7-11 Taiwan sells Hello Kitty merchandise… to guys!
It must be hard being an Asian guy, let alone in Taiwan.
You’ve got clothes outlets doing their best to dress you star studded femininely glamorous attire.
Your girlfriend is always whinging at you to do more girly activities with her.
Your parents don’t want you to do anything remotely manly as a profession as that’d mean you’d get dark skin, which would signify you had an outdoors job and were invariably poor.
The rest of the world will never let you live down small penis jokes…
…and then as if that all wasn’t bad enough, 7-11 recently decided that as a Taiwanese male, you’re their new target demographic for their latest round of Hello Kitty merchandise!
Sometime in the last week 7-11 Taiwan have rolled out some kind of new Hello Kitty promotion where they seem to be combining store points which can contribute towards Hello Kitty products.
On offer you’ve got bracelets, earrings, wrist bands, mobile phone dangly things, a bag (I think), a cup and some other assorted random stuff.
That in itself is fine but 7-11 have also gone ahead and put these posters up in virtually every store;
Disturbingly, what you’re looking at there is a male advertising Hello Kitty merchandise.
Now for those of you not in the know, Hello Kitty is an import brand from Japan. For some inexplicable reason the guys over at Hello Kitty Inc. have managed to turn an entire generation of Taiwanese girls into pre-pubescent crazed lunatics at the very mention of Hello Kitty.
I’ve dated a girl who was so obsessed she had Hello Kitty everything… and I do mean everything. She had the Hello Kitty scooter helmet, spoon set (which she carried around everywhere in her bag), cup set (also carried around), tissues, underwear, you name it.
Then there was the time I walked into one girls bedroom and felt like I’d just entered pedophile heaven… I’ve never seen so much pink stuff in the one place in my life!
Without a doubt, Hello Kitty is definitely a brand for females. Gay guys? Yeah, if they want to be cute, but there’s definitely not enough of them around Taiwan for 7-11 to go all out gangbusters on promotional posters aimed squarely at them.
This left me with the puzzling dilemma of just who were 7-11 marketing to? When I asked my girlfriend about it, she said that he was just a famous male model. Girls like him as a model so 7-11 was using him to send out the image that their Hello Kitty trinkets were fashionable.
Fair enough… except for the gender reversal thing! I countered by asking that if I got a Taiwanese male model who girls liked to do a bra commercial, would that be ok?
‘No that’s different!’ was the answer.
But is it?
I’d honestly have a hard time taking any guy seriously who was running around with Hello Kitty trinkets hanging off him, so how is the reverse not true for females?
If you dressed up a girl in guys boots, or had her modelling men’s deodorant, or men’s shaving razors – would you as a guy be motivated to purchase the product?
Personally speaking, not bloody likely!
Yet here we are, in the heart of Asia where males’ masculinity is being exterminated by marketing the feminine image to guys at a cultural level… and nobody in Taiwan seems to be raising an eyebrow.
And as a male model, what the hell was the guy in the poster thinking? Oh yeah, I’m a guy but I’m quite happy for 7-11 to plaster me posing with Hello Kitty accessories all over Taiwan.
Career ender or is he now the most laid guy in Taiwan?!
A few more years of this madness and the only place you’re going to see a non-feminine Taiwanese guy is in a museum.
January 31st, 2011 at 9:17 am My Kafkaesque life(Quote)
I think he doesn’t look so bad. He would look weird in Europe, but in East Asia, he looks fine and attractive.
That’s the cultural difference, I have no problems with how masculinity is defined in Taiwan. But I’ll never be part of that idea anyway, which is good to me.
January 31st, 2011 at 10:12 am erica(Quote)
in fact, it IS hard to be a TW guy. Do you know ALL males in TW have to do their military duty? and apparently it’s worse than boot camp in hell! You prob wont even be fit enough to do that (or maybe you are, I don’t know.) But my point is, just because there is a guy posting for 7-11 hello kitty, doesn’t mean all TW males are girly.
If you are an celebrity- / actor – wanna be, then you would post for ANYTHING that could get you famous. That’s the ambition and ultimate goal for someone who wants to get famous.
It’s like blogging, apart from enjoying writing, I assume (excuse me if I am wrong) that you enjoy people reading them, discussing them with you, earnig some money from blogging, and hopefully one day be a well-known blogger.
If you don’t agree with me on any of these factors, and the true reason for you to blog is that you enjoy writing, then you may as well write and not publish them. True?
February 1st, 2011 at 4:43 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@MKL
Aren’t you in the middle of trying to rush off to Taiwan to marry a Taiwanese girl?
What do you mean you’ll ‘never be a part of that idea anyway’? Forget marriage or dating, just by living in Taiwan you’re a part of it!
@Erica
I’ve met two guys doing their compulsory service as well as a guy who’s locked into a ten year (or something) contract with the army voluntarily. General consensus seems to be that yeah it can be difficult, but duty wise it’s pretty easy.
Lots of paperwork and sitting around being bored with the occasional fun run army training in the mountains.
True, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to start writing about how great Hello Kitty is for guys. Even if Hello Kitty Inc approached me with a cash offer to write about how great Hello Kitty is for guys I still wouldn’t do it.
If I was a model, I think I’d probably be knocking back 7-11 if they asked me to model Hello Kitty accessories for girls. Taiwan is a small island and I imagine it’d be a nightmare trying to live down being the Hello Kitty guy (moreso being a foreigner!).
February 1st, 2011 at 8:24 am My Kafkaesque life(Quote)
I meant to say, that I will never be seen as Taiwanese, but as a foreigner (even my eyebrows are blonde, which is usually very interesting to Taiwanese people I meet). So these types of ads don’t address me, I personally can’t relate to them, they’re meant for Taiwanese guys and if that’s how they portray them, it’s fine to me.
I won’t protest… but had they used a North European looking guy, I would probably write a post about it
February 1st, 2011 at 8:53 am erica(Quote)
Super inaccurate information from your mates.
February 1st, 2011 at 11:17 am Cyn(Quote)
@erica – so his mates doing Taiwanese military duty are wrong about what’s involved in doing Taiwanese military duty??
Are you mates telling you how incredibly hard and difficult it is? And how nobody else would be fit enough to do it? And that’s it worse than “boot camp in hell”?
How do you know YOUR mates aren’t giving YOU “super inaccurate information”?
February 1st, 2011 at 2:09 pm Erica(Quote)
assumption is dangerous Cyn!
how do you know it’s my mate(s) who was / were telling me and not a personal / family experience?
February 1st, 2011 at 3:46 pm Cyn(Quote)
@Erica – then are you not also assuming that his mates are being untruthful?
February 1st, 2011 at 4:11 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Not that I have any personal experience mind you, but…
That guy in the poster definitely looks as though he’s batting for the other side.
February 1st, 2011 at 4:59 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
@Erica
I dunno, I’d have thought it was pretty accurate what with two of them still currently serving in the army.
If 7-11′s poster is anything to go by then anything would be a ‘boot camp from hell’ for most Taiwanese guys. Wouldn’t want them to break a nail or anything.
@ausgeoff
Welcome to Taiwan where half the male population looks gay. Being winter now you’ve got all the guys walking around in their puffy shiny jackets with giant furry collars. They’ve completely embraced the feminine look and nobody bats an eyelid.
Often times the only way to spot a truly gay guy is that he might be a bit buff and sporting a tan. They seem to be the only ones on the island not afraid of the sun.
February 1st, 2011 at 9:20 pm erica(Quote)
Im not assuming! Im simply stating the fact. By the way, why am I even talking to someone I wasn’t intended to?!?!?!
February 1st, 2011 at 9:22 pm erica(Quote)
I was told (by someone who works as a general in the army) that some people who have ‘special conditions’ or disabilities do easy paper works and all instead of hardcore physical training. Anyway, not arguing about this, just saying that don’t be too generalised oz!
February 1st, 2011 at 10:21 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Hehe a general.
Kind of like how the CEO of a company knows exactly what his employees at the bottom of the food chain do?
Naturally a general is going to talk up the army but the reality could be quite different. I’ve heard a lot of different stories, from the mass fudging of paperwork, statistics and reports to pointless excercises (like guarding random sites in small towns for no apparent reason, think tea shops and other randomness.
I’m just stating what I’ve been told from people in the Taiwanese army.
February 1st, 2011 at 11:52 pm erica(Quote)
I know many CEO who are fully aware of what his / her employees at the bottom of the food chain do.
And Im stating that what teh fact is about people in TW army.
Anyway, end of this discussion if all you want is ‘to win’.
February 2nd, 2011 at 1:21 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Wow, touchy subject.
All I can do is reiterate what those in the army have told me.
I think taking a general at his word is a bit like asking the police chief of Taiwan what his workers get up in the smaller towns.
February 2nd, 2011 at 3:12 am ausGeoff(Quote)
The oxymoron “military intelligence” comes to mind does it not?
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:47 am lemmiwinks(Quote)
Nah Oz, just a touchy (sooky) debater.
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:21 pm Erica(Quote)
gentlemen, I hope you do realise your discussions are SO off the topic now!
February 3rd, 2011 at 12:31 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
psh topic schmopic… so long as it’s interesting to read, discussion is dynamic!
February 17th, 2011 at 2:28 pm China Power(Quote)
I am writing in response to the previous postings regarding the immense popularity among the young local male population in Taiwan of the current 7-11 Hello Kitty jewelry collection promotion and the supposedly rigorous hardships endured in completion of their compulsory 2-year military service, the vast majority of who either manage to completely avoid on the grounds of fictitious physical disability or file for early discharge.
It is a well recognized fact among the citizens in the mainland of China that Taiwan society is completely out of control, raising their young men from teenagers to become sissies in which their parents, the education system and their female counterparts are all directly complicit.
In addition to the bizarre and subversive marketing strategy of 7-11 to put the young male population of Taiwan right at the forefront of its core demographic target audience for its Hello Kitty promotion, even more worrying is the proliferation of Easy Shop women’s underwear stores that is now selling a line of panties for young Taiwan men to wear.
