Chapter 7 Random Thoughts After Listening to a Speech

By chance, I heard a speech by the famous Taiwanese female writer Long Yingtai.The topic of her speech is: Thoughts on Literati's Participation in Politics. The first thing that came to mind was how time flies.Long Yingtai is a writer I like, and I have bought a bunch of her books one after another.Later, I saw the news that she was appointed as the cultural director was reported vigorously in the newspapers.After that, the turmoil in the newspaper gradually calmed down.As a reader, she seems to be out of sight.Now, seeing Long Yingtai as a writer again, and hearing her talk about her experience as an official in person, I didn't notice her change of identity. In fact, it took three and a half years.

Indeed, much longer than I felt.I used to judge others by myself, and I expected that she was just "playing tickets" and would leave after "playing" for a year or so.Unexpectedly, she was a far more serious person, and she still had a lot of regrets in her heart when she left.She was telling the truth: In fact, many things have just begun, but not finished. Long Yingtai said that he walked into a paradox at the beginning.She defines an intellectual as someone who holds an independent critical stance outside the system.However, as a well-known intellectual, she entered the system and "became an official".Her understanding of herself was that the moment she walked in, she had to temporarily give up her position as an "intellectual" and become a complete "official" during this period of time.Although she also mentioned how unfamiliar she was with the bureaucratic system and how underestimated the difficulties she might encounter at work.However, she just walked in completely like this—one went for three and a half years.

The reason why Long Yingtai’s experience as a literati participating in politics is interesting is that although she temporarily gave up her identity and critical stance as a literati when she entered the officialdom, she still carried the ideals and considerations of a literati, and brought her Observation and thinking habits come into this operation framework.And this operating framework is an untried practice.On the one hand, she is doing her best to build the cultural cause of her hometown that she loves brick by brick. On the other hand, she is also considering the operation of this system.

When a system has not been implemented, we will naturally abstract and idealize it.We will have no time to discuss the difficulties and perplexities of the specific operation of this system, especially such a system transplanted from foreign cultures; we will feel that all these difficulties are still far away, and even feel that it is a waste of interest to study so carefully.However, this kind of abstraction and idealization can also easily lead to simplification, making people expect too much, be at a loss when they really face the complexity of system operation, and even turn to its opposite due to excessive disappointment.

Therefore, it is really a rare opportunity for a writer with a keen eye to go deep into the operation center of a system and then come out to talk about his own feelings.So, what did Long Yingtai see?Her biggest experience is: after Taiwan is freed from the original autocratic system, the original historical and cultural inertia will still imprison people's hearts, making it a long and difficult journey to achieve the goal. I was deeply touched myself.Not only because we have common cultural roots, but also because we have all experienced a transformation from a purely cultural discussion to an institution-building discussion.We and some friends once felt that the discussions among Chinese people were always going around in circles on the "metaphysics", but few people cared about the "metaphysics" at the system level. Therefore, we tried to introduce the birthplace of the system at the system level. and thinking.When we finally touch on the root of institutional evolution, we can see in turn that the emergence of this institutional thinking is inseparable from people from different cultures and different thinking habits.In this heterogeneous culture, what can be felt from time to time on the surface is the instinctive self-mockery and self-mockery of oneself, rather than the demandingness of others; this cultural character comes from a deep awe and self-reflection spirit .It is this spirit, the accompanying respect for others, and the humorous ability that has become a national character, that produce and relatively smoothly maintain such a tolerant system that allows a few people who are different from themselves to have living space.Today, Long Yingtai is in a culture similar to ours, and is confirming it with his personal experience of specific operations.

Long Yingtai told us some interesting stories.For example, shortly after she took office, she encountered the death of an elder of a "member" in Taipei.She was surprised to find that in such a situation in Taiwan, the mayor had to take thirty or so chief executives under him, including the head of the cultural bureau like Long Yingtai, to the house of the "senator" to express their condolences and bow.For Long Yingtai who has lived overseas for a long time, this is of course an incredible thing.The cause of the matter is actually due to the "democratic system".Because of the separation of the three powers, any proposals put forward by the municipal administrative branch to complete a practical matter must be passed by the parliament before it can be enacted into a bill and the administrative branch has the legal executive power.Therefore, what the executive branch is most afraid of is the veto and obstruction of the parliament.Therefore, it was "natural" that the executive branch tried its best to curry favor with the congressmen.In Taiwan, the etiquette of traditional culture is still well preserved.Weddings and funerals are important events in life and family, and it is human nature for virtuous people to come to present gifts.This not only shows a very positive aspect of maintaining common sense and common sense in society, but also becomes a morbid spectacle in the operation of the system because of its distorted meaning.

Just because Long Yingtai used to be a writer, although she temporarily gave up her critical pen because she entered the system, she did not abandon the soul of a writer. The wildfire is still burning at this moment, but it is in her heart.Therefore, when other officials felt that they had no choice, she stopped and felt that this was not a matter of course.I think, if Lung Ying-tai is still a writer living far away overseas today, she only needs to write and criticize.But at that time, she was not only standing within the system, but also standing on the land of her fathers and villagers.What she has to face is not only the bad habits of ambiguous expressions, but also the lingering and unspeakable sophistication of the world.Therefore, it is not as easy as judging right from wrong based on reason.

