Human civilization is fairly short-lived and having undergone several wars, humans have only just begun to understand that democracy is a more acceptable social system.
Taiwanese voted for a reliable and trustworthy government so that they do not have to worry about food safety, security or the quality of healthcare, and least of all eggs.
Even if there were no eggs on the shelves for a few days, people would not panic, because they know they are living in a free society, and that eggs would be back on the shelves as soon as the government responds to the shortage. After all, eggs are not everyday essentials and any food that contains amino acids can be an alternative.
However, Taiwan has been plagued by egg-related controversies since the beginning of this year.
It all started with a legislator questioning the government’s egg import program, then snowballed into a nationwide furor of people having qualms about eggs, with some even calling for Minister of Agriculture Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) to resign from his post. In response to the controversy, the government has offered many explanations to reassure people.
Nevertheless, anyone who searches for “eggs” on the Internet would see a series of misleading news reports. For two months certain media outlets have been issuing reports lambasting the Ministry of Agriculture for several things, such as how the government was “overfunding” egg import companies and the dangers of expired imported eggs, while giving a slap on the wrist to hoarders who caused shortage in the first place.
This kind of overwhelming and biased reporting aims to destroy consumers’ trust in the government’s agricultural policies. The same playbook can be seen in last year’s local elections, when there were waves of attacks on plagiarism and academic credentials or the government’s strategy to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
The high volume of one-sided news reporting aims to brainwash the public by sowing mistrust, and creating social division through coercive persuasion and cognitive manipulation. I believe Taiwanese, with their educated background and sophisticated grasp of common knowledge, have the media literacy to tell the true from the false, and not fall for these ideological fallacies.
Chen Chiao-chicy is a psychiatrist at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei and an adjunct professor.
Translated by Rita Wang
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