This stupidity makes everyone on the mainland of China very angry and concerned as the effeminate, feeble and childish behavior of Taiwan society is giving all Chinese a bad image around the world. If Taiwan insists on continuing along this corrupted track, there will be no alternative but to intervene for the sake of the dignity of all Chinese people.
It only requires sending over a couple of crack regiments from the PLA and it would be game over for Taiwan in approximately 48 to 72 hours, as it is clearly obvious that most of the young Taiwan male population would be prancing away sporting their lovely sissy boy haircuts and charming Hello Kitty necklaces to take refuge at the nearest women’s hairdresser for a manicure.
No doubt most Taiwan women will adamantly reject the above observations out of a stubborn and misguided refusal to acknowledge that their own narcissistic attitudes, demands and expectations towards men have unfortunately resulted in their intended annihilation of the masculinity of virtually the entire Taiwan male population.
They would not dare to try and get away with this in the mainland of China as the response would be: Oh yeah, bring it on! You’ll all be straightened out in no time flat.
February 17th, 2011 at 9:24 pm Taiwan Power(Quote)
China Power, what are you waiting for? If anything is a shame to Chinese culture, it’s your rotten corrupt regime, that uses the army to suppress its own people. The censored internet, the stupidity on your TV, the lies of your president…
Your country is the laughingstock of the world, everyone knows that, be it here in Taiwan and elsewhere in the world. In your country people are intentionally kept uninformed, because the leaders believe a dumb nation won’t go against them.
Obviously your army is weak, too. All you can do is send the troops to Lhasa and Urumqi to fight civilians who have no guns. Your last war was lost almost 60 years ago, America would crush you in no time and you would lose face. That’s why you don’t dare to attack all these years. Heck, even Japan would crush you in a week.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:10 am erica(Quote)
Watch it Oz! this is turning into something political!!! (and im serious when i say watch it! you dont want to get into any trouble being a foreigner.)
February 18th, 2011 at 1:05 am China Power(Quote)
Don’t worry Taiwan Power, you’re just being emotionally over-reactive and babbling nonsense. Understandably, a typical Taiwan female trait.
China awaits the rapid demise of Taiwan and welcomes our island comrades with open arms. The PLA intelligence apparatus is all around you on Taiwan, watching with obvious satisfaction as the leadership of your puppet regime government, together with just about every business enterprise in Taiwan, hands itself over willingly to the mainland of China on bended knees.
Actually, it’s quite amazing to witness that most of the higher educated Taiwan workforce now resides in the mainland of China while keeping their earnings offshore in order to avoid paying their tax obligations in Taiwan. How very patriotic of them.
China has no need to fire a single shot to incorporate Taiwan into the glorious motherland, as the people of Taiwan are already doing an excellent job all by themselves of selling out the island completely to the mainland of China.
Also, in the highly unlikely event that Taiwan would ever have the backbone to act belligerently towards the mainland of China, then don’t count on your fair-weather friends in the U.S. and/or Japan to come to your aid. Neither of those countries have the interest, inclination or ability to do so, and nor will it ever be in their own best national security or economic interests to do so.
So please accept the inevitable! It’s for your own good.
In the meantime, you can continue collecting a few more 7-11 Hello Kitty charms for your lovely limp-wristed bracelet and/or necklace and a get new sissy boy haircut. All of the Taiwan girls will love you for it.
By the way, monitoring the broadcast, print and electronic media in Taiwan for just a few hours would make anyone in the rest of the world realize that to call the mass media in Taiwan childish, misinformed and stupid would be an insult to childish, misinformed and stupid people.
February 18th, 2011 at 4:03 am ausGeoff(Quote)
It’s actually quite comical for us Westerners to read the distorted rantings of a totally brain-washed communist puppet who’s embarrassingly unaware that he’s simply parroting the untruths that his political masters have fed him for decades, via the misinformation regime.
It’s also a fact that the PRC maintains a massive force of “internet police” to enforce the various bans on internet access for the plebs.
The PRC’s Internet repression is considered more extensive and more advanced than in any other country worldwide. The communist regime not only blocks website content, but also monitors the internet access of individuals.
Also, Chinese based Web sites can not link to overseas news Web sites or distribute news from overseas media without government approval. Only “licensed print publishers” have the authority to deliver news online. Even Twitter and Facebook are blocked by the government, as is the BBC News!
So afraid is the PRC of Taiwan’s independent status that they also block Taiwanese government sites.
Obviously the PRC is running scared; scared of the truth and scared of how their citizens would respond were they to know that truth.
The PRC is doomed politically and socio-economically in the 21st century — it’s simply a pariah that’s laughed at worldwide.
My sympathies lie with you ‘China Power’ (is that not an oxymoron LOL).
February 18th, 2011 at 5:35 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@China Power
This sounds like an article in the making. I’ll have to conduct some further uh… ‘research’ methinks.
Mate, a bunch of Taiwanese guys running around looking like girls does nothing to China’s image in comparison to what your stupid government does.
