5 Ways Taiwan Has Gotten Worse - Socially, Spiritually and Culturally

Some new observations about how Taiwan has gotten worse socially, spiritually and culturally, and how it's turning into an Asian version of America:

10 Reasons Why Taiwan Sucks for Dating, Social Life and Fun

Janet Hsieh, the host of Fun Taiwan, acts all giddy about Taiwan over nothing. She paints a rosy picture of Taiwan and tells you some cultural info about it. But she doesn’t tell you the deeper or negative aspects of it, since her job is to promote Taiwan tourism, not that of a deep philosopher and observer seeking truth. Well since I am the latter, I will tell you some deep truths about Taiwan that no one else has the guts to, since it’s not popular to say negative truths, and plus most people are not deep either.

The truth is, Taiwan is not a good place if you are seeking a great social scene, free-flowing fun, personal happiness, love, romance or passion. Taiwan’s social culture and social conditioning are simply not conducive to these things. Below I will explain why and provide sensible reasons that are obvious and undeniable (though taboo). Let’s begin.

Taiwanese people are empty shells with no soul, personality or passion

Have you noticed this about Taiwan? It's a new observation I just realized:

Even if you make a lot of friends in Taiwan, you eventually realize that these friends are really just casual acquaintances, because there is no real connection with them. Taiwanese are like empty shells with no soul or emotions, like plastic mannequins (similar to America, but even worse). Their faces are passionless and robotic, as if their soul and humanity has been squashed, suppressed or drained out of them.

It's very sad and scary, like an inhuman society from the Twilight Zone. I've seen some of the older generation Taiwanese show some semblance of having a soul or emotions, but the young adult generation definitely seem empty and hollow with plastic exteriors. Thus, the friendships you make in Taiwan will ultimately be unsatisfying.

It's also kind of depressing when you see that people are empty shells here because it leaves you wondering "How can humans descend into such a state of being?" What's scary is that you know deep down that you don't want to become like them, thus being around them could have a toxic negative effect on you.

7 Major Problems with Taiwan Girls - Terrible beyond words!

Although Taiwanese girls are comparable with the most beautiful females in the world, they are also among the most difficult and come with a barrage of major negative traits, personality problems and difficult obstacles. Here are 7 big problems with them that will give you an idea about why I find Taiwan to be the most BORING place on the planet, as well as the WORST place for dating girls in the world. Each one of these is bad enough, but combined, they make Taiwanese girls not even worth the effort.

New Taboo Observations About Taiwan - Warning: Offensive

The following is an intellectual take on a non-intellectual culture.

Taiwan has a very politically correct social culture that is superficial, practical, conformist, insular, cliquish, repressed and non-intellectual. There is an unspoken but obvious social rule that around others, you are always expected to act positive and cheerful, and only talk about superficial things. Anything to the contrary will weird people out, especially young adults, and may ostracize you from social groups. So you can't be negative (no matter how justified) or talk about deep things in Taiwan without looking like a misfit.

What this means is that if you are unhappy or don't like something in Taiwan (and there is a lot to dislike in Taiwan, that's for sure) then no one wants to hear about it, unless you have a close and understanding friend. For example, even though it's obvious that Taiwanese are generally closed, repressed and narrow, you are not allowed to SAY that they are. It's like the Emperor's New Clothes syndrome. In that sense, you are not allowed to tell the truth in Taiwan.

To Shaun Bettinson: Why Taiwan Sucks - Boring, Miserable, Repressed

Dear Shaun Bettinson,

I read a few articles about your bizarre campaign to get everyone in Taiwan to say "I love Taiwan" and photograph themselves doing so, for no reason other than the sake of it. So I was wondering what you suggest about my no win situation in Taiwan. See here:

http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15807

Also, check out my article of the pros and cons of Taiwan, which lists things that other sites don't list, that are taboo, yet obvious, but other people don't have the guts to talk about. Let me know what you think.

http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14561

Anyhow, I have a question for you: Why should I raise up my hands and say "I love Taiwan" given the following:

What's the point of living in Taiwan if you don't get any attention from cute girls? I get attention from girls in most other foreign countries - e.g. Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Mexico, Philippines (see here for hard proof: http://www.happierabroad.com/ebook/Collage.htm) - but not in Taiwan. So how can Taiwan be so wonderful like you and everyone says?

