With the arrival of the Internet, the diversification and circulation of information broadcasts has become rapid in democratic societies. However, social media networks have entered an era where freedom outweighs professionalism, and in doing so, social media are affecting the ideas and actions of many of the younger generation.
During the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) past party-state rule, a person had to take the views of the KMT into consideration when commenting on people or things. In the Internet era all taboos are gone when you want to criticize someone or something, as long as you stay away from defamation.
This new era has also created its first batch of instant stars: Web celebrities.
As Taiwanese media outlets were unable to address sensitive political issues during the authoritarian era, the only way they could attract an audience and gain popularity was to publish controversial social news.
Those longing for freedom and democracy wanted reform and to break taboos, but Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) — a political hack who claims to hate ideology and claims to be “white” as opposed to belonging the blue, green or orange camps — has repeatedly glorified these taboos as being “Asian values,” and is opposed to examining others based on their ideological standpoint.
It is said that Ko’s controversial remarks are welcomed by the younger generation and the mayor has become a favorite politician among Web celebrities.
This half-baked politician — despite his high IQ — is a disaster. A person’s ideology is the core of their thinking and they should be proud of it without being afraid of being examined.
For example, the conservative and liberal camps in the US have different opinions on economic and social policy, and on how they interpret the US constitution. The Republican Party is more conservative, while the Democratic Party is more liberal.
Following US President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh earlier this month to become a justice of the US Supreme Court, the Democrats are busy examining Kavanaugh’s previous statements.
Ko — a political rookie who believes in fascist ideology — has praised Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), Mao Zedong (毛澤東) and former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀).
That is the kind of ideology that really should be questioned and challenged.
He even believes that Taiwan is a part of China and said last year that “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family.”
This is an issue of national identity and voters should examine it more closely than his political or social policies.
The younger generation is being misled in their belief that having a political ideology is shameful and a sign of being obstinate and stubborn. Without core ideas and beliefs, choosing which politicians they like or dislike easily becomes subjective and they vote for them as if elections were mere beauty pageants, ignoring the candidates’ political identity.
The Internet generation should make use of their freedom to honestly express their own ideals. The state of the nation’s development is worrisome if people are willing to be manipulated by others, and see the spreading of rumors and fake news as a positive thing.
A country will inevitably descend into chaos and disorder if its people do not attach importance to honesty and credibility.
James Wang is a media commentator.
Translated by Eddy Chang
The image was oddly quiet. No speeches, no flags, no dramatic announcements — just a Chinese cargo ship cutting through arctic ice and arriving in Britain in October. The Istanbul Bridge completed a journey that once existed only in theory, shaving weeks off traditional shipping routes. On paper, it was a story about efficiency. In strategic terms, it was about timing. Much like politics, arriving early matters. Especially when the route, the rules and the traffic are still undefined. For years, global politics has trained us to watch the loud moments: warships in the Taiwan Strait, sanctions announced at news conferences, leaders trading
Eighty-seven percent of Taiwan’s energy supply this year came from burning fossil fuels, with more than 47 percent of that from gas-fired power generation. The figures attracted international attention since they were in October published in a Reuters report, which highlighted the fragility and structural challenges of Taiwan’s energy sector, accumulated through long-standing policy choices. The nation’s overreliance on natural gas is proving unstable and inadequate. The rising use of natural gas does not project an image of a Taiwan committed to a green energy transition; rather, it seems that Taiwan is attempting to patch up structural gaps in lieu of
The Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office on Monday announced that they would not countersign or promulgate the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) passed by the Legislative Yuan — a first in the nation’s history and the ultimate measure the central government could take to counter what it called an unconstitutional legislation. Since taking office last year, the legislature — dominated by the opposition alliance of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party — has passed or proposed a slew of legislation that has stirred controversy and debate, such as extending
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators have twice blocked President William Lai’s (賴清德) special defense budget bill in the Procedure Committee, preventing it from entering discussion or review. Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) proposed amendments that would enable lawmakers to use budgets for their assistants at their own discretion — with no requirement for receipts, staff registers, upper or lower headcount limits, or usage restrictions — prompting protest from legislative assistants. After the new legislature convened in February, the KMT joined forces with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and, leveraging their slim majority, introduced bills that undermine the Constitution, disrupt constitutional
RSS