Freethought & Rationalism Archive

rfwu · 08-20-2003, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Thesto Neroses
Dunno what to make of laowai, though - many of the other non-Taiwanese seem to consider this a mild insult, although no-one has been forthcoming with me as to why it is insulting.

My mom says that it means "Old American".

I agree about the "outlander" thing, it sounds much more appropriate. However, I tend to thing of the term "literal" as something that ignores the intended meaning, like that "meiguoren" thing.

Vorkosigan · 08-20-2003, 03:09 AM

People discuss this all the time on Segue -- www.segue.com.tw, a forum run by the redoubtable Dick hartzell, long a foreign activist in Taiwan. There are probably several threads running there now....

Vorkosigan

Vorkosigan · 08-20-2003, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Dunno what to make of laowai, though - many of the other non-Taiwanese seem to consider this a mild insult, although no-one has been forthcoming with me as to why it is insulting. [/B]

I suspect it is not so much the word as the way it is said -- it often appears in slightly derogatory third person contexts, and is always uttered with a sort of lazily contemptuous drawl, you know...

Vorkosigan

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08-20-2003, 03:09 AM	#62
Vorkosigan Contributor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Barrayar Posts: 11,866	People discuss this all the time on Segue -- www.segue.com.tw, a forum run by the redoubtable Dick hartzell, long a foreign activist in Taiwan. There are probably several threads running there now.... Vorkosigan

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