Moral Bankruptcy: Lethal Threat to Green Camp Survival

Moral Bankruptcy: Lethal Threat to Green Camp Survival
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
November 18, 2010

Society on Taiwan has been divided into two political camps, the Blues and the Greens. These two political camps have evolved very different styles, cultures, traditions, and value systems.

Cheng Hung-yi and Li Tao are television personalities. They can be considered Deep Green and Deep Blue political icons. When Cheng Hung-yi stumped for a Green Camp political candidate recently, he spread rumors about "30,000NT subsidies for Mainland exchange students." He repeatedly shouted "F**k your mother!" in an effort to incite mob passions. The mob enthusiastically shouted "F**k your mother!" in response. By contrast, one can hardly imagine Li Tao shouting obscenities while stumping for a candidate he approves of. One can hardly imagine Blue Camp supporters shouting obscenities in response. The Blue and Green camps evince entirely different styles, entirely different cultures, entirely different traditions, and entirely different value systems.

Cheng Hung-yi and Li Tao are not the same. The former is willing to stump for a candidate. The latter is not. The former hosts a TV talk show rife with rumors and full of commercials. The latter hosts a TV talk show featuring only public service announcements. The former backs Chen Shui-bian to the bitter end, The latter blasts the Ma administration until its ears burn. The former demagogues the issue of water spinach. The latter opens phone lines to accused parties, providing them with the opportunity to defend themselves. Even the television networks these two talk show hosts work for are different. So are their viewers. If Li Tao were to shout "F**k your mother!" while stumping for a Blue Camp candidate, the very next day TVBS headquarters would be besieged by stone and egg throwing Green Camp masses. Its administration building would be vandalized beyond recognition. Li Tao would probably be unable to stay on. He was once forced to resign as general manager because a reporter under his charge made a mistake. By contrast, SET has turned Cheng Hung-yi into a political "designer label" and cash cow. No Blue Camp supporters have ever held mass protests outside SET headquarters. Li Tao and Cheng Hung-yi are media icons. They exemplify the vastly different styles, cultures, and value systems held by the Blue and Green camps.

These differences between the Blue and Green camps extend from media stars to the man in the street. They have a long history, and have already evolved into traditions. Twenty-five years ago today, on November 18, 1985, Wu Shu-chen was struck by a tractor driven by Chang Jung Choi. The collision was clearly an accident. But it was spun by Ah-Bian and Ah-Chen into a [KMT] political conspiracy. Ever since then, whenever Chen Shui-bian ran for political office, he would carry Wu Shu-chen onto the podium in his arms. Both the Democratic Progressive Party leadership and masses knew in their hearts of hearts that the alleged conspiracy was a lie. But together with Ah-Bian and Ah-Chen, they tacitly agreed to co-star in this charade, and eventually sent Chen Shui-bian into the Presidential Palace. Green camp leaders and followers alike engage in this game of self-deception. They distort reality and numb themselves to the truth. This distortion of reality and numbing oneself to the truth enabled Green Camp masses to swallow the 3/19 Shooting Hoax without question. It enabled Green Camp masses to pretend that bribe money was "earmarked for a nation-building fund." It enabled Green Camp masses to deny that the "Referendum to Join the UN" was merely a ploy by Chen Shui-bian to rally public sentiment in order to evade criminal prosecution. This Green Camp culture and tradition is the result of long practice. When Chen Chu engaged in smear tactics, alleging that "Huang Chun-ying has been caught engaging in bribery," it enabled Green Camp masses to consider Chen Chu's sleazy move as a "master stroke." It enabled Green Camp masses to pretend that Chen Chih-chung never solicited the services of a prostitute, but instead to depict him as an innocent victim and to "demand justice for him at the ballot box." Chuang Jui-jung raised a stink over water spinach and was seen as a hero. Cheng Hung-yi shouted "F**k you mother!" and was seen as a "God of War." Is this not bizarre beyond belief? Yet this style, this culture, this tradition, is what the Green Camp perceives as perfectly normal. In sum, this underscores the Green Camp's moral bankruptcy.

The problem confronting the Green Camp and the DPP is not merely that it advocates Taiwan independence, even though Taiwan independence is a dead end. It is not merely that it incites "ethnic" (communal group) hatred over the 2/28 Incident, even though 60 years of healing have already taken place. It is not merely that it hates [Mainland] China and opposes [Mainland] China, even though cross-Strait rapproachment is a fait accompli. The real problem confronting the DPP and the Green Camp is its moral bankruptcy.

The Green Camp's most serious problem is that its moral bankruptcy is not confined to Green camp leaders and talking heads, but has trickled down to its core supporters. Its leaders have resorted to immoral political ploys to retain the allegiance of their supporters. Its supporters have abandoned their moral bottom line in order to support their leaders. Cheng Hung-yi stands on the podium shouting "F**k your mother!" The masses in the audience shout "F**k your mother!" in enthusiastic response. This is a classic Green Camp scenario. This style, this culture, this tradition, means that the greatest threat the Green Camp and the DPP poses is no longer its advocacy of Taiwan independence, its attempts to divide society, and its attempts to undermine cross-Strait relations. Rather, the greatest threat the Green Camp and the DPP poses is its destruction of fundamental moral concepts, of integrity and conscience.

Without morality, there can be no nation. The Green Camp and the DPP already know they cannot establish a Nation of Taiwan. Yet they demand the annihilation of morality and honor on Taiwan. The Democratic Progressive Party's prospects in the five cities elections are good. It is all geared up to play the "Sacrifice Ma, Defend Taiwan" sympathy card. But do the Green Camp and the DPP intend to confront the moral bankruptcy that now plagues our nation?

