Following former department of health minister Yaung Chih-liang’s (楊志良) outrageous remark that domestic violence exists because of the public’s inability to beat up President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) was recently criticized for once calling Tsai an “old maid.”
It is as if Gou’s team is a club made up of chauvinistic, “deep-blue” old geezers.
What is frustrating is that in the face of criticism, Gou chose to dismiss his remark about Tsai by asking people to “let bygones be bygones,” instead of offering a public apology.
Gou’s response was highly similar to responses from perpetrators of sexual harassment, who consider their disrespectful remarks or behavior as “nothing but a joke,” and even accuse the victims of not outrightly rejecting sexual harassment.
Tsai’s policies are open to criticism and debate, but personal insults or jibes about a person’s gender is unacceptable.
To create a harmonious society, members of the different sexes need to respect each other and acknowledge that sexist remarks are a matter that should not be treated lightly, but something that could hinder national improvement.
For a presidential candidate who is vying for the top job, Gou has failed to persuade voters that he can be a responsible and fitting leader by not mustering up the courage to face the music and apologize for his gaffe.
It would be better for Gou to start leaving his overbearing chauvinism at the door.
Lai Yen-cheng is a doctoral candidate at National Yangming Chiao Tung University and a member of the university’s Gender Equity Education Committee.
Translated by Rita Wang
With escalating US-China competition and mutual distrust, the trend of supply chain “friend shoring” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fragmentation of the world into rival geopolitical blocs, many analysts and policymakers worry the world is retreating into a new cold war — a world of trade bifurcation, protectionism and deglobalization. The world is in a new cold war, said Robin Niblett, former director of the London-based think tank Chatham House. Niblett said he sees the US and China slowly reaching a modus vivendi, but it might take time. The two great powers appear to be “reversing carefully
As China steps up a campaign to diplomatically isolate and squeeze Taiwan, it has become more imperative than ever that Taipei play a greater role internationally with the support of the democratic world. To help safeguard its autonomous status, Taiwan needs to go beyond bolstering its defenses with weapons like anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. With the help of its international backers, it must also expand its diplomatic footprint globally. But are Taiwan’s foreign friends willing to translate their rhetoric into action by helping Taipei carve out more international space for itself? Beating back China’s effort to turn Taiwan into an international pariah
Typhoon Krathon made landfall in southwestern Taiwan last week, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and flooding, cutting power to more than 170,000 homes and water supply to more than 400,000 homes, and leading to more than 600 injuries and four deaths. Due to the typhoon, schools and offices across the nation were ordered to close for two to four days, stirring up familiar controversies over whether local governments’ decisions to call typhoon days were appropriate. The typhoon’s center made landfall in Kaohsiung’s Siaogang District (小港) at noon on Thursday, but it weakened into a tropical depression early on Friday, and its structure
Taiwan is facing multiple economic challenges due to internal and external pressures. Internal challenges include energy transition, upgrading industries, a declining birthrate and an aging population. External challenges are technology competition between the US and China, international supply chain restructuring and global economic uncertainty. All of these issues complicate Taiwan’s economic situation. Taiwan’s reliance on fossil fuel imports not only threatens the stability of energy supply, but also goes against the global trend of carbon reduction. The government should continue to promote renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, as well as energy storage technology, to diversify energy supply. It
RSS