Investing heavily into African dictatorships, your stupid sabre rattling with Japan and Taiwan, all the petty bullshit that goes on internally within Chinese politics and the complete disregard for personal sovereignty that exists in China absolutely dward anything that Taiwan does.
Also what does what Taiwanese guys do have to do with China’s world image. They're two seperate countries, get over it.
Crushing sheeple Chinese resistance might be one thing… I somehow doubt a nation of twenty three million are going to roll over so easy. The Taiwanese have had too long a taste of independance to worry about China’s bullshit petty games anytime soon.
I agree that Taiwanese media is childish and at times stupid (you don’t put Youtube clips on the 6′oclock news people!), but it’s still leaps and bounds over China’s controlled and heavily biased media.
Taiwanese people might not choose to think freely but at least it’s their choice. Chinese sheeple have none.
Meanwhile, here’s an interesting video showcasing Chinese ‘dating’.
It’s all about how much you earn and what assets you have. How romantic.
@erica
Why? Is there some rule Taiwan has about political discussion on blogs run by foreigners I don’t know about?
I’ve seen quite a lot of political blogs about Taiwan run by foreigners living here. Personally I know the more I write about Taiwan it’s inevitable some Chinese person is going to stumble across it and perhaps use my material to take cheap pot shots at Taiwan.
If only they realised this just looks petty and stupid to the rest of the world.
February 18th, 2011 at 3:27 pm China Power(Quote)
Dear Taiwan Power(less): Remember that we are all guests on this private blog site and that you would be well advised to control your hypocritical, inflammatory and totally inaccurate vitriolic remarks that people of Taiwan and their apologist sympathizers are always so fond of spewing out to the world.
Please join the rest of your esteemed Taiwan brothers and sisters who are fleeing the island daily by the millions on great silver birds floating peacefully through the wide open blue skies that warmly welcome them to the sweet smell of success on the glorious mainland of China to enjoy their golden future and prosperity.
You must realize, as everyone else around the world does, that Taiwan people bear no national loyalty, integrity or allegiances to anything but U.S. dollars in their own personal bank accounts.
Given that the mainland of China currently holds enough sovereign wealth fund reserves to buy Taiwan outright, then perhaps that is the best course of action to take. Especially when considering the money obsessed people of Taiwan would be happy to sell the island in a heartbeat if it meant an instant lottery-style windfall into everybody’s personal bank account.
Think of all the Hello Kitty junk you could buy then!
Another big point for clarification and correction is regarding your totally misguided statement about the PLA having “lost its last war almost 60 year ago.” Presumably you are referring to 1949 (62 years ago), when in actual fact it was the courageous and righteous PLA that decisively crushed your beloved KMT scoundrels and sent them scurrying (along with untold priceless amounts of stolen treasures) like frightened little rats for refuge on Taiwan, which at the time was only made possible as a merciful gesture and courtesy of the benevolent motherland with the aid and abetment of your then U.S. benefactors and paymasters.
Obviously the Taiwan education system (or lack thereof) must be indoctrinated with a completely distorted view of historical facts. But either way, times have changed and so have your paymasters.
Don’t get us wrong, we love the KMT today, because they’re hell-bent on selling the island of Taiwan back to us at fire sale prices. In similar fashion to the leaders of virtually every corporate enterprise in America and Japan today, they are on the phone every other day asking how they can please us. It’s truly gratifying to see all of them embracing our proven methods of doing business. And good business for the beloved and magnificent motherland is good business for everyone, right?
So do not be afraid. Your liberation is close at hand. The people of Taiwan just simply have to deeply bow their heads in respectful compliance and they will reap the benefits in abundance. Salvation and redemption graciously awaits each of you on the mainland of China and the millions of former Taiwan residents already permanently residing here today in happy contentment are unequivocal testimony to that fact. This bourgeoisie constitute the very lifeblood of the economy on Taiwan as they represent every major company from the island that have all declared their undivided allegiance to the mainland of China and relocated their entire operations here.
Now just because your compatriots have seen the light, you wouldn’t want to call all of them traitors. Or would you?
In the words of the brilliant architect of our great shining nation, Chairman Mao Zedong, he who holds the biggest bag of gold holds the power. But he who holds the biggest guns holds even greater power. But he who holds both holds ALL the power. And the illustrious motherland now holds both.
Therefore, abandon a hopeless and miserable future based on the empty dreams and promises of your fantasy island existence and awaken your heart and soul to a joyful reunion with the Almighty Motherland.
Resistance is futile!
P.S. Blog master, any chance of changing my avatar to a lovely bright red star? The honorable people of the great motherland will respectfully salute you!
February 18th, 2011 at 4:21 pm China Power(Quote)
Dear ausGeoff: Your previous comments about Internet issues in the mainland of China are directly attributable to some minor technical difficulties that we are currently experiencing and rest assured we are working diligently to resolve these glitches and will resume regular broadcasting to our domestic and overseas audiences as soon as possible.
In the meantime, we cordially invite you to visit our special District 19. Consider it a spa resort for the mind, but without the usual amenities. Reeducation only requires a few weeks and will open your mind to whole new world of possibilities for our global domination in the 21st century. It is our destiny.
