[quote=“pineapplemike”]what is the color of peace? you may say it is white, but then again that’s the color of surrender…
UN blue may have been inappropriate.[/quote]
Well, blue, green, pink orange and purple are taken, white and black are funerary, black is facist, pink is gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that), so we end up with… up, seafoam chartreuse?
In the end, peace and national unity can probably best be symbolized by the rainbow of coalition and peaceful coexistence. 
Yeah, but the pics I saw looked like they just simulated pigu with skin-toned cloth or paper. Definitely not as effective[/quote]
They never intended real pigu or real mooning. From the first press conference, the organizers showed what it would be. Just cute out papers behinds with slogans on them. No huge impact that way. But they never planned a full moon party.
Too bad, it would have been more fun the other way.
I personally saw it as preaching to the choir. People in Taiwan have a high motivation to want to be independent. If it were people marching in the US, however, it would be a bigger deal to show that there was solidarity and an international interest beyond the people who are directly affected. Why do you think protests and marches against the WTO were held in the places where the WTO met? If you really wanted to make your point, then the march should have been held in Beijing.
Yes, would have been great!
But don’t worry, the international media is picking up the false story that the kids really did bare their real bottoms.
Here is the China correspondent for ‘‘The Australian’’ newspaper, Catherine Armitage, in Beijing of course, where she can’t see the truth of things. She writes: “Rally organisers invited participants to bring their children and …
Children were reported to have bared their bottoms to reveal anti-missile messages, a reference to the several hundred missiles China has poised in Taiwan’s direction.”
So you see, dragonbones, it really DID happen, if the media says it happened.
Erm…right.
I think you’re missing several parts of the point. Firstly, I don’t think anyone actually expects this to make a difference directly to China. It’s a publicity exercise - we get international attention, raise the profile of the Taiwan issue, and all that. Second, marching in Beijing, aside from getting everyone shot - after all, look how well havine Chinese protest in China went back at Tian’anmen - would work against Taiwan in that it would make the whole “Taiwan is not part of China” thing look totally hollow. And by the way, there were people marching in the US, and in Australia AFAIK.
Oh, and find me a single protest these days that’s not preaching to the converted. All those WTO protests - preaching to the choir. All those anti-war protests - preaching to the converted. It’s just how these things work these days.
I thought the rally was wonderful, it really showed that Taiwanese people will stand up to China. I’m glad that many international media had picked up this story. I’m in Canada right now and when I heard about the rally on CBC radio, I was like “OH YEAH!!!” It was a great opportunity to create more awareness about the Taiwan-China “issue”.
Hmm, all quite interesting, but let me indulge in some devil’s advocacy here.
Some background. I’m a close to ten-year veteran of Taiwan and have been a staunch Taiwan advocate. However, my past year in HK has given me some room to consider the view from the other side and Taiwan’s likely plight.
Great stuff, a big march - front page of the Apple daily the headline screamed 1 million, that means it’s irrelevant how many actually attended, the banners screeched a million in any case.
But really . . what did it achieve other than some nice bon homie for the domestic crowd? I’m not saying it’s pointless, it’s just the view from where I sit is unbelievably grim. China is never going to let up. It is an ascendant superpower with a view to superseding the US in a timeframe of its own choosing. What hope a million (or whatever the actual number) person march?
Bestest.
HG
There should have been more Taiwanese language signs at the protest. Signs in Mandarin are good to get the point across to China. English signs are good for foreigners to become aware.
But it should have been a good opportunity to see more Taiwanese signs. Too bad.
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]
But really . . what did it achieve other than some nice bon homie for the domestic crowd? I’m not saying it’s pointless, it’s just the view from where I sit is unbelievably grim. China is never going to let up. It is an ascendant superpower with a view to superseding the US in a timeframe of its own choosing. What hope a million (or whatever the actual number) person march?[/quote]
If you have cancer, why get chemo? Why seek out treatment at all? After all, you will die one of these days.
Who knows…the Chinese economy could collapse tomorrow from unforseen circumstances plunging the country into chaos…and bye bye China superpower hopes for another few decades (unlikely, but as they consume more of their resources and continually impoverish the other natural ones that remain, it will become an increasing likelihood). Or…such “stunts” could keep the international eye on China for long enough for something to change (hopefully).
