TSU Chief pays homage to Yasukuni shrine

Everyone (alright, not everyone, but most of you) here seems very obscessed with history. What the Japanese did during WW II (imperialism, Rape of Nanjing, comfort women, etc).

WW II ended 60 years ago. The perpetrators of that war are either dead or in rest homes. I personally agree with Henry Ford when he said that “history is bunk”. What matters is the here and now. Are the Japanese pointing missiles at Taiwan now? No, at this point of time, the fact is that Japan is not a threat to Taiwan at all, but China is. A very BIG threat.

For those of us who still live here in Taiwan (as opposed to Forumosa’s armchair warriers in Canada and California), we have to consider the real possibility that we could be killed or maimed in a brutal surprise attack from China. And that possibility occupies my mind a great deal more than the Rape of Nanjing.

How about the rest of you? In this day and age, do you feel more threatened by “Japanese militarism” or “Chinese militarism?”

As for the TSU’s visit to the “Teppanyaki Shrine,” it has as much impact on me as a fart in the wind.

Hoping you all had a happy Tomb Sweep Festival,

  • DB

Speaking of stooges, the Taiwan aboriginals are KMT stooges.[/quote]
Seems you’ve been hanging around with Taiwan independence people long enough to absorb all their racism.

Juba: I am not racist towards Aboriginals, I just know the facts are that a majority of them are KMT supporters, partly because of getting payouts in the form of allowance money from the previous KMT government and partly because they still haven’t forgiven the MinNan people for the past 400 years of bad treatment. They rarely ever support any DPP causes and are quite partisan and loyal towards the KMT. So yes, I call them KMT stooges, since they do indeed act like puppets of the China Nationalist Party.

So anyone who supports a different party to you is a “stooge” or a “puppet”? Or does that only apply to aborigines?

I think anyone who adheres blindly to any political side and is unwilling to brook any criticism or questioning is a stooge.

No, anyone that doesn’t agree with Hobart’s zealous fanaticism is a “Commie.” I bet Freud would have a field day with Hobart lying on his couch … :loco:

To keep this on topic … it was absolutely outrageous for the TSU (especially the chairman! :astonished: ) to make such a visit. Unfortunately, it hasn’t caused as much of an uproar as it should. I think most Taiwanese are just too apathetic to care … sigh

I just think you guys are making too much of this. He did not condone war criminals. He went to pay the respects to Taiwan’s dead buried in Japan on Tomb Sweeping Day. I am sure he also took some time out to see the Sakura too. :slight_smile:

Guys really, what I am against is the anachronistic hatred that the China Nationalism Party and Chinese Communist Party have for the Japanese. (If you spend some time in China you see this vividly).

BTW, the word stooge was first brought up by someone other than me.

I am only pointing out how you guys are reacting in a similar fashion to the Communist Chinese in China and also to the Pro-Unification association fanatics throwing eggs at the windows of the TSU building. As pointed out the majority of Taiwan people are more sensible and realize that this TSU legislator was not in anyway condoning war criminals from over 60 years ago and there is no need to react, unless you are looking for way to bash the Japanese like the KMT and CCP are always doing. Anyway, most Taiwan people had no reaction to this only the extreme right wing China Nationalist Pro-Unification that hate the Japanese. I am only saying that one should not condone the hatred that the CCP and the KMT have for Japan and their people. I think we can agree to this no?

I can not however agree that it was stupid of the TSU to go. I think it was brilliant, but that is just my opinion and can see one would disagree with this.

Ummm … Hobart, dear … there have been quite a few DPP legislators who have condemned the TSU chairman’s visit to the shrine … it’s not just the “Commies” and “Pro-China Unificationists.” Get your facts straight … and until then … :raspberry:

I don’t know why people would fuss over something like this. Sure the Japanese war criminals weren’t the nicest people in the world, but the historical injustices endured by the Taiwanese resulted from not only the Japanese. Out of fairness anyone should be able to go wherever he wants and see whatever he wants.

Regardless of how you account for it, calling an entire ethnic group a “stooge” is a racist act. It is also contemptuous of the minority of Aborigines who work for and vote for the DPP (especially Presbyterian activists) or any other non-blue-camp ticket.

