How can Taiwan be "friendly" if no one wants to be your friend?! 10 Reasons Why Taiwan is NOT friendly!

[Winston]

A few more important points and observations to consider about Taiwan:

1. People who say that Taiwan is very friendly, NEVER make a distinction about what they mean or clarify it. The truth is, only older and elderly folks in Taiwan are friendly and talkative with strangers and not afraid to talk to others. The young people, especially young women and girls, act scared to death to talk to anyone, and they NEVER EVER make eye contact with strangers. They have absolutely zero confidence and look/act super weak. It's as if something inside them has been ripped out, leaving them wounded, weak, lifeless and soulless. It's hard to explain what I mean. If you go to Taiwan and are observant, you will see this. Many have and say they agree with me (though they do not dare mention it online).

So it is wrong and inaccurate to claim that all people in Taiwan at every level are "very friendly". No way jose. Definitely NOT. But no one dares to make this kind of distinction of course, because it is rude and taboo and makes you look bad if you do so. You simply aren't allowed to make these type of distinctions. Doing so could make you very unpopular and disliked. So you won't see anyone else doing so.

In short, Taiwan is like a lifeless, soulless land of zombies with a negative/weird/awkward vibe as well, a horrible combo. If you are soulful or alive, you will feel like shit there, unless of course you are a zombie too. After all, a zombie in a land of zombies isn't going to notice anything wrong. Only if you are not a zombie do you notice something wrong.

2. Yes you can meet people in Taipei if you join groups and organizations, since Taipei is more cosmopolitan than the rest of Taiwan. You can meet people by going to meet ups through Meetup.com and to Couchsurfing.org. However, most of the people you meet there aren't gonna be your close friends, but mere casual friends and acquaintances. Best friends are usually found through common interests, not through meet up groups. Most of these associations will be superficial and meaningless, and will fall apart easily since there is no true bond. Thus such social meetings while they may be polite and friendly, are not going to be really satisfying, especially if you crave true connection and camaraderie.

Furthermore, one key thing needs to be said about social groups in Taiwan in general. This is bad news if you are a freethinker, freespirit or individualistic. And that is, that most social groups in Taiwan (especially if there are Taiwanese people in them) tend to only like people who are VERY SQUARE and normal, not controversial in any way. If you have any opinions that are controversial, unique or different, or you disagree with the group consensus, you will be shunned and disliked, and not invited to the next party or get together. They will ostracize you. Because truth be told, Taiwan social groups are very judgmental and petty and get weirded out easily, they do not like people who are not perfectly square or "normal" like they are. (The Greek guy I quoted above noticed the same thing, and told me that he's been kicked out of a number of social groups in Taiwan too, just for having a different opinion than the group.) When you are in these groups, you can FEEL what I mean, it's an unspoken rule you can sense, that you have to be very "normal and square" in order to be accepted by the group. No joke. I'm serious. I swear. I've experienced this first hand so I speak from experience.

What this means is that unless the real you is very bland, normal and square, you will NOT be allowed to be yourself in most social groups in Taiwan. For some reason, no one on the internet dares to point this out of course, because you are not supposed to bluntly point out these kind of things, so no one dares to, except me of course, since I'm an observant/insightful truth seeker who tells it like it is of course. You guys should appreciate that.

3. If your soul thrives on positive energy, you won't get that in Taiwan. Your soul will starve to death, because the energy there is negative, like a reverse polarity, as if you were in an antimatter universe. It's hard to explain what I mean, because energy/vibes are subjective and personal and experienced differently by everyone. Some men in fact don't even feel any vibes at all, because they are cold types of men who are not sensitive or spiritual. But if you are sensitive or soulful or thrive on positive energy, you may experience the same as me. There will be no energy for your soul to feed on. It will slowly suck the life out of you spiritually. Also, trying to be positive, open, confident, outgoing, and extroverted in Taiwan feels like trying to walk upstream in a river flowing downstream. You will be going against the grain and will quickly tired out from it. It's not gonna bring out the best in you, that's for sure.

[Winston]

Btw the Greek guy made an excellent observation today about DEAD EYES in Taiwan. So true. And spot on. Couldn't have put it better myself. See below.

Winston:

Btw. You see lots of angry grouchy faces in taiwan too right? Faced that look pissed off like they want to scold someone or yell at someone. Its scary. I see it in about 1/3 of Taiwanese.

However people who love taiwan claim they never see any angry faces. They seem to be blind to them. Wtf? They are everywhere! I swear! Im not hallucinating. I can take pictures as proof too.

Do u see them too? Its not my imagination right? When people deny the obvious it makes me feel like im in the Twilight Zone.

Therefore the statement that all Taiwanese are polite is not even true. Sure some people are polite. Maybe 1/3. But many look grouchy and rude and pissed too. Many Taiwanese have yelled at me for no reason just because i asked simple question. I would say 1/3 of Taiwanese are polite. 1/3 are grouchy and rude and angry. And 1/3 are in between. Thats my estimation. What do u think?

Greek Guy:

hahaa
Yes
I see Angry faces everywhere
I would say 2/3
Angry or blunt but the common theme is one
DEAD EYES
I don't mind seeing an angry person with life in his eyes
but DEAD EYES
that's really a common thing

Winston:

Yes that's an excellent point. The dead eyes in Taiwan are what speak volumes. The eyes are the window to the soul. Anger is normal if its justified and if u have a purpose to be angry about. But the grouchy face that many taiwanese carry around 24/7 all day is weird. In a country that everyone says is "nice and friendly" there should not be so many grouchy angry pissed faces for no reason. Thats odd. I wonder what they are grouchy about? Perhaps they are angry about losing their soul to the Taiwan vortex? Lol

Also have u considered that even if u found a wife in Taiwan, the relationship would be dead and lifeless and soulless. There would be no synergy or mental connection. You could not grow together in a normal healthy manner. So even in the best case scenario you'd still be unhappy and empty.

