Observations about Taiwanese People
(that are taboo to talk
about)
By Winston Wu
a
Taiwanese American freethinker
(an oxymoron I know, but I’m a rare kind)
“The only thing
that counts for these people is food and making money...” - A Swiss woman
who lived in
Chinese
version here (computer translated, not completely accurate)
Warning: These observations
contains truths that are taboo and politically incorrect which may be
offensive to the mainstream crowd which is accustomed to censorship rather than
truth.
Intro and Disclaimer:
For
some reason, every article and website out there about
Why is that? Why am I the only one with guts? Why do people fear the truth? Why are they so programmed to be like the Travel Channel and say only polite noncontroversial things such as "Oh everything was so wonderful! The culture is amazing. The people were so friendly. The food was so good!" Etc. etc. Blah blah blah.
Why is truth often taboo, even when it's obviously?! What an insane world. Am I the only sane person left?
No one has the courage to be honest anymore, cause the mainstream world is all about CENSORSHIP, CENSORSHIP, CENSORSHIP! You are only allowed to say and think what you are programmed to, not the way things ACTUALLY ARE. How sad.
So
here it is. One of the few (or only) articles about
These are the patterns and tendencies I've consistently observed in Taiwanese
people in general. They do not apply to every Taiwanese individual of
course, since there are always individual variations in any group. But
they are CONSISTENT patterns I've seen in Taiwanese people. If you've ever
wondered why many Chinese and Taiwanese you see are timid, shy, inhibited,
robotic, unsmiling, and look very stern, serious and solemn, this will help
explain why.
Note: Please do not accuse me of generalizing. Over 99 percent of Taiwanese people are pure conformists and followers who strive to be ALIKE, not different. Therefore, it is logical and accurate to generalize them since they already “generalize themselves” by conforming to set societal standards.
Note: If you wish to show this article to Chinese people who don't read English, here is a computer translated version in Chinese by Google Translator, but it is not completely accurate.
Observations (sorted in ascending order, with newest on
top):
- Taiwanese have a repressed
look on their face, and an introverted, cold, strict, stuck up expression. They
appear very closed in personality and social attitude,
and act overly serious and inhibited. If you look in their eyes, you see a
miserable repressed inner state of anxiety. This is apparent all over
- Being in
- Taiwanese are completely
driven by fear and guilt. It's in their vibes and face to the nth degree, and
will rub off on you if you are around them long. They are conditioned to be
weak and insecure. Inside they are empty and miserable. These are the traits
that drive them to be conformists and workaholics. Living in fear, weakness and
having no identity, they badly need something to conform to and a structure in
their lives for security and safety.
This is why so many of them
are workaholics and often work 7 days a week. It's not just because they like
to make money. That is just their excuse, for even wealthy retired Taiwanese
are still workaholics. It's because working all the time gives their fearful
empty selves some structure to conform to, which brings them a sense of safety
and security. That's what makes them such willing slaves, and those who run the
country love it. That's what drives Taiwanese to seek fixed structures and
routines, as well as bondage and servitude. Their minds are not free at all,
and neither are their lives. They don't want to be free. Freedom brings
insecurity and loss of identity to the Taiwanese. Eric Fromm's
"Escape from Freedom" treatise describes the Taiwanese psyche very
well.
- On the surface, Taiwanese
appear very shy, especially young women. But that shyness is just a symptom,
not the root cause of people being difficult to meet in
And
that's why Taiwanese girls in particular, are like deer and spook easily. They
are the most frightened creatures on Earth, and have a fearful closed body
language which is easily observable. They have no social skills, no confidence,
and are the exact opposite of open and direct. They cannot deal with anything
outside of their realm of familiarity and routine. These words may sound unkind
or judgmental, but that is the obvious truth.
- In
- Ironically, though the young generation of Taiwan considers itself to be more open, progressive and educated than the older generation, the reality is that young people in Taiwan do NOT smile or talk to strangers much, while the elderly/senior citizens of Taiwan are much more likely to smile and talk to strangers. It's a classic discrepancy between image/pride vs. reality.
- If you've never been outside
- There is NO social energy at all in
- In
- Taiwanese have a very cold exterior. They may be good, kind and caring on the inside, true, but their exterior is definitely cold, stoic, stern, grim. They do not make eye contact with strangers, or smile or say hi, especially the females. Elderly people sometimes smile at strangers, but young women, no way! This is a very obvious fact. But most do not dare admit it publicly because it is not politically correct to acknowledge this fact.
