Wildfire Collection: Thirty Years Anniversary Edition

Chapter 19 After "3" ([-])
What are the characteristics of a weak country?Many people will say: large population, economic backwardness, political corruption, social unrest, poor land and so on.Then take India, the Philippines, Uruguay... as examples.However, there is another very important characteristic: he can't say "no".

Advanced countries developed "miracle wheat" and "miracle rice", and the hungry and weak countries said: "Yes." So they were introduced in large quantities, and new varieties quickly replaced traditional varieties. "Miracle rice" grows faster and much longer. The "green revolution" has filled weak countries with hope and strong countries with a sense of accomplishment.

But the earth has its own balance principle; any "cause" planted will bear a "fruit" in the short or long future.And this "fruit" is likely to be a bad result for short-sighted human beings.New varieties require a lot of chemical fertilizers. An acre of traditional fields may only need [-] pounds of nitrogen fertilizer, but an acre of new varieties has to use two to four times the amount of nitrogen fertilizer.In addition, in order to maintain high yields of new products, the need for insecticides has also increased dramatically.Remember DDT?A little bit of DDT in the water is nothing.However, there are algae in the water, which are magnified through the accumulation of the food chain. From algae to fish, when that little bit of DDT penetrates into the birds that eat fish, the concentration has reached [-] times!Because the high concentration of DDT in the body hinders the metabolism of calcium, the eggshell becomes thinner and cracks if it cannot withstand incubation.Many birds thus have no offspring.

At the same time, more than safe levels of DDT appeared in the mother's milk; the bird lost the next generation, so what about our mother?

Miracle rice needs chemical fertilizers; when chemical companies in advanced countries asked if they could set up factories in India, poor and weak countries excitedly said "yes".Little Rajiv's father happily became a sink worker in a chemical factory.On the night when the gas leaked, Rajiv's father fell by the trough.

Advanced countries manufactured baby milk powder, but doctors in their own country persuaded women to refuse to use milk powder, so milk powder companies "transnationalized" and went to the third world to sell; weak countries said: "Yes!" Multinational companies bought advertisements and told weak countries Consumer milk powder is more scientific and advanced than breast milk.Then they bribed obstetricians and gynecologists to encourage women to use milk powder to raise their babies.Very efficiently, the next generation of the entire weak country will become the next generation who grew up on milk powder.

Smoking, regardless of whether the scientific evidence is absolute, basically most people believe that it is harmful to the human body.Tobacco companies in advanced countries need a large supply of grass leaves, and asked Brazil if they needed extra money; weak countries said: "Yes!" So acre of trees were cut down and replaced with tobacco.The traditional miscellaneous grains, rice and wheat, have also been replaced by tobacco fields.What about the result of saying "yes"?Money is earned, but informal surveys point out that for every 500 cigarettes roasted, the cutting of a big tree will cause a potential crisis to the ecological balance.A latent crisis is not yet a visible crisis.These cigarette companies, as rich and powerful as kingdoms, are constrained in their own advanced countries and are not allowed to advertise on TV. Some more principled publications, such as "New Yorker" and "Reader's Digest", also refuse to publish cigarette advertisements .The cigarette kingdom thus turned to the third world.According to a 240 investigation, Reynolds spent US$[-] million to bribe small and medium-sized officials in [-] countries, while Philip Morris admitted to spending US$[-] million on small and medium-sized officials in seven countries.What the money buys is a loud "want" from a weak country.Cigarette advertisements are everywhere in Brazil on the streets, on TV and on the radio.Vivid pictures and seductive messages skillfully make middle-aged people think that smoking represents social status, and make teenagers think that smoking means handsome and mature.More and more teenagers are addicted to smoking.In Turkey, any public place is filled with smog, and babies and children enjoy it.

Economically, Taiwan is no longer weak, but what about the wisdom to say "no"?

Every year, we have bought nearly 3000 million US dollars of tobacco from abroad.Starting from August this year, we have said "yes" to the cigarette kingdoms of advanced countries, and we will import 100 billion Taiwan dollars of cigarettes.This "want" certainly has its reasons.Since it is also harmful to health, I don't see why it is necessary to designate the public sale bureau to monopolize it.However, after "asking" for cigarettes, there are still questions that follow: What if the cigarette kingdom requires public advertising?Our current answer is "no", but it is very worrying.What if they also spent $500 million to "communicate" with our big and small officials?Will money buy "no" into "yes"?
To insist on saying "no" requires wisdom, courage, and basic integrity.The land of Taiwan and the people living on it have been poisoned by years of saying "yes" with closed eyes. Let us learn to say "no"!

democracy?Just be upright!
Originally published in "China Times" on December [-], [-]

It is rare that the major international newspapers in the past two days have reported Taiwan news on a very important page.But this time, the content of the news was not the death of Chen Wencheng and Liu Yiliang, or the arrest of Li Yapin, but the abolition of martial law and the result of the election.The KMT's innovative move caused a shocking reaction in the international public opinion.

