Watching last Saturday's events unfold, I was struck by several similarities and differences between the pre-dawn raid to "transfer custody" of Elian Gonzalez to his father and last month's protests demanding Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) ouster from the KMT.
The similarities were obvious: noise, passion, disruption, and frenetic 24-hour live media coverage. The differences are more subtle, and focus on the rule of law and the rights and responsibilities of the key players.
Given the cultures of the US and Taiwan, differences are to be expected -- even within the similarities. Noise in Taiwan's raucous political rallies came from air-horns; in Miami, it came from car horns.
Disruption during the KMT upheaval was visited upon the patients and staff at National Taiwan University Hospital, literally a stone's throw from the protesters, while in Miami it was private homes and businesses that bore the brunt.
But, despite minor differences, the media gave us exactly the same coverage of both events, right down to the boneheaded news anchors, nattering aimlessly to fill dead air. It was a comforting reminder of our homogenized and emasculated "safe" global culture.
The most striking similarity, however, was in the mindset of the protesters. In both cases, they were a small -- but very loud -- minority who just didn't get the fact that their side had lost the battle. In Taiwan, it was lost in a free and fair election; in Miami, it was lost in a series of court decisions. But in both cases, the battle was already lost, and the protesters had no chance of getting what they really wanted -- custody of a child, or victory in an election.
Maybe that's where we get the expression, "It's all over but the shouting."
But there is an important difference between these two embarrassing events. The KMT protesters were making a legal demand, that Lee step down as chairman of the party, whereas the protesters in Little Havana were cheering on a family that had broken the law by not surrendering young Elian to the custody of his father.
What both groups failed to recognize was the change in public attitude. The people of Taiwan simply wanted the KMT's reign to end -- and to take corruption and privilege with it. The people of America, with the exception of Jesse Helms, simply don't care about Fidel Castro anymore.
Both actions were considered embarrassments. But one was legal, the other was not.
Although some KMT diehards might have liked to see their party reassert its former totalitarian swagger, and simply reverse the outcome of the election, that's not what they were demanding. In the end, they respected the rule of law.
The Miami protesters flouted the law, and the law responded.
The people who complain about the "excessive force" used in the raid have obviously never had to face an angry mob and accomplish a difficult task without actually harming anyone. If there were any weapons among the crowd or in the house, they were not used, but given the prevalence of firearms in US society, one can hardly fault the US Marshals for going in armed as a precaution.
It must have been traumatic for the little boy, too, though perhaps not as damaging as being paraded about for months like a pardoner's relic by a cynical, politicized public.
Looking back to when I was Elian's age, I remember a few traumas and triumphs. I remember when Bobby Kennedy was shot. Or was it Martin Luther King? I honestly don't know which assassination it was, I just remember that "somebody on the radio" had been killed, and my mommy was very sad. And I remember the Apollo 11 moon landing too, if only just barely.
Thanks to reams of video tape, Elian's memories 30 years hence are bound to be a bit clearer than the fleeting images left to me. I wonder if he will look back on this raid as "tragic" or "traumatic" as we all assume, or if this experience will pale in comparison to the loss of his mother, his near-death ordeal on the ocean, or the sheer joy of finally seeing his father again.
The only thing I can say with confidence is that being with his father is the best way for Elian to heal and grow, even if they end up living in Cuba.
John Diedrichs is the new media editor of the Taipei Times.
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