We’ll even send you an Air China ticket, First Class of course!
Our treat.
February 18th, 2011 at 7:17 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Sorry… you’ve just outed yourself as a TROLL. Not much point in furthering any conversation with you my friend. You almost had us sucked in there for a couple of posts.
Well done!
February 19th, 2011 at 12:53 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Obvious Chinese troll is obvious.
The irony being of course that ‘China Power’ is publishing from an IP address in Taipei, Taiwan.
No they’re not.
Straight from the Chinese embassy in the US;
Additionally I’ve seen official documentation from a friend who visited China a few years ago and it clearly had ‘alien’ printed in reference to visitors.
February 19th, 2011 at 8:03 pm China Power(Quote)
With all due respect, you are referring to the descriptions that are used to define the respective China visa categories whereas I am referring to the actual passport visa documents themselves that are currently issued.
Please refer to the following CURRENT visitor visa (Category L) sample: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chavis.jpg
Nowhere do you see the word “Alien” and this also applies to the actual passport visa documents for all other China visa categories (F/G/X/Z) as well, with the previously mentioned exception of Category D, which is currently under review.
Only Taiwan chooses to maintain its racist policy of officially designating its ACTUAL visa documents as “Alien Visitor Visa,” ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) and APRC (Alien Permanent Resident Certificate) respectively.
February 19th, 2011 at 8:26 pm China Power(Quote)
Just one last point regarding the actual passport visa document of China’s Category D visa that is currently (and admittedly awkwardly) officially designated as “Residence Permit for Foreigner in the People’s Republic of China.”
Even if this is eventually revised to read “Chinese Foreign Residence Permit” then I think most people would agree that at least it’s a damn site better than Taiwan’s primitively designated “Alien Resident Certificate.”
February 22nd, 2011 at 3:59 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
I saw visa documents from a Chinese citizen a few years ago and they had ‘alien’ written all over them. Unless they’ve changed them then the documents themselves refer to aliens in the context we’re discussing.
June 23rd, 2011 at 10:15 pm ausJustin(Quote)
I think selling Hello Kitty products with an image of a male model is not too different to pairing bikini models with cars.
What makes Hello Kitty a ‘girly’ product? Because it is a female cat? Because of the colour pink?
It’s just a character/a collectible/a hobby. Boys who like Hello Kitty are like girls who play Call of Duty – you can call them a minority, but I don’t think any of them are putting their masculinity/femininity at risk.
June 24th, 2011 at 12:29 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Except that the idea of pairing bikini models with cars is sex appeal ‘buy this, get women!’ and marketing Hello Kitty to guys simply says ‘buy this because your an effeminate pansy!’
The brand itself. It’s exclusively marketed to girls or at girls to try and get their boyfriends to buy the merchandise (guys underwear/jewelry etc.)
Hello Kitty in the west would be targeted at prepubescent girls but it’s only here in Asia that adult females seem to be unable to let go of their immaturity and go crazy over the brand. Even in adulthood it’s still targeted at women though, as the vast majority of the merchandise sold reflects.
Except that women serve in the army. Guys collecting Hello Kitty have no excuse and deserve to be ridiculed.
June 24th, 2011 at 7:30 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
But wait… just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, check out the livery on this Taiwan EVA Airways Airbus A330…
Is this the end of mankind as we know it?
June 26th, 2011 at 3:25 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@ausgeoff
Lol, I visited a museum recently that had a model replica of that plane. I thought it was just a special edition they made as a collectible, had no idea it was based off an actual plane!
June 28th, 2011 at 7:29 pm Justine(Quote)
As the original subject of this discourse appears to be resurrected and back on point, I just wanna say that I’m what that mean old China Power previously referred to a few months ago as a Taiwan sissy boy.
I chose my English name after my hero Justin Bieber, but added an “e” at the end to be really sweet!
I’m 28-years old and I think Hello Kitty is really cute and I also think that my weird blonde hairdo is also really cute! It’s a hybrid of Britney Spears and Ashlee Simpson. At least that’s what all the girls in my government civil service job tell me and of course I have to obey them.
There is nothing wrong with the fabulous marketing strategy of the recent 7-11 Hello Kitty promotion as it is an integral part of our divine Taiwan culture for the local male population to absolutely adore everything that’s Hello Kitty and for the women here to endlessly harangue us and, whenever they like, to beat us relentlessly into submission if we don’t comply.
In fact, I would simply break down into tears if I ever thought I had done anything to displease any of my Taiwan girlfriends. Therefore, I have completed the entire original 33-piece collection of charms, as well as the 5 extra
“Special Edition” pieces together with the display rack, bracelet and necklace!
Also, I would like to point out that our international airline carrier, EVA Airways (Eva capitalized, get it?), represents to the world the wonderfully charming nature of our very clever Taiwan people with its lovely fleet of Hello Kitty decorated aircraft and fashionably attired Hello Kitty pilots and flight attendants dressed in girly pastel pink uniforms.
