Michael St Louis finished his article ("Making sense of Japan's legacy," Mar. 8, page 8), with "... the real revisionist threat does not come from Japan. It was here in Taiwan the whole time."
This begs the question of what is being revised. Taiwan's history has never been sorted out and has never been recognized as history in its own right. What is the revision based on? There has been a lot of argument about what should have gone on in Taiwan and what the people of Taiwan should have perceived of their history.
But this is futile when no understanding exists about what has happened in Taiwan. Furthermore, how many people have tried to understand how the human mind achieves objectivity when faced with the tricks of history and a confused identity? The sad song of Taiwan as a non-entity is still being sung today, as before. The whole hysteria about On Taiwan
The nostalgia of the older generation in Taiwan toward Japanese rule is a loud cry of "look at me, I exist, my life counts, it's not a mistake." Taiwan's history will continue to be distorted for as long as the suppression of the non-entity's existence continues.
Sing Young
Taoyuan City
Much ado about 'nothing'
In every lie, there may be found a little truth. Maybe this is why the lamentation by Jonathan Power boiled my blood on Sunday ("Revolution of '68 was of body and spirit, but not the intellect,"Mar. 11, page 9).
He says, "But from `68 itself we take nothing ..." I might ask: what was it he wanted to take?
He complains that the revolutionary movements of that time were "entirely of the body and the spirit, not the mind." Power neglects to mention the unarmed students who gave up their lives during an anti-Vietnam protest at Kent State -- gunned down in cold blood by national guard troops. Does he believe that these were just a bunch of pot-smoking party goers out to have a good time?
Yet he praises the violent tactics of the Black Panthers, hardly a very cerebral movement. Have members of the Black Panthers produced numerous stunning literary works, save one, of which I am not aware? Has their mighty armed revolution continued to this day? I don't think so.
Power seems to maintain uneven and variable standards, making him absolutely unfit to be the self-appointed judge of history that he believes himself to be.
In his nostalgic naivety, he glorifies such selected movements of the past, which have long-since lost influence because of their basic, inherent wrongness. Even most black Americans would acknowledge this point without hesitation.
Power never once mentions Woodstock, probably one of the most meaningful events of that era.
The generation of that time was at war with a country it did not want to fight, at war with an out-of-touch government. Many were even at war with their own parents. Yet, the vast majority of young people of that generation chose to lead by example. They wanted peace, so they held peaceful rallies and peaceful rock concerts. Eventually America's leaders, and many parents, saw the light.
In one grand stroke, the great Power negates an entire generation. What a great and fantastic man he must be. I might ask: does this sweeping nullification also include Power himself? What stunning intellectual work or deed has he produced? What lasting revolutionary concept has he created? Surely the entire world must have heard of it by now!
Perhaps Power has for too long placed an overwhelming amount of emphasis on his own minor intellect, neglecting the equal if not greater importance of body and spirit.
There is a Native American saying that says, "A good walker leaves no tracks."
Power says, "The residue of `68 can hardly be measured." Perhaps this is not a bad thing. After all -- a good party has to end some time.
Mike Lee
Taipei
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