志异 Draft by Drama box July 2014 (english) | Page 49

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in the movement’s changing demands. We
can delve into the reasons from at least
two perspectives. First, this is a fairly
common phenomenon in contemporary
societies marked by ‘the end
he
ote: On t
of history’ or ‘the
ditor’s N
2E
4 2014,
of April 2
end of ideology’,
morning
p of
ed a grou
particularly in the
lice evict
po
pied
that occu
otesters
colour revolutions
pr
–
ive Yuan
e Execut
th
of
that have occurred in
e branch
e executiv
th
he
former Third World
ment of t
e govern
th
ROC
authoritarian states,
f China (
epublic o
R
in which discourse
n).
or Taiwa
was woefully absent.
Second, the history of
Taiwanese student
movements, from the Wild Lily to the Wild
Strawberries and the Sunflower movements,
also has a genealogy of the absence of discourse.
Admittedly, it is common knowledge that
there is ‘no need’ for discourse when it comes
to resisting authoritarianism and fighting for
freedom, as is the case when fighting tyrants
and despots. But in Taiwan’s mainstream
discourse over the years, especially in its smug
comparison with Mainland China, has it not
already shed its authoritarian status? If so, why
does it continue to abandon all meaningful
discourse whenever a movement arises? Even
though a certain section of this movement had
stood in the margins and showed a measure
of progressiveness, but if they simply raise
the banner of ‘anti-neoliberalism’ to express
their views and hopes without offering any

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