Check it out at: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YXAFRnAcHLI/Rh8SNYWf0dI/AAAAAAAAACs/E5u7YNidYdk/s400/ATT2259226.jpg
As for myself, I personally own a multitude of fabulous Hello Kitty items including cuddly toys, fancy jewelry, a handbag and even a special Hello Kitty motor scooter helmet as well as my all-time favorite, a Hello Kitty inflatable doll. Also, I am totally thrilled by all South Korean pop boy bands as they’re so dreamy, especially Super Junior! All of us here on Taiwan love to copy every effeminate, infantile
and moronic thing that South Korea does.
So on behalf of all my sissy boy comrades here on Taiwan, I just wanna say, um, I just wanna say, er, I just wanna say, darn it, I just wanna say to that nasty China Power that they are all just a bunch of big bad bullies over there in China.
Also, I call upon the entire sissy boy fraternity here on Taiwan to join me in bravely downing a few Shirley Temple cocktails and then rise up to give them a big limp-wristed poke in the eye and slap across their face before running home to our mommies. After all, girls just wanna have fun!
August 7th, 2011 at 12:31 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Looks like Hello Kitty is set to return to the skies…
After the earthquake in Japan it seems travel has taken a hard hit. Who better than Hello Kitty to reinvigorate Taiwan-Japan travel!
/facepalm.
August 7th, 2011 at 8:04 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Thanks for your thoughtful response Justine…
Personally, as a Westerner, I don’t have any serious issues at all with Asian cultural mores, and I reckon it’s great that you’ve obviously taken a lot of time and care to assemble your “Hello Kitty” collection, and—more importantly—it gives you so much pleasure.
I guess when we seem to be taking the piss about “sissy boys” and Hello Kitty and (to us) funny haircuts, it’s not really meant maliciously; more with affectionate good humour.
I’m more than certain that many Asians must wonder about the sanity of Western pop cultural icons sometimes… Cher’s geriatric, plasticized face; Sinead O’Connor’s baldness; Amy Winehouse’s hideous beehive and tatts; Lady GaGa’s ludicrous, sexually offensive outfits; Marilyn Manson’s bizarre over-the-top hideousness etc. And who can forget Kiss or Boy George or Michael Jackson?
I also have to admit to enjoying a bit of K-Pop myself… SNSD, Kara, T-Ara, 2NE1 etc, which at my advanced years(!) may seem a bit peculiar, but it’s great, lightweight, happy kind of stuff. And not full of doom and gloom and death like so much Western stuff, particularly rap—which I loathe.
—Cheers.
August 8th, 2011 at 6:03 pm China Power(Quote)
Good grief, see what I mean? This is exactly why the mainland of China needs to save these poor lame bastards from themselves! And also from their queer moronic cousins in South Korea.
Also, we believe most “normal” countries would wholeheartedly support our policy that if Taiwan even thinks of ever sending any of these ridiculous aircraft carrying their pink uniformed pansies into our airspace, we’ll blow them out of the sky.
Left with no alternative but to protect the glorious motherland at all costs from this neurological and pathological social mental disorder spreading to our shores, we considered sending in a couple of our crack regiments to Taiwan to sort this lot out in less than 48 hours.
But then again, Ms. Li Na, our grand slam tennis star champ who won the French Open two months ago, could probably get the job done singlehandedly (game, set and match) in less than half that time.
Unfortunately, however, we can do nothing for the time being as President Barack bin Obama has been on his hands and knees begging us not to take any corrective action over Taiwan at this time.
Apparently, poor little Stevie Jobs, Larry Page, Sergey Brin and HRH Mark Zuckerberg need Taiwan to locate their respective Apple, Google and Facebook R&D centers as they are terrified that we might steal something, like Apple’s new pink Hello Kitty branded iPad. Little do they realize that if we need to steal anything from them, then we’ll do it right under their noses in Santa Clara County, California!
Whoo-hoo Taiwan sissy boys, bring it on! And don’t forget to bring along plenty of your Hello Kitty dolls and your girlfriends for protection.
August 8th, 2011 at 11:11 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
A question…
What’s the official state view of the PRC regarding the batantly capitalist attributes of this young lady’s career prize earnings of more than $6,485,000?
October 12th, 2011 at 12:21 am Jorge(Quote)
I am an ABC, and think that all these sissy guys in Taiwan are an embarrasment to all Asian guys. What the hell is up with these dudes carrying purses, perming their hair, wearing girls’ pants, and sporting all kinds of female hair accessories.
My mother came to visit after years of living in California, and she was wondering why all these young guys look so feminine. It sickens her too. These guys serioiusly need to grow some balls and do something manly.
No wonder the population is dwindling in Taiwan. The guys here are just as feminine, if not more, than the girls here. There is also an overpopulation of single women here, and an overpopulation of gay guys in Taiwan.
I’m so glad that I didn’t grow up in Taiwan. If their parents are anything like mine, don’t they say anything to their kids? I mean, for crying out loud, why on earth would you let your son walk out the door, carrying a purse, wearing a pink shirt, with a pair of butte huggers on. This entire country sickens me.
I came to Taiwan to learn about my heritage, only to learn that this country has turned into a bunch of sissies. For personal reasons, I am stuck here for a while. If I had a choice, I would like to return to the US and never come back here again to live.
