Ethnic prejudice by WSR official

Politics Taiwan Politics
41

Stop gloating over this. Sure there are elements of society that think this is a freedom of speech issue, and you can expect the pro-Blue press to play this up as much as possible. But the KMT did get rid of him relatively quickly. It’s doubtful they would have if they had not had to respond to public opinion that this is the wrong kind of opinion for a public official to be expressing even under a pseudonym.

My guess is that there are many people who may agree with Kuo’s sentiment but are still glad he’s gone. After all, Kuo just happens to be a 外省人 who supports the KMT. The DPP certainly has officials who hold similar sentiments about other Taiwanese. No one wants them to have license to say whatever they feel on the Internet.

It’s just wrong that a democracy should tolerate this sort of thing from public officials. The KMT did not, and this is certainly related to their having to stand for election in relatively free and open elections. As much as I like to trash them, this was relatively well-handled and the outcome that was settled on was the correct one. So as much as democracy has failed to achieve the results that have been hoped for, it worked here. And even the KMT had to abide by its principles.

42

If you would just drop the last line I would agree with you wholeheartedly.

43

I think it’s great that the Ma administration was forced to to act by public opinion as it also was forced to do in the case of Dianne Lee.

While Kuo’s views are extreme, he was able to make a long and successful career in the civil service because less extreme versions of these views are very commonly held among the mainlander elite that still dominates the civil service, academia, and the media. Many foreigners seem to be unaware (or don’t care) just how prevalent these attitudes are.

44

Kuo was barely tolerated and widely disliked throughout every administration, regardless of political color, since he joined the civil service under the Lee Teng-hui administration. He was known as a whiny, arrogant mid-level staffer whose bosses would send him overseas just to get him out of their offices for a couple of years. This latest development is no surprise, but it’s good that they finally have a solid excuse to fire him.

45

Taiwanese culture has its lowbrow elements - particularly betel nut chewing - but so does the mainland. For example, many more men in mainland China spit up tremendous amounts of phlegm (not necessarily into the urinal) while they’re having a piss in a public toilet. I saw that occasionally in Taiwan but it’s worse across the Strait. Of course, it may be the air over there is worse too :ponder:

There’s always been a mainlander elite that looks down on native Taiwanese, but there are plenty of wealthy people of Hoklo descent who identify closely with Japan and think mainlanders are low-class. They might even travel to the mainland on business, but they’ll you mainlanders are rude pigs and the place is a dump. No joke. Plenty of racism to go around.

As a government employee, Guo should have exercised a bit more caution, but maybe he didn’t care, is stupid or both?

I find the part about Taiwanese being “Japanese pirates” ﹣倭寇 ﹣ particularly interesting. That sounds a bit like on the mainland when they call Japan "小日本”

46

Personally, I am glad he is not being supported by our tax dollars anymore. Many of my adult students (many of whom are moderate blues) were happy to see him sacked for his obvious racist, pro-Chinese, anti-Japanese statements. Can’t these Chinese immigrants to Taiwan accept the fact that the majority of Taiwanese to not have the same negative feelings regarding the Japanese as most Chinese have?

47

Good riddance to him, I was listening to him on TV and couldn’t believe the things he was saying, severely embarassed the KMT. He was stating that Taiwan is not a country and that he is Chinese, meanwhile pulling in a huge salary on a cushy number over in Toronto, unbelievable stuff. Talk about dumb, insulting the majority of the people in the country (which he doesn’t recognise) who pay your own salary. It kind of confirmed by view that Taiwan’s MOFA is nothing but an organisation that is used to provide high salaries to connected ‘waishengren’ in Taiwan and is a complete waste of space.

I thought taking away his pension was a very harsh punishment, obviously he pissed off Ma and co. big-time for them to do that.

48

The particular significance of the wōkòu to Taiwan is that before the island came under Chinese influence at the end of the seventeenth century, Taiwan (or the “Gates of Hell”, according to one Chinese writer of the time) was a base for these pirates. And while the term started off being applied to Japanese smugglers and ronin, it later covered any non-state piratical groups off the Korean/east China coast. But obviously it also has echoes with his other rants about racial purity and the later Japanese era here.

49

MYJ just went to apologize him for saying bad things about Taiwanese people.

[quote] Taipei Times
Ma said that he hoped the GIO’s decision would end the Kuo controversy. He also urged the public to seize the opportunity and raise the country to a new level.

