I enjoy Taiwan. You rarely see men walking with a swagger, swaying side to side as they lift their head up and puff out their chest. Taiwanese tend not to have this false sense of masculinity.
The locals also seem to lack a few cultural misconceptions about maturity. Men and women show a genuine affection for cute things. Americans get to a certain age where the idea of being cute is seen as childish. But, why? What does it mean to be childish? Does it mean you have to hide what you like so you can fall into the norm? I would think the more childish person is the one afraid to express themselves truthfully.
Cute is an aesthetic. We acknowledge the pretty, bold, beautiful, and sexy. For some reason, however, cute is associated with immaturity. It's for children or irresponsible adults. It's also an insult to most men. You can't be taken seriously if you come off as cute, whereas any other aesthetic is perfectly acceptable.
In Taiwan, a thirty year-old woman may be an avid collector of Hello Kitty. At the same time, she can also be a successful manager at a respectable company. Cute does not equal stupid or immature. Likewise, men might dress in a cute and fashionable way on their way to the office or to head out at night. It doesn't suggest their gay or especially effeminate.
A culture without a false sense of maturity is a culture that encourages people to express themselves more freely. Taiwanese are more able to set their inner child free.
Great! Glad I'm here.
Sadly, Taiwanese children have no chance to let their inner child loose. Children don't just have to go to school during the day; they have to go to cram schools in the evening.
The competition is stiff. Children have to take entrance exams for high school. The quality of a middle school is determined by how many of their students get into good high schools. Kids who get into better high schools are better prepared for the next test they have to take – the college entrance exam. This exam is the sole factor in determining which college students can go to. The kid with the top score get first pick, followed by second and so on. I was surprised to hear a junior high student tell me that he would take a practice entrance exam for high school every single day he went to school.
It's true that the best way to prepare for a test is to practice. If other students are practicing at cram schools in the evening, the only way to keep up is to have yours do the same. Compared to the average US student, Taiwanese have less time to explore social and extracurricular activities. They have less time to think about what they're interested in and what's important to them. They have less time to have fun and be a child.
Now, are Taiwanese more mature because they are more in touch with their inner child? Or are they simply making up for the fact that they didn't have a real chance at a childhood when they deserved it?