Girls treat me like shit here, which undermines my ego and self-esteem. They are super cliquish and uptight about not talking to strangers (especially males) unless introduced by a mutual friend. Why should I love or enjoy that, just because it's taboo to say anything negative about Taiwan's social scene?

The biggest reason why Taiwan sucks is that to meet girls or try to get dates, I have to try to walk UPSTREAM against a raging river. If I go downstream and "go with the flow" I get nothing - no love, romance or sex. Everything in Taiwan goes against my love/sexual satisfaction. In Taiwan, I'm in a constant state of DEPRIVATION. It feels like everything is against me. I'm not allowed to flirt, talk to female strangers I like, approach girls without feeling like a creep/criminal, and they don't give me attention and won't offer to meet me if I chat with them on the internet, etc. That just plain SUCKS for sure.

So why should I raise my hands and say "I love Taiwan" in spite of that, just because Shaun Bettinson says so? Get real. How can Taiwan be so wonderful, if I can't even get girls I like to meet up with me, and none of the experts I know in Taiwan can help me? On dating sites and on Facebook, about 1 in 100 Taiwan girls I like respond to me, and among those that do, none of them ever want to meet up! WTF?! All they do is make excuses excuses excuses about being busy all the time... blah blah blah. So how can Taiwan be so wonderful?! WTF?

In contrast, in other foreign countries (besides USA, Canada and Taiwan), girls are happy to meet me and they will OFFER to when I am in their area. So why not Taiwan? What is the problem with Taiwan? Why are Taiwan girls so damn difficult and uptight about meeting up? It's crazy! And it totally sucks!

Having hot girls everywhere who ignore you and expect you to mind your own business while they mind theirs is a depressing society. What kind of guy likes that? What kind of life is it to be constantly deprived and unsatisfied in the areas of love, sex and romance? That SUCKS.

It's no different than living in the US. So what's the point of living in Taiwan? There's no advantage other than lower cost of living. Socially, it's no different to me than the US. At least in America, the air is fresher, cleaner and more healthy, drivers are more polite, and there is always a place to park your car.

Thus I have every right to say that Taiwan sucks, even though it contracts the popular cliche on every Taiwan website/blog that says "Taiwan is so wonderful and friendly!" Why should I conform to that? Is conforming more important than telling the truth? Should I conform or be honest?

Also, everything feels so repressed, stiff and miserable in Taiwan. It's like there is a wall or barrier around everything that blocks me from being who I am and doing what I want to do. That sucks. I can't be myself in Taiwan and I'm not allowed to tell the truth either. What could be more invalidating than that?

In fact, Taiwan is actually one of the less interesting countries in the world. Workaholic cultures tend to be less interesting, because they lack passion and soul. The environment is very sterile. There's no romance, passion, love, special moments, special memories, camaraderie with others, or intellectualism. Instead, there's extreme repression and misery. Interactions are cold, fake and financially based. Women are very cold, difficult and picky. And young people are not interesting to talk to, but are eggheads and not very bright. All people care about is work and food. In addition, the architecture is ugly and consists of ugly slabs of concrete, and the natural scenery is bland and nothing spectacular. How is that any better than America?

There also seems to be this dark negative energy vortex in Taiwan. Everywhere I go the vibe feels so negative and miserable 24/7. Why is that? I don't think it's all in my imagination since Taiwan does have a high suicide rate, and people do look extremely repressed and miserable on their faces, which is consistent with the vibe I feel. It's like there are hungry ghosts sucking the life out of you in Taiwan.

In any case, why should I rave about Taiwan being "so wonderful and friendly" just because everyone else does? Why should I put up my hands and say "I love Taiwan" just because Shaun Bettinson says so? Why can't I be honest, rather than appease you and your campaign?

Am I obligated to lie and conform? Or is it better to tell the truth?

Thanks for reading, if you got this far that is.

