Shanghai comments correct
Hats off to Jason Yeh! His thoughtful commentary ("Shanghai miracle a media mirage," June 29, page 12), is one of the best articles on this subject yet written. He provides not only hard facts, but also an understanding of the mentality behind the fascination with China in general, and Shanghai in particular, so prevalent in the Taiwanese media these days.
I would like to add two points. First, Yeh's citation of Asiaweek's city rankings was to the point, but readers may also like to know that not only did Taipei (#4) outrank Shanghai (#15), but so did Kaohsiung! Our southern metropolis checked in at #12, and it beat Shanghai on all of the criteria that Yeh singled out except commuting time. Since no other Taiwanese cities were included in the survey, one can only speculate as to whether Taichung and other cities would have done as well.
Second, I heartily concur with Yeh's argument that the kind of news that we see affects our perceptions. I also agree with his suggestion to simply turn off the TV, unless one finds that "the bombardment of the news channels has been reduced; that the coverage of volunteer groups has increased; that there are more programs offering in-depth analyses of domestic and overseas tourist spots; and more programs about how to make your own furniture."
At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, those in search of such a TV news broadcast in Taiwan need look no farther than the 9pm In-Depth Report (深度報導) on Public Television. If one watches only that program (and reads the Taipei Times), it is far less likely that one would pine for the delights of Shanghai.
Bo Tedards
Taipei
Incest case misses point
The case of the pregnant teen reported June 30 ("Teen girl's stomach ache turns out to be her brother's baby," June 30, page 2) was a sad case indeed. If Taoyuan prosecutors prosecute only the 14-year old brother who impregnated his sister and let allow those who are truly responsible to go free, then this case will be a real miscarriage of justice.
Let's prosecute those responsible for the family's poverty without intervention. The family's lack of resources to care for their children led to this tragedy. Let's prosecute the educators. I grew up in Taiwan without a proper sex education until after receiving a medical education. But that was more than 40 years ago and I am sure that proper sex education is given early in Taiwan now. So the educators are truly legally responsible for the children's woeful lack of knowledge of sex.
Samuel C. Chuo
Alabama, US
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