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[sbmoor262004]

Proof that the Taiwanese are racist? Wow, that really gave me a good laugh. Let's see...
First of all, my girlfriend is black and with all the staring and looks of disgust (she turns heads in the US and guys hit on her regularly) I can rarely convince her to leave the apartment anymore. Where she teaches, new children are accustomed to break out screaming and crying. We've been here about 7 months and the only thing that kept her sane was a month-long vacation in the US. Though my personal experience with the Taiwanese has been fairly positive, seeing how they react to and talk about black people has instilled a sense of resentment in me. They are essentially a bunch of nouveau riche peasants. Taipei is by no means the cosmopolitan city it pretends to be.
A better example. A student told me recently about a group of African ambassadors who had come to Taipei for whatever and their hosts invited them to a restaurant where they were served soup in bowls featuring caricatures of African villagers (obviously wearing a grass skirt or such) holding spears. When they noticed this, they conferred and then left in disgust. This actually seemed to surprise the government official with them. Furthermore, my student couldn't understand why they would be offended. I'll try to bring some anti-Chinese caricatures common in California last century when they effectively banned Chinese immigrants from coming at one point (i.e. bamboo hat, buck teeth and slanty eyes) and ask which of his relatives it resembles most. The Taiwanese are incredibly ignorant about the world around them. Ask a Taiwanese if they think that Asians are more evolved than 'other races' (because Asians have less body hair) and let me know what they say. Despite the nice things to be enjoyed on the island, I have never encountered such an offensive belief. Though polite, there is no warmth of the kind to be found in Latin America or Africa.

[Aristotle]

[Fortigurn]

[matchstick_man]

Thanks for answering my question Aristotle. Sorry to hear about your experience. sbmoor262004. I know the Taiwanese can be racist but my question was about the island's government.

[sbmoor262004]

Fortigurn,
Are you talking about at work or outside? Has your girlfriend truly had no problems with people staring at her? Do they not stare longer and more unforgivingly than at you? Could she pass for white due to lighter skin? Every black person I've met so far has had negative things to say about living in Taiwan (somewhat balanced by a fat salary, perhaps). I tried going out with my girlfriend again yesterday and, as expected, more unsmiling stares. When I stare back at people they don't even look at me; they keep staring at her and either laugh (one thing that never fails to drive me to rage) or make rude comments. At first I thought my girlfriend was just edgy or paranoid but going out with my Chinese speaking friends I now know what they are saying about us. i feel justified in calling people ignorant who feel it is okay to insult someone in their presence. Though I have run into nice Taiwanese (and I love my students), I have never encountered this kind of rudeness in the 14 other countries I have visited / lived in. I think either you are not paying attention to how people treat your girlfriend outside of work, or you are like me, denying how ridiculously racist people are here so that you can stay here comfortably.

[Fortigurn]

[sbmoor262004]

Fortigurn,
I am glad that your girlfriend is not having to put up with the experiences I or the blacks I have met in Taiwan have encountered. Though I have been treated fairly well here I don't find the attitudes here towards other cultures (non-white European, that is) as being very accepting or tolerant. My students regularly tell me their attitudes on 'dark-skinned people' and my girlfriend's experiences certainly bear this out despite her strident efforts to maintain a chipper attitude. I'm glad to hear of an exception. I confess that even in some parts of the South in the US we were given nasty looks, but I haven't encountered them anywhere else and certainly didn't expect the degree of blatant bigotry I've found here. I hope that globalization will bring more contact between all groups and the concept of 'race,' which has already shown to be extremely flawed and, ultimately, invalid will disappear (or the ridiculous idea that non-Chinese are 'polluting' the local gene pool). Until then I know what treatment my girlfriend can expect once she leaves the apartment. Not that that really matters now that she's decided to go back early.

[Fortigurn]