Also even if u have dates or friends in Taiwan they tend to be boring as f**k. No one in Taiwan has any colorful personality or charisma or uniqueness. People are totally bland, and dead inside too as u said. No one is interesting here or unique. Only pure blandness. And of course youre not allowed to point this out. Its taboo. No one has the guts to say these things about Taiwan. Because the rule in Taiwan is that everyone is only allowed to say positive nice things about it with a fake smile. Lol. f**k that.

[Winston]

From my cousin Alice:

"Good for you, that you find people agree with you,I'm sorry to see that. At the same time, I was born here and after have been living in the U S for almost 40 years , and now I am back to my hometown, I still love it and enjoy it. Honestly I don't really like to hear you keep telling me how much you hate the people here.

I am totally respect your opinion, and still don't get it that you should have your own choices to live wherever you want to and wherever you really like to spend your time."

My reply:

"Because its a mystery why everyone says Taiwanese are perfect and all friendly and polite. Like the Twilight Zone. Even if i wanted to love Taiwan and tried to, i can't because the energy is very negative and sucks my soul like a parasite. So i have no choice. The elementals here definitely see me as food, aka loosh, for them. They feed on me. That's why they like to trap me here. Anyone like me who has a real soul is used as food energy here. Like a battery in the movie "The Matrix".

Can u explain Alice why so many people in Taiwan, maybe half, look grouchy and angry and pissed off on their face 24/7? Im sure you've seen what i mean. About 1/3 or 1/2 here have that look. Why? Whats wrong? If Taiwan is nice and safe and clean then why the grouchy angry look on many Taiwanese? Its a bizarre mystery. Don't u wonder about it? Why don't you have curiosity?

You know Alice if Taiwan would give me positive energy to feel confident and uplifting i would say only positive things about it. Why don't u ask the gods or oversouls that govern Taiwan to give me positive energy? That would help me. "

Alice:

"No matter how much you hate Taiwannese people, the point is you never be able to change people,change weather, even simple as a small family members are not easy to get along with everything in every day life."

Winston:

"Yes that's true Alice. But someone in this world has to expose the truth right? Exposing truth is a good thing. Better than lying right? Would u prefer i lie and say "Taiwan is amazingly friendly and open. Its so easy to make friends here. People are so soulful and lively and genuine."?

The thing is Alice, on the internet there are many articles with false claims that Taiwan is the most friendly country in the world and that everyone can come and make friends easily. Etc. Very fake of course. Shouldn't someone counterbalance all that BS and fake articles about Taiwan and expose the truth? Or at least the other side so there is balance? People should be able to read opinions from both sides, positive and negative right? Thats what good researchers or truth seekers do.

Why should the world only be allowed to read pro Taiwan articles and never anti-Taiwan articles? The world should have information from both sides right? There is already an abundance of pro Taiwan articles online, as you know. Do you see what i mean?

The best way to understand something is to read both sides, from those who love it and those who hate it. Otherwise u only get one side and one view, and if you only see that then you will have the false impression that Taiwan is 100 percent positive, good and perfect and has no negatives, cons or downsides. You see what i mean Alice? Look at big picture.

[Winston]

Part 2 of my response to cousin Alice:

Btw Alice. You make a good point that even some Taiwanese relatives of yours are difficult to get along with. True. In fact thats true of many Taiwanese, that they have difficult personalities because they are too closed minded and overanalyze and overjudge.

In fact one time in taichung i went to sing karaoke at a bar with a girl named jennifer that i met from Couchsurfing. During the whole time she kept overanalyzing my singing. She could not relax and enjoy. Now the thing is, in the Philippines no one would do that. Everyone there would relax and enjoy and not care how well u sing. My singing was not bad of course. But she was too picky and fussy about it for some reason. Thats Taiwanese personality for you. In the Philippines no one would do that. They always relax and enjoy and dont analyze anything. Big cultural difference for sure.

Things like this need to be pointed out in articles, books and media. But they never do. Thats why i need to do it. You understand?

You see the news media never talks about deep cultural differences like this. All they talk about is crime, terrorism, economic problems, politics and of course virus pandemics now. They never talk about deep stuff like i do. That's why they are woefully deficient and people like me need to help compensate for that.

Don't u ever find my articles and rants and observations to be interesting or insightful or enlightening Alice? Even a little? Lol

To be honest Alice, most of my insights and observations are not from my brain or intellect, i dont think. I feel that they are channeled from a higher dimension. In fact, many artists and writers will also tell u that their work seems to be channeled from a higher dimension, and not from their own mind only. The greatest genius of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla said this too. He said his ideas and inventions came to him from what he called a "creative core" in the universe. He said he didnt know what it was but it definitely exists.

Finally Alice, keep in mind that when i shared my insights with your father in 1990 at your brothers house in Taipei, he would always say "Winston has good insights. He makes sense." Remember that. So you should respect my views and know that there is truth in what i say, even if I'm biased or exaggerated sometimes.

Thanks for listening.

One more thing Alice. Try this. Go to Google and search for opinions on Japan. You will see there is some balance of positive and negative articles. There is valid criticism of Japanese culture and people too. Not government, because in Japan the government is not authoritarian, but the social culture is.

