By Luke Tsai, The China Post
For a while now I've felt sympathetic to the plight of Taiwan's foreign domestic workers, who, because of the financial woes in their home countries, are forced to leave their families behind and take on jobs, as housekeepers or caretakers for the elderly, that pay far less than what most locals would be willing to accept -- this despite the fact that many of them hold university degrees.
Here in Taiwan, these domestic laborers are disenfranchised, isolated and, in many cases, on call 24/7 with just a half-day off each week. What's worse, their employers often seem to view them with muted suspicion or, in some instances, outright disdain.
This past weekend, I watched a TV talk show whose theme for the day was something along the lines of "Complain About Your Foreign Maid." A panel of local celebrities essentially spent the better part of an hour cracking jokes about how incompetent and untrustworthy their foreign domestic workers are.
One woman made fun of how her Filipino maid couldn't understand her when they called to tell her to evacuate during the 9/21 earthquake. A few panelists earned guffaws for what were meant to be spot-on imitations of the blend of broken, heavily accented Chinese and English spoken by their hired help.
Yet another prefaced her story about how her Indonesian housekeeper dresses too scantily (and thus might tempt the head of the household into some act of infidelity) by saying, "She isn't one of those really dark ones; she's actually OK-looking." I don't know which is more offensive: to be regarded as the dark, ugly "other" or to be seen as a potential seductress simply for being attractive and light-skinned.
Regardless of whether or not any of these individual anecdotes were fair or accurate, broadcasting them on national TV to get an easy laugh is precisely the sort of thing that encourages the kind of blanket stereotypes that seem prevalent on the island.
I am sure that there are cases in which foreign domestic workers have betrayed the trust of their Taiwanese employers, badly even. These incidents receive plenty of media coverage, stirring up fear and anxiety.
But what of the countless other stories that go largely unreported? What of the Filipino caretaker who is the only person in the whole house who can get a 90-year-old man to smile -- who rubs lotion on his bedsores and pampers him as though she were his own daughter?
Or the Vietnamese maid, just barely in her twenties, who cries herself to sleep every night clutching a worn photograph of the baby daughter she left behind back home?
A television program that offered a balanced discussion of the difficulties facing both sides of this equation might help bring about some kind of mutual understanding between the people of Taiwan and the foreign laborers they depend on.
But of course it's much easier to play to your audience's prejudices and get that easy laugh. No one needs to reconsider their own assumptions, then; everyone can sleep easy with a clear conscience.
Few countries have as sordid and as shameful a history of race relations as the United States, where I come from, so this isn't a case of "I'm better than you because I'm American." But if a talk show in the States held a panel discussion that consisted entirely of celebrities making jokes about how their Mexican housekeepers were all lazy, couldn't speak English properly and were out to steal their employers' husbands, protesters would be storming the streets of New York and Los Angeles the very next day.
But here in Taiwan, where is the outrage? I'd hate to think that such attitudes are just accepted as par for the course.
Because racism, even when it's veiled in the guise of a seemingly harmless joke, is still racism.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Discuss the plight of a group of people that concerns you. Think of some examples, such as child labor, etc.2. What woes might a young married couple face?
3. Name some groups you think may be disenfranchised in your or another country.
4. When did women get the franchise in Taiwan?
5. What is your favorite fast food franchise?
7. Have you ever felt isolated from people? Discuss.
8. When might your dislike of a meal be muted? Discuss such a situation.
9. What fashions do you disdain?
10. Discuss an outright insult you suffered.
11. What music or movies would you consider part of an essential collection?
12. What's the most essential condition of a good marriage?
13. Do you feel incompetent doing certain things?
14. Have you ever had a friend you thought was untrustworthy? Explain.
15. Did a classmate or friend ever wear an outfit that produced guffaws from others?
16. Do you approve of singers who are scantily dressed?
17. Do you believe infidelity should be the cause of divorce?
18. How would you preface a request for money from a parent?
19. How would you describe an "O.K." meal? An O.K. vacation?
20. How would you accurately estimate how much money you were owed if you worked two hours for NT$300 each hour?
21. In what field of employment do you think you have the greatest potential?
22. Discuss a sordid crime in Taiwan, or any crime with which you are familiar.
23. Do you think you have any prejudices? Explain.
24. How do you think people should show their mutual friendship?
25. Discuss a funny anecdote that really happened.
26. What social behavior do you consider offensive?
27. Discuss a person who you feel showed a blanket disregard for your feelings.
28. When was the last time you felt outrage over an issue or someone's behavior?
29. If you went to a costume party, in what guise would you choose to go?
30. Did you feel pampered or neglected as a child?
31. Discuss the prevalent attitudes towards marriage in contemporary (today's) Taiwan society.
32. What domestic chores did your parent require from you as a child? Or now?
33. What social issue do you think should receive more media coverage?
34. Discuss some negative stereotypes about people that you think people in Taiwan have.
35. Have you ever felt betrayed by a friend? Explain.
37. If something is "par for the course" does that mean it's a) average, b) below average,
c) above average, d) wicked?
38. From which sport does that phrase "par for the course" come?
39. Can you give a spot-on imitation of a famous singer, movie star, or other public figure?
40. The people who can give spot-on imitations of famous people are known as a) actors, b) hypocrites, c) impressionists, d) ventriloquists.
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