From: tsai@tecrus.enet.dec.com (Kuo-Yeang Tsai)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.taiwan
Subject: Re: Can we not all get along?
Date: 12 Aug 92 22:03:00 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


I'm totally convinced by the following article written by Mr. TY Huang and thus
would like to withdraw the blame I unfairly assigned on BSR-politicians for it
very likely is the result of either groundless conjecture or false deduction.
I apologize for being blunt and perfunctory.

I'm also thrilled to read Mr. Huang's analysis of BSR parochialism on the net.
And this excitement brings me to attach his entire artile in the following.

>In article <1992Aug11.223838.1281@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> tsai@tecrus.enet.dec.com (Kuo-Yeang Tsai) writes:
>But now, as a BSR myself, I would like to lay the blame on BSR-politicians for
>exploiting the social-group conflicts for the most parts of this obnoxious 
>parochialism. Although I've been away from Taiwan for  years and I may
>misjudge the real situation of Taiwan more or less, I still want to 
>jump to the conclusion that it is time that BSR should be more sensitive and
>considerate of our WSR in Taiwan now, especially those elders who are literally
>rootless with no place at which they can really feel settled. 
>
I missed the discussion on BSR parochialism, but I am interested in
knowing what BSR parochialism is and how have BSR politicians contribute
to its growth.

I can understand that parochialism might be the norm of Taiwan's
political culture since the beginning of major Han settlements.
Emigrants from China defying the ban on leaving China did not play with
the rule of Chinese political culture of bureaucratic elites, nor did
they have a vision of conquoring the entire island either to hand it to
China or to make their own nation.  Government of China was unwilling to
claim responsibility for the island and did not care to impose its
bureaucratic network on Taiwan.  Consequently, the originally tough
frontier life turned predatorial even among Han immigrant communities.
There was no law and order under the hand-off administration from China.
Each village survived on its arm and money against the other.  Taiwan's
mountainous landscape farther perpetuate feudalism among different
geographical compartments.  With Taiwan nationalism suppressed by both
Imperial Japan and ROC-in-exile, political culture might well preserve
itself with traces of feudalism or parochialism.

Assume that Taiwan has parochialism in its political culture background,
four decades of unique common experience should bring down the barriers
among ethnic groups (or social groups if you prefer) in Taiwan.  But
there are some experiences not shared among various ethnic groups.
Majority of Taiwanese do not share the experiences of original settlers
(Austronesian peoples or Proto-Malayo-Polinesian peoples) and those
elder single soldiers fooled and abandoned by their comrades in high
ureaucracy.  On the other end of extreme, most Taiwanese do not share
the experience of elite "WSR" groups which are busy pulling their
own "second generation WSR" into the circle of high bureaucracy,
academia, and transplanted Chinese enterprises re-built with profits
guarranteed by the state which had once obstruct Formosa Plastic's
expansion fearing the growth of "BSR" economic claw.  (Instead, the
state put state-owned refinery under the 10 Development Plan.)  If there
is any conflict in Taiwan, it should be characterized by class rather
than ethnics.  What we have seen might be class parochialism rather than
ethnic parochialism not excluding the possibility that "BSW" has become
a class rather than ethnic alliance (Holo and Hakka) after four decades
of government under ROC-in-exile.

Regardless of the nature of the parochialism in Taiwan and whom is to be
blamed for its current existence, Taiwan nationalism can help building a
cohesive society to the extend that all people regarding Taiwan as
their homeland will join together.  But more important is to develop
humanism in the society so all human beings will be respected and cared
regardless of their birth or belief.  This is not what journalist can
propagate or what educator can teach, you have to live it and pull
others in one by one.

TY Huang