Since I’ve been here, I’ve been discriminated against over and over again. Most of these greedy bastards here only care about money, at all costs. That includes lying, stealing, and cheating.
I’ve been discriminated against being hired for teaching English because as these a-holes put it, you aren’t American. Well, I’m no purse carrying sissy, and I can’t even read or write Chinese. The only reason they want to hire white guys is so they can have a face to show the parents for money, even if he/she is not qualified for the job. It’s a trick to take money from people.
I have never met such selfish, ignorant, and money hungry a-holes in my life.
I’m treated as neither a local nor a foreigner. What kind of f****d up crap is this?
Screw all of these purse carrying homos.
October 12th, 2011 at 9:34 am ausGeoff(Quote)
Uh… I guess there’s no chance of you telling us how you really feel about all this is there?
October 12th, 2011 at 10:49 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@Jorge
This might be opening a can of worms, but if you’ve got Taiwanese heritage and were born in the US, wouldn’t that make you an ‘American born Taiwanese (ABT)’?
October 14th, 2011 at 12:51 am China Power(Quote)
Dear ausGeoff: A thousand humble apologies for my absence from this esteemed forum and for my inadvertent negligence in responding to your important question back in August. As I hope you will all appreciate, I have been very busy these past couple of months travelling with my illustrious Politburo comrades of our Executive Standing Committee buying up all of Africa for a song.
Part of our diversification strategy as dumping any more money into U.S. Treasuries is a total waste of time when they already owe us a bundle with no hope in sight of ever getting repaid. Now the bloody Europeans are coming to us cap-in-hand. Bunch of bloody parasites, the lot of them.
As for our courageous tennis superstar, Ms. Li Na, our official state view here in the PRC is that US$6.5 mill is beer money when you consider what those lazy Williams sisters get. Also, you need to figure this really doesn’t go very far after buying a couple of luxury condos in Hong Kong and Taipei. And of course a couple Bentley’s thrown in for good measure.
As the brilliant architect behind our divine, benevolent and almighty nation, Chairman Mao Zedong fondly loved to say: He who holds the most gold holds the power. He who holds the biggest gun holds the influence. But he who holds both, rules. And we hold both! Also, as our other former dear leader and beloved master of the universe, Deng Xiaoping, taught us: To get rich is glorious baby! To be rich is magnificent! (Just blindly keep all of those Western manufacturing orders coming).
October 14th, 2011 at 12:57 am China Power(Quote)
Jorge has totally nailed it. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves here in Beijing. Your beloved heavenly comrades and the entire might of a grateful and shining nation come together to salute you!
As previously mentioned, we’ve considered sending in a couple of our crack all-female battalions to sort this nonsense out in Taiwan once and for all, with particular emphasis on beating the hell out of the Taiwan women and punishing them for allowing this insanity to happen in the first place.
They have virtually taken over complete and absolute control in running the province’s public and private commercial affairs in terms of management and marketing, and it is our duty as the supreme and beloved leaders of all Chinese people to liberate and rehabilitate the abused Taiwan male population.
Also, to rewire the Taiwan mentality and racist attitude that hiring, to an alarming degree, completely unqualified and drug-induced Western backpackers who are simply able to mumble a few words in English to conduct English language curriculums just because they happen to fit an ignorant and twisted Taiwan stereotype that a native English speaker can only be of Caucasian racial descent is no solution whatsoever to moving their crippled society (and economy) forward.
Just take a look at any of their TV commercials. They hire a bunch of untalented, malnourished and pasty faced Russians on the cheap who almost look as if they’re riddled with HIV to perform (supposedly) as aspirational North Americans/Western Europeans/Australians. Just because they’re also Caucasian! Good grief, who are they trying to kid?!
Obviously, Taiwan people are completely unable to distinguish the difference as they think all Caucasians are identically the same no matter where their origin. And hey, who cares about speaking English properly and with a Western accent anyways. And don’t even get us started on the anchors of their local television English news broadcasts. What an embarrassing joke.
It’s simple. You get what you pay for. In the magnificent education system here in China, learning English correctly is mandatory, starting from the primary school level, and is taught only by properly credentialed and certified English teachers from all over the world, regardless of race or nationality, most of whom subsequently walk out of here after 3 or 4 years of service as US$ millionaires.
Anyone who fails to speak English fluently by their graduating year of high school is either sent to our special District 19 labor, I mean reeducation, camp or to Microsoft, Apple, Google or Facebook in the U.S. to steal all of their proprietary technology. By direct comparison, in Taiwan they are either too cheap or too stupid (or both) to see the value and wisdom in this approach.
But screw it. It ain’t even worth the fuel cost. Just let the buggers implode. Taiwan is no longer of any practical use to us other than to wind up our Asian neighbors and aggravate the West, and even they don’t seem to be taking the bait anymore, given their own economic strife. We’ve already banked all of Taiwan’s money, as all of those greedy parasites with any form of wealth (with no patriotic loyalty whatsoever to anything but Hello Kitty and their own offshore bank accounts) have already moved over here anyway, accompanied as usual by their inordinate amount of phony ass-kissing.
