The problem really is that the media landscape has changed so drastically. With social media and Youtube, someone like David gets his videos seen by hundreds of thousands if not millions of people, and if they're not seeing it on Facebook where people then rile each other up in the comments with anti-foreigner rhetoric, then they see it picked up by Taiwanese media which is infamous for its hyperbolic reporting style, xenophobia and latent racism - see here for a recent example. In a giant country with state-controlled media like China maybe it wouldn't matter as much, but in a small place like Taiwan with a yellow press keen to jump on any story that puts foreigners in a bad light, the effects are definitely felt.
The thing is if you don't speak the local language and only gravitate towards girls who hang out with foreigners then it's easy to remain ignorant in that bubble and not realize what people around you really are thinking. I've been with quite a few girls this year who speak no English, have no foreign friends and their prejudices against foreigners are pretty strong. There's a positive flipside to this which is that it's easier to set yourself apart from the rest - by status, language skills, or otherwise. Girls are girls, you can get them one way or another. But what really concerns me are the effects of these stories on local men, parents, and society as a whole.
As thoughtgypsy said it's not exactly hard to have some basic respect for the country and culture you're a guest in. I will never understand guys who go out of their way to disrespect or make fun of another country's people and who consciously make it more difficult for everyone else. I agree - they're the enemy.
The thing is if you don't speak the local language and only gravitate towards girls who hang out with foreigners then it's easy to remain ignorant in that bubble and not realize what people around you really are thinking. I've been with quite a few girls this year who speak no English, have no foreign friends and their prejudices against foreigners are pretty strong. There's a positive flipside to this which is that it's easier to set yourself apart from the rest - by status, language skills, or otherwise. Girls are girls, you can get them one way or another. But what really concerns me are the effects of these stories on local men, parents, and society as a whole.
As thoughtgypsy said it's not exactly hard to have some basic respect for the country and culture you're a guest in. I will never understand guys who go out of their way to disrespect or make fun of another country's people and who consciously make it more difficult for everyone else. I agree - they're the enemy.