- One interesting difference between
- To those who argue that
- Taiwanese are workaholics and work 6 or 7 days a week,
often with long hours til late evening. To them, this
is normal and an honor. But in reality, they are giving away 80 to 90 percent
of their lives in slavery rather than freedom or fulfilling rich meaningful
experiences. But to them, the money they make justifies the complete loss of
freedom and the priceless 80 to 90 percent of their lives. To me, it is sick
and shallow, but that is their culture. That being said, you will not fit in
That is why you find many Taiwanese immigrants and workers
in
- Deep down, the Taiwanese mind and soul does not believe that life should be enjoyed, but should be suffered and toiled. Hence they lack an inability to truly enjoy life. This is why they seem so inhibited. It’s both in their genes and culture, and probably some of Confucius’ teachings had something to do with it too. Enjoying life and having fun makes them feel guilty. When they rest or go on vacation, they make sure that it is only for short and brief periods, cause too long causes guilt and anxiety.
This is why even wealthy Taiwanese people prefer to continue to work, even when they don’t have to, rather than enjoying their life or traveling the world. They simply can’t enjoy anything else and feel empty without laboring and toiling. And this is why on Christmas Day you will still find most Chinese restaurants to still be open.
- In Taiwanese culture, only two things are important –
MAKING MONEY and FOOD. Now there's nothing wrong with those things since
they are a part of life, but if all your interests are limited to ONLY those
two things, then you become narrow, one dimensional, and no fun to be with.
And unfortunately, that’s how many Taiwanese people are. That's why the Night Market in Taiwan is
mostly composed of FOOD, cause when they go out at night, it's to look for
food, not fun (as if there were nothing to do at night except look for food,
what about fun, sex, adventure, and social interaction?) Sheesh. It's a narrow
one-dimensional existence, especially if you are coming from a more open broad
minded existence.
In a Swiss
article, a Swiss woman who lived in
- In
- Though Taiwanese are good natured people, caring and sensitive deep down beneath their closed narrow exterior, unfortunately they can be a negative influence. This is because they are extremely fearful and weak deep down (conditioned to be that way by their culture and family), lacking any true confidence, and so if you hang around them too much it can rub off on you, making you weak and fearful as well. In the big picture that is not a good thing, because that is how the elite controls the population, by segregating the population and conditioning them to live in fear.
- Taiwanese are an odd blend of traits. Deep down, their basic nature is
gentle, kind, generous, sensitive, caring, good natured, humble and moralistic.
But they are also cold, strict, controlling, tense, high strung, quick to anger, narrow, closed-minded, non-expressive,
uptight, strict, stern, solemn, rigid, fearful, and introverted.
- Beneath their closed exterior, Taiwanese and Chinese women
deep down have a caring sensitive nature, as well as a delicacy in their touch
that females of other races, especially white, do NOT have.
- Taiwanese use NEGATIVE reinforcement to condition people, usually by instilling FEAR, GUILT and WEAKNESS in them. This is how Taiwanese parents usually are with their children. They use fear, guilt and scorn to motivate you. They actually believe that making you feel SMALL, WEAK and GUILTY helps improve you and makes you perform better! No kidding! It’s kind of demented, sick and twisted, of course, but that’s their philosophy, method and style. It's not deliberate, but a part of their inner personality, probably instinctual on some level. They themselves are weak and fearful deep down and were raised that way, so they try to transfer it to others.
- Taiwanese parents teach their offspring to FEAR their enemies rather than be strong and stand up to them. In other words, they teach that one should yield rather than fight or stand their ground. They instill the fear of consequences in you, and warn you of terrible things that will happen to you if you fight your adversaries, so you best yield or compromise to them. Simply put, they teach weakness rather than strength, and fear rather than courage. That's not good for many reasons, but that's what they do. Not only do they do that with your enemies, but with ANYONE you come into conflict with, even when you are in the RIGHT! It's like they always take the other side and side AGAINST their own! That's crazy and simply wrong and makes no logical sense!
- Taiwanese people, like most in
- In public, Taiwanese people are extremely prudish, at least on the surface, so much in fact that they are proud of it. Even the friendly people there have a prudish vibe, body language and demeanor. So much in fact, that anyone who is NOT prudish is a strange misfit there. That is just really bizarre and creepy, that being “ice cold” is the norm. Ick.