Sincerely,
Winston

Update:

Shaun Bettinson responded to me by email. You can read his response and mine here:
http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15832

See also:

The Four Biggest Problems With Taiwan

10 Reasons Why Taiwan is not good for social life, fun, happiness or romance

 The Dark Side of Taiwan

The Pros and Cons of Taiwan: A Taboo List

Taboo Observations and Truths About Taiwan

Critical Observations about East Asian Mentality and Culture

Christopher's Lies and BS about Janet Hsieh and Taiwan

One of Janet Hsieh's fans (airheads as usual, with no real arguments), posted this strange comment in this blog:

http://janet-hsieh-sucks.blogspot.tw/2011/05/critique-of-janet-hsieh-host-of-taiwan.html

"It seems the only good thing Winston Wu is good at is SEO.

I actually read that "article" about democracy and Taiwan being a horrible place, and discovered that his "intellectual" thoughts are basically a mixture of conspiracy theory and poppycock. No educated American thinks America is literally a democracy, nor does anybody think that living in a "free" country means that people can do or say whatever they want. Winston wrote some obvious things, then claims that he's one of the few that's figured it out. There's also a glaring lack of footnotes in his essay, so at least we know it's very well-researched....

And then there's a bunch of claims that show Winston's lack of knowledge on topics he talks about. Such as Janet being fake. If he's never met her, then how does he know that she's faking it, and that that's not how she is in person? (I HAVE met her personally, and I remember her as a pretty upbeat girl). Winston also doesn't know how the TV industry in Taiwan works (for new show concepts, people create a show with their own money, then pay the networks to broadcast it. If it gets good ratings FOR A WHOLE SEASON, THEN the network pays for the rights to it and/or hires the team, and only then do they start paying the original show creators.).

Also, Winston likely possesses few social skills. He cries on and on about Asian males not being treated well, but it just sounds like a lot of blaming others for his own bad experiences. Having lived in Taipei for a year as an ABC (that would make me an Asian male), one of the best things about the place was the friendly people! People everywhere were extremely friendly, you could talk to anybody on the street, young or old, and talking to girls there was much easier than in the States, because they will almost always talk back (maybe Winston acted like a creeper? I'm below-average in the looks department, and all I had to do was smile and say hi). I have literally walked into random KTV rooms, introduced myself, and then drank and sang with strangers for hours (didn't do this all the time, but maybe once a month or so?). I would then observe how that behavior would not fly in the USA. It is hard to approach a group of club-goers in LA without them staring you down. In Taipei, however, any night at Room18 could be spiced up by just walking up to random groups, and they happily integrate you into their plans for the night. Girls there are NOT that conservative, and I actually watched a documentary about how Taiwanese girls are getting more and more dynamic to the point that there is a large portion of their population that is barhopping into their 30's and marrying later.

Winston, anecdotal evidence from people that have similar experiences to you means very little. You must ask for stories from people that are nothing like you, to allow for the possibility that your personality (or other factors) is the culprit. I'm not claiming to be one of those "lucky" ones that succeeded in to social or dating scenes. In fact, if you go hang outside a club like Spark or Primo, you will see tons of people just happily socializing with each other, just like any other country. Because guess what! People in Taiwan like to have fun, too! There's no anti-fun culture being taught there. How about you balance your anecdotal evidence with mine and my Taiwanese friends? Or that of all the ABC's that love visiting Taiwan every year in the summer or Christmas or Chinese New Years?

In closing, this comment is more for the readers than for you, Winston. I'm afraid this is likely to fall on deaf ears (though one can hope), but hopefully others who end up here will remember to appreciate Janet and her show for what it's supposed to do, highlighting what can be fun and entertaining in and around
Taiwan, not what you perceive her personality to be without ever having met her."

My response:

Christopher,

Why do you say that Janet isn't fake because she's "upbeat"?! WTF are you smoking?! If you had said that she isn't fake because she's "authentic, down to earth, no nonsense, straightforward, brutally honest and tells it like it is", then you could argue that she's not fake. But "upbeat"? WTF? Are you some retard?

How can you say that Taiwanese are "NOT conservative"? WTF? EVERYONE knows that they are. Ask any honest sincere Taiwanese person and they will tell you that Taiwan girls are very "bao so" (conservative/inhibited/closed). Note that they are not a little "bao so" but VERY "bao so". It's common knowledge in Taiwan and no one denies it. So why do you?

