Twenty-three years ago, naval conscript Huang Kuo-chang (黃國章) died under dubious circumstances. Now, a film director with a heart of gold has sold his ancestral home to raise money to produce a human rights film together with Huang’s mother, Chen Pi-e (陳碧娥), and they even got the commander of the Republic of China Navy, Admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), to issue a public apology to her.
The apology came too late, and was passive, but it might have brought some solace to Chen.
The real problem is that the culprit still does not understand why there are so many accomplices that silently allow so many deaths to occur.
Huang Kuo-chang wrote to his mother before setting out to sea that someone wished him ill. If someone wants to commit murder on a ship, especially in such a strongly hierarchical organization where people follow orders without question, then, even if no one was outright part of the plan to kill him or lent a helping hand, they must at least know what was going on.
Furthermore, an officer would not lightly dismiss a family by simply saying that their son fell overboard and drowned.
This raises a question: Why do people who witness a killing or a violent act, or know that such a thing will happen, stick their head in the sand to protect themselves?
This is perhaps a selfish and egoistic calculation they make out of fear of the collective power of a social organization — a fear of being isolated and ostracized by the group.
However, if it is a matter of life or death, and if people still behave that way, then the apology presented to Chen by the navy commander is meaningless.
From the murder of National Taiwan University professor Hsu Shou-shang (許壽裳) in 1948 to violent organized crime, bullying in the workplace, and the #MeToo movement in the US and Europe today, the darker side of humanity and self-preservation have always played a large part.
This is what leads to murder, sexual harassment of women and the exploitation of migrant workers in Taiwan.
From the deaths of Huang Kuo-chang and army corporal Hung Chung-chiu (洪仲丘) to horrible and ugly violence, those who stand by silently are cold-blooded, but the question is: What would you do if you found yourself in the same situation? This is the true test of how civilized a society is and how highly it values human rights.
“Collective evil” is not necessarily a matter of agreeing to violent behavior. Rather it is a matter of knowing what is right, but still choosing what is best for oneself — the darker, weaker side of human nature, and a way to fawn on evil forces or the privileged.
In the end it perpetuates the existence of this kind of evil and villainy by using human weakness to control the vast majority of people who are fearful hypocrites.
If things such as the death of Huang continue to occur today, decades later, people will be ashamed of their ugliness.
Chang Hsun-ching is a writer.
Translated by Perry Svensson
President William Lai (賴清德) attended a dinner held by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) when representatives from the group visited Taiwan in October. In a speech at the event, Lai highlighted similarities in the geopolitical challenges faced by Israel and Taiwan, saying that the two countries “stand on the front line against authoritarianism.” Lai noted how Taiwan had “immediately condemned” the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and had provided humanitarian aid. Lai was heavily criticized from some quarters for standing with AIPAC and Israel. On Nov. 4, the Taipei Times published an opinion article (“Speak out on the
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
News about expanding security cooperation between Israel and Taiwan, including the visits of Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) in September and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) this month, as well as growing ties in areas such as missile defense and cybersecurity, should not be viewed as isolated events. The emphasis on missile defense, including Taiwan’s newly introduced T-Dome project, is simply the most visible sign of a deeper trend that has been taking shape quietly over the past two to three years. Taipei is seeking to expand security and defense cooperation with Israel, something officials
“Can you tell me where the time and motivation will come from to get students to improve their English proficiency in four years of university?” The teacher’s question — not accusatory, just slightly exasperated — was directed at the panelists at the end of a recent conference on English language learning at Taiwanese universities. Perhaps thankfully for the professors on stage, her question was too big for the five minutes remaining. However, it hung over the venue like an ominous cloud on an otherwise sunny-skies day of research into English as a medium of instruction and the government’s Bilingual Nation 2030
RSS