In the hustle and bustle of an electoral contest, the hectic activity and heated disputes, it is easy to forget for a moment what the underlying purpose of the activities and disputes is.Our purpose is democracy, right?And it is a genuine democracy that is consistent inside and out.Go to the flyover in Taipei, grab a random citizen and ask: Why is democracy needed?What kind of words would he say?You might as well give it a try.

As a citizen, I know exactly why I cry for real democracy.The first reason: I want my society, and the government that represents me, to be a dignified and respected society and government.

Over the years, Taiwan's international status has not been high, and the situation has worsened since the opening of the mainland.A letter from a reader in the United States is a small testimony:

Taiwan's international image is constantly on the decline.The continuous occurrence of political, economic, and social events are all reasons for the decline.On August 8 this year, Nightline, a TV program of Los Angeles TV station, broadcast Shi Mingde's recent situation and asked people to write to Mr. Jiang to express their concerns about Shi.At the same time, the reports on the mainland are all positive and affirmative: the mainland is continuing to open up, the economic situation in the mainland is improving, the purchasing power of the people is increasing, the scenery in the mainland is beautiful, and the leaders are wise. What impression do you have?And why the news about Taiwan is all about "Lukang residents protesting, the government dispatched police forces", "The Kuomintang declared the public government association an illegal organization, and people outside the party vowed not to surrender", etc., so that people who don't understand the situation think that the people of Taiwan Are you living in dire straits?Those of us who love Taiwan are angry after watching these programs, but these news are all true...

I have given examples in "Wildfire Collection" to illustrate how the Western media circles intentionally or unintentionally present Taiwan as a high-pressure society.These reporters are of course using a double standard: if the mainland opens up a bit, it deserves great praise, and if something happens in Taiwan, it will be severely punished.People who know the Far East know that this is a double standard at work; people who don't know the Far East - most Westerners don't know the Far East - because of this, they deeply believe that Taiwan is a police society.To make matters worse, Taiwan calls itself "free" to the outside world, so it adds the notoriety of "inconsistent words and deeds" and "lying" to the notoriety of "totalitarianism".An individual whose words and deeds are inconsistent is not respected, and a society whose words and deeds are inconsistent is certainly not respected, it is as simple as that.

"Taiwan is not so unfree!" Many people want to protest, especially overseas students, but they open their throats but dare not speak out, because anyone can point to the martial law law, sneer, and leave without saying a word. won a debate.

We are not committed to Taiwan's democratization to please international public opinion, but as a member of the global village, Taiwan needs the respect of others.If it claims to be 50.00% "free" and only 50.00% democratic, and the remaining [-]% uses various excuses to say it is "untrue", Taiwan cannot justly protest against others' contempt.After all, the respect of others comes from self-respect.

If you stop me on the flyover, I will tell you: Yes, I want real democracy, because I don't want people to say contemptuously that we are a fake democracy with inconsistent words and deeds, and I don't want people to look down on the government that represents me.When Western TV stations report political persecution in Taiwan, I hope to protest with confidence: Hey, man, you are mistaken, there is no such thing as persecution here.What I want is that confidence.

The second reason is that I believe that substantive democracy can give me a confident government.

During the election period, some people burned party flags, destroyed police cars, beat up military police and evidence-searchers, sent black letters, slandered and spread rumors... On the one hand, incidents of "breaking the law" emerged one after another. On the other hand, law enforcement agencies were helpless, resulting in so-called "legal holidays."The candidate stood on stage and said:
The law stipulates that parades are not allowed, so we will not parade.We are going to "take a walk" to the "Presidential Palace" now; it's just a walk, you don't want to follow; but you have no law to follow me, so let's talk to you first...

The crowd roared with laughter, and a team of 2000 people began to "walk" in the urban area.In that burst of laughter, the dignity of the law and the prestige of the government disappeared.

Interested people have discussed in newspapers and magazines how to maintain the government's public power. In my opinion, this should not be a question of how to maintain the means, but a question of the nature of public power itself.The so-called public power is nothing more than the binding force of the law. When the people refuse to be bound by it and challenge it, what a responsible ruler needs to do is not how to implement it firmly, but to re-examine the situation that is constantly being challenged. If the laws and regulations should be changed, they should be changed, and if they should be abolished, they should be abolished. Otherwise, it will be impossible to enforce a law that is out of touch with reality and inconsistent with public opinion. Being upright is tantamount to law enforcers hitting themselves in the foot with stones.Martial law over the years is a good example.

Some people criticize the Taiwan government for controlling too much and not having enough freedom, but many people retort: ​​Who says it is not enough?Look at how a certain political magazine slanders a certain party and politician, and the government doesn't care about him. Taiwan is simply too free.