- Taiwanese people live in FEAR, are controlled by FEAR, and transfer the
FEAR in them to their children as well. It's in their facial expressions,
body language and personal vibes. People who are controlled and motivated
by fear exude a certain type of vibes that you can sense if you're sensitive to
energies and auras. I sense it all the time and it makes me uncomfortable
because I refuse to live in fear. But be around it long enough, and it rubs off on you.
Next time you're out in public or around Taiwanese people, watch their facial
expressions and body language carefully. Or watch Taiwanese actors or
news commentators on YouTube or TV. You will
notice in their expressions that these people were raised, shaped and
conditioned by FEAR. It becomes painfully obvious after some observation.
They also TRANSFER this fear and guilt within them to their children.
Next time you see a parent scolding his/her child, watch both their faces and
tone of voice. You will notice that during the scolding, there is a TRANSFERENCE of fear from the parent to the child.
With a hypnotic gaze and voice, the parent INJECTS the child with the FEAR
inside them, along with GUILT for misbehaving or being out of line. That
is classic Chinese style conditioning. You can feel and sense this in the
parent's voice as he/she is scolding or lecturing their child. FEAR is
their primary motivator and GUILT is the consequence.
Taiwanese parents do not consciously choose to do this or rationally think it
out. It’s mostly unconscious, like an
instinctual habit that was passed on to them by their parents. It may
even be genetic since it's so inherent and widespread among the Chinese
population. Sadly though, they will even do this over trivial things, and
you have to remember that the Chinese nature is highly picky and judgmental
about little things.
I too was raised with fear/guilt instilling tactics like this, but I saw it for
what it was and diffused it. Through traveling and spiritual exploration,
my natural self came out as my mind became liberated. I learned to assert
myself, be confident, have faith in the universe, and live in optimism, not
fear or guilt. In effect, I've transcended this outdated and primitive
form of mind control by the Taiwanese, the Christian Church and the Military.
Psychologically, they FEAR that if they aren't disciplined, organized and
controlled, then chaos and evil will erupt, leading to the downfall of society
as well as life itself. FEAR keeps them in line, and so it's useful, and
they then in turn use FEAR to control their own children as well.
To make things worse, they also tend to be WORRYWARTS as well. Their
parents constantly worry about every little thing and are very
apprehensive. That of course, reinforces the FEAR that they already live
under, since worry and fear perpetuates each other in a vicious cycle.
- In Taiwanese and classic Chinese conditioning, CONFIDENCE and ASSERTIVENESS
are NOT valued or encouraged at all. People who are confident are harder
to control, for they do not live in fear, and fear as you know, is the best
control mechanism of a population. And assertiveness is a threat to
authority, and therefore not good for orderly control and hierarchy.
Instead, the primary traits instilled in classic Chinese conditioning are
weakness, humility, obedience, practicality and filial piety.
- They also have no inner confidence or faith, but are weak and fearful deep down, thus they get offended and annoyed easily. When mad or insulted, they can erupt in a rage of fury. Watch the news, and you will see that their political commentators yell in a rage of fury all the time, as though it were their standard way of talking. It seems that there is a mixture of gentleness and intensity within them.
- Generally, Taiwanese are practical, narrow and emotional, but not logical or
rational. They think only in terms of PRACTICAL things. That's why
conversations with them are not very broad or intellectual in scope. They
are not used to intellectualizing over concepts and thus if you try that with
them, you run into a dead wall, especially with the younger crowd. The older crowd have a better chance of being philosophical than the
younger crowd does. In fact, the young crowd in
- They aren't knowledgeable about many topics and can't hold
conversations beyond practical things. To them, only practical things matter,
like work, money, shelter, food, etc. Deep subjects like Buddhism,
Taoism, Eastern Philosophy, the Analects of Confucius, etc. are for monks,
philosophers, and old retired people contemplating the meaning of their lives
and where they will go next. Young people should only be concerned with
practical things and necessities.
- Since they see only surface practicalities, and their minds are designed to
conform and follow, they cannot think for themselves, or analyze and critique a
system, idea or philosophy. For example, they like telling you whether
they think you're more fat or skinny than before. But they can't open up
the Bible or Communist Manifesto or read Sigmund Freud's theories and find
contradictions, flaws or fallacies in them. Nor can they critique a
theory or argument point by point, or analyze something deeply. This is
because such things requires thinking outside the box
and critical examination. But they are trained (and perhaps genetically
inclined) to be followers who conform and think within a narrow spectrum.
Plus they find intellectual, abstract or philosophical things to be useless and
idle, and of no use in a practical world. If you attempt to discuss such
things with them, they can only say "Oh ok" or "Oh really"
or even "That's useless, why think about it?".