However if you Google for articles about Taiwan or mainland China, you see a huge imbalance. The articles about Taiwan are overwhelmingly positive. No one dares to criticize it, unlike Japan. Its as if Taiwan were a sacred cow you are not allowed to criticize. Its strange. I dont know why. And since most people are conformists they will follow suit and treat Taiwan as a sacred cow exempt from criticism.

Conversely, if you look for English articles on mainland China, they will all be negative and critical of the Chinese Communist government. I'm sure you know that. But not only of the chinese government, some articles criticize Chinese people and culture too. (which is good since i hate articles that generalize and say that all common people are good and innocent and only government is bad).

So you see, there are some big imbalances here. Obviously there needs to be more negative or critical articles about Taiwan, and more positive articles about mainland China. Don't you agree? If so, then aren't i doing a good thing by helping to bring more balance to this? That's why my articles, even though they go against the grain, bring much needed balance. Don't u agree Alice? Isn't imbalance a bad thing that is skewed and one sided and gives everyone a wrong inaccurate impression?

Besides Alice, would you prefer i be very normal and mainstream and only talk to you like this:

Winston: nice weather today alice.

Alice: oh yes its lovely. Last week was so raining.

Winston: how is your family?

Alice: they are going great. My kids are working now and happy.

Winston: thats good to hear. How is your business or job?

Alice: its doing good. Not bad. Thanks for asking.

Is that the type of boring mainstream conversation you'd prefer Alice? Wouldn't i be boring as hell if i talked like that only and had no deep observations that were outside the box or against the grain? Lol

[Winston]

New thoughts and updates from Rock about Taiwan. As you can see, he now indirectly implies that some of what i say about Taiwan may in fact be true after all.

Rock:

"EDITED VERSION THAT YOU CAN POST:

I don’t mind but I sometimes worry that it causes stress in your life. I’m not sure Taiwan is friendly. Maybe we should say that Taiwanese tend to be very helpful and take their job responsibilities seriously so they serve with a great attitude. I don't think its very open and sociable but neither am I.

Taiwan people do look me in the eye but just as part of doing their jobs or helping me with whatever I ask. I don’t get dates or friends in Taiwan with locals these days. I got a lot of girls when I came a long time ago but that is ancient history at this point.

I’ve felt negative and uncomfortable vibes in some places where I have bad experiences like people yelling at me as happened recently in Uganda with government officials and police or at times in Thailand. It also disturbs me if people aren't able to understand my questions or seem to lack common sense as happens sometimes in Philippines.

I don’t date in Taiwan expect with Filipinas nor make friends there anymore but I just accept being alone there now. I don’t answer your questions because I don’t know the answers. It’s not that I’m dodging the questions, I just don’t know the answers. It’s beyond my understanding.

You know I go to many parts of the world alone as an anonymous male and in many areas, I feel people have no interest in interacting with me socially. It's the common denominator of urban areas and I’ve come to accept that reality. If I was an attractive young female, I bet people would be a lot more interested in me. But when I go to Taiwan, I’m pretty much alone these days except for people I already know and it’s ok. I don’t harbor any resentment about that. At least I still have friends around the world who I can keep in touch with online and occasionally in person. It’s just the way it is now that younger people in Taiwan are polite and helpful to me but not friendly in the sense they wanna chit chat or have a bbq.

Taiwan is a kinda mystery for you but I don’t have any answers about that. I mean I really don’t know. I don’t have a strong opinion about whether it’s friendly or not. I just know I’m very comfortable in these types of environments so I don’t think about it.

I spend more time wondering about the future and what may come up in my life. Taiwan is merely a place that is somehow special to me due to its role in my past. But since that is all history, it’s no longer very interesting so I just look ahead and hope things in the future will be good. You know me and how I don’t think much about things such as JFK, 911, or moon landing. I understand where your cousin is coming from when she says a country's culture is like the weather, completely out of our control. Also, there are others who feel Taiwan is somehow not open and friendly. Not everyone says it is. Plenty of others have differing opinions about it.

Winston, if you were not a ethnic Han Taiwanese citizen, would you still care so much? I certainly don't care that USA may be a difficult place to make friends even though it is my native country. Remember, the whole point of Happier Abroad is to escape undesirable features of your home country by relocating.

Still, if you like to analyze the Taiwan situation, I hope at least it gives you positive stimulation even if you don’t find the answers you are seeking. Isn’t it ok for some parts of life to remain a mystery? Can we accept if God does not reveal all the answers when we want them? Even if I have a lot of life experience in Taiwan, it’s still possible that I don’t know the answers to your questions. Taiwan is one of 200 countries. Your birth and ancestry are derived from there so perhaps that is one reason it disturbs you a lot, Im just a Northern European and a non Chinese non Taiwanese. So Taiwan’s situation doesn’t stimulate my interest much anymore."

[Winston]

Alice:

True or false, right or wrong, still only from very small percentage of people opinion, after all that discussion so what? Can human being change weather ?

Nobody can stop you, whatever you want to say, you can even buy newspaper page to let people know how much you guys hate Taiwan. And after that ,so what?

How can you prove that all the article are false claims? My own son and daughter both are love Taiwan very much. My grandson even like to say" Taiwan number 1".

My daughter Susan, after stay in here almost a year now, she doesn't want to leave Taiwan now.

