How long must We endure these Outrages?

How long must We endure these Outrages?
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
December 10, 2007

Is the public on Taiwan simply too well brought up, hence slow to anger? Or has it patiently endured so many insults that it is already numb? Every day the public on Taiwan is subjected to tasteless profanity. Does the ruling DPP think we are idiots? Are we truly being punished, as former president Lee Teng-hui suggested, for putting it in power?

During the heated controversy over the demolition of "The Golden Mean, the Way of Righteousness" name plaque on the ceremonial gate to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Ministry of Education Secretary General Chuang Kuo-jung boasted that if Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-ping dared to resist, he would "send him home crying for his momma." His remark made him even more infamous than Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng and Government Information Office Chief Hsieh Chih-wei. Chen Shui-bian was no shrinking violet either. His utterances were no less inflammatory. Ma Ying-jeou declared that if elected he might restore the name plaque to its original condition. Chen mocked Ma, saying that attempting to reinstall the name plaque was like trying to reattach Qing dynasty eunuch Li Lien-ying's testicles after he had been castrated. Chuang Kuo-jung, who was charged with demolishing the plaque, mocked Ma, saying "He is so gay."

The ruling regime may consider such words and deeds mere electioneering. It may assume that grass roots supporters will find their words and deeds enormously satisfying. But when a nation's leaders resort to tasteless profanity more appropriate for street thugs, then act pleased as punch with themselves, they betray their underlying contempt for the general public.

If a public school teacher were to threaten a student by saying he would "send him home crying to his mother," parents would file a lawsuit. The teacher would be forced to apologize and be punished. Yet we have a high-ranking official within the Ministry of Education making these kinds of utterances. How are teachers and parents supposed to teach their children right and wrong? It is not that the name of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, or the plaque reading "The Golden Mean, the Way of Righteousness" cannot be changed. But can't we retain a modicum of civility in the process? Are such vicious personal attacks and tasteless profanity really necessary? How can the ruling DPP, from the president on down to DPP lawmakers, ignore the concerns of parents who must cover the ears of their children in front of their television sets?

If certain individuals habitually use coarse language when addressing us and assume that doing so won't offend us, it means they think we are low-lifes, just like them. What could be more insulting than that? Intentionally or otherwise? Remember that we elected these high-ranking government officials and support them with our tax monies.

It is bad enough that the character of the people on Taiwan has been demeaned. Their intelligence has been insulted as well. The four characters reading "The Golden Mean, the Way of Righteousness" were originally penned by Wang Yang-ming. The plaque was a play on Chiang Kai-Shek's name, "zhong zheng." What does it have to do with Li Lien-ying or some unenlightened ruler of antiquity? Who doesn't want some profound remarks as part of his epitaph? The fact that Li Lien-ying's tombstone displays the same four characters is a coincidence. How can one conclude that others are emulating some eunuch? As for Chen Shui-bian's linkage of the name plaque with a eunuch's testicles, what is that but tasteless profanity, not to mention bewildering illogic? Why can't a name plaque that has been taken down be reinstalled? What connection is there between reinstalling a name plaque and reattaching some eunuch's testicles? Didn't you, Chen Shui-bian, just replace the old plaque with a new one? Applying your own "logic," didn't you just install false testicles on a eunuch as surrogates for the original ones?

These nonsensical sophistries have scraped bottom. Yet the ruling regime acts as if it is making perfect sense. It has decided that its audience has single digit IQs, and cannot discern the gaping holes in their logic. Why must ordinary citizens, who carry the weight of the nation on their shoulders, and who are not permitted to pay a single dollar less in taxes, endure such insults?

The public on Taiwan is viewed with contempt. But that's just the beginning. Chen Shui-bian takes the lead inciting "ethnic strife," which would be more accurately characterized as communal strife. He uses his Anti-Chiang Purge and his Plebiscite to Join the UN to play up differences in provincial origin. His motive is simple. His political record is a joke. He has nothing whatsoever to show for his eight years in office. So he plays the "race" card, compelling the public to choose sides. Countless families have committed suicide by means of charcoal fires, bags of charcoal now come with suicide hotline numbers. Families with five children must share a single bowl of noodles. A single working mother with only one arm is reduced to stealing electricity to allow her daughter to do homework. Have any of our ruling regime's high officials offered an apology, engaged in self-introspection, or shown genuine concern? Not only have they not, they regard these tragedies as threats to their political power. They either look but don't see, or see them only as isolated exceptions. Chen Shui-bian believes that no matter how dismal his political record might be, as long as he can manipulate reunification vs. independence issues, provincial origin issues, reopen historical wounds, incite "ethnic" opposition, the majority of "native Taiwanese" voters will unconditionally back the Democratic Progressive Party.

The common people on Taiwan really have been abused beyond endurance! A leader whose entire family has been living high off the hog, thinks that as long he can play the "race" card, it won't matter that the people are starving and cannot survive til the next day. As long as Chen rings the "nativist" bell, they will behave like marionettes. They will forget that they can no longer survive, that they can no longer afford their chidrens' tuition. If he says jump, they will ask "How high?" When he equates the Democratic Progressive Party with Taiwan, with himself, he assumes everyone will respond, "Why yes, of course!" He has decided that Taiwanese lack the ability to think and form judgments, or worse, the will to climb out of their hole of self-pity. He has decided he doesn't need to take responsibility for his abysmal political record. All he needs to do is play the "race" card and the people will fall in line and dance his tune. They will go at each other, hate each other, suspect each other. They will totally forget that we are all in the same boat.

