Job Discussion Forums

[MTurton]

[grooveholmes]

Getting back to what the cowboy had begun saying, rule #1 of travelling is, when in Rome, do as the Taiwanese do, because, you'll be deemed a pissant. Now, a pissant in a foreign country usually can find other pissants, however, he might find himself alone sooner or later.

[A.K.A.T.D.N.]

Well wait a minute now 'Pop Fly.' Fotigurn told me there were ". . .signs everywhere." Now you just told me there's ". . .a message that scrolls across big signs on all platforms" when I'll be darned if there ain't but one red-necked posting in my neck of the woods. And ". . .above each door in the train" has to be but in Chinese because I sure as heck haven't seen this one.

Maybe you and Fortigurn take the Chinese train, the one that teaches you all the hyperbole you need to post on this forum, or what the lines mean inbetween.

As for the "cowboy hat" meaning I'm "soooo American" actually, it means just what a cowboy hat does. Shade from the sun, a nice decoration to wear on a casual, informal day out-on-the town, and probably looks a hell of a lot better than the "stupid baseball hats" some Americans/Canadians are apt to wear in order to make the statement that "I'm so cool". Moreover, it was a "souvenir." Yeah, pal, it says where I'm from on it, kind of like I want to remember the good times I had while back home for a while. Moreover, your rednecked racism doesn't realize that "half of Americans" wear cowboy hats, and they're often a sign of a gentleman down in the Southwest. Go say what you said to some Texans and we'll see where your head ends up.

As for me looking at all the beauties. SHEEEEEEEEIT! I was on my way for a hike in the mountains, keeping my mouth from getting dry on a hot, dehydrating day by chewing gum, because if you don't know by now, dumb-arse, gum keeps you from getting over-thirsty. Besides, it's good for your teeth, for your stomach, and for stinky, morning breath. Try it, maybe you'll learn to make some more friends.

"I chew gum. . .I'm soooo American." Man, what a racist/Chinese.

[A.K.A.T.D.N.]

Okay, you're right. I just heard it straight from the horses mouth. Some Chinese just told me that THERE ARE SIGNS OUT THERE, somewhere, but I'll tell you, they sure make it hard for a foreigner to see, and usually as a foreigner, I DON'T SPEND MY COMMUTING TIME READING SUBWAY SIGNS!

Maybe this aspect needs to be more obvious if you're going to fine someone NT 7,500. Moreover, I take short trips on the subway(about two stops) and I've yet to hear, or be able to hear, any announcement about chewing gum.

Must be that cowboy in me just wants to ride the bull and not hear the roaring crowds.

[WorkingVaca]

In Taiwan for just a few weeks and already bent out of shape over a little warning. Great attitude, cowboy. I predict in less than six months you'll either head straight back to Texas or become vice president of Aristotle's cyberkook SSETT club.

[A.K.A.T.D.N.]

[gemair]

I don't see how the two short comments your Chinese ticket lady said were "getting worked up" over the small matter of your chewing gum. At 50 feet away, she yelled at you (presumably so you could hear) that there was no eating on the train. When you replied that you were chewing gum, she said no chewing gum! I don't really see how that is getting worked up over anything?

Now, there may have been racism on her part, who knows? But you didn't mention if there were any other obvious gum chewers with you that she may have overlooked because they happened to be Chinese so that you would have some sort of reasonable comparison. My bet is she probably would have told the other violators the same thing.

Most foreigners go to other countries expecting customer service or customer reprimand to be as friendly or polite as here in the States when it isn't always like that. I've actually known a few foreigners here in the U.S. who say that everyone smiling and being so personable unsettles them. My point is, hello, different culture, different ways of dealing with things. You can't just draw that someone was racist from your minor incident. Instead of that, you could just let it go and post an event that would really be about blatant racism. For example, my experience in a Boston subway where someone spat at the floor next to me (actually aiming for myself) and calling me a gook.

I would rather give someone the benefit of the doubt, when there is reasonable doubt, than wronglly accusing someone of a rascist act.

[gemair]

p.s.

You asked if it was "REALLY NECESSARY FOR HER TO HOLLER FROM 50 YARDS AWAY?"

At fifty yards, yes. What did you expect her to do, not do her job and let you slide by after she had seen you just because you are a foreigner? Like someone else said, when in Rome, do as the Taiwanese do. Why do people expect an entire culture to conform to one person? If I couldn't handle being in another nation, either because the culture is too different from my own or because the place was just too horrendous, I would leave but never expect people to treat me better or with more understanding just because I was a foreigner. Maybe more inital tolerance, but like I think I've overanalyzed before, I don't think this lady was being INtolerant because of your looks.

[Pop Fly]

And wouldn't it be just like us wise-n-heimer regulars here to come up with such hilarious twisting plotlines designed to send some Fort-Not-Worth-Muchian on a wild goose chase, looking and listening for these "warnings"....oooo....so David Mamet....


What a schmuck.....


Hey...I hear SSET's looking for a few good men....the strong, the proud, hell...they (they! HA!) really needs (sic) only you AKATNT....


Its fun having him here....I also think I should let up on Chicken Little a little....with seabrain gone and brian's ko'ing by some wierd ban....who would we have to pick on....the rest of the dudes here all agree.....alll your questions are asked and answered if you search a little....

Would we post here if such luminating personalities such as AKAIAMADUMBBUM and CL weren't here to make us even bother coming at all?

Rant on boyz...rave til the cowz come home.....Dave Sperling needs you.

[A.K.A.T.D.N.]

[jason_seeburn]

[]]]

[Pop Fly]

[Aristotle]

Welcome back Jason.
We were beginning to think that Brian had harassed you right of the board.
Sure has been quiet lately.
Good luck,
A.

[Polina]

Taiwanese are renowned for their racism. Look at the way they treat their Filipina house helpers (the official advice given to their Taiwanese "owners", such as don't let them have a day off, don't let them use the phone .. literally treated as prisoners!) - who incidentally speak better English, despite their poverty, than 99.999% of Taiwanese could ever dream of, even if they go and live in an English-speaking country for two years!!!

As to racism on the MRT. Here's one little anecdote of many I have to share. I was sitting on the MRT with my Taiwanese boyfriend. He took one single drink out of his bottle as it had been a long train trip and he was thirsty, and only drinking water, which doesn't dirty anything. Then he replaced the cap. A stocky fat ugly wrinkled old *beep* sitting opposite us points violently in his direction and tells him in an aggressive manner not to drink on the MRT - as if it were his train. I stand up to the *beep*, being tougher and more assertive than my passive Asian boyfriend. The *beep* then proceeds to physically threaten me (like a reflex reaction to a female who asserts herself) and stomps off to tell an attendant on the train. He comes back with the MRT attendant - actually the attendant was very nice - and has to do a verbal U-turn as he doesn't get any official support. My boyfriend talks to him and it turns out the *beep* had assumed he was a foreigner too because he was sitting next to me - I am Caucasian. He asks my boyfriend why he's going out with a horrible foreign woman etc. So it turns out he only got unpleasant in the first place because he saw two foreigners in front of him - AND he physically threatened a woman for standing up to him verbally. I am sure that if I had been alone I would've been assaulted - he was physically out of control. Nice work, Tai man.

Actually, I'll have to say that a few Taiwanese people on the train were visibly embarrassed at the *beep*'s behaviour. One guy sat with us, speaking quite good English, and made sure we were okay. So there is rife racism that would never be tolerated in the West, but there are also civil people here.

To the die-hard politically correcters - pull your heads out of your arses - afterall it won't smell any different while you're in Taiwan.

[jason_seeburn]

[][