Ever since the National Communications Commission (NCC) was founded, its legality has been called into question, and the Council of Grand Justices recently determined that the Organic Law of the National Communications Commission (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) was unconstitutional.
Given this situation, it is only to be expected that the NCC will try to strengthen its legitimacy. It is to be hoped that the commission will not follow the old habit of "public relations ethics."
By this I mean the method often used by our politicians whereby they try to establish an unassailably moral and ethical image for themselves, and then rely on this image in their relations with the public to win support, legitimize their own actions and cover up a bad political record. They try to build this image of morality by, for example, campaigning against pornography, turning such inextinguishable social phenomena into a never ending source of support for their moral posturing.
Many of the commission's actions may go unnoticed by the general public, which makes it difficult to build public support for the group. Recently, however, it seems to have initiated a controversial campaign against sex on TV, which is simply a review system in disguise. Only a few days ago, it put the knife to nine TV shows and issued fines from NT$100,000 to NT$350,000, in almost every instance because the shows were said to contain sexual innuendo, vulgarities and so forth.
In open societies, however, sex should not be banned from TV. The different movie ratings -- G, P, PG and R -- should also be relaxed in step with the changing of the times to avoid promoting hypocrisy, since that would only stop the younger generation from discussing sex in a responsible manner.
It is very easy to portray sex as vulgar. Vulgarity, however, is a concept heavily loaded with class prejudice. The interests of the lower classes are easily labeled "vulgar." This is meant to explain why the commission as a new and rising organization should be very cautious in its "anti-pornography" activities.
The fact that the commission's anti-pornography actions have occured precisely when its legitimacy is being questioned makes it difficult not to wonder if it is in fact engaging in public relations ethics to reinforce its legitimacy.
Ning Yin-bin is a professor in the National Central University Graduate Insitute of Philosophy.
Translated by Perry Svensson
The recent passing of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known to many as “Big S,” due to influenza-induced pneumonia at just 48 years old is a devastating reminder that the flu is not just a seasonal nuisance — it is a serious and potentially fatal illness. Hsu, a beloved actress and cultural icon who shaped the memories of many growing up in Taiwan, should not have died from a preventable disease. Yet her death is part of a larger trend that Taiwan has ignored for too long — our collective underestimation of the flu and our low uptake of the
For Taipei, last year was a particularly dangerous period, with China stepping up coercive pressures on Taiwan amid signs of US President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, which eventually led his Democratic Party to force him to abandon his re-election campaign. The political drift in the US bred uncertainty in Taiwan and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region about American strategic commitment and resolve. With America deeply involved in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the last thing Washington wanted was a Taiwan Strait contingency, which is why Biden invested in personal diplomacy with China’s dictator Xi Jinping (習近平). The return of
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has long been a cornerstone of US foreign policy, advancing not only humanitarian aid but also the US’ strategic interests worldwide. The abrupt dismantling of USAID under US President Donald Trump ‘s administration represents a profound miscalculation with dire consequences for global influence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. By withdrawing USAID’s presence, Washington is creating a vacuum that China is eager to fill, a shift that will directly weaken Taiwan’s international position while emboldening Beijing’s efforts to isolate Taipei. USAID has been a crucial player in countering China’s global expansion, particularly in regions where
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), known affectionately as “Big S,” recently passed away from pneumonia caused by the flu. The Mandarin word for the flu — which translates to “epidemic cold” in English — is misleading. Although the flu tends to spread rapidly and shares similar symptoms with the common cold, its name easily leads people to underestimate its dangers and delay seeking medical treatment. The flu is an acute viral respiratory illness, and there are vaccines to prevent its spread and strengthen immunity. This being the case, the Mandarin word for “influenza” used in Taiwan should be renamed from the misleading