In this week’s post, we consider how the pro-China media in Taiwan has been covering the war in Ukraine. If you’ve been reading our newsletter for a while, it may surprise you to learn that there’s pro-China media in Taiwan and that it supports Russia. But Taiwan’s media landscape is bitterly polarized, and has been since at least the Chen Shui-bian era of the early aughts, when Albert recalls people living in completely separate universes. The gulf has only widened in the past two years, as the
Thank you for this labor, which was undoubtedly draining. I think platforms like YouTube rely on user reporting to identify misinformation, but they are so good at recommending content that confirms your own biases that the users who would report this content would likely never see it. On the other hand, when it came to COVID-19, platforms invested in boosting high-reputation sources, and the UN launched a "Verified" site to publish their version of the truth. Seems like they're using the site again to combat misinformation about Ukraine. https://shareverified.com/
While not about Ukraine specifically, the disinformation tactics listed here might explain some of the anti-American sentiment I experienced from coworkers back when I was still working in Taiwan, because they were influenced by whatever outlet they consumed. The sentiments usually just came in the form of casual non sequiturs, none of which led to any arguments though, because as the only American national in the company I never felt those comments were directed at me personally but at the U.S. government 🤷🏻
It's impossible to feel that Ukraine has nothing to do with Taiwan. I wonder if there's a psychological effect where some Taiwanese might think: well Ukraine must've done something to provoke it, something we can avoid -- because the alternative is too frightening. (I feel like this phenomenon has a name but I cannot recall it.)
Mar 27, 2022·edited Mar 27, 2022Liked by Michelle Kuo
On a first light skim, I thought I’d respond to the busy, frenetic, info overload quality (from eg “Western/US” perspective) to some kinds of Taiwanese TV shows, videos, and other performing arts. (There must be something related but different to the crowds of text, diagrams, etc, shown on eg prototypical PPT presentations for teaching, business, etc.)
My Taiwanese partner is a performing arts producer and director here in Taiwan.
He has explained to me that “some of that” derives from traditional Chinese opera, which evolved from an amalgam of ancient traditions and in turn comprises myriad sub-genres/forms (including Peking/Beijing opera, Taiwanese opera, …)
So, the West has it, too. A percussive sting (often, arguably incorrectly called a rimshot) marks the end of a joke, especially a corny one (it’s so not funny, you need this to know it was a joke).
The sound effects carry classes of meaning. If we’re unaware, it’s that in both major senses of the word: noise.
About the pop-up texts and punctuation, etc., there must be more detailed relationships. I’ll add here if my connections can identify someone more knowledgeable.
There is certainly a marked Taiwanese relative preference for noise, lights, multiple co-occurring types of stimulation. A “typical” American, let’s say, can experience that in a busy night market, temple festival, religious parade, funeral (!), watching a movie or play while children emit noise, babies cry, friends converse, etc.
Just to think on it simply and ignorantly, I can see it in a rural/agricultural setting as being socially functional: Getting babysitters, asking the conceivably considered “too young” “too old” etc to remain outside an activity carries a human and social price, one “we” may not realize that we pay, or how dearly.
Don’t need to go back as far to a time when movies were rare, shown on a wall outdoors, a community event much more than a privately experienced one.
When electricity was scarce, expensive… lights and sound at night in a farming village might logically mean a great deal wrought against routine nights of darkness and frogs or crickets.
More of a reach: Literacy not long ago marked a basic divide. I suspect that displaying text signifies something still more important here than in places that have had widespread literacy for longer? Plus, differences in status are generally seen as more legitimate, natural in this culture vs the *ideal* particularly American that “We’re all equal” and status displays are garish?
==== oops. Ran out of time in mid composition. I think I might have at least said something coherent. I’ll try to clean it up a bit later, and try to filter out some detritus from the gush-of-consciousness here! 😉
Of course you won’t experience this in the National Concert Hall, etc (though at least subtly, one may notice remnants.
Thank you for this labor, which was undoubtedly draining. I think platforms like YouTube rely on user reporting to identify misinformation, but they are so good at recommending content that confirms your own biases that the users who would report this content would likely never see it. On the other hand, when it came to COVID-19, platforms invested in boosting high-reputation sources, and the UN launched a "Verified" site to publish their version of the truth. Seems like they're using the site again to combat misinformation about Ukraine. https://shareverified.com/
While not about Ukraine specifically, the disinformation tactics listed here might explain some of the anti-American sentiment I experienced from coworkers back when I was still working in Taiwan, because they were influenced by whatever outlet they consumed. The sentiments usually just came in the form of casual non sequiturs, none of which led to any arguments though, because as the only American national in the company I never felt those comments were directed at me personally but at the U.S. government 🤷🏻
It's impossible to feel that Ukraine has nothing to do with Taiwan. I wonder if there's a psychological effect where some Taiwanese might think: well Ukraine must've done something to provoke it, something we can avoid -- because the alternative is too frightening. (I feel like this phenomenon has a name but I cannot recall it.)
On a first light skim, I thought I’d respond to the busy, frenetic, info overload quality (from eg “Western/US” perspective) to some kinds of Taiwanese TV shows, videos, and other performing arts. (There must be something related but different to the crowds of text, diagrams, etc, shown on eg prototypical PPT presentations for teaching, business, etc.)
My Taiwanese partner is a performing arts producer and director here in Taiwan.
He has explained to me that “some of that” derives from traditional Chinese opera, which evolved from an amalgam of ancient traditions and in turn comprises myriad sub-genres/forms (including Peking/Beijing opera, Taiwanese opera, …)
So, the West has it, too. A percussive sting (often, arguably incorrectly called a rimshot) marks the end of a joke, especially a corny one (it’s so not funny, you need this to know it was a joke).
The sound effects carry classes of meaning. If we’re unaware, it’s that in both major senses of the word: noise.
About the pop-up texts and punctuation, etc., there must be more detailed relationships. I’ll add here if my connections can identify someone more knowledgeable.
There is certainly a marked Taiwanese relative preference for noise, lights, multiple co-occurring types of stimulation. A “typical” American, let’s say, can experience that in a busy night market, temple festival, religious parade, funeral (!), watching a movie or play while children emit noise, babies cry, friends converse, etc.
Just to think on it simply and ignorantly, I can see it in a rural/agricultural setting as being socially functional: Getting babysitters, asking the conceivably considered “too young” “too old” etc to remain outside an activity carries a human and social price, one “we” may not realize that we pay, or how dearly.
Don’t need to go back as far to a time when movies were rare, shown on a wall outdoors, a community event much more than a privately experienced one.
When electricity was scarce, expensive… lights and sound at night in a farming village might logically mean a great deal wrought against routine nights of darkness and frogs or crickets.
More of a reach: Literacy not long ago marked a basic divide. I suspect that displaying text signifies something still more important here than in places that have had widespread literacy for longer? Plus, differences in status are generally seen as more legitimate, natural in this culture vs the *ideal* particularly American that “We’re all equal” and status displays are garish?
==== oops. Ran out of time in mid composition. I think I might have at least said something coherent. I’ll try to clean it up a bit later, and try to filter out some detritus from the gush-of-consciousness here! 😉
Of course you won’t experience this in the National Concert Hall, etc (though at least subtly, one may notice remnants.
But