Took a class on coaching some years ago, and one of the lessons was to deliver criticism in the form of a sandwich. Two positive comments on the outside as bread with the thing to work on in the middle as the filling. Not sure if it was them, me, or the music critic that famously reviewed the Spinal Tap album 'Shark Sandwich" as a "Shit Sandwich", but there you have it. I know that I get down on Taiwan sometimes and feel like I'm only complaining and want to temper it a bit, but two to one seems unreasonable. Am therefore going to try the Eastern approach of yin (shady side) and yang (sunny side).
Yin...the requirement that people wear swim caps in the pool. Have railed on this one before, probably multiple times, but have to bring it up again as there have been new conflicts. There is a pool in our apartment that they open for only two months (July and August). As we're gone for most of it, try to utilize it for the two weeks we can.
The place has lifeguards on duty and for the last two years, there has been no issue. Went down a couple times this year and the younger dude was cool, but the last two afternoons, this older guy was manning the pool, and he is adamant about the use of the swim cap. While the requirement is fucking ridiculous (Taiwan being the only country in the gawdamn world that does this), I will abide reluctantly in a public pool situation and don the cap. The more enlightened folks that run the pools at the American Club and Taipei American School, don't require them, and think that a private pool like ours should mirror that freedom. I have asked locals for years why they do this and never get a satisfactory answer. The only thing they point to is that hair clogs the drain. Granted, Chinese hair falls out in clumps like they are on heavy doses of chemo, or that guy from High School with the wispy fine hair that could be shaped into the awesome Shawn Cassidy flip style once he got into his 20's, but isn't that why God made filters? But they messianically worry about some hair follicles when tons of debris blows into the pool, or people are peeing in it constantly? And have you seen my back (and front and ears and...) lately? More hair back there than on a lot of peoples heads and am sure that stuff falls off in equal proportions.
Anyway, have refused to wear it, and the old dude is flipping out. He is yelling at me in Chinese and I am doing the same back at him in English...neither of us know what the other one is saying yet we totally understand one another. I am drawing the line in the water on this issue here, so we will see how it plays out. Wish me luck on my quest to change a society and to all of you future pool goers, you're welcome.
On the Sunny Yang side, due to seeing how people in the States are with fresh eyes over the summer, I came around a bit on the Taiwan style of driving. They still do the most heinous of maneuvers, like flying through intersections with pedestrians/bikes in the middle of them, or turning left across multiple lanes of traffic to either sneak in front of a line of cars or make up for spacing out and being in the wrong place. But...traffic moves here. In the States, and especially in Seattle, things have ground to a halt. I have three major complaints.
One, the deference to pedestrians has gotten out of control. Walking is my only form of exercise so am out there and I get that supreme caution should be exercised, but Seattle has become a place where people will slam on the breaks if they perceive that anyone on foot even near an intersection may be crossing in the future. Everyone needs to take their turn and it has swung so far to the pedestrian not only having the right of way, but being treated as if they were a diety.
Similarly and secondly, bikes have become the pre-eminent force on the roads. Again, am totally in favor of more people cycling, that they have their place and rights as much as anyone, but it has swung way too far too fast. The amount of car lanes that have been taken away in favor of bike only lanes has been increasing each year exponentially. I know the mayor of Seattle is a bike guy and has made it a super friendly place for them, but this is a trend that is sweeping the nation (LA just announced they are adding thousands of miles of this type of lane, taking major avenues like Sunset down to one lane for cars for instance). I am even OK with that...I think the push to make cities more like Copenhagen is a worthy endeavor although feel it is being shoe horned in too quickly and in places that aren't compatible for such a rapid change. Plus, Europe is far more progressive in their attitudes towards these kinds of social experiments...would prefer to see America deal with our guns and health care more progressively first. You'd think that Seattle cyclists would be happy with all of this, yet the more dedicated enthusiasts feel the need to organize what I think they call "bike nights". In theory, these should be positive events...gathering a group of people to all ride their bikes together in the evening to a destination, like an art gallery tour, park, etc...very family oriented However, I read about the more aggressive ones, where a pack of bike riders will gather and ride slowly through the most congested parts of downtown during rush hour. Was lucky enough to get stuck behind one of these gatherings...6pm on a Thursday night right through downtown...purposely going slow. To add to their "message", many of them accessorize their rides. Check out this tool with the blow up doll in the child carrier.
And this leads me to bitch number three...public displays of self-righteous behavior. Stopped counting how many times I saw people take the slightest affront to etiquette with a rage bordering on violence. Examples...the guy standing on the side of the road yelling at me, going less than the speed limit mind you, to slow down. I was completely motionless at a stop sign but was a little bit past it as I couldn't see the cars coming from the left due to obstructions. This butt hole slows down, lays on the horn like he passed out on it and starts freaking out. I am just sitting there dumbfounded. My favorite was on the path around Green Lake. For non-Seattle types, there is a lake in town where the 3 mile trail around it is a popular place to walk/run/bike. Had the chance to walk it a couple times this summer, and the path is broken into two...the inside track is for walkers/runners while the outside is for bikes/skaters.
Quick side note, there is no "correct" direction advocated at Green Lake with arrows in each lane pointing both directions. It is as much a social experience as it is an athletic one, and that it is a big circle and not a track, I understand that the etiquette is different than it should be on a normal track, where you are supposed to go around it counter-clockwise. People going clockwise on a track always bugs me, and have to add another reason why. When people are coming at you in the wrong direction, their personal funk hits you in the face. I didn't notice it as much when it is only one dope going 'round the wrong way, but when half of the people are coming at you, you tend to notice their particular odors much more.
So...am walking on Green Lake one afternoon, counter-clockwise of course, the Virgo in me would have it no other way, and there are two girls in front of me walking at around the same speed, and in front of them is another couple walking a bit slower. To get around the slower folks, the girls move out into the bike/skate path to get around them. At just that moment, self righteous bike guy comes sailing past and yells at the girls. If that weren't enough, he goes up a bit and points down to the line dividing the foot and wheeled traffic and then (!) points to one of the signs that explains the path that they have erected around the lake. So much effort displayed with his outrage. The dude was going quite fast, and the fact that the lake path for bikes is designed to be done leisurely and is not a velodrome (signs also say that too) was totally lost on him.
And before you get all..."you are one of the most self-righteous people I know"...I will admit to it. I think, actually I know, we all are to some extent, but I have comfort in knowing that I am self aware and temper those feelings with ones of empathy. Maybe it was there all along, but watching the States from afar and being immersed in it in smaller doses, feel like we are tilting away from trying to understand the other persons motives/situations first and becoming instantly indignant and taking a simple misunderstanding or less as a personal attack.
What was I talking about? Oh yeah...sanctimonious behavior is just about nil in Taiwan when it should be off the charts. Dicks are gonna be dicks, and maybe the lack of irritation to such behavior has codified it into being the norm, but think I like it better than the disdain. I do know this, if the 28 million Taiwanese were magically transported to the States, there amount of homicides due to road rage would go up by 28 million
I meant to write about our week in Hokkaido, Japan this morning, but time flies when you're having fun.
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