“Let’s begin today and work toward ethnic and social harmony, and peace in the Taiwan Strait,” he said. “Let’s work together so the Chinese people can pursue progress and world peace in an amicable atmosphere.”
[/quote]

Let us spread ethnic and social harmony under the “One China, all Chinese” flag…

50

WHAT Chinese? We’re all fekkin Taiwanese here, Mayor Ma. There IS no Republic of China, just a small unrecgonised roc.

51

:noway: Good one. My son, who is very obviously half Chinese, is always called wei guo ren, big nose, etc.etc. Even in his own family, he will never be accepted as one of them.

I say FUCK confucius. And yes morons, some one that looks like you, goes to your school, and lives in Taiwan can speak the language quite well. You don’t have to keep making a big deal out of it.

52

:noway: Good one. My son, who is very obviously half Chinese, is always called wei guo ren, big nose, etc.etc. Even in his own family, he will never be accepted as one of them.

I say FUCK confucius. And yes morons, some one that looks like you, goes to your school, and lives in Taiwan can speak the language quite well. You don’t have to keep making a big deal out of it.[/quote]

My daughters are half-Taiwanese (though not obvious at first look) and while they are often called “waiguoren” by people who don’t know them, are treated as Taiwanese by their teachers, classmates, neighbors, and most importantly by our family down in Changhua County.

More educated people here seem to be understanding that Taiwan is becoming a more diverse society. However, it will take time. Taiwan IS changing - it just requires patience from those of us who are from more diverse societies which have already accepted such diversity as a matter of course.

53

:noway: Good one. My son, who is very obviously half Chinese, is always called wei guo ren, big nose, etc.etc. Even in his own family, he will never be accepted as one of them.

I say FUCK confucius. And yes morons, some one that looks like you, goes to your school, and lives in Taiwan can speak the language quite well. You don’t have to keep making a big deal out of it.[/quote]

My daughters are half-Taiwanese (though not obvious at first look) and while they are often called “waiguoren” by people who don’t know them, are treated as Taiwanese by their teachers, classmates, neighbors, and most importantly by our family down in Changhua County.

More educated people here seem to be understanding that Taiwan is becoming a more diverse society. However, it will take time. Taiwan IS changing - it just requires patience from those of us who are from more diverse societies which have already accepted such diversity as a matter of course.[/quote]

Well, bobl and I live in Taidong -set your watch back 20 years…

54

:noway: Good one. My son, who is very obviously half Chinese, is always called wei guo ren, big nose, etc.etc. Even in his own family, he will never be accepted as one of them.

I say FUCK confucius. And yes morons, some one that looks like you, goes to your school, and lives in Taiwan can speak the language quite well. You don’t have to keep making a big deal out of it.[/quote]

I have trouble making people belive my son is my son as he looks more Asian than not. Even some of my foreign friends don’t believe it when I intruduce my son to them. Yesterday my son was in the Tavern having a cider and a meal with his GF, and although her parents are Taiwanese and she grew up in NZ, my lad grew up here.

I was talking about them to a german friend and his Taiwanese GF, they were both asking me where my son was when I said he was eating at nearby table. They were both looking for a white kid. When they saw one that looks more Asian than not they did not believe he was my son.

All of our kids go through the … oh shit your the son of a white guy, I thought he was your English teacher episodes.

55

… and getting back on topic, that slime bag Kuo has used the name of the head of the diplomatic office in Paris as a pen name for an article praising Kuo and defending him against those who were outraged at his treasonous outpourings. read this article in the TT, and listen to the filth this chumbucket still has to say:

[quote=“TT, about some racist mainland stooge”]GIO reprimands official over Kuo article
IN THE WRITING: The GIO chose to ignore the fact that its disgraced official in Toronto had admitted to writing the controversial article that Pan Shun-yun was punished for
By Shih Hsiu-chuan
STAFF REPORTER
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2009, Page 3

The Government Information Office (GIO) yesterday gave its Paris-based official Pan Shun-yun (潘舜昀) a reprimand for a newspaper opinion piece that defended the reputation of disgraced former colleague Kuo Kuan-ying (郭冠英).

Kuo, the former acting director of the information division at Taiwan’s representative office in Toronto, was relieved of civil servant status last week in the wake of the controversy over online articles he wrote under the pen name Fan Lan-chin (范蘭欽) smearing Taiwan and Taiwanese.

Although the GIO fired Kuo for remarks he made regarding the incident afterward that it considered to be “in defiance of the government,” politicians and civic groups condemned Kuo for his discriminatory views against Taiwan in the articles.

The many articles critical of Kuo, his personality, his interpersonal skills and his performance evaluation were described negatively in a profile story posted in the Chinese-language United Daily News.