Saying that Taiwanese girls are not conservative is like saying that Hitler was not insane. It's a preposterous statement. In fact, every atom and molecule in Taiwan is conservative. The entire energy field and social atmosphere in Taiwan is conservative. There is nothing that is not conservative in Taiwan. Why do you think you have to act super innocent when out with people in Taiwan?

Do you have some self-interest in spreading these lies about Janet Hsieh and Taiwan? Why are you giving totally false info that contradicts what everyone knows as fact? You are weird. It's like you have never been to Taiwan or something.

Look dude. I'm Taiwanese and I love Taiwan because of that. But the facts are the facts:

- It is extremely conservative, the most conservative country I've ever been to. People ignore you if they don't know you and treat you like you don't exist. When you are alone in Taiwan, you are totally invalidated and alienated. It's a terrible feeling.

- Taiwanese are very cliquish and only hang in groups. They are insecure as individuals. The individual has no value and no identity. Groups are everything in Taiwan's social atmosphere. No one dares go out alone unless they are on their way to school or work. You will never see anyone going alone to a restaurant, cafe, pub, theater, etc. You will be seen as a loser if you go out alone in Taiwan. It's easier to meet people if you're in a group than alone - it's all about cliques.

- The only people that freely talk to strangers in Taiwan are middle age and elderly people. (similar to the US) This is an obvious fact, yet amazingly not a single website mentions it other than mine.

- 80 percent of the girls are either cute or hot, but they have a cold wall around them which makes it VERY uncomfortable and creepy to try to approach them or meet them. 99.99 percent of guys would never start up a conversation with a girl they don't know in Taiwan. The girls are all look and no touch - a total downer.

These facts and general tendencies in Taiwan are undeniable to any sincere normal person. I have a mountain of proof to support this.

See these revealing photos that show exactly what I'm talking about:

http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14359

See these 10 logical reasons with many expat letters:

http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13566

What's Wrong With Taiwan Girls? Closed, Cold, Cliquish, Inhuman, Stuck Up, Flaky, Divas

The biggest problem in Taiwan is that the women are very closed, cold, stuck up and cliquish, as if they are almost inhuman. They are anything but open and engaging with strangers. Wherever they go, they carry that "don't bother me look" on their face, which makes them VERY unapproachable. Yuck. It's very sad and depressing to see that everyday. I hate it. Taiwan has got to be one of the HARDEST places to approach and engage women. Their body language is cold, stuck up and cliquish.

Alongside Japan and Korea, Taiwan girls are among the least open and engaging of females in the 200 countries of the world. Even in retail sales and customer service occupations, Taiwanese girls are cold and business-like. I don't know how they got that way, but their cold demeanor seems very inhuman.

To give you a simple example, if I say "Excuse me miss" (in Chinese or English) to girls walking by in Taiwan (who are totally cold and closed) none of them will stop. But in most other countries, when I do that, very often the girls will stop and talk to me. That's a very big difference that says a lot, no matter how you try to spin it.

Taiwanese girls are extremely picky, shallow, judgmental, difficult, vain, and spook easily like deer do in the wild. They are overly cautious and unnaturally shy to the extreme, and don't like talking to strangers without an introduction through mutual friends. These extreme traits that are common in Taiwanese females make them almost inhuman and definitely unnatural. Now there is nothing wrong with being a little shy or cautious. That can be cute. But Taiwanese girls take it to the extreme and are too excessive in their closed-ness and shyness. Ironically, their own ancient Chinese wisdom says that nothing in extremes is any good, and that everything must be in moderation.

Also, Taiwanese girls have hang ups about dating. To them, dating is a stepping stone to marriage, so they won't just go out with you for fun, at least not the good girls. You have to jump through a ton of hoops. So you can't just simply ask them out like you can in most countries, otherwise you will be met with polite rejections and excuses. To make matters worse, the normal courting process of flirting is considered a taboo in Taiwan, seen as creepy bad behavior. So if you are a Romeo or Casanova who likes to flirt, that will be a big let down for you, because you are not allowed to use your main arsenal of seduction. Furthermore, it's very hard to vibe with Taiwanese girls if you are not on their small minded, shallow, narrow, insular wavelength. 