Winston:

But Alice. Maybe your son and daughter are brainwashed because they only heard one side about Taiwan. If i was brainwashed i would only say what i am programmed too, like a robot. If your son or daughter read all my articles and considered my points they would agree with some of it. Try it. Especially your son because men are more rational, whereas women follow trends and groupthink. Even people who love Taiwan admit i say many true things. Your children know that taiwan is not open and there is lack of interest in friendship and people talk to strangers. Etc. Even my close friend rock who loves Taiwan says he cannot make friends here anymore like he did in the 1990s because there is no interest anymore.

Remember your father said in 1990 that my insights were very good and made a lot of sense.

Also Alice. Keep in mind that u and Susan are not the kind of people that are open and like talking to strangers and thrive on it. If u were im sure u would not like Taiwan or feel comfortable here. Also if u were freespirited and passionate like Italians or Greeks you wouldn't either. Although you are friendly to me Alice, Susan is not, to be honest. She is not open and does not socialize with me and my parents and is not down to earth or an old soul. We both know that. No offense to Susan. She is what she is. And soulful or down to earth or old soul or indigo child, she definitely is not.

Therefore if one is not friendly or open, then one will not have a problem in a country where people are not open either. Just like a zombie will not mind if he is in a land full of zombies. lol. I know that's an extreme analogy, but you get what i mean I'm sure.

Hope none of the above offended you.

Also Alice, what if all my articles were positive about Taiwan? Then you would like it and it would be ok? Why? Isn't that a double standard? Shouldn't the world be able to read both positive and negative about everything? You know the Chinese Ying Yang symbol right? Don't you know its not good to be out of balance? Even too much positivity is not good, especially if its fake and inauthentic and motivated by conformity only, not honesty. Think about it. You wouldn't call my articles "useless and change nothing" if all my articles were pro Taiwan and positive and about how much i love Taiwan right? Lol

Again it's not my choice. I would love to love Taiwan. But it doesn't give me any positive energy. Only negative energy. So I have no choice. Its not my free will. Do you understand? You can't blame me for something i can't control or didn't ask for. Think about it. What would you do if you were me?

How can i prove that all pro taiwan friendliness articles are false claims, you ask?

Easy. Go out in Taiwan in public and pretend u are me in Russia or eastern Europe or Philippines. Approach girls and flirt with them. Like i do in my 38 hrs of videos in Russia. Wink at girls. Blow kisses at them. Stop them and talk to them. Act extroverted and outgoing with strangers. You'll be in for a shock. Because all that is inappropriate and taboo and not allowed according to the social rules in Taiwan. Try it and you will see. I dare you. I know you know what i mean. Its not rocket science.

You were in Georgia. You know what i mean. You can talk to anyone there. Its not inappropriate or weird. Feels very natural. Watch my videos in Russia. Or go to angeles city or pattaya or bangkok and compare. Look at my videos and photos in angeles city. You can't act like that in Taiwan. Come visit me in angeles city for a few days. Then you will see 1000 percent difference. Bigger difference than u can imagine.

So how can Taiwan be the friendliest country in the world? Explain that Alice. Friendly in what way? Everyone? Why so many rude grouchy angry people in Taiwan? Why so many Taiwanese yell at me for no reason when i ask simple question? Are you saying its all my imagination or hallucination? Explain that Alice.

How come the girls that give me their number or line in Taiwan never want to meet up? Not even once? In Russia or Philippines i get dates everyday. Super easy. Big difference. Thats lots of PROOF right there. Im sure u know that. So how are the pro Taiwan articles right? They have no proof. Zero. In contrast i have lots of proof that other countries are friendlier. 38 hours of videos, thousands of photos, personal direct experience, etc. Im outgoing and not shy, remember? So problem isn't me. Consider that.

Btw u should tell CNN and US media that their obsessive rant against racism all day is also useless and will never change people either. Lol. The media is stupid as f**k. Very low IQ and unrealistic and unnatural.

Btw Alice. Another proof i have is that I've been treated badly like shit by many Taiwanese i met online and in person. Even most of my cousins are cold and unfriendly to me, like Tina, Lisa, Jimmy, Kelly, etc and others. And many cousins on my dads side too. How do u explain that? How come on TV cousins are a lot more friendly than mine? Maybe I'm just unlucky or cursed? I can feel when people dislike me. Theres a dark vibe. I experience it a lot even when I'm nice and do nothing wrong. Not my fault. I can't control how others treat me.

I can give u specific names, dates and photos of people who were rude to me or treated me like dirt or unfriendly. But would that help? Would that change anything if i gave u proof in the form of specific names and dates and photos and what happened?

Even on Couchsurfing some Taiwanese were rude to me and ignored me, which is unusual because couchsurfers are usually the friendliest people in the world. But not in Taiwan and not to me. Why? I can tell u some stories I experienced. But do u even care? Will it help?

So you see Alice, i got multiple lines of PROOF that the pro Taiwan friendliness articles are wrong. At least from my experience. Personal experience is proof to me. Your personal experience is proof to you too. Right?

[Winston]

Ok Alice. Lets assume the opposite then. Lets assume Taiwan is very friendly, open, warm and wonderful. And i am wrong. And there is something wrong with me. Lets play devils advocate here. So if im the problem, not Taiwan, then tell me what my problem is. How to fix it so i can be normal and love Taiwan like everyone else? You know I'm not shy. I am outgoing with good social skills, good communication skills, very articulate, kind, nice, courteous, polite, etc. I'm a good conversationalist, not boring and i have a lot of knowledge and wisdom. I'm confident and assertive too.

So what's wrong with me then? Thats the 64,000 dollar question. Ive been asking this question since 2009. No one has an answer. No one can explain. Can you? Lets assume the opposite and im wrong. Whats wrong with me then exactly? Can you prove it with logic and specifics and reason, not just general vague shaming tactics?