In the end, Long Yingtai still chose not to go because of the author's ideas.She said that if she chooses not to go, she will stick to it to the end, and she will not go to similar occasions of any "members" in the future.So what about the next result?Long Yingtai said that she felt that she would bear more pressure because of this.For example, the "senator" once specifically consulted the call number records of all Long Yingtai's phone calls to check whether she was "using power for personal gain".But not only did not find out the problem, but also discovered that Long Yingtai had handed over several phone numbers to the secretary since the beginning of her arrival. These are her relatives and friends, and all calls to these numbers were paid by her personally. .In other words, Long Yingtai felt that if she insisted on her ideas, she must be more honest and able to withstand the supervision of the legislative branch representing the people.

Hearing this, I also thought that the city councilor's investigation of Long Yingtai's phone records can be said to be Long Yingtai's refusal to follow the old habit of city administrators to curry favor with councilors, thus attracting harsh demands; exercise supervisory powers. As long as things are within their normal sphere of responsibility, you often cannot blame their motives.Therefore, I also thought, are other administrative officials just unwilling to bear the extra pressure on personal integrity, or are they more afraid of encountering "unexplainable" difficulties at work?As Lung Ying-tai said that day, in order to hold the "Taiwan International Poetry Festival", she had to visit the offices of city "members" one after another, explaining to them the reasons for her idea over and over again, and perhaps even to some "members" Explain "What is Poetry",

"What is a poetry festival", "Why do you spend so much money to hold a poetry festival", because without the approval of the parliament, she can't do such a great thing. So, listening to the speech that day, I really wanted to ask a question: There is an upper and lower limit to the work support of the executive branch.As long as it is within this range, even if there is news supervision, there will often be some selfish but high-sounding obstruction.Then, if you know that at the level of the local councilors at that time, the consequence of your maverick is not only that you have to bear personal pressure, but also that your ideal of building a city’s cultural structure will be frustrated.In other words, what you pay will be the price of harming the public interest.Under such circumstances, will you still insist on your "not following the conventions"?Do you still have the confidence that you are morally right not to conform?

I know, this is almost a dilemma.In a democratic society, such problems often arise.In fact, this is the price that "democracy" often pays.Democracies are often even inefficient because the oversight process itself erodes efficiency.Then, if the quality of citizens and elites in a society is low, if a society lacks dedication and strict professional ethics traditions, if a society is accustomed to fighting openly and secretly but lacks the custom of tolerance, coexistence, and hand in hand, if a society People in society are not used to humility and self-examination, and have never been in awe. The road it is taking is much more difficult.Because the evolution of the system is synchronized with the evolution of people, the system is just a tree that grows naturally from this soil.And on a field where other trees are being tried to be transplanted, there is still work to be done to improve the soil.This kind of improvement should start from the fairy tale books that children read, and from everyone themselves.Otherwise, wildfires are easy to break out, but it is difficult to live the tree of democracy. So, did Long Yingtai, who once struggled through operational difficulties, shake his faith?I was deeply moved by her words.Long Yingtai said that people often criticize and ridicule Taiwan's "parliament" for fighting, pulling hair and throwing bottles.However, she herself was born in 1952. In the year she was born, news like this would appear in Taiwanese newspapers every now and then, "Today there are three (or five) bandits and spies who are under the law."She had personally experienced the years of Taiwan's autocracy, and saw her friends disappear for no reason, and after 20 years, she came out, but she was already insane.Therefore, she believes that no matter how you fight, it is better than tyranny. Long Yingtai also mentioned that she suddenly became a cultural director from a writer.The "power" in the hand often appears in the form of "money".Holding the money in her hand and seeing an old lady selling vegetables, she will think, the money in my hand also has a share of the old lady's taxes.If I build a project without serious investigation, if the project I build is wrong, then the concert hall I decide to build may just raise mosquitoes there, and how can it be worthy of the hard-earned money that the people put into my hands.In addition to being cautious about money, Long Yingtai is also trying to establish some systems to create a contractual relationship between corporate donors and cultural projects. Keep going. Long Yingtai's fear of "quan" has even continued to this day.Today, when she leaves the "system" and returns to the status of an independent writer, she said that she still has such doubts, is the "pen" in her hand lighter than "quan"?When you write something, you don't even know what it will lead to.If you use the pen improperly, it may also cause harm that you cannot see.In this sense, Lung Ying-tai today feels that he should take his written words more seriously than before.It will lead to such introspection, perhaps something that Long Yingtai never thought of before he "became an official". I couldn't help thinking that for Long Yingtai, it might be easier to maintain a high-spirited image by sticking to the position of an "intellectual".And she entered the system to "become an official" because she saw that the detailed cultural construction work needs to be done by someone.Such a step into the "system", how much effort it takes to make progress bit by bit, only she can understand.I myself have rarely thought so deeply before that as a literary critic outside the system, there is actually an easier and more relaxed side, so maybe there is no reason to underestimate the many people who are in the system and engaged in constructive work. , People who promote gradual reforms. Most of them are unknown or even misunderstood.However, if there are no people who work silently on a piece of land that needs to be improved, but only those who burn wildfires, then when spring comes, it may not be possible to grow healthy and plump saplings quickly.