Watching a Taiwan Election
In keeping with my last post, I’m including a letter from a friend of mine who lives in Taiwan. He doesn’t have a blog so I’m posting the entire letter here:
TAIWAN ELECTION WATCH
Face up to it, America. Your elections are dull. When it comes to political campaigns, Americans have to take a back seat to Taiwan. Local political observers who have spent years in the U.S. studying for a Ph.D. have commented on this fact. Though this may not set well with the collective American ego, to the Taiwanese eye American elections are yawn-inspiring.
Not the Taiwan version. Conducted against a background beat of temple drums and microphone-enhanced appeals to the faithful, Taiwan elections have a brio that makes American pols seem wishy-washy. In a nation that is a mere dot on most world maps, a call for a show of political loyalty can bring hundreds of thousands into the streets.
A palpable air of menace is never absent from these street rallies. Riot police stand at the ready. Barbed wire barricades block access to the Presidential Building, lines of caltrops are strung across entrances. While this may not be to everyone’s taste, it is exciting – unless, of course, the crowd should surge against the barricade and fists start flying; and you’re there - caught in the vortex, unable to flee.
Now it’s once again election time in Taiwan. The posts of Mayor, County Magistrate, and County Councilors are up for grabs. Feelings are running high. Like many American families during the Civil War, loyalties are split. There are instances where political differences within families have even led to divorce. To avoid conflict, some have purchased a 2nd t.v. which they watch alone, separate from the rest of the family. To preserve a veneer of harmony, by unspoken agreement politics have become a taboo subject in many homes.
TAIWAN ELECTION WATCH
Face up to it, America. Your elections are dull. When it comes to political campaigns, Americans have to take a back seat to Taiwan. Local political observers who have spent years in the U.S. studying for a Ph.D. have commented on this fact. Though this may not set well with the collective American ego, to the Taiwanese eye American elections are yawn-inspiring.
Not the Taiwan version. Conducted against a background beat of temple drums and microphone-enhanced appeals to the faithful, Taiwan elections have a brio that makes American pols seem wishy-washy. In a nation that is a mere dot on most world maps, a call for a show of political loyalty can bring hundreds of thousands into the streets.
A palpable air of menace is never absent from these street rallies. Riot police stand at the ready. Barbed wire barricades block access to the Presidential Building, lines of caltrops are strung across entrances. While this may not be to everyone’s taste, it is exciting – unless, of course, the crowd should surge against the barricade and fists start flying; and you’re there - caught in the vortex, unable to flee.
Now it’s once again election time in Taiwan. The posts of Mayor, County Magistrate, and County Councilors are up for grabs. Feelings are running high. Like many American families during the Civil War, loyalties are split. There are instances where political differences within families have even led to divorce. To avoid conflict, some have purchased a 2nd t.v. which they watch alone, separate from the rest of the family. To preserve a veneer of harmony, by unspoken agreement politics have become a taboo subject in many homes.
posted by Old China Hand at 10:24 PM
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