tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post1021993175893516482..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Status Quo ForeverMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-9143836779634828822009-07-08T22:04:25.321+08:002009-07-08T22:04:25.321+08:00Here is another interesting poll to supplement the...Here is another interesting poll to supplement the above one, this one taken by a poll firm in Taipei:<br /><br />A new POLL OF TAIWANESE PEOPLE SAYS:<br /><br />[Editor's note: Readers may remember an article that freelance<br />reporter Biko Lang in Taipei Times on May 19, 2009, which has been translated<br />now for the Liberty Times on July 8. After the article appeared, a poll was taken by a local<br />marketing firm in Taipei based on the article, and the results are, if<br />not conclusive, nevertheless very interesting....]<br /><br /><br />The online poll was conducted by a TNS Taiwan, a Taipei marketing<br />firm, from May 22 to May 24, with about 25,000 Taiwanese people<br />participating, and with several<br />questions being asked.<br /><br />When those polled were asked "Do you use the term 'adoah' to refer to<br />Caucasians?" the results were as follows: 45% said<br />they do use the<br />term while 55% said they do not use the term.<br /><br /><br />When people were asked "If you learned that this term of adoah was considered<br />offensive by some Westerners living in Taiwan, would you<br />stop using it?" the results were as follows:<br /><br />93% said they would no<br />longer use the word "adoah" while 7% said they would continue to use<br />it.<br /><br />In the poll, the total sample<br />size was 25,276 respondents, distributed in terms of age and gender<br />proportionately to the general population, with ages ranging from 13<br />to 64, according to the polling firm.DANIELBLOOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130493903696077379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-29842809490886092612009-07-08T21:12:02.985+08:002009-07-08T21:12:02.985+08:00and Michael here is another interesting poll taken...and Michael here is another interesting poll taken about my adoah article in the TT after May 19:<br /><br />by a professional poll firm in Taipei where a friend words. they did it for me for free:<br /><br /><br />Michael <br /><br />POLL INFO is interesting here<br /><br />DANNY<br /><br /><br /><strong>Editor's note:</strong> Readers may remember an article in the Taipei Times on May 19, 2009, ....After the article appeared, a poll was taken by a local<br />marketing firm in Taipei based on the article, and the results are, if<br />not conclusive, nevertheless very interesting.<br /><br /><br />The online poll was conducted by a TNS Taiwan, a Taipei marketing<br />firm, from May 22 to May 24, with about 25,000 Taiwanese people<br />participating, and with several<br />questions being asked.<br /><br />When those polled were asked "Do you use the term <strong>'adoah' to refer to<br />Caucasians?" </strong>the results were as follows: <strong>45% said<br />they do use the<br />term while 55% said they do not use the term.</strong><br /><br /><br />When people were asked "If you learned that this term of adoah was considered<br />offensive by some Westerners living in Taiwan, would you<br />stop using it?" the results were as follows:<br /><br /><strong>93% said they would no<br />longer use the word "adoah" while 7% said they would continue to use<br />it.</strong><br /><br /><em>In the poll, the total sample<br />size was 25,276 respondents, distributed in terms of age and gender<br />proportionately to the general population, with ages ranging from 13<br />to 64, according to the polling firm.</em>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-28474738831683437652009-07-08T21:08:50.414+08:002009-07-08T21:08:50.414+08:00David, cc MT:
http://pcofftherails101.blogspot.co...David, cc MT:<br /><br />http://pcofftherails101.blogspot.com<br /><br />Thanks for posting this note and the poll info, which was very<br />interesting, I thought. My long article in the Taipei Times appeared<br />in the Liberty Times on July 8, in Chinese translation by Shirley Tu,<br />a friend in Taipei (thanks, Shirley!) but the 1500 character letter to<br />the editor for the Liberty Times had to be cut to 700 characters for<br />space, they only allow a maximum of 800 characters, so much of the<br />original article's quotes from the two professors in Taiwan and the<br />editor in New Jersey had to be cut, and I felt their comments were the<br />main part of the story.<br /><br />There seems to be some confusion on Michael Turton's part that I said<br />that the word adoah is racist, as far I can tell, I never said that<br />myself, I never use the word racism lightly, and I would never say<br />that the word adoah is racist, I need to ask Michael where he read<br />that I said or wrote that. All I was doing in that TT article and in<br />today's LT letter to the editor (which by the way has gotten over 100<br />spirited -- and sometimes ANGRY comments on my blog from Taiwanese<br />readers in Chinese, Taiwanese and English, go take a look, it's very<br />interesting, and I am glad to get all the feedback from Taiwanese<br />readers, that was my goal in all this, to learn from them what adoah<br />really means, and boy, I am being learned. They be learning me! It's<br />good.<br /><br />Jason Cox said he felt the word adoah was racist in one of his<br />comments on my blog. I never heard the word as racist, I don't think<br />the Taiwanese are racists. I just feel that the word adoah, while cute<br />and charming and affectionate and intimate and warm and cuddly and<br />embedded as it is in Taiwanese culture, is a bit, what is the word,<br />bad-sounding, ill-sounding, to some foreigners' ears, especially when<br />said behind our backs or on TV or in the newspapers even. The word<br />itself is NOT bad, and when used it usually has no ill intentions, I<br />am quite sure, and now I am very sure -- read the comments on my blog,<br />see link, but the word ADOAH does have a history here, and it is not<br />always used in a warm and cuddly way. But to the speakers of the word,<br />the Taiwanese themselves, it is a funny and comic word to<br />describe....us! My point in the TT article and now the LT letter was<br />merely to say maybe the word when HEARD by SOME foreigners, NOT ALL,<br />does not sound so good when HEARD since we know the meaning of the<br />word. More and more Taiwnese are beginning to understand that the word<br />ADOAH is not so PC anymore in 2009. In 1970, sure, the word made sense<br />and was fittin. but now?