.

[happypills]

Probably because few people outside Asia even know what or where Taiwan is. A country not really known for anything other than being a supplier to Apple and other electronic companies. Very low salaries compared to other developed countries. I don’t even know if Taiwan can be considered a developed country. It is probably the least wealthy of the four Asian Tiger economies now. No major diplomatic allies, the few remaining ones are being poached and switching recognition to mainland China.

[Brianjones]

It’s got a marketing problem for sure.
The common refrain from folks ( mostly Westerners but also Asians) when I tell them I live in Taiwan.
Why Taiwan ?

[sampomixer]

low salaries, expensive everything, housing unaffordable, raining almost everyday, pollution, scooters everywhere, grumpy people, If I grew up here , I would have left long time ago…

[dan2006]

The salaries are very low for the average grunt , once you get into the engineer or government jobs it gets better. But it is always annoying when newbies say… ‘But Taiwan’s cost of living is sooooo cheap.’. Sure, if your buying $50 biandangs or costco hotdogs, driving a secondhand scooter, living in the deep south on a duck farm and only buy local

For things like gas, telecommunication, and rent (not in Taipei) things are cheap but everything else absolutely not. The streets are all littered with $1500 a plate restaurants which only the 1% go to, brand name clothes are overpriced, car prices are high, imported meats and products at Costco high.

The grumpy people seem to be mostly in Taipei though, go south and the people are downright friendly.

[crusher]

@Brianjones

It’s got a marketing problem for sure.
The common refrain from folks ( mostly Westerners but also Asians) when I tell them I live in Taiwan.
Why Taiwan ?

oh usually they tell me “I love Thai girls too, and the beaches are terrific in it”
Maybe we move in different circles. At least your friends actually know Taiwan is not Thailand.

[Dawud]

@happypills

A country not really known for anything other than being a supplier to Apple and other electronic companies. […] I don’t even know if Taiwan can be considered a developed country.

If it’s supplying electronics to all these companies, then it sounds like a developed county to me…

[crusher]

@Dawud

@happypills

A country not really known for anything other than being a supplier to Apple and other electronic companies. […] I don’t even know if Taiwan can be considered a developed country.

If it’s supplying electronics to all these companies, then it sounds like a developed county to me…

Taipei city is definitely very well developed apart from Lungshan area or as @Andrew0409 calls it the Compton of Taipei:rofl:

[happypills]

To me a developed country is synonymous with wealth and good infrastructure and good social services with a solid middle class. Taipei or even Taiwan does not appear on the surface to me like a world class city or country. I’m sure the wealth is there, but when you compare Taipei to Seoul or Tokyo or Hong Kong it looks like the Compton of the major East Asian capital cities. Just because Taiwan is the heart of the world’s tech supply chain doesn’t mean it is an extremely developed country. It is considered a developed country, but in my opinion one of the lower tier ones.

[SuiGeneris]

@dan2006

living in the deep south on a duck farm

hmmm

[happypills]

No major diplomatic allies, other than the USA. Forgot about that

[Dr_Milker]

@happypills

No major diplomatic allies, other than the USA

The U.S. isn’t a diplomatic ally.