By some account, the following scene has to constitute animal cruelty:— first comes the stroller, catching the attention of passers-by seeking to catch a glimpse of little toes, or a toddler’s innocent smile. However, instead of a baby, they see a furry, yapping little thing, and if that were not disconcerting enough, the dog is incongruously wearing four tiny red shoes.
No country has more house pets per capita that are not walking on all fours — as they were meant to be — than Taiwan. The phenomenon deserves attention, as the preternatural pampering masks a darker side of society.
Violence against animals is rampant in this country, with abandoned dogs roaming university campuses or, when they are “lucky” enough, awaiting a brighter future in an overcrowded animal shelter operated by selfless individuals. On any visit to one of these rowdy shelters, one will come upon a spectacle of horrors, from three-legged dogs and mangy strays, to the crazed and most unfortunate animals that have had their faces bashed in by a baseball bat, either from anger or for the sheer “fun” of it.
These two scenes represent two extremes of Taiwanese society: Cold cruelty toward innocent creatures and gushing affection of the kind rarely visited upon one’s flesh and blood. Good intentions notwithstanding, the kingly treatment of pets, which in its folly also includes pedicures, multi-thousand-dollar baths, and even psychological treatment, is shameful. It is one thing to display love and affection toward one’s animal companion, but to go to such lengths to do so when society remains filled with destitute human beings is problematic, to say the least.
Beyond the sheer folly of it are more mundane, albeit no less important, reasons why animals should be allowed to be animals. Unlike in, say, North America or Europe, rare are the houses in Taiwanese cities that have a backyard. Most people are stacked into smallish apartment buildings with no outside access, which means that animals whose instinct would take them outdoors for the occasional stroll, rabbit chasing or to fulfill the call of nature, are confined to a compact environment in which it is impossible for them to play as necessary for their full physical (and psychological) well-being.
The least one could do when going outside for a walk with the dog, then, is to allow the poor creature to stretch its legs and chase after birds or the neighbor’s equally overprotected puppy. Keeping a dog in a stroller, or in a handbag or backpack, is cruel. Forcing them to wear clothes, in a country where there is no cold winter to freeze their paws, also goes against nature and is wrong.
Rather than treat pets like heavenly emissaries, one ought to respect the animal’s instincts. If one feels compelled to do more for the animal kingdom, Taiwan has plenty of species, from pets to endangered dolphins, in dire need of succor. There are many things one can do to help, from donating time by walking an abandoned mutt on weekends to making donations to the handful of shelters nationwide that care about animals without treating them like something they are not.
Let the dogs out. Set them free.
Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) led a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan in late February. During their various meetings with Taiwan’s leaders, this delegation never missed an opportunity to emphasize the strength of their cross-party consensus on issues relating to Taiwan and China. Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi are leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Their instruction upon taking the reins of the committee was to preserve China issues as a last bastion of bipartisanship in an otherwise deeply divided Washington. They have largely upheld their pledge. But in doing so, they have performed the
It is well known that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) ambition is to rejuvenate the Chinese nation by unification of Taiwan, either peacefully or by force. The peaceful option has virtually gone out of the window with the last presidential elections in Taiwan. Taiwanese, especially the youth, are resolved not to be part of China. With time, this resolve has grown politically stronger. It leaves China with reunification by force as the default option. Everyone tells me how and when mighty China would invade and overpower tiny Taiwan. However, I have rarely been told that Taiwan could be defended to
It should have been Maestro’s night. It is hard to envision a film more Oscar-friendly than Bradley Cooper’s exploration of the life and loves of famed conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. It was a prestige biopic, a longtime route to acting trophies and more (see Darkest Hour, Lincoln, and Milk). The film was a music biopic, a subgenre with an even richer history of award-winning films such as Ray, Walk the Line and Bohemian Rhapsody. What is more, it was the passion project of cowriter, producer, director and actor Bradley Cooper. That is the kind of multitasking -for-his-art overachievement that Oscar
Chinese villages are being built in the disputed zone between Bhutan and China. Last month, Chinese settlers, holding photographs of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), moved into their new homes on land that was not Xi’s to give. These residents are part of the Chinese government’s resettlement program, relocating Tibetan families into the territory China claims. China shares land borders with 15 countries and sea borders with eight, and is involved in many disputes. Land disputes include the ones with Bhutan (Doklam plateau), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Aksai Chin) and Nepal (near Dolakha and Solukhumbu districts). Maritime disputes in the South China