Misfit effect of his own conditioned social sabotage in his own culture

[publicduende]

I just met Winston in person for the second time since I first met him in Las Vegas in 2022. He is very calm and doesn't show any signs of past trauma affecting him currently.

@kangarunner

I don't know how long you've been folllowing @Winston. His entire adult life story is predicated on complaining about how miserable his life in the US had been. In his fifties, instead of reconciling with the world, he found a new target for his complaints: Taiwan.

With all due respect for alternative knowledge, his entire NPC/matrix narrative is not plausible at all. If I were a Taiwanese man trying to forge ahead with my busy life, I would find it quite insulting.

While I agree in principle with, say, 90% of his critique against US society and culture, I cannot help observing that what happened to him is not specific to the US, or a certain time window. The theme of bullying is definitely one of these things.

I was bullied, especially during junior high school (11-13 years old), and that because my Mom made me start school at 5, instead of 6 as standard, so I was smaller and shier than most other boys. I learned to hit back with words and the bullying stopped, besides a few incidents. By the time I was 16 I had turned into a bit of bully myself and that's not something I am proud of - again, I never attacked anybody physically, it was mostly trash talking of the sarcastic and - often - painful type.

Bullying is not something that should define him, or anybody. The very fact he keeps banging about it means this is a story that is still affecting his present, and it shouldn't.

My perspective was simply that of someone who says:

• he is not alone - lots of people got or get bullied, like him or even worse than him
• what happened to him is indicative of human nature in general, it's not specific to the US, Europe or any other location.

[kangarunner]

I don't know how long you've been folllowing @Winston. His entire adult life story is predicated on complaining about how miserable his life in the US had been. In his fifties, instead of reconciling with the world, he found a new target for his complaints: Taiwan.

I first found him in 2020. Actually, he's interested in many different things. And him pointing out that Taiwan is soulless or lifeless where the people are repressed is true. If he doesn't point it out, then who will?

Winston is a great person. I don't know any Asian person like him at all. He literally went to Russia and made friends there which was a bold thing to do. He's written many articles. He even told me that someone told him that his videos helped change his life for the better. So he's done a lot of good in the world.

ChatGPT even knows who he is! Type in "Who is Winston Wu?" and it will give you his bio.

While I agree in principle with, say, 90% of his critique against US society and culture, I cannot help observing that what happened to him is not specific to the US, or a certain time window. The theme of bullying is definitely one of these things.

He said the whole school was against him. That is very unusual. Usually, a bully is 1 or 2 people, not the whole school.

I was bullied, especially during junior high school (11-13 years old), and that because my Mom made me start school at 5, instead of 6 as standard, so I was smaller and shier than most other boys. I learned to hit back with words and the bullying stopped, besides a few incidents. By the time I was 16 I had turned into a bit of bully myself and that's not something I am proud of - again, I never attacked anybody physically, it was mostly trash talking of the sarcastic and - often - painful type.

That's interesting. There must be some kind of psychological reasoning behind someone who is bullied wanting to become the bully later. On another tangent, We all have a dark side to us. The shadow self. We repress it. It lies dormant.

Someone on this forum even pointed out (I was impressed), when I said on here that I was in Vietnam and much happier, this person said they remembered how I posted dark and angry and hateful writing a year before and how he hoped I would be happier. That made me smile.

Bullying is not something that should define him, or anybody. The very fact he keeps banging about it means this is a story that is still affecting his present, and it shouldn't.

I don't think he goes on and on about it. I was at his home for 2 days. He shows no signs of past trauma affecting him. In fact, I was very impressed with how calm and relaxed he was. No bad temperament at all. What's even more interesting is I've never noticed a dark side or hateful side at all in any of his writing. No words of violence or ill will towards anyone. Even when driving around with him he never said anything bad really. It was very interesting.

One time I asked Winston in WhatsApp if he ever gets really angry. He said no because anger doesn't lead to anything good. He told me he would use his intellectual side to write articles if he wanted to release any anger.

[publicduende]

I first found him in 2020. Actually, he's interested in many different things. And him pointing out that Taiwan is soulless or lifeless where the people are repressed is true. If he doesn't point it out, then who will?