The ruling nomenklatura has taken the people for simpletons without standards, without intelligence, without souls. This, to the people, is the most grievous insult of all. But let's not forget that how others treat you is the result of how you instruct them to treat you. If the people on Taiwan do not wish to be treated like idiots, they must tell their politicians to wash out their mouths, and stop treating the common people with contempt!

還要忍受這種語言暴力多久？
中國時報 2007.12.10　
中時社論

台灣民眾到底是修養太好、遲鈍未覺、還是忍耐到已經麻木了？每天必須承受這麼多低俗語言的轟炸，汙染我們的視聽，形同被當白痴，難道真是在被懲罰？

在拆除「大中至正」的激烈爭議中，教育部主任祕書莊國榮跳出來猛放狠話，要人「哭著回家找媽媽」，不只爆紅到鋒頭蓋過了教育部長杜正勝，連前一陣子還挺得意的新聞局長謝志偉都給比了下去。陳水扁總統也不遑多讓，出口比辣不輸人，將馬英九要掛回中正紀念堂牌匾跟李蓮英的ＬＰ扯在一起。消滅了大中至正的莊國榮，又自動請纓當起了打馬先鋒，借友人之語譏諷馬英九「很娘」。

這些言行，也許當事人覺得是選戰的炒作手法，甚至認為基層民眾聽了會覺得很爽，但是，一個國家的執政高層，可以毫不臉紅地講出小癟三似的下流話，而且還得意洋洋愈講愈亢奮，背後的心態，根本就是徹底把台灣老百姓看得扁、扁、扁了。

如果有老師威脅說要讓學生「哭著回去找媽媽」，家長一投訴，老師恐怕少不得要道歉受處分，但現在卻是最高教育主管機關的官員自己講這種話，要台灣所有的老師和父母怎麼教孩子？中正紀念堂不是不能改名，大中至正也不是不能換掉，但為什麼好好的嘴巴不能講乾淨一點的話，反而吐出那麼多惡毒低俗又粗魯下流的語言呢？為什麼台灣從總統、政府官員到立委，可以毫不在乎地講出讓電視機前的父母想掩住孩子耳朵的骯髒話？

如果有人一直對我們講粗話，而且不覺得會觸怒我們，那表示他們認定我們就是喜歡這個味，就是這樣低級沒品的人，還有什麼比這更大的輕視？還有什麼比這更惡意的羞辱？而這些，是來自我們選、我們養的高官！

台灣民眾的格調受到鄙視，已經夠氣人的了，連智商也要被看扁，才真是吐血。「大中至正」四個字語出王陽明，藉此可以彰顯蔣介石的名字「中正」，跟中正紀念堂也剛好搭，幹嘛硬扯上李蓮英或古代某個昏君？誰的墓誌年號不想挑些崇高偉大的文字？只能說剛巧李蓮英的墓也挑了這四個字，哪能說是後人向太監看齊？至於陳水扁把掛回牌匾講成太監那個東西怎麼裝回，不只語言粗鄙下流，邏輯更是莫名其妙，到底牌匾跟太監那個東西有什麼關係？拿下來的東西不能再擺回去？你不就是要換一個新的上去嗎？難道這是在替太監裝「假東西」？

這些胡扯亂牽拖的邏輯，硬拗到了睜眼說瞎話的地步，也敢講得振振有詞，彷彿認定聽話的對象智商只有個位數，看不出其中大到車子都掉得進去的破綻。我們這些努力扛著國家的老百姓，稅金沒有少繳一塊錢，憑什麼要受這種侮辱？

台灣民眾被看扁，還不只於此。陳水扁帶頭煽動族群議題，藉著去蔣、入聯公投，大玩省籍分化，原因就是政績太差，端不出好菜來，於是拚命揮舞族群大旗逼民眾選邊。全家燒炭這麼多，五個孩子吃一碗麵，獨臂單親媽要偷電，我們的執政高官，有沒有道歉、反省或至少真心關懷過？不但沒有，還把這些事件視如威脅政權的寇讎，不是視而不見，就是認定只是少數個案。陳水扁相信，不管政績有多爛，只要大搞統獨省籍，撕裂歷史傷口，刺激族群對立，居多數的本省籍選票還是會保護民進黨。

台灣老百姓真的被人吃夠夠耶！那個全家吃香喝辣的領袖，居然認定只要催起族群符，民眾就算肚子餓得要死、明天過不下去，也是一聽到本土鈴聲，就像傀儡般乖乖聽命，忘了日子難過、小孩學費沒著落，他說東就跟著東，他說西就跟著西，他說台灣等於民進黨、等於阿扁，大家也會跟著對對對。他認定台灣人沒有思考智慧沒有判斷能力，更沒有走出悲情的意志。他不需要為政績爛負責，反正一張族群牌就可以把人民玩來玩去，讓大家相互廝殺、相互憎恨、相互猜忌，完全忘了在台灣，我們沒有不同的命運。

被執政者認定是沒有格調、沒有智商、沒有靈魂的呆子，對民眾來說，是最大的輕視與侮辱。但是別忘了，人家怎麼對待你，是你教的。如果台灣民眾不喜歡被人當白痴，那就要明明白白告訴所有政治人物，拿肥皂洗洗自己的嘴巴，別看扁老百姓了！