Why Do Taiwanese People Stare At Me?

[Charlie Phillips]

my 1.5 cents after 15 years in Taiwan.

Taiwanese who stare at you:
Taiwanese hate do be stared at.
Not all people here stare, the majority doesn't.
Those who do stare seem unable to reflect on what they are doing.

Taiwanese laughing at/about you:
Taiwanese hate do be laughed at.
Not all people here laugh at you, the majority doesn't.
Those who do laugh at you seem unable to reflect on what they are doing.

Taiwanese attack you with halloooow:
Taiwanese hate do be hallowed at.
Not all people here halllooow, the majority doesn't.
Those who do hallloooow seem unable to reflect on what they are doing.

Taiwanese asking question (from a stranger):
Taiwanese hate do be asked questions by strangers.
Not all people here ask questions, the majority doesn't.
Those who do ask questions seem unable to reflect on what they are doing.

Taiwanese talk about you (some inch in front of you):
Taiwanese hate do be talked about in front of them.
Not all people here talk about you in front of you, the majority doesn't.
Those who do talk about you in front of you seem unable to reflect on what they are doing.

Taiwanese pointing at you:
Taiwanese hate do be pointed out.
Not all people here point at you, the majority doesn't.
Those who do point at you seem unable to reflect on what they are doing.

related thoughts:
Society, education, life in Taiwan in general is not really much about reflection.
Communication has a slight tendency to be about exchanging fixed statements and platitudes to avoid real exchange of thoughts and is often an exercise in monotony.
Many Taiwanese can't deal with the idea that questions are asked to get answers,
a question is seen as a test of one's ability to find a platitude that does not answer the question.
Taiwanese are trained to use a rather small selection of visible emotions throughout their lives:
they concentrate heavily on laughing, smiling, looking away and showing signs of embarrassment.

[Homey]

I don't know about you guys, but they stare at me because I'm so damn handsome!

[tommy525]

Le Freak , c'est Chic

[Mucha Man]

...a question is seen as a test of one's ability to find a platitude that does not answer the question.

I'm not sure if that's true but it's a damn funny statement.

[NonTocareLeTete]

...a question is seen as a test of one's ability to find a platitude that does not answer the question.

I'm not sure if that's true but it's a damn funny statement.

Yeah, recommended the whole post pretty much for that bit at the end Not sure if I agree with the general thesis- I think most of my Taiwanese friends are somewhat reflective.
As far as not answering questions though, I had a student who, when I asked about her day, would give a 10 minute monologue, the content of which ran along the lines of:
"It is very serious concept discuss real meaning today, even more this potentially result controversial discussion. When we are to facing difficulty challenge cruelty in our life is make us to remember the keep of splendid attitude, is best thing for realize inspiration. Some hypocritical event make hard to me build warm interaction connect together with other. LIfe fraught hardship when find fiend or opponent in public space. How defense staple arguments express what you want talk for express certain purpose."
After listening, hard, for five minutes, I'd realize that she had some kind of conflict with either her sister, her co-worker, or an old classmate that day. Hard to say who. But she was deeply upset about it. Then she'd start in on what she remembered of English platitudes:
"But is knock to lose the door then window will being opening. The cloud have border of fluorescent. My meaning is, falling from horse must ride again. Are you understand?"
The rest of the class would get really restless as she was talking but I was riveted out of pure linguistic interest. It was all I could do not to record her or take notes. I was fascinated to learn how she had learned English. Turned out she read the dictionary a fair amount and wrote her own personal blog in English everyday (thereby permanently solidifying her own form of English grammar into the depths of her brain)
She's been coming to my class for three years and I do have to say there's been a profound improvement. Nice lady too.

Anyways about the staring, just think of it this way- it'll totally make up for any attention you lacked in your childhood.

[ceevee369]

Le Freak , c'est Chic

Maybe in line with the above ?



Back to serious:
My wife and stepdaughter look the same age.Both gorgeous - tall - Westernized locals in behavior and clothing style.
When walking in the city , we got plenty of times the staring "bad-eye" (lets not open the microagression chest again - but it could fit there)
Being fed up once , I walked in the middle , right arm around stepdaughter, left arm around my spouse. As giving the pimp-look
I tell you - the staring was finished on-the-spot. The shock was bigger than the will to stare.

It all depends how "different" you are perceived (as your mom) him terms of "exotic". Short mini pants , cleavage, pink shirt... name it - it all attracted curiosity..

[TheGingerMan]

A fair bit of preemptive scoping oft impinges many a stare.
The glare prism is particularly utile.

[bismarck]

I don't know about you guys, but they stare at me because I'm so damn handsome!

Fuck yeah! It's because my white ass looks like Tobey Maguire in the Spider man trilogy.

[Abacus]

I find that in Taiwan I get stared at far less than in other countries that I've visited. I'm usually surprised that people mention even having a problem in the big cities. Is it possible that you are staring at them as touduke alluded (I think)?

a note to the mods - I strongly dislike the overmanaging of loosely related threads. I've seen questions asked (or asked them) and before they get answered they get dumped into a 10 yr old megathread that either doesn't give the answer or gives outdated information. And I hate entering those megathreads.

[bababa]

To the OP: they stare at you because you are different: tall (170cm is tall for a woman in Taiwan), blonde, blue/green-eyed. Your mom gets a bit less staring because she is shorter (my guess). It's normal in China, South Korea, and Taiwan (and probably plenty of other places) to stare at people who are different. They are not told at a young age to not stare by their parents - in fact, they are more likely to hear their parents pointing out someone unusual.
It is not agressive staring; it does not mean what staring means in some Western cultures. You will get used to it after a while. I don't even notice that people are staring at me now (usually), even when I am in a place where noticing too much attention might be better for my safety (such as in Lagos or the Delta States of Nigeria).