Ironic Living in Formosa
Not long after I turned 22, I boarded a flight from New York to Taipei. But unlike the trips of my childhood to the motherland, this was the first time going by myself. I had no idea what to expect, and nothing planned.
Graphics Engineer, Drummer, Global Wanderer, Gluttony Supreme, and Lifelong Autodidact.
Not long after I turned 22, I boarded a flight from New York to Taipei. But unlike the trips of my childhood to the motherland, this was the first time going by myself. I had no idea what to expect, and nothing planned.
On January 11th, 2020, Taiwan went to the polls to elect their next President and Legislature. In Taiwan’s short history as a democracy, this election was only the 7th presidential election that Taiwan has held, conducted after months of unrest in Hong Kong and an increasing trend of populism around the world. For us at the News Lens, we formed a small team of designers, engineers, and editors to build this year’s election tracker.
“I’m moving again….uh….I’m moving….to Taiwan……..”
Next to a stand of dragonfruit, durian, guavas, lychee, and mangosteen on the corner of Main Street and 41st Rd, a nondescript door presents itself in a drab, frosted white. Above the door the words “Golden Shopping Mall” appear in a golden sans-serif font, which are the only clues that through the door and down the stairs lie culinary gems of New York City.
On November 24th, Taiwan elections saw a resurgence of KMT (Kuomingtang, 國民黨) backed candidates, after a few years of nearly total control by the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party, 民進黨). The results came as a suprise to many people, even those who already expected this election to be a rebuke to president Tsai Ing-Wen’s (蔡英文) two years in power. On the ballot were the mayors for all cities in Taiwan, thousands of councillors, local representatives, and ten referendum questions.
Ignorance, the quality that we so despise in others, is not something any of us can ever claim to be without, no matter how broad or deep we’ve explored. We’re all ignorant.
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