- If you tell a typical Taiwanese person something that is outside the box,
unconventional, or critiques the system, they can only say "oh ok" or
"oh really" and not much else because their brains can't really
process something that's outside the box. All they can do is be polite at
your attempt to share your ideas with them even though it's beyond them.
- From birth, they are taught that life is VERY serious. One is not to
smile or be bubbly. One must be stern, solemn, reserved, humble, modest and work hard and diligently. That is how a
good citizen behaves. Your opinions don't count, so don't bother
expressing them. Only your conformity and work ethic matter and define
you as a person. A good person follows and conforms, a bad person
doesn't.
- People don't smile much, unless they are joking with their friends, paid to
smile (e.g. customer service), or want you to buy something. The most
genuine smiles you will see in
- Even though Taiwanese students study many hours of the day, in both their primary school and after school private classes (bu shi ban), they don’t seem to know much. This is because they do not study for the love of learning, nor are they taught how to think. They study only to memorize data to pass tests, and then afterward flush the data out of memory. So their heart is not really in it. They are motivated by fear and the hope of raising their status through academic achievement.
- The issue of whether Taiwanese people are generally
friendly or not is subjective, as each person has their own standards of what
“friendliness” is. I would say that
Taiwanese people are only friendly in their own way, in a “closed, tight,
rigid” manner within their inhibitions.
But they are not friendly in an open, carefree, free-flowing, expressive
way. It’s not in their nature. This is difficult to explain in words, as
you’d have to observe them on a regular basis to see what I mean. Most are polite and kind deep down. But they
do not talk to strangers, only to people in their family, cliques and those
they know at school or work. Strangers are basically ignored. One is expected
not to pursue a social life, but only work, work and work.
- For people like me who are open, direct, assertive, open/broad minded,
freethinking, intellectual, and confident,
- Like
Being a workaholic is virtuous to them. It's not uncommon for Taiwanese
to work 7 days a week. Even if they can take days off, they don't because
they see taking days off as losing money. Without a job you are
nothing. They revel in the wage slave routine and do not suffer in
it. In fact, they suffer more when they don't work than when they
do. They feel that they were not born to be free, but to work hard, obey
and conform. Once in a while, they take a vacation, but they make sure
it's short, controlled and doesn't get out of hand.
- When Taiwanese talk about freedom, they usually refer to political and
nationalistic freedom from Mainland
- Young girls in
- Since they are taught to be humble and quiet, not surprisingly they are not
usually assertive. Thus, their communication skills are short and abrupt,
not articulate or skillful at conveying meanings and details. This can
lead to misunderstandings with people who prefer things to be well defined and
specific, like me. This is why people in Asian commonly give bad
directions. They can’t articulate well so they prefer to point to a general
direction rather than give step by step directions with street names.
- Typically, within families the older generation Taiwanese
act like are yelling and arguing as if it were a normal part of their
conversation. It’s very odd, like they
have deep anger and intensity that needs to be released in such a manner. So either they are quiet and humble, or talk
like they are fighting in casual situations.
This style of interacting is not logical, but instinctive and serves no
purpose. Of course they don’t see that because their nature is to follow what
they’ve always done, not to seek ways to improve and change.
- They are also taught to FEAR strangers and be paranoid of them, which is
ironic because
That is one reason why young adults in
- They are NOT taught to be self-confident, assertive, courageous, or to have
faith in themselves or life. Instead, they are taught to be weak, afraid,
timid, reserved and humble. They are made dependent on guidance,
correction and control. To them, confidence and assertiveness are not
virtues, but meekness and filial piety are. In addition, they are often
ridiculed and verbally abused by their parents, just for the heck of it. And
when that happens, they are to take it without resistance.
- If you are a guy who likes meeting beautiful women, there are many stunning
lookers in
- Out in public, most Taiwanese women wear this "don't
bother me" mask on their face, which is also in their body language and
vibe. Thus, even the bravest guy feels uncomfortable about approaching
them cold. That's because doing so feels illegal and creepy. So
far, every guy who has claimed that Taiwanese girls are open and friendly to
strangers has FAILED and chickened out when I ask them to approach Taiwanese
girls in public. Though they deny it verbally, deep down they know it's
inappropriate and socially unacceptable in
-
- Taiwanese women are very commitment oriented. They do not date for fun or
thrills, but purely for the goal of marriage. They thrive on commitment
and rigid routine, NOT adventure, thrills, excitement, variety or
imagination. In short, they are extremely boring compared to other
foreign women I've experienced. Also, with their purely practical
mindset, don't expect much creativity, imagination or philosophical insights
from them.
