The DPP will air a commercial today to recruit young directors to help the party shoot commercials targeting young voters. But even before its first airing, the 30-second commercial has sparked controversy because of its use of former German chancellor Adolf Hitler, which it portrays simply as a leader who was willing to speak his mind.
News channels gave a preview of the commercial yesterday. It will begin running on 12 cable channels today. In addition to Hitler, three other individuals appear in the commercial: former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), former US president John F. Kennedy and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
According to the party, the commercial was made to encourage individuals under the age of 30 to help them shoot films that boldly express their own ideas about Taiwanese society and local politics without fear of confrontation.
PHOTO: CHU YU-PING, TAIPEI TIMES
During the commercial, the four leaders appear for a few seconds. Their voices are muted and their actions fast forwarded, but they are all giving animated speeches on stage. At the end of the commercial, a crowd is shown raising their arms and cheering.
"We chose them for their bold characteristics. This has no other purpose, such as promoting authoritarianism," said Juan Chao-hsiung (阮昭雄), director of the DPP's youth department.
"We thought about the negative impact of presenting Hitler's image, but felt that it was presented with a sense of humor and would not be associated with the Jews," said Phoenix Cheng (
But even before the commercial's debut, some have expressed their opposition to the idea of using Hitler, a man responsible for the annihilation of millions, to promote a party that prides itself on the defense of human rights.
"Quite a few of our people might be offended," said Menashe Zipori, representative of Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei. "It's hard to believe that young people in a democratic country would admire such a monster ... maybe Taiwan's educational system does not teach about such questionable individuals."
The DPP's department of culture and information said they chose to use Hitler and the three other characters because these were individuals young people view as sound political figures and because they felt the images looked fun after they were edited.
For E.F. Einhorn, the Polish chairman of commerce in Taipei and a leading Rabbi in the local Jewish community, such matters should not be taken so lightly.
"Hitler eliminated half of our brothers and sisters. His name should not be mentioned, especially to the youth, that allows it to be perpetuated," Rabbi Einhorn said. "Putting his image on air and placing it along with other noteworthy politicians like Kennedy and Lee encourages more people to associate his name with respectability."
Zipori echoed Einhorn's comments. "Many of us are old enough to remember the suffering during World War II," said Zipori. "It is hard to believe that the party's sense of humor can go so far. Presenting Hitler's image in any context is not funny at all."
A senior DPP member and Vice Chair of the Research and Planning Board at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also shocked to learn of the content of the commercial.
"Taiwanese young people care only about the fun in front of their eyes and lack understanding about international affairs as well as empathy for others' agony," said Yang Huang Maysing (
"Hitler is not only a painful memory for Jewish people. Everyone should learn the related history to avoid the reoccurrence of the tragedy he provoked. Victims' feelings should never be played with."
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