Pan, first secretary at the Taipei Representative Office in Paris, seemed to come forward to dismiss criticism of Kuo in an opinion piece under his byline and using his diplomatic title that was published on the newspaper’s opinion page last Wednesday.

After Pan admitted last Friday that Kuo wrote the article under his name, he was referred to the GIO’s Evaluation and Discipline Committee for punishment.

The committee concluded yesterday that Pan had violated the Civil Servants Work Act (公務員服務法) by writing an opinion piece on how the work performance of civil servants was appraised using his official title without the permission of his superiors.

The committee’s conclusion ignored the fact that Pan was not the author of the article.

A press statement released by the GIO said that civil servants were required by Article 20 of the Civil Service Performance Evaluation Act (公務人員考績法) to keep the appraisal process confidential.

Pan was unavailable for comment, but his colleague in Paris said that he would respect the committee’s decision.

In related news, when approached by a reporter from cable news channel TVBS in Vancouver Airport yesterday on his way back to Taiwan, Kuo told the reporter: “I will not go to the GIO [today].”

The GIO required Kuo to report to it by today to complete paperwork before leaving the office.

“What the hell is the GIO? What is the GIO? Tell me what the GIO is? What is the GIO? I don’t understand. Going to the GIO [today]? Why should I go to the GIO?” Kuo said.

Kuo said that he would appeal to the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission against the GIO’s decision to fire him and would continue to publish articles under the pen name Fan Lan-chin.

When asked about the article he allegedly wrote under Pan’s name, Kuo responded: “The article was written by me. [Now that Pan] has signed it over to me, it is [Pan’s] work. Was that still mine? Let me ask you this, presidents always have their articles written by their secretaries. Are they the presidents’ works or the secretaries’?” [/quote]

56

[quote=“Satellite TV”]All of our kids go through the … oh shit your the son of a white guy, I thought he was your English teacher episodes.[/quote] Well, better than what happens to my wife, who is Taiwanese. Our kid is white and she either gets the disbelieving triple take or the “Oh, you must be the maid looking after that foreigner’s kid” look from people.

57

As a half Taiwanese, who looks like any other Han in Taiwan, that speaks quite a few dialects, I get confused for a lot of things; Career KTV singer, Draft dodger, Night Market pimp, Political Con artist…etc.

Anyways from my perspective the Taiwanese (hoklo) indentity is a lot more exclusive than the Chinese (han) identity in Taiwan. So it baffles me when non-Hans with children in Taiwan support TI, which includes the Hoklo supremacy base. For the promise of a better “back-water democracy” than the KMT, you are willing to support an identity that will never include your children. Seems odd in my opinion.

Sort of like rich minorities in the US all white Republican party. I love the tax breaks, feel free to institutionalize my 2nd class citizenship status.

58

The problem with the KMT is that they are doing their best to make themselves an interim government. It’s not even that they’re so rotten - they are - it’s that they are working to promote “One China”. If parents of mixed kids are concerned about how their kids are accepted in a democratic, free society, with unlimited access to information from the outside world, how do you think they feel about their kids living in the same society that gave birth to the Cultural Revolution? Trust me, the words “western imperialist running dog” don’t have the same resonance in Taiwan that they do in China.

You want China? Move to China. As far as I’m concerned, they’re unwelcome here, and I’ll do my best to expose the agendas of anyone promoting “One China”, including wannabe interim governments like the KMT.

59

Besides the fact the PRC seems to have even a broader sense of “Chinese” than that of the ROC. I mean I went to Xinjiang and met Muslim Chinese with definite central Asian features, say to me in Mandarin that he was Chinese.

In Heilongjiang, I met Korean Chinese, tell me in Mandarin that they were Chinese.

No one really talked about the Cultural Revolution.

60

[quote=“ac_dropout”]the PRC seems to have even a broader sense of “Chinese” than that of the ROC. I mean I went to Xinjiang and met Muslim Chinese with definite central Asian features, say to me in Mandarin that he was Chinese.

In Heilongjiang, I met Korean Chinese, tell me in Mandarin that they were Chinese.[/quote]

That, AC_D, is because they WERE Chinese. They lived in CHINA. It’s got nothing to do with race or religion… It’s all about which country you live in. And we over here in Taiwan do NOT live in China, we live in Taiwan, even the ethnic Han here are Taiwanese.

This, of course, is the predictable result of a state brainwashing its populace. I think most of them are a) embarrassed about having waved little red books and crucified their parents, and b) afraid it’ll happen to them if they allow the youth to learn about it. Just like the “Almost in TienAnMen Square but mostly in Surrounding Areas and Other Cities Massacre” way back in 1989.