From: li@sicvax.enet.dec.com (Tom Li)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.taiwan
Subject: Re: Those Typical Taiwanese
Date: 24 Jan 93 21:24:33 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


In article <C1D9uy.3F7@ulowell.ulowell.edu>, cshi@cs.ulowell.edu (Chunde Shi) writes...
>
>If you have some degree of knowledge of Soclial Psycology, you may agree
>that past experience, especially like the one with the maginitude of the 
>Defeat in Civil War, should have major impact on Taiwan people's
>Psychic. Unless conciatiously controlled, those psychic should influnce
>the hehavior of the society. 

Certainly the past experience can have influence to people's mind. But why 
those ads have anything to do with Civil War? Majority of the Taiwan people 
have no experience about that Civil War and they only learn it from the 
history class. At least I dont have much feeling about it unless it becomes
the subject for discussion. To me, it seems to be something left today for
you to feel "we once defeated KMT 40 years ago". It sounds like a person 
tells me "What's big deal about the European civilization we Chinese had even 
conquered (part of) Europe before".

If this kind of Ah-Q attitude can comfort you, then you should keep it. 

>It is rarly done by other nations. People should read those ads to see for
>themself wheather it is show-off, or advertiing bussiness environment to lure
>foreign inverstment.

Not true. Giving BusinessWeek magazine as an example, very often there are 
about 10-20 pages of "special advertisement" sponsored by either foreign 
government or a group of foreign companies to advertise their nation, people, 
technology, or products. Korea and Japan have done it several times. I have 
seen Taiwan, Germany, etc, even Saudi Arabia have done it too. A good image
of the nation and people certainly helps the sale. Think about it. 

>You underestimated your mainland counterparts. I found Taiwan media
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>persistantly belittle and daemonize mainlanders. 

That is because you are so fussy about those ads. You are "self-pity" enough
to pick on something to comfort youself "they are not that great". In fact,
we are not great at all. Taiwan is just one of those emerging industrial 
countries, that's all. We are still quite behind Japan, US, and Germany in 
terms of technology. Taiwan's products still have image problems and that 
is the ads all about. But to you, it becomes a "show-off", what can I say? 

BTW, I dont underestimate mainlanders at all. To me they are no superior
or inferior to Taiwan counterparts. They just did not have opportunity in
the past and they have it now.

>It easier for CCP to forgive and forget the past
>fued becasue CCP won the war, it is harder for Taiwan to forgive and forget
>becasue the defeat. Those are human nature, we should work against them, not
>let them rampant.

Ok, CCP won the Civil War and congratulation. And KMT got what she deserved,
got kick out from the Mainland, then so what? Do you think the current 
Japanese people really care about their defeat of WWII? Do you think Taiwan 
people really care about the defeat of civil war? Maybe they are "grateful"
because of defeat, they can self-examine and rebuild the country.

If something I have not forgot and forgiven that is what CCP has done in 
June 4 1989. But frankly, after a period of time, fewer people will remember 
that. That is human nature.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.taiwan