Survey Says: Foreign Brides Should Be Restricted

[Chris]

I see from the front page of today's China Post that the imported prostitute problem is still being blamed on the girls. This of course will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. I quote: "...as many mainland women use the marriages as a coverup for prostitution on the island." http://www.chinapost.com.tw/detail.asp?ID=42865&GRP=A

I think, however, the predictable and monotonous laying of blame at the feet of the girls involved is mostly the work of the English language press, which doesn't seem to have any real journalists covering this issue.

It could be a product of confusion with the original Chinese, whose grammar can be flexible enough so that the reader is uncertain of the agent of the sentence. Verbs in Chinese can be passive without the explicit addition of passive particles. I don't know what linguists call it, but I call it the "implicit passive".

[Icon]

One cold winter evening at college many years ago, one of our instructors stated that Taiwanese men and Taiwanese businesses were not internationally competitive. His words generated a surge of hurt complaints from our male classmates, of course, but the professors used a very clever image of foreign wives and South East Asia investments, and how this showed that they could not compete with other economic powers in other than cost issues because they were not flexible enough/updated/modern/creative, etc...

His words were meant as a warning, not as an insult, this was a business related class, not sociology. He meant to say that if you want to be competitive, you have to do more than strive to catch up, and set trends. Going for the easy catch -as we say in Spanish, grabbing the low-lying mangoes- and abusing people is for the 18th century approach in the 21st does not work anymore. With Vietnam and other parts of South East Asia rapidly catching up at an economic level, are these Taiwanese men ready for the change?

[TainanCowboy]

DB -

Here, at a notary.

Thanks...same here.

And I most definitely would rather be eating Viet food than whats standard here.

[Jack Burton]

In the long run, Taiwan may be culturally enriched through such exchange. And we'll probably have a lot more good SE Asian food available, too!

That's funny. Taiwanese let themselves be culturally enriched by "mere Southeast Asians"?

You must really not understand Chinese mentality. lol.

I do agree with the better SE Asian fare would be a big plus.

[Tyc00n]

In ten years it may be Taiwanese brides going to Vietnam...no joke, their economy is primed for success, and they still have a beautiful and accessible country

[Huang Guang Chen]

In ten years it may be Taiwanese brides going to Vietnam...no joke, their economy is primed for success, and they still have a beautiful and accessible country

Damned right. Fortunes change, the Taiwanese might also be lining up to work as the nanys of the Philippines, again.

HG

[Dragonbones]

That's funny. Taiwanese let themselves be culturally enriched by "mere Southeast Asians"?

You must really not understand Chinese mentality. lol.

I've been here long enough to understand the mentality. The statement about being culturally enriched was my opinion (as I value diversity) and not a comment about local opinions.

[Jack Burton]

That's funny. Taiwanese let themselves be culturally enriched by "mere Southeast Asians"?

You must really not understand Chinese mentality. lol.

I've been here long enough to understand the mentality. The statement about being culturally enriched was my opinion (as I value diversity) and not a comment about local opinions.

Hey. I was actually just making a joke. I figured from your posts you understand well enough.

Believe you me, we're on the same page here about diversity and the obstacles in Taiwan and most of Chinese civilization to diversity.

[Dragonbones]

Hey. I was actually just making a joke. I figured from your posts you understand well enough.

Oh, sorry. I have a cold so I'm a bit dense today.

[Toe Tag]

Taiwan's vast percentage of foreign brides has always seemed to me one of the most remarkable and under-reported aspects of its culture. Here we have a "triumph" of the patriarchy, the men here aren't content to have second wives on the side, they've also gone out an opened the gates to a vast selection of foreign first wives. This of course means that they have condemned many of their own daughters to spinsterhood, statistically. But perhaps their answer is to turn them into second wives, or simply abort them. (again, statistics don't lie). They then follow up with a "triumph" of capitalism and simply fill the supply from abroad, little caring about the men in Vietnam or China who will go without wives. (of course, Taiwan's lonely spinsters wouldn't touch them).

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ ... 2003386433
Nearly 1/3 of the marriages! You do the math. Gonna be a LOT of old maids here.