So it's like everything is against you in Taiwan if you want to try to fulfill your romantic or sexual needs, which sucks and is terrible beyond words. Taiwan does have a high concentration of hot girls, but what's the point if they are all look and no touch? That just makes it more depressing and frustrating. Personally, I find Taiwan to have the most unnatural and ego-deflating dating scene I've ever seen. The miserable vortex in Taiwan compounds it and makes it all worse. 

Everywhere I go in Taiwan, the only people who will socialize with me are elderly Taiwanese and foreign travelers. That sucks, but that's how Taiwan is. The only way a stranger can get some attention from Taiwanese girls is to look like an Asian pop star, or be a foreign White guy. Otherwise, you'll have to meet women through organized activities, school, work, or through mutual friends. Taiwan is one of the few countries in the world where women are not open for casually chatting up, flirting, or "love at first sight" stares. That's the BIGGEST DOWNSIDE of Taiwan. Other than that, Taiwan is a nice place overall, but there's nothing unique or special about it.

I know the problem is not me though, because women in the other 200 countries of the world (except for Japan and Korea) are not like that toward me. They are far more "normal", not like deer that spook easily as Taiwanese women do. So, if the problem were me, then all women would be antisocial and closed toward me, but they aren't (fortunately). Thus Taiwanese women are an abnormal quirk. This majorly sucks because it means that in general, Taiwanese women are "all look but no touch". So what's the point of them being hot then? All that does is exemplify the irony of Murphy's Law.

Moreover, even if you are lucky enough to get acquainted with a slippery standoff-ish modern Taiwanese girl, you will find that they usually have very difficult and complicated personalities. They are not straightforward and direct like their counterparts in mainland China. Instead, they like to play games, give mixed messages, and flake out. They are selfish and narcissistic - and rotten and spoiled to the core. In short, all they are good for is "eye candy", nothing else. That's sad, but that's the truth, as politically incorrect as it may be.

Now, please don't flame me for saying all this. I didn't make Taiwanese girls the way they are, I'm just the only one brave enough to tell the politically incorrect truth about them. Therefore, by attacking me, you would not be doing so because I am wrong, but because I am the only one telling the truth. Thus, you would in effect be advocating the suppression of truth, and upholding the facade of political correctness. Is that what you want? Think about it.

"The men the American public admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth." - H. L. Mencken

“Devotion to the truth is the hallmark of morality; there is no greater, nobler, more heroic form of devotion than the act of a man who assumes the responsibility of thinking.” - Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

See also:

The Four Biggest Problems With Taiwan
Taiwanese people are empty shells with no soul or emotions
10 Reasons Why Taiwan is not good for social life, fun, happiness or romance
The Dark Side of Taiwan
The Pros and Cons of Taiwan
Taboo Observations and Truths About Taiwan

Critical Observations about East Asian Mentality and Culture

Response to Lucie Luke's Open Letter to Me

In response to my critical review of Janet Hsieh and my negative comments about Taiwan, a blogger called Lucie Luke posted this open letter to me:

http://lucielukes.blogspot.com/2011/06/open-letter-to-winston-wu.html

Open letter to Winston Wu

"Remember this little article about Janet Hsieh I posted a few weeks ago ? Well, I promised I would post a response to this article, but because I am busy (well, I have a social life after all), I delayed it many times but today, Winston Wu himself reminded me of that by commenting on my article. Here is what he has posted :

This is Winston Wu. You make a logic fallacy here. First thing you gotta remember is, "It takes one to know one". The average person is NOT an intellectual, so how would they recognize an "intellectual critique"? The average person is dumbed down by the media and lives only to work and consume and conform. An unspiritual person cannot recognize a spiritual one, and a nonintellectual cannot recognize an intellectual. Every intellectual and spiritual person I've met has recognized me as one of their kind. But you can't expect the general mainstream airhead population to. That's asking too much. Any intellectual who sees my articles and About Me links will recognize me as an intellectual. See here: http://www.happierabroad.com/AboutMe.htm 

Especially see my masterpiece essay "Debunking the Myth of Freedom and Democracy in America". Everything in it is outside the box, yet TRUE at the same time. You will never see Janet write anything like that. Just because I criticize a media darling and Goddess like Janet Hsieh does not discredit me. I stand for truth, even if it makes me unpopular. That's what sets me apart from the airheadish herd, which Janet and her conformist crowd belongs to. 

