Foreigner friendly
I am writing in response to Paul Greene’s letter (Letters, June 8, page 8), in which he laments “antipathy from other foreigners” in Taipei.
When I read his letter, I nodded my head, for I have encountered similar responses from foreigners in the seven years I have lived here (though I have also been the recipient of some friendly concord with foreigners).
Why is this? What is the source of what is at worst, ill will, or not much better, cool indifference, from people who we should be able to, and in fact desire to, connect with?
I really don’t have an answer to this quandary. But one thing may be that foreigners in Taipei are a very disparate lot, and our differences seem to divide us. At worst, many foreigners here are little more than transients, drifting through Taiwan without any particular purpose, picking up easy money teaching English, and just taking in sights here and there.
In short, their lives here are little more than exercises in self-indulgence, and before long they will be hieing their way to points distant. People like this generally have little interest in interacting with people like Mr Greene — permanent residents, with families, steady jobs and a commitment to improving life in Taiwan.
Another big group here is comprised of those studying Chinese. This group, while more committed than the transient English teachers, are often just like them, partying and roaming around Taiwan, and, outside the rigors of studying Chinese, with mostly selfish commitments. Many of these people too will be gone in a year or so too.
To be sure residents like Mr Greene are not like this, and they are putting together good lives here and making a difference for the better in Taiwan — but even they face obstacles, linguistic and cultural, that can limit the depth of their dealings.
Even some foreigners I have known that spoke Chinese well, and thus were somewhat more involved in life here, were still not fully plugged in, and were in some ways outsiders.
If we are to improve these conditions, residents like Mr Greene and myself may think about:
1) endeavoring to become more competent in the culture and language so that we can become better contributing citizens (which Mr Greene has done; my own Chinese is middling; note that more effort in Taiwan by way of professional, easy-to-use Chinese classes, particularly for newcomers and working professionals, could be helpful).
2) trying to reach out to more of our own kind (these could be foreigners or Taiwanese natives), and creating social and/or professional outlets to interact in.
3) being the best we can be — cooperative, enthusiastic, friendly, optimistic — in order to raise the bar, and show that we foreigners in Taiwan are okay, after all.
I would like to add more, but lack the space. To Mr Greene and those like him, I look forward to meeting you in Taiwan — and I hope we greet each other with a smile.
Name withheld
Politics, sports always mix
I am writing in response to the article “Taichung mayor says Jackie Chan welcome to visit” (June 11, page 1).
In the article, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) stated that “Politics and entertainment should not be mixed.”
His statement, along with the many recent opinions that the Olympics not be mixed with politics, remind me of a quote by George Orwell. He said that “The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.”
In theory, it would be ideal if politics not be intermingled with sports, entertainment, and the like.
However, in the reality of our globalizing world, everything is political.
I remember back in 2002 when the Olympics was back in my home state of Utah, a Caucasian American family had a Taiwanese flag outside their house in Park City, showing their support for Taiwanese athletes. The visiting Chinese officials got upset and demanded the flag be removed (obviously it didn’t work, because this was the US, not China!).
If the Olympics were not political, then this event would not have mattered.
If the Olympics weren’t political, then in 1980, when the US defeated the Soviet Union in the Olympic hockey final, it wouldn’t have meant more than a win.
That win was historically significant because of the Cold War, and if you ask me, the Cold War was pretty damn political.
If sport wasn’t political, then many US sports broadcasters would describe tennis players Chan Yung-jan (詹詠然) and Chuang Chia-jung (莊佳容) as from Taiwan and not Chinese Taipei (some even simply say Taipei).
Politicians, international organizations, the UN and so on need to forget the whole “politics shouldn’t be mixed with international events” line and face the fact that everything that they do is political, everything that is transnational is political.
Once they have reality in check, they should go back and tend to more important business.
By Jessie Lin
HYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND
A series of strong earthquakes in Hualien County not only caused severe damage in Taiwan, but also revealed that China’s power has permeated everywhere. A Taiwanese woman posted on the Internet that she found clips of the earthquake — which were recorded by the security camera in her home — on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. It is spine-chilling that the problem might be because the security camera was manufactured in China. China has widely collected information, infringed upon public privacy and raised information security threats through various social media platforms, as well as telecommunication and security equipment. Several former TikTok employees revealed
For the incoming Administration of President-elect William Lai (賴清德), successfully deterring a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attack or invasion of democratic Taiwan over his four-year term would be a clear victory. But it could also be a curse, because during those four years the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will grow far stronger. As such, increased vigilance in Washington and Taipei will be needed to ensure that already multiplying CCP threat trends don’t overwhelm Taiwan, the United States, and their democratic allies. One CCP attempt to overwhelm was announced on April 19, 2024, namely that the PLA had erred in combining major missions
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday last week held a debate over the constitutionality of the death penalty. The issue of the retention or abolition of the death penalty often involves the conceptual aspects of social values and even religious philosophies. As it is written in The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, the government’s policy is often a choice between the lesser of two evils or the greater of two goods, and it is impossible to be perfect. Today’s controversy over the retention or abolition of the death penalty can be viewed in the same way. UNACCEPTABLE Viewing the
At the same time as more than 30 military aircraft were detected near Taiwan — one of the highest daily incursions this year — with some flying as close as 37 nautical miles (69kms) from the northern city of Keelung, China announced a limited and selected relaxation of restrictions on Taiwanese agricultural exports and tourism, upon receiving a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) delegation led by KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁). This demonstrates the two-faced gimmick of China’s “united front” strategy. Despite the strongest earthquake to hit the nation in 25 years striking Hualien on April 3, which caused