<br /><br />What's your take on the term? Ever heard it? In what situations? You<br />like it? You prefer to be called by another term? I will ask Professor<br />Turton, too. Beacuse I think he thinks i said the word is racist. It<br />is NOT racist. I never said that. I just think the word ought to be<br />retired from the airwaves and the public prints and maybe even from<br />the local vocabulary. But that's up to the Taiwanese to decide, not<br />me. I would never suggest deleting a word from their own language.<br />That's up to newspaper editors and TV show directors to decide. I am<br />just an observer here.<br /><br />Your take on all this? And of course, it's a minor minor issue. Just<br />interesting from a language POV. --<br /><br />DannyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-32824530172362244052009-07-08T21:07:53.362+08:002009-07-08T21:07:53.362+08:00Hi Michael,
I saw your note re my saying or think...Hi Michael,<br /><br />I saw your note re my saying or thinking that adoah is racist. I never said or wrote that. Did I? If i did, i mis-spoke, but I don't think i ever said that. I don't use the word racism lightly and i don;t think the Taiwanese people are racists. ADOAH falls under a different topic subject theme: cute affectionate embedded slang terms that are now part of the local culture, but which might not be so appropriate in today's world of 2009. Back in 1960, sure. Even 20 years ago, maybe the word still made sense. Well, it always makes sense to the speakers of the term, they love it. Jacky Wu loves it. But language evolves, nations evolve, and well, read this below:<br /><br /><br /><br />i read on your blog somehwere you said i felt ADOAH word was racist, not me, i never said that, did I? I just said the word might not be such a good word in today's world....i never said it was racist.. where did I say that... JASON COX said he does not mind the word at all, but does feel it is racist, he made the comment on my blog......<br /><br />what's ur feeling.....on adoah? do ou ever hear the word there? Alsion In Greence told me the word does not bother you at all. is that true? and if it doesn't that;'s cool....not everybody reactrs to ADOAH the same way....i am in the middle,,,,, read this note to DAVID heRE<br /><br />and do comment. My letter to editor appeaed in Lib Times today, huge response, over 100 comments to me today from local readers, i have no idea what they said. SMILE<br /><br />cheers<br /><br />Danny<br /><br /><br /><br />http://pcofftherails101.blogspot.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-46741015671566857302009-07-03T03:39:52.290+08:002009-07-03T03:39:52.290+08:00Anybody else notice the non-parallel nature of que...Anybody else notice the non-parallel nature of questions 3 and 4? Taiwanese were asked if Chinese were "friends" while Chinese were asked if Taiwanese were "family and relatives" (which is redundant) -- unless they were open-ended questions. If that were so, however, I'd expect to see more than just two kinds of answers from each side.<br /><br />I can't find the original poll on <i>Global Views</i>' web site. If anybody finds it, please post a link. I'm curious what the actual wording of those questions looks like.<br /><br />BTW, I'd venture a guess that to most people, "status quo" means "continued independence." I don't think the people who want to maintain the "status quo" wish to keep that other part about constant pressure from and belittling by China on the international stage -- oh, and the continually-increasing number of missiles targeting Taiwan.<br /><br /><a href="http://taiwanmatters.blogspot.com/" title="Taiwan Matters!" rel="nofollow">Tim Maddog</a><br /><br /><a href="http://taiwanmatters.blogspot.com/" title="Taiwan Matters!" rel="nofollow">Tim Maddog</a>Tim Maddoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16943522529132663780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-24033991238177591242009-07-01T23:23:56.480+08:002009-07-01T23:23:56.480+08:00I am Taiwanese American. A few of my relatives ca...I am Taiwanese American. A few of my relatives call me adoah (half-joking). I can't believe that people think of it as racist.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-28664785450384076802009-07-01T22:44:31.007+08:002009-07-01T22:44:31.007+08:00Aha, aha, ahahahaha! Status quo forever baby!
I ...Aha, aha, ahahahaha! Status quo forever baby! <br /><br />I always suspected something along these lines; people have got to start thinking about tomorrow!阿牛https://www.blogger.com/profile/08403972286057197709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-59021411539968945992009-07-01T21:49:48.847+08:002009-07-01T21:49:48.847+08:00What is more interesting about Acer is the news fr...What is more interesting about Acer is the news from today'S TT that Acer can't act fast enough to kowtow to the Chinese government' regulations that require Green Dam to be installed. http://tinyurl.com/namupw It is not simply pornography which Green Dam will stop, but sexual health sites (which is not only sad, but dangerous), and, no doubt, sites that are critical of the Chinese government. No doubt the software is just like spyware, or is spyware. There are reports that GD is unstable. No doubt it acts as spyware, and is more Orwellian than Orwell himself could have conceived.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907060405795620941noreply@blogger.com