Jan. 13 (Sa), 2024 A Day in the Imperial Court to Critique on an Exciting Election Outcome/ 皇朝觀戰記要

A brief : This episode is a satirical conversation among an emperor and his eunuchs concerning the presidential election results in Formosa.  The protagonists questioned why the empire spent so much money via an unrestricted warfare to support the pro-ccp politicians, and the results made the emperor unhappy. But there is a ray of hope for the empire to target on the young generation in Formosa through the cyber/cognitive warfare to gradually change their ethnic and political identities for their wishful desire of the future unification.

Writing this episode reminds me of my 8 years' serving for my native country as a military instructor, long time ago. This time is about issues related to the young generation’s susceptibility to the charm of the Fascism or the effective Authoritarianism via cyber and cognitive warfare penetrated Taiwan by the CCP-regime, as mentioned in the above poster. The immune system to fight against the viral invasion of autocracy, has never been so fragile before. Precariously, the notion of the ideal democratic socialism fascinating the young could be disguised with illusory fantasy. A type of state capitalism working in Taiwan, inevitably, like the similar type of societies dominated by the rich and powerful families, socio-economic elites, and special interest organizations, the job opportunities, housing, upward social mobility, other desirable resources, and the rest of widened social inequality, are easily to be targeted as the key concern of the disadvantaged groups. Obviously, the national security is the most critical issue of Taiwan. The rest of the social problems tended to be rendered as the secondary concerns during the two Chiangs’ ruling.

Furthermore, these vocabularies such as, socialism, communism, became “dirty and vicious” words, forbidden in any corners of Taiwan, which was like teaching social/global stratification at a university and a tech college in the US. Midwest. Most students could grasp some race, gender issues, but not CLASS, because they tended to believe there was no class issues in the US. for they belonged to the middle class. The same situations happened in my Diversity Studies classes. The invisible “social class” tends to be a common phenomenon in the societies emphasizing the power and benefits of Capitalism, if enough social warfare and the rest of remedial policies balance off a part of the flaws of the super-capitalism. But welfare policies per se can be controversial and they are easily targeted by the republican party as other policies’ bargaining chips.

Now, turning to the main story. It was during a national crisis when I graduated from a college. I faced multiple uncertainties as most the newly graduated did. I needed to get a job as soon as possible to help my family, which included to support my parents who could visit military hospitals without worrying the humongous medical bills that none of my siblings was able to pay, and most importantly, my country was betrayed / neglected by the government and the international community due to many historical and geo-political complexities. (Note, the universal health care system of Taiwan was enacted later, in 1995).

After having competed the boot camp and various in-class and outdoor learning and training of military theories and practices, I was sent to high schools and colleges to teach students the basic military knowledge and self-defense skills.

Due to the geo-political climate surrounding Taiwan was under the CCP's constant threat, Taiwan had been through the Martial Law for 38 years (1949-1987). Some people referred it as the "Chiang's Anti-Communist Authoritarian Era", tinted with an extreme right-wing militarism because the Generalissimo of the National Revolutionary Army Chiang Kai-shek intended to recover the mainland China. Inevitably, the whole set of war-time ideology permitted into various social institutions, in particular, the educational system.

Being a liberal, Taiwanese, and military instructor, such a strange combination under a specific cultural and politico-economic milieu turned out to be quite rare during that time, for most trainees of my company were decedents of Chinese who followed Mr. Chiang to retreat to Taiwan with other one million China-mainlanders. This also reflected that most Taiwanese disliked things tied to Chiang's political tight control on the local people, especially, after the 228 massacre and the subsequent White Terror, so as a job like mine heavily tinted with the "Chinese's color". Furthermore, the ideological divide and ethnic groups' implicit and explicit confrontations happened above and under the currents, more than ever before. 

Now, another short story just popped into my mind when I was a social science faculty (2003-2020) at a technical college in the Midwest. This story will pave the way to the key theme of the rest of this writing.

It was about covering the course unit - Social institutions focusing on work, government, and family these three of the six major social institutions.  One day I listened to radio and got an idea to make a poster related to 911 era for an in-class discussion:

(Oh, here, adding a side bar story, I vividly remember a male student who served in the Marine for a few years and heard off an unconventional female instructor teaching sociology. At that time, my school had four instructors teaching this course. He registered my class with cheer. During the first few class sessions, he was outspoken and showed a great interest in his learning. Then, as the class moved into social role, social status (ascribed vs. achieved), life chances, life opportunities, cultural capital, related to social class, social mobility, and global stratification, he told me, " I don't think I can complete this course. This is not what I really want to learn about,  because I believe in my OWN “FREE Will” which will not be circumscribed by one’s role, status, class, race, gender, nationality…. etc.".   I could tell he did not intend to express something like Existentialism, or some type of religious themes. I did communicate with him, if he still remembered on day one how to open the third eye, when we were all the blind men to touch a part of an elephant? I had to admit that Rome was not built in a day. Personal upbringing counts much of one’s life orientation. I wished him good luck for his further pursuit of knowledge. 權利驅策, 改朝換代, 王將富豪踩萬骨; 烽火連天, 橫屍遍野, 盡是困厄無奈人/”What millions died that Caesar might be great,” is a not a kind statement to let some people know…)

Many Taiwanese people, at that time, mocked people working as the military instructors in the post-secondary educational systems. Graduating from NTU, the only one of my unit coming from such a weird academic background to be a military instructor, seemed quite odd to some people. Frankly speaking, the situational force was much bigger than what I really could think and do, if I had had other better choices.

Today, I cherish those 8 year' service in Taiwan even though it delayed my original pursuits (when most of my NTU classmates, either earned their Ph.Ds., or being successful in other "orthodoxically" appreciable or recognizable fields).

I could see the imminent danger in Taiwan under the incessant unrestricted-warfare imposed on Taiwanese people by the CCP regime, added with the US.' strategic ambiguity toward her in the past (before the CCP emerging into a perceivably formidable foe).  I could see how important it is to educate and train the young generation in Taiwan, knowing to be able to build the sound body and mind to defend freedom for themselves and for the nation. The unfashionable, undesirable career deemed by many Taiwanese people, that engaged me during those days, now I see some of its values more important than ever.