You also fail to fully account for the ferocity of Kao Chin Su-mei’s protest against the TSU group on their return to CKS from Japan. Kao Chin is a bit of a drama queen with PFP links who regularly claims to speak for all Aboriginal people when it is clear that nobody has the authority to do that. Don’t ever forget that a large proportion of Aboriginal soldiers died for the Japanese, and that a lot of elderly Aborigines today retain Japanese cultural elements that defy your pigeon-holing.

Anyway, in 2000 the bulk (80%) of Aborigines abandoned Lien (“somebody sack me, please”) Chan to vote for Jimbo, who was at the time an independent. Why? Because at least Jimbo had the political acumen to spread his wealth in person among the mountain villages. You would never have seen prissy old Lien getting his clothes dirty and climbing a hill to get to an out-of-the-way hamlet.

Conclusion: If you can be bothered communicating with someone, they might just vote for you. A good example of that is the election of Chen Ying in Taitung to the legislature. The DPP lobbied hard among the Beinan Aborigines and got her elected

All very good points. However, I don’t think you’re going to change Hobart’s mind with any of that … I’m not so sure he’s playing with a full deck … :loco:

Umm … if there was an uproar whenever a Taiwanese politician did anything outrageous, there’d be a street protest every day. If your average Taiwanese doesn’t get too shocked when a politician does something idiotic, that’s not apathy - it’s experience.

Anyway, the TSU control about 5%(?) of the legislature - but they seem to get as much exposure as any of the real parties. Is it really worth fussing about what a bunch of marginally relevant extremists are doing?

That has to be the single most perceptive post in this thread. :bravo:

Gao Jin Shu Mei is mainly biologically Chinese, with an aboriginal mother who is from a very mixed gene pool (mostly ethnic Yue and aboriginal). Anyone who tries and “spins” that she is ‘very’ aboriginal is speaking out of their asshole.

Besides, those who have been in Taiwan for centuries all have some degree of aboriginal ancestry. The Aborigines I know have all told me that they were better treated by the Japanese than they were by the KMT Chinese. Believe what you want, but I don’t think Gao Jin Shu Mei is credible. She is mainly of Chinese descent, supported financially by the KMT. What did you expect?

What the heck is “Yue”? She is half aboriginal. How is that “mainly biologically (Han) Chinese”? In any case, she is elected so she speaks for her constituency.

a) Yue is Cantonese.
b) He didn’t say “mainly biologically Han Chinese.” Chinese is not the same as Han Chinese.
c) The odds are slim that her mother is 100% Aboriginal. Which would mean that if her father is Chinese and her mother is anything less than 100% Aboriginal, she’s “mainly biologically Chinese.”

[quote=“Tetsuo”]a) Yue is Cantonese.
[/quote]
I highly doubt that’s what he meant. I think Chewy’s forkin’ confused.

When he set it up against “aboriginal” he did mean Han Chinese.

How would you know what the odds are? What basis do you have? I know that aboriginals often married members from other aboriginal tribes. And don’t you realize that your assumption means that there is basically no 100% aboriginal and her mother is as aboriginal as they get in Taiwan!?

Any more comments about May Chin (Gao-Jin Sumei or Ciwas Ali) - please make them in .

:smiling_imp: I’d like to see some Japanese militarism to deal with these fascists.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4427379.stm

Yes! I’ll second that motion. I think their ideas stand out from other political parties’ in that they express the true yearnings of the freedom-loving peoples on Taiwan. They are not afraid, despite or perhaps due to, their small size to say what they want - democracy rather than communism; freedom rather than confinement. Anything less is a compromise, one that should not have to be made. Choosing communism under duress is no choice.

I see the TSU serving a valuable role in their representing one end of the political spectrum, which makes it easier for the DPP to appear middle-of-the-road and acceptable. So, more power to them. I see this recent visit by their chairman as Taiwanese honoring deceased Taiwanese. And, since the TSU wants to erect an alternate shrine in Taiwan and push for reparations to victims of Japanese militarism (soldiers and comfort women), their intentions should not be twisted and misconstrued.