From: shao@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (SHAO CHUNG-SHANG)
Subject: Re: Yes, Let's Not Talk about History (Was: Re: BANANAS)
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1992 03:13:28 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.154312.21920@news.columbia.edu> cwt2@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Charles W Tang) writes:
>
>I suspect that this BSR vs. WSR conflict will NOT end until BSR can
>really be regonized, politically, as a group of people who really
>have a VOICE!  But with this kind of "it's all in the past, let's
>not talk about it!" altitude from WSR, how do you expect this
>conflict to ever be resolved!?

what kind of the respect do you expect? like you said in politics.
i believe all of us agree we must respect each other.  what is the
meaning of 'respect' here?
bsr has no voice?!  sorry, i really can't agree with you in this.
i hear holo very often.  when our president speaks, i am listening to
a bsr's voice.  bsr has no voice?!
is it taht simple?  just because there was a 228, the conflict between
our people can keep so long.  i don't think so.  if the government
apologies to 228 event for the mistakes the government having made
40 years in that event, do you think you have had the 'respect'
you want?  no, i suppose you will say, it is not only this, there are
more, such as ...  so, it is not so simple.
you keep saying bsr should get respect.  do those wsr second generation
who win the elections and enter the government have your respect?
if yes, i can see the light of the end of the conflict between our
people.  if no, why?
there is one thing i agree with you.  except we can treat our history
very rational, otherwise nothing will really pass.

>Again, I'm not "inciting hatred" here.  However, not learning from past
>mistakes is the true mistake committed here.  Since I'm not into
>the political/government scene in Taiwan, may I ask you if Taiwanese
>people now have at least half of the seats in the National Assembly?
>Is "speaking Taiwanese" still forbidden in school?  (Have you, as an
>immigrant to this country, walked into your classes here in the US and
>told your classmates not to speak English or else be punished?)  Can
>Taiwanese people now freely elect their president?  I'm sure things are
>changing really fast today, but it's not enough.  At least not yet.

1. i don't know.  i have not seen any report that counts the heads of the
   delegates one by one.  do you have the numbers?
2. if the bsr are the majority in national assembly, will you stop saying
   bsr have no respect?
3. no.  students can speak their mother tones in the school.
4. both of bsr and wsr can not elect their president directly.
5. that what i expect you would say:"it is not enough." 8)

>I do have a personal question: why wouldn't the 2nd generation WSR's
>in Taiwan call themselves "Taiwanese?"  Is it really so bad to be
>Taiwanese?  If you don't accept Taiwan, how do you expect to be
>accepted by Taiwan and its people?

let's go back to the history as you suggest.  do you think the second
generation of your family who moved to taiwan claimed they were
'taiwanese'?  so fast?
evan if i don't claim i am a taiwanese, why can't i accept taiwan?
for example, a boy is from taichung, why can't he accept taipei?
must he claim he is taipei person to accept taipei?  strange.
what if your relative marries to an american who still claims oneself
as an american, do you accept?  is there any relation between 'accept'
and 'claim'?  strange.
no offence.  just want to show that the question above is not the
point in the conflict between bsr ans wsr.

>As I said, I have nothing against WSR personally.  Our ancestors were
>WSR's too when they first arrived a few hundred years back.  And
>I wasn't Taiwanese in my immediate past life either.  But today I'm
>Taiwanese, and I accept Taiwan, and that's exactly what anyone who
>wishes to have anything to do with Taiwan should do too!

i hope everyone in this world accepts taiwan, not only the taiwanese.
otherwise, we would be too lonely to live in this world.

>-Charles

cs shao.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.taiwan