- They are taught that being "open minded" is not a good thing
either, for being too open can allow too many conflicting ideas to enter your
head and confuse you, resulting in chaos, disorder and lack of discipline and
control. So, one should be closed minded, and rigidly stick to the set
ways that lead to success, like being practical, humble and working diligently
to please others. It's a military style philosophy.
- Like the Christian fundamentalists, they believe that human nature is
inherently evil and idle, and thus needs to be strictly controlled.
"With too much time on your hands, the devil causes you to do
mischief" so the saying goes. They believe that people need to be
controlled and disciplined until they become hard working obedient humble
people who are kept in line. And of course, they need to live in
fear. Fear is seen as a good thing. It keeps people righteous and
disciplined. Likewise, Christians also live in fear of divine punishment
and hell. The church leaders see this as a good thing. There's a
verse in the Book of Proverbs that says "The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10) That's why many Taiwanese
people convert easily into Evangelical Christianity. It contains all the
inherent facets they were raised and conditioned with - black and white
morality/thinking, strict control of human nature, fear as a disciplinary tool,
strive for righteousness, condemnation of those who believe differently than
you, a highly judgmental mentality, the inherent sinful nature of man, negative
view of freedom and too much free time, puritannical
values, etc.
- Ironically, even though Buddhism is supposed to be an Eastern religion,
Taiwanese people do not have a Buddhist mentality at all. Most are
nothing like "Kwai Chang Caine"
(David Carradine in Kung Fu). They have a
highly materialistic mentality coupled with a strict black and white Christian
style morality, rigid thinking, righteousness, judgmental mindset, and live in
fear and are controlled by it. They also have short fuses and get annoyed
or angry quite easily (remember how easily pissed and angry Bruce Lee got in
his films, that's how he was in real life too) Plus, contrary to the
Buddhist concept of being nonjudgmental and nonattached, they are highly
judgmental, controlling and picky about little things.
- Chinese people are commonly very picky and judgmental about little things,
"anal retentive" in other words. It seems to be in their
nature. This can be good for quality control and is one reason why
Chinese food is so delicious and among the best in the world. But it's
bad for human relations. This is why Chinese people often argue with each
and sour their relations, even with relatives and close friends. They
tend to make a big deal out of nothing. Their controlling nature is
adamant about getting their way, and they lack people skills as well as the
ability to compromise. Being highly tense, they are not at peace or at
one with nature or the universe. As a result, Chinese couples tend to
argue about little things over and over again, often for years without
end. It's highly irrational of course, but this is the behavior of those who
are petty, uptight and anal retentive. People who are closed minded,
anal, rigid and judgmental will have trouble getting along even with their own
kind, while open minded nonjudgmental types are much better at getting along
without fussing over trivial things. The latter are more tolerant and
usually have far better people skills and communication skills.
- Most Taiwanese families are very rigid in their routines. They go to
bed and rise at the same time each day, even on weekends, and eat at the same
time each day. They will never eat dinner in front of the TV like some
American families do. Everything is set in a highly structured
routine. There is little or no variety in their lives. But they
like it that way. They thrive on rigid routines, and are squarer than a
table.
Conclusion:
Although there are individual variations and exceptions to the rule, in general Taiwanese people and culture in general is narrow, conservative, prudish and square. Only two things matter to them, food and making money, making them very one-dimensional and no fun. They do not live to enjoy life, but to be workaholics and are empty without work. They are also among the most prudish and square people I’ve ever met. And of course, they live in fear, weakness and have no self-confidence. Such traits are typical in societies where the elite need to keep people under control and servitude, in order to maintain their power and prevent any revolutions. Taiwanese need to wake up and realize that they are infinite consciousness at their root who can choose to live in love, oneness and spirituality, rather than remain subservient fearful drones who only live to produce and consume. As David Icke says, “Infinite Love is the only truth. All else is illusion.”
To discuss these observations in my forum, see this
thread: http://www.happierabroad.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6215
Post a comment about this article in my blog at: http://intellectualexpat.blogspot.com/2010/05/observations-about-taiwanese-people.html
See also:
Observations
about Asian Mentality and Culture
Missionary
confirms my observations about Taiwan
Swiss Journalist concurs with my observations about Taiwan
Comparison Chart:
Winston vs. Taiwanese/Chinese people - Differences and Similarities
Taiwan vs. America: Differences and Similarities
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