Now you see them ...
Dear Johnny,
Lately, I have seen flags flying all about the city and I smile. Then I remember that this means there are no “particular” Chinese officials in town, or something like that.
I really hope that those flags can stay all year round, because I love this country. However, I have no doubt — prove me wrong, President Ma — that the flags will disappear come the right time. Yes, that Chen [Yunlin, 陳雲林] guy!
Taking down your national flag when foreigners are in town is so degrading. This nonsense has got to stop.
HARRY ADAMOPOULOS
Taipei
Johnny replies: Yes, but who is going to stop it? You could name any number of symbolic insults that will accompany the arrival of Chicom negotiators, but the only people who will object at this time are dyed-in-the-wool activists with little practical support from ordinary people. And even a lot of these people are not prepared to get into trouble by making a powerful statement of resistance.
Mark my words. The moment the ordinary person’s hip pocket starts emptying over Chinese trade deals, the climate will change. If they know what’s good for them, activists will be carefully preparing for that moment.
In the meantime, what are you, as a person most locals would regard as a foreigner, willing and able to do, other than write letters to me?
BBC smackdown, please
Dear Johnny,
I just read the letter entitled “BBC on the ‘offensive’” (Johnny Neihu’s Mailbag, Oct. 10, page 8) on longtime resident Michael’s disappointment with the BBC. But the BBC’s reply wasn’t as good as your reading of it made it out to be.
Here’s something I wrote on the Taiwan Matters blog about one “white terror” (sic) story by the Beeb: taiwanmatters.blogspot.com/2008/07/sorry-ass-bbc-misreports-taiwan-again.html.
In it I cover the many unforgivable errors and insults made by writer Caroline Gluck and the BBC, and I link to 11 earlier critiques — from just the two previous years — written by myself and fellow blogger Michael Turton on the BBC’s inaccurate and downright dishonest reporting on Taiwan.
There is a pattern here. I don’t think that the BBC can be “educated” because everything I see tells me that it’s on purpose. Please give the BBC the verbal smackdown they deserve.
TIM MADDOG
Taichung
Johnny replies: No matter how sloppy the BBC reports may be, this style of reporting is not unique to Taiwan coverage and their reports no doubt enrage activists around the world. For now, my challenge to you is this: Explain why the BBC would be “dishonest.”
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