More than "who will", my question is "cui prodest", "who benefits from this"? Even assuming that Taiwanese people are soulless NPCs, is Winston's personality or profile coming out cleaner, better, intellectually or morally superior? I don't think so. Years ago Winston rejected his US identity because he didn't fit in. Fair enough. Twenty or twenty-five years later, he is obsessing over rejecting his other identity.

Winston strongly believes Europe is a different socio-cultural cluster, even in globalized 2025. As a European, I can attest that this just isn't the case. He may well find some interesting people who are happy to indulge in a conversation about philosophy, God, spirituality, conspiracy theories, because they have time to spare. Most people, in Europe just as much as Taiwan, are preoccupied with paying off their mortgages, saving their jobs or their relationships. When you take one of those people, they will look and talk (or not talk) exactly like the soulless Taiwanese Winston decries.

Winston is a great person. I don't know any Asian person like him at all. He literally went to Russia and made friends there which was a bold thing to do. He's written many articles. He even told me that someone told him that his videos helped change his life for the better. So he's done a lot of good in the world.

I like and respect Winston, just like you. I never wished him anything but the best in life. For how much (or how little!) I know him, though, I can tell so much of his life has been wasted, and continues to be wasted, on simple excuses wrapped around deep philosophical arguments. Years ago I was banned from HA because I engaged Winston with a simple question: "if you like Europe so much, why haven't you moved to Spain, France, Germany or Bulgaria permanently".

He summoned up a theory about negative spirits forcing him into a state of inaction, feeding on his ability to change his life. With all the respect for the many topics Winston and I have both been reading on, this really sounded as an excuse wrapped in a veneer of deep thinking.

In a nutshell: Winston was miserable in the US and he is comfortable yet miserable in Taiwan. The solution would be simple: to move back to the Philippines, to Angeles City and whatever is left of its bar scene. Or move to any of the European countries he sees as bastions of friendliness and cultural sophistication.

He hasn't done it yet, he will never do it. Blame the Archons.

He said the whole school was against him. That is very unusual. Usually, a bully is 1 or 2 people, not the whole school.

Like I said, it's not that "the whole school was against him". What usually happens is that, a small number of bullies or "cool kids" calls the judgment about the bullied kid. Everybody else just follows that judgment and either actively bullies or ignore that kid. It's what usually happens. No kid is bullied by a group of students and absolutely loved and worshipped by another group. It's herd mentality applied to teenage brains.

That's interesting. There must be some kind of psychological reasoning behind someone who is bullied wanting to become the bully later. On another tangent, We all have a dark side to us. The shadow self. We repress it. It lies dormant.

I really don't know why I did it. I guess it was my way to concoct funny stories or jokes that could hit the mark because they had real targets. I don't know if Winston ever felt like this but, like most kids who look shy and introverted, I secretly craved attention, fame, even. Of course getting that attention at the expense of some other kid's well being and reputation is not nice and I did regret it, in the following years. I am still friends with some of the classmates I would verbally torture. They are doctors, engineers, international consultants, a coupe of businessmen. Fortunately for them, my bullying didn't affect their lives so significantly, after all.

Someone on this forum even pointed out (I was impressed), when I said on here that I was in Vietnam and much happier, this person said they remembered how I posted dark and angry and hateful writing a year before and how he hoped I would be happier. That made me smile.

That's very good to know!

I don't think he goes on and on about it. I was at his home for 2 days. He shows no signs of past trauma affecting him. In fact, I was very impressed with how calm and relaxed he was. No bad temperament at all. What's even more interesting is I've never noticed a dark side or hateful side at all in any of his writing. No words of violence or ill will towards anyone. Even when driving around with him he never said anything bad really. It was very interesting.

One time I asked Winston in WhatsApp if he ever gets really angry. He said no because anger doesn't lead to anything good. He told me he would use his intellectual side to write articles if he wanted to release any anger.

Exactly what you said above. His writings are his way to vent his frustrations. The problem is that these writings make, on a reader, the same impression as someone living with him and regularly listening to those criticism and those complaints. I remain of the idea that Winston will do himself a massive favour by moving on whatever issues he has with the Taiwanese and start living among people he does not consider soulless, zombified, boring, NPCs.