PS - The reason I use the word "sucks" in the blog title is to attract attention, and apparently, that word does. It is a key word that gathers other people who wish to bash the said person.

First of all, it is a great honor that Mister Wu comments directly on my little blog....I really don't know how your found it.

I was about to comment back but since I had to write this article, here it is for everyone to see !

Dear Winston Wu,

First I just would like to say that I am not a fan of Janet Hsieh. I don't know her, nor watch her show. I just happened to see this article because some friends posted it.
And from the few information I know about her, I just see a girl that is not dumb and no different than any other Asian-American, I do agree with you on this point. But the only difference -and the most important and crucial one- is that she has grabbed the right opportunities to arrive where she is today. So why throwing stones to her ? Maybe your article was targeted to those that may blindly follow her but you really look like you targeted Janet and comparing yourself to her just shows your frustration and jealousy. Is it unfair that a girl that is so banal compared to you, your Highness,

And the latter is actually one of the things that shocked me the most in this article. You sound so full about yourself, bouncing about all your greatness and accomplishments. I'm not saying that you are actually dumb. You are just so arrogant that you seem to look down to everyone. You are indeed unpopular but not because what you are saying is the so called truth. It's because of your arrogance, and the fact that you seem not to like anyone out there that is worth being "your kind". If you were taught at least a bit of modesty, maybe people would appreciate you a bit more.

Then, I would like to throw my two cents about what you feel about Taiwan. I live in Taiwan for about a year now and I will go back soon to Paris. Of course, compared to Paris, Taipei is not be the most exciting megalopolis ever, but it has a social energy, definitely. Just have a walk in nightmarkets, bars, or live houses, and you will see that Taipei and Taiwan in general is not boring. This city and this country in general has its own flavor. Some people won't like it, but some other will, it's up to them. And most of my friends and I generally appreciated our stay in Taipei.
If I remember well, you are a Taiwanese-American, right ? I just can't believe you can say so harsh things about a country that you are related to. Of course, every country has its own flaws (I can dress quite a long list for France myself) and we do not have to like everything about something...but being so one-sided about this...even the few friends who didn't like Taiwan could at least say some good things about this country.
So, when you, Winston Wu, a guy of Taiwanese descent can only resume your country of origin that way...I'm just gaping and quite shocked.

I know that you will just disprove this article with only the back of your hand. But I just hope that one day, you'll open your eyes, learn more about humility, open-mindedness, tolerance, acceptance and loving people.

Lucie."

Now, this seemed like a nice sincere letter to me, so I wrote this response to try to clarify things:

Hi Lucie,
This is Winston. Thank you for your open letter. I found your blog easily by Googling "Janet Hsieh and Winston Wu". Try it and you will see that it comes up.

As a marketing person who seeks publicity, I sometimes check to see how my efforts are paying off by Googling the name of my articles or responses to it.

I just updated my article with more reasons why Janet is annoying and undeserving of fame. I also responded to her fans too. Check out the new version. It is greatly improved. And if you watch her show, you'll see what I mean.

http://janet-hsieh-sucks.blogspot.com

I've also changed the title of it from "intellectual critique" to "a critical review" because people were dogging the term "intellectual critique", so I thought of a more non-controversial title to use.

In response to your points, it is true that I am somewhat full of myself and arrogant. I don't deny that. But unlike Janet, I have a REASON to be arrogant. I have truly special and unique qualities and accomplishments, which she doesn't. If you explore the links about me, you'll see that.

http://www.happierabroad.com/AboutMe.htm

Unlike Janet, I don't have a media hyping me up, so I guess I have to hype up myself, which can seem arrogant to others, I agree, but hey, life is unfair, and only the bold like me will do something to try to correct the unfairness in life, while the rest of the herd just follows the trends. See what I mean? That's what sets me apart from others. I'm not afraid to go against the herd, as this great quote exemplifies:

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."
- Friederich Nietzsche

And this too:

“Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.” - Gandhi

Such quotes give me the courage to do something unpopular like criticizing someone as popular as Janet.

