A Bizarre Unexplained Mystery about Taiwan

I have a question. Why do all the travel blogs and websites about Taiwan claim that it is very open, friendly and an easy to place make friends and get dates with amazing women?

In reality, Taiwan is a very closed and repressed workaholic culture where everything feels repressed and stiff. And if you are not repressed and inhibited, then you stick out like a sore thumb. Only old people and little kids are truly open and relaxed about talking to people. But the young women are the most UNFRIENDLY, CLOSED and UPTIGHT I've ever encountered in the whole world. There is like a thick wall or barrier around them. They don't stop and talk to you when you say hi to them or greet them. They just act like you're not even there. Even in snobby parts of Europe or the US, many young women will acknowledge you if you say "Excuse me". But not in Taiwan. There is no eye contact. Nowhere else in the world (other than Japan and Hong Kong) are women so closed, cold and unsociable. Trying to meet them is the most unnatural thing. Furthermore, they live in a total state of fear. A vibe of fear emanates from their skin pores and rubs off on you if you are near them, which is an awful state of being. The HUGE DIFFERENCE between the old generation in Taiwan and the young in terms of their sociability and openness toward strangers is astounding. They are like night and day.

But of course, it is totally TABOO to talk about this and against the social rules. There is an unspoken social law that anywhere you go, you MUST either say that "everyone is so friendly and wonderful" (like the Travel Channel and politically correct Generation-Yers always do with their fake positivity act) or you say nothing at all. Or you can blame yourself. But you are NOT ALLOWED to say that people are closed, uptight or anti-social, no matter how TRUE or JUSTIFIED it may be. If you violate this, you will be seen as a loser and freak, hence no one dares to. What this means is that truth and honesty are a taboo, which is the sign of a sick society.

It's bad enough that we are all slaves programmed to "think" we are free. But when we are not even allowed to tell the truth the way it is, that really takes the cake. However, most people prefer deceit to truth, according to many great thinkers, writers and intellectuals (e.g. Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw, Eric Fromm, Frederich Nietzsche, HL Mencken, RD Lang, Marcus Aurelius, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Ayn Rand, etc.). Thus truth is not popular and honesty is rare. Instead, we all put up fake facades. What a sick world.

Furthermore, Taiwanese women act very conservative, prudish and "goody two shoes" and I get the sense that if I don't put up a "goody two shoes" act around them, then I'm a creep or freak. I can't be open, direct or flirtatious with them like I can in most countries. Thus I can't even be myself, which is the worst form of psychological prison. I hate to put it this way, but Taiwan has got to be the most repressed unopen society and culture I've ever experienced. Sorry if that sounds rude, but I don't make things the way they are, I just tell them.

From what I've heard, if you are white or black, you will get some attention in Taiwan from girls who have a "foreign fetish". But if you are Asian, then the cultural norms apply, which are that the way people meet is through introductions by friends, work, school or connecting activities. Other than that, no one will talk to you except the older generation. This is the grim reality if you are Asian in Taiwan. But again, it is taboo to mention.

In fact, Taiwanese themselves admit they are a closed culture compared to the West, and consider America to be more "open and expressive", which says a lot considering many other cultures see America as a regimented, tight-assed socially segregated prison (e.g. Latin America, Russia, Europe, Mexico, Australia, etc) that is only good for making money. Plus there is no real culture in Taiwan. The Taiwanese lifestyle can be summed up in two redundant words - WORK, WORK, WORK and EAT, EAT, EAT. There's no passion, romance, love, human connection, intellectual curiosity, love of knowledge and wisdom, love of art or philosophy, thirst for new experiences, freethinking, etc. Not to say that those things don't exist in Taiwan, but they are NOT part of the general attitude, personality or culture of the Taiwanese. And they are not considered important either.

Yet there is all this railing in travel sites, books and TV programs about how open and warm Taiwanese are. It's like a "party line" or religion that everyone must conform to. Where does it come from? Is it due to pure political correctness? It seems that some people do experience a great social life and dating success in Taiwan, but not all. Whatever the case, the Taiwanese social atmosphere is definitely NOT open flowing relaxed or inclusive like in most foreign countries. That I would bet anything on. It is obvious to any human, dog and cat in the world.

So why does no one talk about the above even though it's the most obvious thing? It's really weird. If anyone can explain this mystery, contact me at HappierAbroad.com.

Thanks.