Come home to the glorious motherland Jorge, where your brave, faithful and illustrious compatriots earnestly and patiently await to welcome you with wide open arms and where you will be cherished with the dignity and respect that you so rightly deserve!
October 14th, 2011 at 1:26 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@China Power
Obvious troll is still obvious (and still publishing from a Taiwan based IP address)…
On this particular trolly note, check out this reaction from President Ma Ying-jeou’s wife at the 10/10 parade on Monday;
No debate needed over who’s wearing the pants in that relationship!October 14th, 2011 at 2:27 am China Power(Quote)
What more can I say? The epitome of a totally disrespectful and miserable Taiwan bitch for all of the world to see. Your FTV News clip sums it up perfectly!
Regrettably, it seems the situation in that renegade province has gotten totally out of control and beyond remedy.
As previously mentioned, perhaps we need to reconsider sending in a couple of our crack all-female battalions to sort them out and return their society to some semblance of normality?
October 14th, 2011 at 2:29 am China Power(Quote)
Not to get off topic, but with the new school year now in full swing and with over a thousand of our intelligence agents (posing as students) having now infiltrated every university throughout Taiwan, we are shocked to learn here Beijing about the latest super popular craze to hit Taiwan.
That’s right, you guessed it: wearing eyeglasses WITHOUT any lenses! The twisted rationale, brought to you yet again by their idiotic idols in South Korea, goes something like this:
Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with our eyesight whatsoever, we do however think there is a possibility that we’re probably stupid (yeah, right, ya think!).
Therefore, by wearing fashion designer eyeglasses without any lenses we will at least have the “appearance” of being intelligent.
The point these buggers are totally missing is that it is actually having precisely the opposite desired effect.
I mean, honestly esteemed compatriots, to call this pointless accessory stupid is an insult to stupid people!
Perhaps our gracious and globally respected blog host, ozsoapbox, would like to designate this topic under a more appropriately named new thread title, such as:
“Look at Me! I’m Really, Really Smart! …..Really!”
October 14th, 2011 at 10:42 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@China Power
Been there, done that.
October 14th, 2011 at 10:44 am Jorge(Quote)
A rose by any other name is still a rose. Call me what you’d like, we all understand what it means. It’s not opening up a can of worms at all.
October 14th, 2011 at 10:46 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Well yeah I guess we’re all human in that sense.
So you don’t mind being referred to as Japanese, Korean and Thai as well?
October 14th, 2011 at 5:50 pm China Power(Quote)
@ozsoapbox
As I believe you say in Australia, cor blimey mate, you’re right!
We didn’t realize here at the People’s Intelligence Agency this crazy lensless eyeglasses charade among the local Taiwan population has been going on since April last year. Will have to crack a few heads!
Your original post put the percentage of Taiwan nationals looking like total imbeciles wearing these hideous and useless spectacles at roughly 10%.
Our latest intel reports indicate an alarming fivefold increase since that time to a current 45% to 50%.
October 15th, 2011 at 1:30 pm Jorge(Quote)
I really don’t care what people call me. I just consider myself an American.
October 15th, 2011 at 6:29 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
Uh… your belief is actually incorrect Jorge
…
Downunder we say “my fuckin’ oath mate; spot on” or more simply ” ‘kenoath”.
You’re thinking of East End (Cockneys) in London.
October 16th, 2011 at 11:50 am China Power(Quote)
@ausGeoff
Many thanks for putting us straight on the correct colloquialism. You’ve really started something among our esteemed Politburo colleagues here in Beijing.
Seems everyone here far prefers “My fuckin’ oath mate; spot on!” We’re now in a brutal competition amongst ourselves to see who can say this with the most convincingly authentic Australian accent.
Latest example: As you have probably heard for yourself by now, the weird Americans are now publicly claiming to the world that the crazy Iranians employed some Iranian used car salesman in Texas to hire a Mexican drug cartel lackey to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. in some shady downtown Washington D.C. bistro.
When discussing this bizarre news development with our illustrious Paramount Leader, Hu Jintao, his immediate response was:
To which all of us advisers responded to him in unison: “My fuckin’ oath mate; spot on!”
Winner gets an all-expenses paid holiday to our embassy in Canberra!
October 16th, 2011 at 6:02 pm ausGeoff(Quote)
LULZ @ China Power ↑
February 28th, 2012 at 10:54 pm TaiwanTeacher(Quote)
OZ – Unless you wish to be embroiled in an international promotion of CCP propaganda, I suggest you kill this thread, and/or expell China Power. He is an insulting, militant, imperialistic troll working for the CCP who may have found your thread via my own activities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_intelligence_activity_abroad
SINK THE SHI LANG! (I suspect it is already scheduled for an accidental encounter with a mine… just like the South Korean warship. Woe to the sailors who board her; I hope they survive.)
February 29th, 2012 at 12:36 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
‘China Power’ had a brief stint on here last year. Kinda got tiresome after he or she attempted to relate everything published on here to Chinese/Taiwanese politics so eventually he or she stopped commenting.