At least I have a basis to hype myself up. See the links about me, and you will see why. Janet, on the other hand, seems to get hyped up just because, like Britney Spears was.

As to your other point regarding Taiwan, I am proud to be Taiwanese American, I guess. But I am also a truth seeker who worships truth, not conformity like Janet and her followers do. So I tell the truth, even if it's against my own ethnicity. Isn't that honorable to you?

"The men the American public admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth." - H. L. Mencken

Here are my complete observations about Taiwan. It contains some positive things, but yeah, most of it is negative cause I have a highly critical mind.

http://www.happierabroad.com/Observations_Taiwan.htm

Judge for yourself whether they are true or accurate or not. But don't say that I shouldn't say them just cause it would shame my own heritage. The truth is the truth right? You cannot say that there is zero truth in what I say.

Do you prefer that I not make any deep cultural observations, but instead just act like Janet does on the Travel Channel and yell:

"This culture is so wonderful! The people are friendly! The food was great! I had a great time! Wooooo hooooo!"

Should I do that and be politically correct and an airhead, since that's the popular thing to say, which every host on the Travel Channel says?

Why not say something accurate, such as the fact that Taiwanese are worrywarts who live in fear, or that Americans ask "How are you?" without really caring about the answer, which the Polish think is stupid and pointless, so they don't have that phrase in their language, etc.?

Those are accurate cultural comparisons, yet Janet never makes them.

As to Taiwan, let me clarify something. Yes the people there are kind and polite deep down, most of them that is. But when I say "friendly" I mean the girls, and how approachable they are and how easy to meet they are.

I think even you will admit that TW girls are not as comfortable and open about talking to strangers as European women are. There is no comparison. I've been to Europe and stayed in Russia for a year, so I know this difference for a 1000 percent fact. Mainstream TW women do not exchange greetings with strangers the way Euro women do. No way. You don't deny that right?

In TW, to meet girls, you gotta have connections. You gotta be introduced. Ask every TW couple you know how they met, they will say that it was through friends, school or work.

Thus, without such connections, you are out of luck in Taiwan. Not so with most countries. TW and Japan are conservative in this way. Their girls are not approachable, do not talk to strangers, do not make eye contact, and are not sociable outside their clique. That's a fact. No serious TW person denies it. Do you?

That's why I say that TW is cold. When I go there, I'm basically invisible, which is boring and lonely. Only the elderly there talk to strangers easily. Not young women. No way. That is an obvious fact. Why deny it? What are you debating me about?

In a lot of ways, TW is now a lot like the US suburbs, where people are in a bubble and are polite but are not inclusive. They don't invite you over or out to do things. Not even my own relatives come over or invite us anywhere anymore. They've became closed and antisocial. It's sickening. But what can I do? I didn't make things this way. I'm only telling you how it is. What is wrong with that? Why blame me for talking about a change in TW for the worse?

Back in 1987, when we went to Taiwan, all my relatives would travel far to be with us. That never happens anymore, at all. 1987 was a different Taiwan.

Bottom line: I'm a guy, so the ease of meeting women is important to me. TW girls do not talk to male strangers easily. If you are a girl or a white guy, you will have an easier time chatting up TW girls, but not if you're an Asian guy. No way. I've noticed this difference.

If you watch my videos about approaching foreign women, you will see that I have all the experience in the world in this area.

http://www.happierabroad.com/film.php

Or just see my photo collage if you don't have the time.

http://www.happierabroad.com/ebook/Collage.htm

So yeah, I definitely know the difference between approachable vs. unapproachable. See that?

Anyway, I hope I've clarified myself to you, and I hope you understand me better. Let me know your thoughts on the above, and if you have any further questions. I'm all about the truth, and deserve respect for that. There are very few honest people left in this world. Remember that. Even in the 1970's, Billy Joel sang: "Honesty, is such a lonely word, everyone is so untrue..."

And most or half of American guys brag about all the money and sex that comes easily to them, yet when you check it out, it turns out to be BS most of the time.

So you see, honesty is rare, and I hope that you would appreciate that in me.

Also, check my third party references here, and you will see that I am a really decent good guy. I have many character and professional references.

http://www.happierabroad.com/References.htm

Thank you for your attention and time in composing your response.

Sincerely,
Winston