George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegorical novella and a political satire.
The work describes the owner of a farm who drinks and takes things out on his animals because he is not happy with his life. Not being able to stand it any longer, the animals finally revolt against their master. With freedom from slavery in their sights, these smart pigs start copying their former master, doing everything from lying to leading extravagant lives.
Orwell’s book offers a deep meditation on totalitarianism and human nature.
It would seem that Taiwan has recently become something of a “new Animal Farm” in which chickens are sick, cattle and pigs are poisonous and horses lack conscience (the president’s family name means “horse”).
This situation was brought about by poor governance and has threatened our right to exist. This is what happens when people try to cling to power, and show no concern for morals and political responsibility.
Allegations of covering up health epidemics and ignoring their effects on public health, crippling our safety system, seem to be all too common occurrences in our current age. The way to avoid the degradation of human nature is to respect the rights of all animals, establishing mutual trust and responsibility.
However, the government’s incompetent handling of the plasticizer scare last year, the way it misjudged the severity of the bird flu outbreak and the way it has handled the recent controversy surrounding US beef imports all show how the government lies and covers things up.
The public has, as a result, developed a distrust in politicians and the government. Lies can be aimed at benefiting oneself by consolidating one’s current power. Lying to people spares them the truth. However, when obvious lies are being covered up by the government left, right and center, the public not only becomes anxious, people also lose their sense of security and belonging in the economic and political system.
The focus on guanxi or “relations” in Chinese society often means people are more concerned with making connections and keeping a superficial sense of harmony than pursuing facts. When the government openly defended itself by saying there were no political preconditions attached to the US beef issue, that was a show of being a technocracy that bases its reviews on scientific truth.
However, one could also say that this was the result of cynicism and a belief that the highest form of lying is one in which mistakes are made in the name of justice and sincerity. Cynics believe the best way of dealing with lies is to say they are performed “in the name of truth.”
When important issues come under constant threat, we must be able to see that the decision on whether something is bad for the health of human beings is not a simple biological matter, but rather a multi--faceted issue involving scientific knowledge, political practice and social constructionism.
During the Enlightenment, a lot of satire was devoted to the pursuit of any arbitrary truth. We should take the lessons of that time to remind ourselves that we cannot just sit around and watch how things pan out. We must participate actively to change things.
Bringing down an empire built on lies, and rebuilding trust and ethics are tough tasks that Taiwan’s “new animal farm” will have to take on and they are issues we cannot stray away from.
Lin Yaw-sheng is a professor of psychology at National Chengchi University.
Translated by Drew Cameron
Two major Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-People’s Liberation Army (PLA) power demonstrations in November 2024 highlight the urgency for Taiwan to pursue a military buildup and deterrence agenda that can take back control of its destiny. First, the CCP-PLA’s planned future for Taiwan of war, bloody suppression, and use as a base for regional aggression was foreshadowed by the 9th and largest PLA-Russia Joint Bomber Exercise of Nov. 29 and 30. It was double that of previous bomber exercises, with both days featuring combined combat strike groups of PLA Air Force and Russian bombers escorted by PLAAF and Russian fighters, airborne early warning
On Tuesday, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement criticizing Song Siyao (宋思瑤), a student from Shanghai’s Fudan University, saying she had offended the sensibilities of Taiwanese. It also called for the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation — established by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) — which had organized the tour group, to remind group members to be careful with their statements. Song, during a visit to a baseball stadium in Taichung, said that the tour group “would like to congratulate China, Taipei team (中國台北隊) ... we wish mainland China and Taiwan compatriots can be like the team Chinatrust Brothers and
For three years and three months, Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has remained stalled. On Nov. 29, members meeting in Vancouver agreed to establish a working group for Costa Rica’s entry — the fifth applicant in line — but not for Taiwan. As Taiwan’s prospects for CPTPP membership fade due to “politically sensitive issues,” what strategy should it adopt to overcome this politically motivated economic exclusion? The situation is not entirely dim; these challenges offer an opportunity to reimagine the export-driven country’s international trade strategy. Following the US’ withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership
“Integrated Diplomacy” (總和外交) is the guiding principle of Taiwan’s current foreign policy. It seeks to mobilize technology, capital and talent for global outreach, strengthening Taiwan’s international connections. However, without a robust information security mechanism, such efforts risk being reduced to superficial courtesy calls. Security clearance serves as the “entrance examination results” for government agency personnel in sensitive positions, qualifying them to access sensitive information. Senior aides in the US Congress must also possess security clearance to assist lawmakers in handling classified budgets. However, security clearance is not an automatic right or a blanket necessity for accessing sensitive information. Access is granted only
RSS