The DPP's latest lie is its alleged "ability to govern" and "ability to execute policy." In fact the DPP's only real ability is its ability to manipulate the election process. The failure of its Taiwan independence demagoguery led to its moral bankruptcy. The failure of its "ethnic" (communal group) demagoguery led to its moral bankruptcy. The failure of its cross-Strait demagoguery also led to its moral bankruptcy.
Eight years of the DPP's alleged "ability to govern" and "ability to execute policy" ended in total fiasco, in preoccupation with political intrigue, and the thorough repudiation of DPP members' fundamental humanity. Even assuming the DPP wins the five cities elections, how will it confront the Green Camp's moral, cultural, and traditional bankruptcy? Without morality, without conscience, without a sense of right and wrong, without distinctions between what is true and what is false, whither one's "ability to govern?" Whither one's "ability to execute policy?"

道德崩潰是綠營的致命危機
【聯合報╱社論】 2010.11.18

台灣已是分裂成藍綠兩半的社會，而且這兩個板塊亦已逐漸形成截然不同的風格、文化、傳統與價值體系。

鄭弘儀與李濤兩位媒體人，也許可分別視為深綠與重藍的代表人物。鄭弘儀為綠營候選人站台，散播「陸生三萬」的政治謠言，以「幹X娘」挑激民眾情緒，台下群眾亦以「幹X娘」熱烈回應……。然而，無人能想像李濤會為任何候選人站台，也無法想像他會口出三字經，更無法想像藍營群眾會為他若口出三字經而癡狂回應。藍綠兩大板塊已經形成兩種風格、兩種文化、兩種傳統與兩種價值體系。

鄭弘儀與李濤不一樣。一個站台，一個不會；一個八卦節目及商業廣告滿檔，一個只在義務性公益廣告露面；一個八年挺陳水扁到底，一個批起來也叫馬政府頭皮發麻；一個大炒「空心菜」，一個現場開放當事人澄清專線……。而且，兩人工作的機構與支持的群眾也不一樣；如果是李濤在藍營候選人的台上「幹Ｘ娘」，第二天TVBS總部必遭綠營群眾石頭雞蛋砸得面目全非，李濤恐亦不可能再在TVBS立足（他曾因屬下記者犯錯而辭總經理職）；但三立仍將鄭弘儀當成政治商標及搖錢樹，且門口也未見藍營群眾示威抗議。從李濤及鄭弘儀二人，可以看出藍綠兩個板塊迥然而異的兩種風格、文化及價值體系。

這種從明星至群眾一條鞭的藍綠差異，其來有自，已經儼然形成一種傳統。吳淑珍在25年前的今天（1985年11月18日）被張榮財的鐵牛車撞傷致殘，明明是一意外事故，卻被扁珍操作成政治車禍；此後，陳水扁在競選場合將吳淑珍抱出抱進，民進黨領導階層及台下的群眾心中亦明知政治車禍是謊言，卻也心照不宣地與扁珍合演這個自欺欺人的大騙局，終將陳水扁送上了總統大位。這種領袖與群眾相互欺騙、相互麻醉的扭曲關係，也使綠營群眾對三一九槍擊案沒有質疑，對貪汙是為了「建國基金」佯作相信，更不願承認「入聯公投」只是陳水扁為了對抗司法在積蓄社會實力……。這種日積月累的綠營文化與傳統，使陳菊「黃俊英，賄選抓到了」的卑劣操作被視為高妙權謀，也使陳致中召妓仍叫嚷要「以選票來討回公道」；浸染所致，莊瑞雄大炒「空心菜」被視為英雄，鄭弘儀大罵「幹X娘」被視為戰神……。這些皆不是「千奇百怪」，而是被綠營視為理所當然的風格、文化、傳統及價值體系。歸納來說，這些實皆顯示了綠營的道德崩潰。

綠營及民進黨現在的問題，已不只在於主張台獨，因為台獨已絕無生路；亦不在挑唆二二八的族群仇恨，因為畢竟已經六十餘年的療傷止痛；亦不在仇中反中，因為兩岸關係已無可能反轉。民進黨與綠營真正的問題在於：道德崩潰。

更嚴重的問題是，這種道德崩潰，不止在綠營的領袖及名嘴階層，而是一路到了其主體支持群眾。領袖階層以不道德的政治操作來維繫群眾，群眾以揚棄道德底線來回應及支持其領袖。鄭弘儀在台上「幹Ｘ娘」，群眾在台下也以「幹X娘」熱烈回應，正是經典畫面。這種風格、文化及傳統，使得綠營及民進黨對台灣的威脅不再只是在操作台獨、撕裂社會、傷害兩岸關係，而是在從根本處摧毀了道德底線及廉恥觀念。

沒有道德，不成國家。綠營及民進黨已搞不成台灣國，卻要將台灣的道德底線及廉恥觀念摧殘淨盡。現在，民進黨在五都選舉情勢看好，儼然就要實現「棄馬保台」的悲情大願。但是，可否問綠營及民進黨：如何面對這種道德崩潰的國家悲劇？

新的謊言叫做「治理能力」與「執行力」。民進黨真正過人的能力，是在於操作選舉。但台獨的失敗，敗於道德崩潰；族群操作的失敗，敗於道德崩潰；兩岸關係操作的失敗，亦敗於道德崩潰；八年執政在「治理能力」及「執行力」上的慘敗，更是敗於「沉溺權謀／糟蹋人性」的道德崩潰……。那麼，即使民進黨這次能贏得五都選舉，將如何面對這個道德崩潰的綠營文化及傳統？無道德、無廉恥，無是非，無真偽，何來「治理能力」？何來「執行力」？