I dont get the point of this discussion, I agree with you that people in Taiwan shouldnt have what terms they used dictated by the China government, but at the same time, people are also free to say what they want.
I don’t know Chinese, but I tried to transcribe a little of it and run it through Google Translate (apologies for errors, and for using the “m” word, which I said I was going to quit doing (well, I’m trying)):
I had special difficulty translating that first expression even with Google Translate’s help, so it may be wrong (then again, I may have got the whole thing wrong):
They get mental about all types of things. I have an old ex-gf who i speak to a lot. We can talk for hours about loads of interesting topics, but she gets triggered by some crazy politics stuff.
For their whole lives they have had these buttons buried deep in their brains by their government and if yoy touch them, they just go mental.
I thought the ccp thought taiwan was a province, not a city. So are they saing what most people know as the whole country of taiwan, including the islands, are “taipei”?
I cant see why just saying China/JhongGuo cant be used perfectly fine and without offending anyone. Using Dalu has possible issues for some. If a person insisted on using Dalu, seems like they have some kind of agenda.
Now it doesnt really, but Taiwan has changed a lot in the last few decades, in terms of identity and politics. At one time, saying Taiwan wasnt China(including the ROC) might cause an argument, or at least a political conversation, which for 99% of people is the last thing they want. Da Lu was neutral and you could avoid showing your political persuasion.
Now I agree, I try to say China as much as possible. Da Lu is becoming politically incorrect and I have quite a few friends who will pick you up on it if you say it. At the same time, they still dont really give a fuck
Screen capture of 中国台北,台湾省 from Google Books Ngrams (not to say that this decides the issue, and with the caveat that two or more words can be side-by-side in different contexts):
After some reflection, and especially given the fact that I am not Taiwanese, I have changed my mind. As to whether or not Taiwan should seek independence, I now consider that issue to be none of my business.
As you can see, google translated Dalu as continent.
What she wants to say is
If you are a Taiwanese person who doesn’t really want to start a quarrel with Chinese people (living in Taiwan), please try the following: Basically you could avoid most of the pointless arguments by not asking “Are you from Dalu?” Because the likely response would be them rolling their eyes at you and ask you “What continent? Aren’t we all citizens of China?”
But if that’s their reaction, imagine what they’d say when a Taiwanese ask them “Are you from China?”
Uh… from the 1920s to the mid 1940s, Taiwan was a prefecture of Japan. Any references to Taiwan as a province of China at that point would be historical in context, or maybe fictional in context.
I would support any people’s search for liberty, but that’s just me. I subscribe to “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” Although when it comes to people in another country, my support only goes as far as signing petitions, boycotting products, and some monetary donations though. It’s not like I’m capable of joining the international legion in Ukraine.
I like liberty, too, including liberty of expression. But in the past few hours, I got to thinking, “If Taiwan attained independence, I suppose the people who favor independence would control the government. Would that mean that their ideas about correct and incorrect speech would have the force of law? That is, could people be forced to use certain words and avoid certain other words when talking about matters of public interest?”
So, as I said, issues concerning Taiwan independence are now none of my business.
One major point of independence is to avoid a fate like Hong Kong where rights and freedoms are taken away by the Chinese Communist Party. It would defeat part of the purpose of independence if we were automatically going to take away rights.
Secondly, the government here is governed by checks and balances. Nothing would change, the same people would still be here and the same Taiwan would still be here.
I just find it funny that you keep trying to guilt trip me into thinking that you gave up your support for Taiwanese Independence because I told you Dalu was deliberately chosen by the KMT and the CCP as a replacement for the actual word for mainland, and as result the term is politically motivated.
I enjoy the forum for the discussion. If you have evidence for what I said is wrong, you can present it. If you simply want to hold on to your belief and don’t wish to discuss it, that’s fine as well. Frankly, if you don’t want to support Taiwan Independence because I tell you something you don’t like to hear, it’s your choice as well. Just like it’s my choice to ask “what continent?” whenever someone calls China “Dalu”.