Taiwan, the hell hole?

German below, Deutsch unten

English:
A web page wants to assess how livable countries are, see here: http://www.il-ireland.com/il/qofl2009/.
Now, USA ranks No.3 in the table, so that must be Shangri-La combined with free massage parlors and no crime whatsoever. It is just behind France and Switzerland (I always do think the waiters on Champs Elysees in France are a bit scary though. Never mind.
My home country Germany is number 8, right below Italy. That might sound like a fair assessment, bella Italia surely has its benefits over my country.

Wait, there are parks in Taipei, Taiwan. This one even has political freedom (Falun Gong practitioners or however they are called)
EDIT: well it's religious freedom, only the PRC makes it seem political

But now where is Taiwan, called "Republic of China" by its formal name, wait a minute. Ah there, No. 58 or something, directly above South Africa and a bit above Ukraine. And below Mexico.

But now let's play a game. Let's say you are a stupid tourist family, driving with your big rented Sedan which has a big HERTZ or whatever sticker on it through the country in question, cameras clicking, wearing a shirt saying "I've got money" in the local language. Now say, we do that in South Africa. I guess the family has a good chance to be raped, mugged and decomposed down to their gold teeth in Mexico, South Africa and Ukraine, if they drive through the wrong parts. But all they would get in Taiwan are a few friendly "hello"s, even from betlenut chewing tattooed big guys.

OK, the table is about living, not tourism. But what if they family moves into the respective country because dad has a job a local branch of his home company and they buy a big and shiny sedan and take a trip through the country... same situation like tourism.

However, if dad was so naive to move into one of the crowded middle class areas, like I did in 2004, he might get respiratory problems, circulation problems and thrombosis, if the country is Taiwan. Just as I had before I moved into the countryside.

So I guess the evaluation depends on your personal perspective. I'd prefer Taiwan to Mexico, Taiwan is one of the safest countries on earth.

P.S: Also see here: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2010/01/14/2003463481: Freedom House still evaluates Taiwan as free, but sees defendant's rights in decline in penal cases.


German, Deutsch:

Die Webseite http://www.il-ireland.com/il/qofl2009/ versucht die Lebenqualität von Ländern zu bewerten, Frankreich ist die Nummer 1, die Schweiz die Nummer 2 und die USA die Nummer 3. Italien ist Nummer 7 und Deutschland Nummero 8. Unser kleines Taiwan findet sich an Position 58 oder so, ganz weit unten jedenfalls, gleich über Südafrika. Mir kam der Gedanke, wie wenig solch eine Liste so pauschaliert aussagt, gerade weil die wenigen Kriterien wenig aussagekräftig sind. Sinnvoller wäre es sicherlich, alle Länder etwa so einzuordnen (habe das Mal am Beispiel von Deutschland und Taiwan versucht, 0-100%, mehr ist besser, alles "pi mal Daumen"):

Umwelt: Deutschland 80%, Taiwan 30%
Wirtschaft (i.A.): D: 60%, T 70%)
Sicherheit vor Kriminalität i.A.: D 45%, T 75%
Sicherheit von Ausländern: D 55%, T 90%
Nichtelektronische Infrastruktur inkl. Verkehr: D 85%, T 70%
Elektronische und Telekommunikationsinfrastruktur: D 75%, T 75%
Tierschutz: D 60%, T 10%
Sicherheit vor Naturkatastrophen: D 90%, T 35%
Sicherheit vor Terrorismus, Krieg: D 70%, T 35%

etc. etc.

Da müsste man richtige Kriterien und Bewertungsmaßstäbe aufstellen....

Edit: Nachdem ich gestern abend wieder in meinem Haus bei 10 Grad Plus ohne Heizung gefroren habe, nur mit einem Heizdrahtding versehen, das mich hinten gekocht hat, während ich vorne eiskalt war, sage ich: Lasst uns dies verdammte Taiwan auf Position 99 der Liste setzen! Grrr..... Zähneklapper