It is really absurd to prove that Taiwan has freedom by breaking the law or breaking the law.In a normal democratic society, criticism is the right of citizens, but slander is a crime. Proving that we are a democratic society by slandering, beating people, and burning police cars without sanctions is tantamount to slapping ourselves to prove our health.It is worth exploring why law enforcement officials allow so many illegal behaviors?Simply ask, why not punish what should be punished?

Simple answer: because it should not be punished.For example, freedom of speech. Up to now, literature in the 30s is still under control. There are not many books and periodicals that are banned by different units and with different standards every year. They have won the notoriety of suppressing speech. Renovation is required, while maintaining a democratic image, and some things are inconvenient or dare not be banned, so there is a wavering between banning and condoning, resulting in the strange phenomenon that "breaking the law is freedom".

For example, traffic.There used to be a saying in the circle of foreigners in Taipei: one of the reasons for Taiwan’s traffic chaos is that the police are not strict in enforcing the law. Strict law enforcement will turn Taiwan into a pressure cooker without vents, ready to explode.Therefore, traffic chaos is also a kind of emotional catharsis deliberately allowed by the government.

This statement may be nonsense, you judge for yourself.But if it is correct, it explains part of the reason for the lack of public power: because it is strict where it should not be (political rights), it is not strict where it should be (traffic ban).

There is a more fundamental reason for the frequent violations of the law and the decline of public power: the law enforcers are the same as the rulers.The challenger escapes the law because he believes that the law was made unilaterally by the ruler, and he has no obligation to agree to it.Although the law enforcers have the heart to enforce the law, but because they are of the same body as those in power, it is inevitable that they will bear the big label of "persecution" when they enforce the law.In order to avoid suspicion, I had to let the law take a break.

If I happen to be the pedestrian you are holding back on the overpass, I want to tell you: Hey, a government that lacks public power can't do things!I want substantive democracy, because with real democracy, the ruling party will not be afraid of being said to be totalitarian or persecuted, and will act in accordance with the law anyway.The opposition party has the greatest freedom to make the strictest criticism, but once rumors and slanders are involved, the ruling party can fight back mercilessly.People have full freedom to live, but once they violate the law, they will bear the consequences for their actions.Since the law comes from the consensus of all, the law enforcers have absolute prestige.

In other words, I want an upright government, free from guilt, guilt, apology, and fear of suspicion; only substantive democracy can emerge from such a government.

The abolition of martial law and the establishment of the new party will be an epoch-making breakthrough in Taiwan's political history.If the decree to be replaced is not the "new martial law law" that changes the soup but does not change the medicine, Taiwan's "tomorrow" may really "be better".After gaining a foothold on equality, an aspiring Kuomintang member no longer needs to feel guilty or apologize for having privileges. He can confidently fight the opposition party to the death.The Kuomintang's drastic reforms are a manifestation of regaining self-esteem.

There are these big characters on the walls of many middle schools: "Be an upright Chinese".Those who write may not have thought that, in fact, only in a substantive democratic system can our next generation be "upright" Chinese people. The so-called "upright" is nothing but righteousness.He doesn't have to read banned books in secret, he doesn't have to be afraid to express his views on current events, he doesn't have to be "secret" for criticizing the school authorities, he doesn't have to be forced to suspend publications in order to participate in social activities, and he doesn't have to give public opinion. Submissiveness is a virtue... Do you want me to continue?
my taiwan consciousness
Published on the evening of August [-], [-], Taipei

The first public speech after the publication of "Wildfire" was at Gengxin College of Culture and Education.Circle after circle of people were so crowded that they couldn't move, and there was a long queue on the road, which was very long, and in fact, people from outside couldn't squeeze into the hall all night.The long-hidden "Wildfire" author is finally coming out.

From "Chinese, Why Aren't You Angry" to this day, "Wildfire" is like a "conspiracy" between the author and the readers. This is the first two-photo meeting.I felt uneasy, feeling that plainclothes police were everywhere in the dark crowd. During the speech, the microphone suddenly cut off, and everyone looked at each other in blank dismay.The topic of the talk that night is a taboo that is too dangerous in public speaking-I want to talk about "Taiwan Consciousness":
"The elementary school social textbooks in my hand have twelve volumes... Looking at these twelve volumes, I found that Taiwan is basically treated as a province in South China... Those who really focus on explaining 'Taiwan', in 1000 two hundred There are only more than 30 pages in the page!"

"...What I am calling for urgently here is that no matter what the future political direction is, we must start to build a 'Taiwan consciousness', simply put, to wholeheartedly value Taiwan... Our living 'living environment', Taiwan, is absolutely not It could be only 1000 pages out of [-] two hundred pages!"

(End of this chapter)