http://loco-loca.blogspot.com/2009/06/taiwanfromforeignersight.html
轉寄荷語版的給Mark and Joras後,
Mark 似乎很認真的看完了並問我: "Is it true, do you agree?"
well, here is my reply......
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Hey Mark,
well, I would only agree partially.
Especially I think the writer mainly visited the cities in Taiwan, or particularly Taipei.
About education, i think its quite true, with the influence of Confucian thinking,
children are under presure. there is still strong believe that education can make a difference for poor people,
and facilite mobility between class (poor and rich) but as you can see in the description and analysis,
richer family can provide children more/better education. So the story that onces is inspiring-- that our previous
president is the son of a farmer-- is less likely to happen again.
the part about history, and international relationship, is sadly true.
Taiwan have very few friend internationaly.
To me, China is like a bully and Taiwan should be independent.
I cannot imagine my country being ruled by someone with a communist mind and act like a bully.
About love and sex. I don't think its that people/female don't seek for love nor not believe in it.
For generations, it is true that there is nothing more important that bread and money than love.
But not exactly anymore. However, it is indeed true that there are too many cases and story around us
reminding us a chinese saying "poor couples sigh for all things." In other word, no money, no happiness.
I think this would hold universally since with the pressure of worrying about your next meal, qurral is unavoidable.
But we still search for love, with some "imprint" ideal that it would be more idea for a women to find someone
who with higher diploma, taller in height, richer, ect; and better in short.
This is also why women with higher education and who are able to be financailly independent have difficulty finding a husband. Because obviously the men look for the opposite too.
True, the Taiwanese eroticism is difficult to understand.
I think this is because it is under going great changes in the past decade,
therefore conflicting view exist in the same society.
For white collar (not a precise division as I am putting here), I think the conflict come more from family.
As these people study for a longer phase in their life time, they delayed their timing for starting to work as well as marriage.
However, people are still attracted to the opposite sex before marrage,
when cohabit is on the table regarded as something ungraceful "for the family". (this is really the traditional thinking)
I emphasis "for the family" since it is usually the elder (parents/relatives) that gave this opinion to the younger ones (son/daughter).
But for friends of their own age, we tend not to judge and think it's their own choice in a relationship.
Therefore, like the author said, besides the city center of Taipei you hardly see any couples hold their hand or exchange other
tender behavior. This is actually because more people in Taipe are immigrants, as in they have grew up in another place in Taiwan,
and can therefore avoid the judgement from their not so liberal family.
For the other part, blue collars who do buy betel nuts from girl sitting in glass windows
or those dancing for funeral in neon-decorated trucks.
I personlly feel disgust about this scene, but indeed you can see that happening.
But I must emphasis, the later is rarer now and can only be seen in small town.
I do not know however this get integrate into a funeral. As far as I know, there is no tradition like this.
and for this paragraph...
"In the middle of the IT city of Taipei you can find an overload of Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist temples that serve as oracle places. For example there is the City of God temple; in large numbers, young women with Gucci or Louis Vuitton handbags put flowers and fiancée cookies on the altars on Saturday morning before shopping. Here the god of marriage is residing, and the young women use oracle sticks to ask questions about their upcoming spouse."
I find it interesting but true. I think in fact, that how we see religion. It is part of our life but not in a demanding way.
It is there for us to seek for some inner confort when things go wrong, and for us to say our prayers to.
We don't have much demonstration, especially for un-employment.
This is because we don't have union and by LAW there is little protection (for losing your job) what so ever.
We therefore do not depend on our government when we are out of work, but depend on the family.
But in the past few years, we have more demonstration on political view.
The differences within the society regarding whether Taiwan is independ or will in some day become part of China
is the major issue, and this is also the main divide between the two biggest political parties in Taiwan differ in opinion.
Hm... to look back, that is quite some opinion about the artical.
On one hand, the artical is writen for some time now, and on the other hand,
as a Taiwanese, I see and read my own society differently.
Yet the auther reveal some sad truth -- especially the long working hours of Taiwanese people.
I think that reminds me to think about productivity. What have all those energy turn into?
How come the per capita GDP is no greater than other countries who work much lesser hours?
Well, maybe you would like to visit Taiwan some day yourself and have a personal observation my lovely country.
Coming back from Taiwan after new year, I find it difficult to buy any desirable product in the supermarket here.
There is just no fresh ingredients here for me to cook some delicious chinese food. Home sick kicks in right away!
gluck,
Emily
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