Recollections:

Born in a democracy

For these three, born in 2009, voting is not a privilege for which they had to struggle, but has been part of life throughout their existence.

From voting for class president to student self-­government, the idea of majority rule has always been a part of their lives. Weng Shuochen shares a personal realization: “In the past it was hard to empathize with people living in places where there is no voting or where voting is pointless. It was only in fifth grade, when I saw the anti-­extradition ­movement in Hong Kong, that I truly understood what we have here.”

Learning about politics online

However, the freedom brought by democracy has also confused these students. Huang Qianhang wonders about the fact that whereas voting should be an expression of personal opinions, as polarization between the main parties worsens adults have used vote allocation to determine winners and losers, without caring about the views of voters who have other ideas.

Growing up in the internet age, social media platforms such as YouTube and Threads, along with internet memes, have been the entry points for their engagement with public affairs. Huang admits: “Trends catch on so fast online. When I was in primary school I saw the mass meme-ification of political figures. If I had had the right to vote back then, I would probably have just voted for whoever was funniest.”

CK Potpourri, the Chien Kuo High School student magazine, is the vehicle through which club members express themselves. They have covered issues from the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong in 2019 to Taiwan’s current political situation, in which the ruling party lacks a legislative majority.

The chaos of democracy

As we talk, the three young people periodically mention phrases like “venting,” “labeling,” and “all-or-nothing thinking.” Huang avers that these days the internet is a highly polarized space, and if you deviate even slightly from one side or the other, you are immediately classified as an enemy.

Meanwhile, Xie Shiyun worries about being labeled when trying to speak up. “What I’m trying to say just gets drowned out or distorted by other people’s irrationality.”

Xie Shiyun shows us clippings he saved and circulated among his classmates in primary school, covering issues that concerned him, including keyboard warriors and cyberbullying.

Is anyone listening?

Though they have yet to gain the right to vote, these high-school students are concerned about their voices being heard. The previous generation feared “being silenced,” but they fear “speaking out without anyone listening.”

Weng Shuochen says: “I care about whether what I say has any impact, and worry that if we constantly speak out without ever getting a response, over time people might come to feel that there’s no point in saying anything, and will lose the will to express themselves.”

Xie Shiyun suggests: “There’s a ton of freedom in the internet community, but very little tolerance. I care about whether what I say has any effect, but I am even more concerned about who is listening.”

Despite this, they have not given up on self-­expression. Weng personally experienced the joy of free speech on the streets when he took part in a gay pride parade for the first time. Meanwhile, Huang Qianhang states that although flame wars are exhausting, he is still willing to engage strangers in debates time after time. This is because he believes: “If one day everyone is ready to calm down a little and talk, perhaps the world will become a better place.”

This may well be how democracy appears to the younger generation today, 30 years after Taiwan’s first direct presidential election: They have no doubts about the value of freedom, but amidst the clamor of opinions they are striving to find more possibilities for dialogue and communication.

Weng Shuochen displays a ribbon he got when he joined a gay pride parade, recalling how moved he was by the joy of voicing his opinions freely in the streets.