Or is it that some things just dont mix, like ketchup and milk, or Clint Eastwood and comedy movies? Lol. Like for example if u eat spaghetti with a hammer it wont work well. But that doesnt mean the hammer is defective. Its just not designed to be used as an eating utensil. You see what i mean? Theres no place on earth where everyone fits in. Even heaven is not a place where everyone fits in. Right?

[Yohan]

All true Yohan. Yes I noticed the same thing about Rock too. He does not go to Taiwan to date. True. However, keep in mind that Rock is into the pro-Taiwan cult, which means he will never see or admit anything negative about Taiwan or Taiwanese people, no matter how true, as I mentioned in my post above. So he does not ever feel anything off about Taiwanese people or complain that they are closed and cliquish, etc. He will admit that about California though, or the US, but not about Taiwan, even though both are closed cliquish cultures. That's strange to me. He acts as if Taiwanese are totally normal, natural, open, friendly, and everyone else thinks so too, except for me. So I'm the only one who thinks Taiwanese are closed and have a weird vibe and act too uptight and grim and sour? No one sees this but me? That's the impression Rock gives, and it's strange. He refuses to comment further on this and ignores me if I ask about him it.

You live in Japan right Yohan? Doesn't Japan and Taiwan have similar vibes? Many people say that Taiwan is friendlier than Japan, including Rock, but I highly doubt that. Surely if you like Japan, there must be some positive vibe or feeling you get from there, right? If so, what exactly? Does the vibe make you feel comfortable and allow you to be yourself?
.....

It is not easy for me to answer this question, Winston.

Let me say, I think, it was zboy1 (who is Korean American, visiting Japan) and everdred (who was living a while in Japan) who often said, if you live in Japan you need a Japanese family with you. Otherwise your life will end in loneliness - this is true, as a fact, Japanese people are not very communicative in general.

I am not alone, as I have wife, 2 daughters, 2 granddaughters, but still every year I have the strong desire to get out of Japan for a few months, as I also feel to be somehow 'isolated' - but I have a second home in Thailand, Pattaya, and also a fosterdaughter in Philippines, Cebu, I have Chinese friends in Malaysia... I hope the corona-virus will end soon and I will be on an airplane again.

I don't know even one person from my native country in Europe who is living permanently in Japan without Japanese family and there are not many...just a few who decided to settle down in Japan.

Japan is not a place for immigrants from Western countries. - And South Korea and Taiwan are no places for Western immigrants too.
Maybe for South Korea the only immigrants are run-away people from North Korea and for Taiwan in future there might be Chinese coming in from HongKong.

About South Korea and Taiwan, both were Japanese colonies over many years in the past and the structure of administration and way of life remain somewhat similar - not so communicative, not so much welcoming to foreigners, but keeping their daily life in order - which means a fairly good living standard compared to most other countries in Asia, low-crime, good health care for everybody, excellent full functioning public transportation....but nothing is mentioned about contacts between humans at all....

All these three countries are not known to be a good place for dating, they are importers of foreign women for marriage to local men.

In Japan foreigners are considered often as 'invisible' and ignored - but not considered as hostile as Japanese people feel safe in Japan.

In South Korea and Taiwan however nobody feels really safe - often considering foreigners as a kind of danger, spy, subversive element, you don't know who is who....I noticed this reaction especially against other Asian people (including Asian Americans), less against me - I am from Europe, white person.

In Taiwan, mainland China is considered to be a danger - In South Korea the North Korean border is not far... but we in Japan are larger with 126 million people, nobody is claiming Japan or questions its existence, there is also a strong military with US-backup.
It is still about 600 miles from Fukuoka to Shanghai in China, and 600 miles from Niigata to Wonsan in North Korea.

All in all, in Japan personally I think it is still easier and friendlier than in South Korea and Taiwan, but of course my opinion is biased because I am living in Japan since over 40 years. What I have seen in Taiwan and South Korea so far did nothing to change my mind about that. Better in Japan ... just my opinion.

As I said already, not much to talk about 'human relationship' - but in Japan at least women of any age are often very talkative, if you can speak Japanese, but men not so much. If you are alone and can speak Japanese, Japanese women often like to introduce their friends to you....but this takes time...

In Korea I found women rather to be arrogant, but my knowledge of Korean language is much poorer than my Japanese.
Japanese and Koreans are not good in foreign languages.

In Taiwan however, I cannot remember even one friendly contact with women while I was travelling alone around this little island....not really the place for me...still better for me to be in Japan for sure. but we have to keep in mind, that Taiwan is much smaller than Japan, less population...and I do not spend so much time there compared to South Korea and of course Japan.

That's all I think, I can say.

I don't know if this answers your question, Winston - please ask again if I missed something to reply to you.

[Spencer]

To be honest Alice, most of my insights and observations are not from my brain or intellect, i dont think. I feel that they are channeled from a higher dimension. In fact, many artists and writers will also tell u that their work seems to be channeled from a higher dimension, and not from their own mind only. The greatest genius of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla said this too. He said his ideas and inventions came to him from what he called a "creative core" in the universe. He said he didnt know what it was but it definitely exists.

Finally Alice, keep in mind that when i shared my insights with your father in 1990 at your brothers house in Taipei, he would always say "Winston has good insights. He makes sense." Remember that. So you should respect my views and know that there is truth in what i say, even if I'm biased or exaggerated sometimes.

Thanks for listening.