In short, it is not a lost effort just because it is a difficult undertaking. Nobody ever gained anything by being a defeatist. (Although there are plenty of people who share your view.)
tomtom taiwan,
I really didn’t get that sentiment from the 326 rally. I don’t know many Taiwanese that sit around hoping for ill fortune to come upon China. 
[quote=“tomtom taiwan”]If you have cancer, why get chemo? Why seek out treatment at all? After all, you will die one of these days.
Who knows…the Chinese economy could collapse tomorrow from unforseen circumstances plunging the country into chaos…and bye bye China superpower hopes for another few decades (unlikely, but as they consume more of their resources and continually impoverish the other natural ones that remain, it will become an increasing likelihood). Or…such “stunts” could keep the international eye on China for long enough for something to change (hopefully).
In short, it is not a lost effort just because it is a difficult undertaking. Nobody ever gained anything by being a defeatist. (Although there are plenty of people who share your view.)[/quote]
Getting ‘chemo’ for ‘cancer’? No. It’s getting high on ‘dope.’ Fat chance it will cure the ‘cancer.’ Getting painful ‘chemo’ to cure ‘cancer’ is exactly the thing that Taiwanese will not do.
I haven’t exactly posted here in a long time, but after reading this I feel really confused.
What exactly do you mean by “getting high on dope”? Who is getting high on dope?
And why wouldn’t Taiwanese get painful chemo to cure cancer? I personally know Taiwanese who HAVE had cancer and DID undergo chemo treatment in my own family. I found that remark rather disrespectful for those that have to undergo such harsh treatments.
[quote=“monoid_tw”]tomtom taiwan,
I really didn’t get that sentiment from the 326 rally. I don’t know many Taiwanese that sit around hoping for ill fortune to come upon China. [/quote]
I don’t think that tomtom is hoping for “ill fortune to come upon China”. The way I understood his post, he merely wanted to point out that China’s ascension to a superpower is not the only possible future scenario.
I think tomtom taiwan
That would have been far far more impressive, could U imagine even 10,000 or just 1,000 Taiwanese demonstrating/protesting in Beijing!, now dats brave Heck, I’d donate 10% of my monthly salary to help them (course I’d make sure they only bought 1 way flights, why pay for something U can’t use 
)
[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]Great stuff, a big march - front page of the Apple daily the headline screamed 1 million, that means it’s irrelevant how many actually attended, the banners screeched a million in any case.
But really . . what did it achieve other than some nice bon homie for the domestic crowd? I’m not saying it’s pointless, it’s just the view from where I sit is unbelievably grim. China is never going to let up. It is an ascendant superpower with a view to superseding the US in a timeframe of its own choosing. What hope a million (or whatever the actual number) person march?
Bestest.
HG[/quote]
I have to agree with HG. Yes, it’s great to see
the Taiwanese standing up for themselves,
but wake up the morning after and China’s
missiles are still pointed at Taiwan. OK,
Taiwan got a message out to the international
community - but does the international
community give a damn? Certainly not
enough to go to war with China. Maybe the
Europeans will hesitate another six months
before they start selling weapons to China,
but that’s about the most optimistic result of
this protest I can see.
Taiwan keeps trying to internationalize its
conflict with China, but fact is, the rest of the
world wants no part of it.
The “chemotherapy” mentioned by another
poster - in my opinion, the chemo would have
to be Taiwan biting the bullet and cutting off
all trade with China, while building its own
submarines and missiles with which to
retaliate should China launch an attack.
Indeed, that should have been the policy for
the past 20 years, rather than investing in
China (and building their economy) while
begging other countries to sell weapons to
Taiwan (which they won’t).
It’s getting late in the game for Taiwan. Sorry
to sound this pessimistic - I’m certainly NOT
a China stooge. My native country (America)
is actually most guilty - we’ve been giving
China the money and technology to become
what they are, a menace to the whole world.
We did it to make a fast buck. Now how much
are we going to have to spend to protect
ourselves from the monster we created?
“We know what happens to people who stay in
the middle of the road. They get run down.”
–Aneurin Bevan
[quote] I think tomtom taiwan
This TVBS survey (in Chinese), done on March 28, shows at least one million people went to the 326 rally. That’s a conservative figure they arrived at after deducting the possible margin of error.