Intellectuals Who Are Ignorant About Cultural Issues

[Screaming Jesus]

A friend of mine who does marketing research here has turned up data showing that the more people here are exposed to foreigners, the less they like them.

I wonder to what extent the foreigners feel the same way...?

An anecdote: In one class I signed up for (in which the only other foreigner was a Korean, and hence not as obvious), the professor started lecturing, then did a double-take--"Huh?"--when he saw me. If he had seen a monkey, I think his reaction would have been about the same! So he interrupts his lecture to find out where I'm from, etc. Which I guess was his way of making sure I could follow along...but the rest of the course, he would always ask for feedback from me more than the others. It was a little strange. I guess he figured I had a thicker skin.

In other courses, this didn't happen, though it felt funny to listen to them say "women chunguoren" ("we Chinese...") all the time. And many would come over and talk to me privately and welcome me.

For fairness' sake, I suppose I should talk about my quirky American professors who weren't Chinese, but then I'd need a book. Okay, just one! My accounting professor was a woman who wore polyester suits every day, along with a different Star Trek button for every day of the year.

[ironlady]

[ironlady]

It seems any time I discuss anything relating to history, I get a long, pedantic, and irrelevant lecture that ends with a sigh and the standard line:

[ironlady]

And as far as Chinese teacher reactions to foreigners, I'm getting sick and tired of being asked at the first meeting of every class: "Do you speak Chinese? Can you read Chinese?" I wouldn't mind if I were in some other department, but being in the 2nd year of an MA course in Conference Interpreting with Chinese as one of my working languages, you would think they might figure it out.

But then again I have an American friend who is a damn good legal translator, working for one of the big law firms for some years now. During break one day, one of the associates approached him and saw that he was reading a Chinese newspaper. "Oh! Can you read a Chinese newspaper?" ("No, I can only puzzle out the meanings of complicated bits of the civil code, but the newspaper is beyond me." Duhh!!)

[Scuba]

Many Academics or people who have a deep understanding of one area
often have a very superficial understanding of other areas. How this manifests itself depends on the personality of the individual. In some cases they come accross as endearing or none worldly wise in other cases they think that their deep understanding of one niche somehow qualifies them to pontificate on subjects where they are in reality totally ignorant.

I don't see this being more common here in Taiwan than any other country I have lived in . If anything I would say less so here. I sense a genuine interest in many people here about things foreign or about my home country.
On the contrary people in my home country have little/ no interest in things Taiwanese:
Quotes from those that have not been here:
" Thailand has good food doesnt it"
" They make a lot of plastic toys there dont they ?"
" Is it near Tibet ?"
Quotes from those that have been here.
"Taiwan is a beautiful Island apart from anything that the Taiwanese have touched" That from a Academic,PHD, Author.
" Taiwan.People have strange addresses there. No 1 Lane 2 Rd 3 etc."

Hence ,this kind of attitude is universal.

A friend of mine spent 2 years on a round the world trip to "broaden her mind" . When she returned I asked her if there were any surprises. SHe said that she expected her travels to increase her appreciation for other cultures but in fact they only increased her appreciation of her own culture.

We all (well most of us) think our own culture is superior(& by definition foreign cultures to be inferior) despite it flaws because its part of what we are. Sadly millions of people have died as a result of the more exteme versions of this aspect of the human character & will continue to do so in the future.

[scooter]

I'd have to agree with you there IL. I've worked for a large pseudo-governmental organization for 4 years now, which requires me to translate at least half of everything I do, including the news. One day a co-worker saw me taking a long time to choose a drink out of the drink case, and said to me (quite seriously) "I bet you're having a tough time telling what's in the cans, right?" Fortunately my other co-workers stepped in and berated him when they saw me begin to sputter. "His Chinese is probably better than yours. And if it isn't, I'm sure he can still understand the pictures on the cans."

[Steeevieboy]

"Oh! Can you read a Chinese newspaper?"

I find that the locals will state obvious observations as conversation starters. Maybe that person just wants to talk and is not realizing they are offending someone.

This thread is like many other complaining about Taiwan.

How much time do we spend complaining about Taiwan and its people.

Let's bite the hand that feeds us!

I've sat through many conversations where the foreigners have said rude comments about Taiwan and it's people in front of the Taiwanese. I have done it myself.

It has nothing to do with education. It's a matter of empathizing.

I'm sure someone like Tomas just being there makes that woman very uncomfortable and like Flicka said she might be frustrated like a 20 year old boy who can't afford to leave this little island.

[Poagao]

It does seem to me, odd though it may be, that the more "experience" Taiwanese have with foreigners, the worse they are when it comes to dealing with foreigners. Of course, it may be that those Taiwanese are just asshats who claim to have experience, but in general I feel more comfortable about Taiwanese who have never been around foreigners and speak no English or any other non-Chinese language than I would around Taiwanese who have travelled extensively, especially intellectual types.

[Goose Egg]

You foreigners just don't understand Chinese culture.

[Chewycorns]

If you are dealing with pretentious intellectuals, name drop as much as possible (eg. people you know, schools you went to, countries you have visited) and be very aggressive in your debating. Make them lose face in front of their audience. This has never happened to me in Taiwan. All intellectuals I have been most gracious. However, in Singapore and the PRC, it was not always so. I like the quote from former American Sec of State Warren Christopher who said to Lee Kuan Yew:

"Cultural relativism is the last refuge of repression."