One more thing Alice. Try this. Go to Google and search for opinions on Japan. You will see there is some balance of positive and negative articles. There is valid criticism of Japanese culture and people too. Not government, because in Japan the government is not authoritarian, but the social culture is.

However if you Google for articles about Taiwan or mainland China, you see a huge imbalance. The articles about Taiwan are overwhelmingly positive. No one dares to criticize it, unlike Japan. Its as if Taiwan were a sacred cow you are not allowed to criticize. Its strange. I dont know why. And since most people are conformists they will follow suit and treat Taiwan as a sacred cow exempt from criticism.

You see wiseton intution empathator spirt aware is your divinity of hi order that you see smell hear and just knowing from nature truths that other common aborders cannot know....your gift you burden from the universal

your homeland misunderstand its mystic profit and happy aboard founder bossman alfa dog wiseton wu because we know profit not value in homeland so for this your energy clashing distrubance gets maximization at homeland for this is normalize path of spirit profit at hometown as we read in the histrybooks of timelessness

also wiseton your homeland get bully from ugly giant china so for this we see maybe everyone feel bad for your land wiseton so give it to the sacred cow status for fearing that it get swallowed up by dragon china and they make compensation for the bullyful history from many years many decades wiseton but only this merely guessing of common aborder for we are not profit wiseton with the spirit burden for find and for proclaim truthing to all

[Winston]

So, back to what you're saying about Taiwanese people, there is one theory I have: if Taiwanese people are culturally closer to Japanese than Chinese, could it be that they generally display more desire to interact and bond together if they feel you belong to the same social/professional circle? Matteo and I shared the same industry/professional and bonded over a 2-year period, where he got to love and appreciate everything Italy can offer. In fact I often had the impression that he was so fascinated about the food, the architecture and the history that he just wouldn't see all the problems that our country had (and still has).

What I am trying to say, @Winston, is that maybe Taiwanese men and women might you see and behave differently if they see you as having something in common with what they are or do? Maybe you like playing chess, or piano, or watching American movies, and could find people with the same hobbies and interests, better if they speak some English, and find that kind of "contact" with them? Perhaps there are clubs, associations or meet-ups where these people congregate and interact?

You were brought up in the US and are naturally more outspoken and extroverted. The ice barrier to break with Taiwanese is quite obvious. Again, my impression was they were polite and soft-spoken like the Japanese and probably would have acted shily and distantly if I wasn't introduced as Matteo's good friend. Maybe you just have to find a way to break that barrier and bonding over some common interest could be a way?

Just my 2 (Euro)cents

Hi @hypermak,
Of course if you join groups with common hobbies and interests, you will connect better. I heard there are New Age groups in Taipei too, but I haven't been to them. My parents place in Taiwan is down south, not anywhere near Taipei. But in the US I've been with hippie counter-culture groups too, like the ones from Couchsurfing, and some of those folks don't like me either, even though we have a lot of common views and are anti-establishment. I don't know why. Maybe my race? Sometimes people will dislike you for no reason and have no explanation why, they just want to exclude you, even if they are people who are part of your movement or group and have similar views. Even in expat groups, not all expats like us either. Some despise us and don't know why, of course they will always have some excuse or make up reasons to ridicule me or us here, to justify their dislike of us. But we never know why, because haters don't give legitimate reasons why they dislike someone. Haven't you been disliked or given the cold shoulder by people for no reason?

Sure sometimes Taiwanese are polite. If you came to my house in Taiwan, my parents and I would be polite to you too. But that doesn't mean much. We are talking about being a single guy and chatting up strangers, especially women and girls. That doesn't work well in Taiwan, it's taboo and against the flow. Also, not everyone is polite in Taiwan. I noticed about 1/3 have a grouchy, angry, pissed off look, like they want to scold someone or yell at you. The Greek guy I talked to above said he thinks the number is closer to 1/2. Either way, that's a very large percentage. So it's not true that ALL Taiwanese are polite. At least 1/3 or 1/2 are not. But the pro Taiwan articles never mention that and falsely assume that all Taiwanese are polite and friendly when they make blanket statements like "Taiwanese are very friendly people" but of course no one minds and no one is offended, because positive generalizations are ok but negative ones aren't. It's one of the many double standards in society. I'm sure you know why, because people like hearing positive things but not negative things, regardless of truth.

You gotta wonder though, if Taiwan is safe and nice and clean and friendly, then why do so many Taiwanese look pissed and grouchy and angry and want to yell at someone? Even Rock and I have been yelled at by Taiwanese for trivial things. My son when he was here was shocked because in the Philippines no one would yell at you just for asking simple trivial questions like "Does this machine take coins or tokens?" etc. Basic psychology says if people get pissed at little things, then they are unhappy. You were in Hong Kong right? You saw lots of people looked pissed and grouchy and yell at others for trivial things too right? It's not my imagination.

Either way, isn't it wrong for everyone on the internet to LIE and say that Taiwan is super friendly and perfect and has no rude unfriendly people? Doesn't it piss you off when everyone lies like that? We all know it's not true. So doesn't that piss you off how dishonest internet people are nowadays? Especially when you meet a lot of rude unfriendly Taiwanese in reali life? Then you get even more pissed at the lies online because you experience the exact opposite in real life. You know what I mean?

Maybe it would help hypermak, if I showed you what my definition of friendliness is. See my video series "Female Encounters of the Foreign Kind" at the playlist below. Each part is only 10 min so it won't take long to watch. This will show you upfront what my definition of "friendliness" is, and it is very different from Taiwanese fake politeness. Please watch it so you will see what my definition is and understand what I mean?

