In the book The White Power, written by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder, Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and published in 2014, students are categorized into seven tiers.
Medical students belong to the first tier, followed by engineering (second), business school (third), law school (fourth), agriculture (fifth), and humanities and the social sciences (sixth). Students at art schools are not included at all. Perhaps they are considered the seventh tier.
What can we make of Ko’s classification? Is it one based on an IQ of 157 or an EQ of zero? Everyone can reach their own conclusions on this. Let us take a look at US society. Born with different talents, people are encouraged to choose whatever they take up. Those attracted to movies major in film studies. Tech-savvy people attend programs such as electrical engineering, computer science, or big data, anything related to science, technology, engineering and math. Those interested in literature study the subject, and those who find medical science intriguing can attend medical schools. This applies to other countries as well. Students are encouraged to choose wisely.
As mighty as whales are, they cannot climb up a tree and live there. At the same time, monkeys are born with excellent tree climbing skills, but they cannot swim like the whale does in the Pacific Ocean. No one has ever classified students into different tiers based on what they choose to study. Every trade has its master, and there are many ways to attain fame. This is common sense. It is not rocket science.
According to Ko’s viewpoint and classification, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), an agricultural studies graduate and Taiwan’s president for 12 years, belongs to the fifth tier. Former presidents Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), as well as President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), all attended law schools. Should they be considered fourth-tier presidents? Former US president Donald Trump studied business and US President Joe Biden studied law. Are they third-tier and fourth-tier figures?
According to Ko’s standard, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is not worth mentioning. Are Nvidia Corp cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰), both of whom visited Taiwan recently and caused a sensation, as well as Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) second-tier figures? Director Ang Lee (李安) and actor Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) and many Academy Award winners, according to Ko’s ridiculous standard, are in the lowest league.
Chuang Sheng-rong is a lawyer.
Translated by Emma Liu
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