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... AMy16VuJlu

Btw hypermak. Sure its true that Taiwan is clean, safe and efficient. And has a blend of Japanese and Chinese culture and food. But as you know, an environment that's too sterile is dead. There's nothing to grow your soul. There's no energy to fuel your spirit or aura. No friction to heat up your life. No flirtatious energy. Only cold awkwardness and stagnation. No special memories or adventures. Nothing to write novels about. Nothing to even write trip reports or journals about. After all a safe cage does not produce any stories to write about. You see what i mean? Man does not live on bread alone.

[Winston]

Example of a double standard. This guy on YouTube makes a video about why Taiwanese are incredibly nice. Doesn't this guy look like a dufus? lol. Notice also his cover image, which shows an older/eldery man waving. Not a young woman. Like I said, only elderly people are friendly in Taiwan, not young people and especially not young women.



And that's ok. It's acceptable. No one is offended. But if I make a video about why Taiwanese are rude, grouchy, unfriendly and how girls never make eye contact and are cold and closed and impossible to connect with, the video gets taken down by YouTube. Isn't that unfair? Why the double standard? The reason of course, is because people like hearing positive things, not negative things, regardless of whether they are true or not.

[Winston]

Do you think my cousin Alice will admit i have valid points? Lol

Alice, let me ask u two questions.

1. Suppose i only wrote pro Taiwan articles about how friendly it is. Would u tell me they are useless and that i should stop doing that? If so isnt that a double standard? And furthermore if everyone thought like that then wouldnt the internet only have positive articles about everything and no negative critical articles? Wouldn't that give everyone the wrong impression that only good things about Taiwan exist and nothing negative exists? Wouldn't that give the public a wrong impression? What do u think?

2. Second question. Even people who love Taiwan admit that not everyone is friendly. There are polite people and rude grouchy people too. Both types exist in Taiwan. Agreed? Ok now, the thing is, many articles about Taiwan on the internet claim that all Taiwanese are friendly, as if rude unfriendly mean people don't exist in Taiwan. We both know that is not true. And lying is wrong right? You agree?

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say: "Some Taiwanese are friendly and polite. But some are rude and grouchy and unfriendly too." That would be more accurate and balanced. But when people say "Taiwanese are very friendly" or "people here are very friendly" that implies all or everyone is friendly. And we both know its not true. Or its a gross overgeneralization at least. So isn't my complaint legitimate then, when i say it is WRONG for these articles to lie or overgeneralize, even if its a positive lie? Do u believe lying is ok as long as its positive?

This is a tough question that you normally dont think about right? Lol. Neither do your children. Because none of you are deep thinkers. No offense. If u or your kids were intellectual and deep you could debate me point by point right? Or reply to me point by point (like speakers do in public debates). But Asians aren't good at stuff like that. Not my fault. Just calling it as it is.

Anyway, can u reply to these questions directly? Don't i have valid points? Thanks.

[Winston]

Alice:

I'm sorry that you have been treated badly, and I respect all of your feeling about Taiwannese people, everyone is different, I just don't have the same feeling neither of my children or my friends. You can't say that whoever not agree with you has been brains washed or not telling the truth. Everyone has a right to explain there opinion, nothing to do right or wrong. Like I said just be yourself, to go wherever make you happy to fit in, you don't need everyone likes you and you don't need to please everyone. Be yourself find the way you like to live.

Nothing wrong with you, you are smart , intelligent, you are nice. The real world out there is everyone has their own life ,has their own background has their own problem to deal with. You just can't make everyone agrees with you.

Winston:

Thanks Alice. Glad u are nice too. Yes everyone has their own opinion. But most people in America and Taiwan dislike me. Sometimes immediately. Why? How do u explain that? If u ask them they dont know why either. This has been happening since 1983.

But if u ask your children this key question: if Taiwan is friendly why does no one want to be your friend? They will be stumped and realize i am right and admit it. Or if u ask them, are Taiwan women open to strangers? Then they will say, "Of course not, they dont know u so why would they talk to you?" At that point they will have to agree with me and confess that i am right about that, that Taiwanese women are very closed, NOT open.

You see, I've had these debates before. When i bring up those questions then people are forced to admit that I'm right by those standards above. So I've convinced people to agree with me before and have a good winning record in these debates.

Not to brag of course.

[Winston]

Btw alice, we probably have a misunderstanding here in the sense that my definition of friendliness and yours are different. See below.

Also alice probably has a different definition of "friendliness" than we do. To us we mean that girls are open and sociable and u can chat or flirt with them naturally without feeling awkward or forcing the situation. Or that girls make eye contact with strangers and are open with strangers. By that standard most people will agree that taiwan isnt friendly if that is the standard for friendliness.

[hypermak]

Hi @hypermak,
Of course if you join groups with common hobbies and interests, you will connect better. I heard there are New Age groups in Taipei too, but I haven't been to them. My parents place in Taiwan is down south, not anywhere near Taipei. But in the US I've been with hippie counter-culture groups too, like the ones from Couchsurfing, and some of those folks don't like me either, even though we have a lot of common views and are anti-establishment. I don't know why. Maybe my race? Sometimes people will dislike you for no reason and have no explanation why, they just want to exclude you, even if they are people who are part of your movement or group and have similar views. Even in expat groups, not all expats like us either. Some despise us and don't know why, of course they will always have some excuse or make up reasons to ridicule me or us here, to justify their dislike of us. But we never know why, because haters don't give legitimate reasons why they dislike someone. Haven't you been disliked or given the cold shoulder by people for no reason?

Sure sometimes Taiwanese are polite. If you came to my house in Taiwan, my parents and I would be polite to you too. But that doesn't mean much. We are talking about being a single guy and chatting up strangers, especially women and girls. That doesn't work well in Taiwan, it's taboo and against the flow. Also, not everyone is polite in Taiwan. I noticed about 1/3 have a grouchy, angry, pissed off look, like they want to scold someone or yell at you. The Greek guy I talked to above said he thinks the number is closer to 1/2. Either way, that's a very large percentage. So it's not true that ALL Taiwanese are polite. At least 1/3 or 1/2 are not. But the pro Taiwan articles never mention that and falsely assume that all Taiwanese are polite and friendly when they make blanket statements like "Taiwanese are very friendly people" but of course no one minds and no one is offended, because positive generalizations are ok but negative ones aren't. It's one of the many double standards in society. I'm sure you know why, because people like hearing positive things but not negative things, regardless of truth.

You gotta wonder though, if Taiwan is safe and nice and clean and friendly, then why do so many Taiwanese look pissed and grouchy and angry and want to yell at someone? Even Rock and I have been yelled at by Taiwanese for trivial things. My son when he was here was shocked because in the Philippines no one would yell at you just for asking simple trivial questions like "Does this machine take coins or tokens?" etc. Basic psychology says if people get pissed at little things, then they are unhappy. You were in Hong Kong right? You saw lots of people looked pissed and grouchy and yell at others for trivial things too right? It's not my imagination.

Either way, isn't it wrong for everyone on the internet to LIE and say that Taiwan is super friendly and perfect and has no rude unfriendly people? Doesn't it piss you off when everyone lies like that? We all know it's not true. So doesn't that piss you off how dishonest internet people are nowadays? Especially when you meet a lot of rude unfriendly Taiwanese in reali life? Then you get even more pissed at the lies online because you experience the exact opposite in real life. You know what I mean?

Maybe it would help hypermak, if I showed you what my definition of friendliness is. See my video series "Female Encounters of the Foreign Kind" at the playlist below. Each part is only 10 min so it won't take long to watch. This will show you upfront what my definition of "friendliness" is, and it is very different from Taiwanese fake politeness. Please watch it so you will see what my definition is and understand what I mean?

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... AMy16VuJlu

Btw hypermak. Sure its true that Taiwan is clean, safe and efficient. And has a blend of Japanese and Chinese culture and food. But as you know, an environment that's too sterile is dead. There's nothing to grow your soul. There's no energy to fuel your spirit or aura. No friction to heat up your life. No flirtatious energy. Only cold awkwardness and stagnation. No special memories or adventures. Nothing to write novels about. Nothing to even write trip reports or journals about. After all a safe cage does not produce any stories to write about. You see what i mean? Man does not live on bread alone.

I think your predicament of "a single guy chatting up strangers" won't work in most countries/cultures anymore. Even growing up in Italy, in a small town, I would find it easy to stop and talk to anyone who knew me, at least as an acquaintance. Talking to total strangers, e.g. girls, was only accepted (= "didn't look totally awkward") in specific places and times of the day. Lots of kids would hang out in one of the main town piazza after school and that was the perfect time to socialize and speak to that cute "friend's friend's cousin".

Growing up we had "pubs" (the Italian name for a trendy, theme bar/restaurant) and discos, where most girls went to be expressly chatted up. If you could make it through the noise and the crowd, you could have a good chance at striking a good conversation with a girl you liked, possibly leading to more.

And this was Italy in the late 90s/early 2000's. I can see things have progressively gotten harder even there. Most kids of today are hooked to their mobile phones, that's the main if not only mean to approach them. My cousins who still live in my town tell me, as a bitter-sweet joke, that the only way to draw attention to a girl who goes to the same school and they physically see every day, in the classroom or on the corridors, is to contact them on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, a WhatsApp group if you're lucky. They can then check your social media information, including your pictures, your posts, gauge how "cool" and "cute" you are and then decide whether they can start chatting with you.

Unless you are a head-turning stud, few or no girls will ever want to talk to you when approached randomly, on a street. Or they might exchange a word or two, out of politeness, and then depending on how shy they are they will make it more or less explicit that they "have to go", "have a boyfriend" and are not interesting in entertaining you further.

If this applies to the more "open" European countries, just imagine how it would be in Asian countries were people are naturally shier and more reserved, especially in public.

I would imagine your Greek friend went there as a tourist and doesn't have any points of reference yet: a friend who invited him, a work colleague, perhaps someone who sympathised with him after meeting him randomly, etc. Even if you don't live in Taipei, doesn't your Taiwanese heritage and appearance put you in a better position than him?

Have you tried getting to know girls (or people, in general) who know your family? Don't you have cousins, aunties and uncles, in Taiwan? You could maybe ask them to introduce a guy your age, or slightly younger than you, and then he could hang out with you, take you to a party or social situation where you will not be "nobody" but "so-and-so's friend" and it would be a lot easier to meet other people including girls.

About Taiwanese looking grumpy or depressed, LOL, that's a typical Northern Asian thing I believe. Asians don't like to express their feelings, especially negative feelings, well and they like to bottle up the bad moods for the sake of not being a nuisance to those around them. Some of them would let their moods show through their body language and facial expressions. In that case it's safer to just ignore them.

I wouldn't go as far as saying that "all Taiwanese" appear in a bad mood, though. It's also true that the current global situation doesn't look great for most people. I guess Taiwan as a prime target of China's neo-imperialistic stance isn't making Taiwanese people exactly feeling relaxed.