The comparison of civil society and public opinion environment in South Korea and Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Europe, America and other places

Korean Progressivism in Comparison with Other Countries and Regions

The dynamism of Korean progressivism is not only reflected in itself, but also in comparison with other countries and regions. Not to mention China without democracy and the rule of law, civil society, and political freedom, and other developed democratic countries and regions can hardly look back on South Korea.

In Japan, which is separated from South Korea by a sea and belongs to the East Asian cultural circle, politics is actually a backwater. Although the prime minister changes frequently, and there are many scandals who "fall off the horse", people have become accustomed to it, and there will be no fundamental turmoil in politics. The right-wing Liberal Democratic Party It is still the "10,000-year ruling party" that has been in power for a long time. The civic movement in Japan was calm (of course, there was a lot of riots in the 1960s and 1970s, but it has long since stopped), the people were dissatisfied with the government but submissive, and did not have a strong mentality of resistance. Freedom under order is both calm and powerless. Although Japanese films are not lacking in depth, they are more inclined to aesthetics and philosophical expressions, and instead downplay their realistic criticism. When people see those movies, they will only have some profound but illusory emotions, and they cannot directly connect with reality and have a strong impulse to change reality. To put it bluntly, this kind of art is the spiritual entertainment of the upper class and intellectuals, and the suffering of the common people and history is nothing but a cocktail and lubricating oil to enrich their spiritual life. In addition, Japan not only failed to fully reflect on and make up for the monstrous sins it created in history, but also decorated and missed it in every possible way. This is also a kind of retribution).

The more contrasting one is Taiwan. Taiwan and South Korea also belong to the same East Asian cultural circle, and their histories are very similar. Both have experienced the colonial era, right-wing dictatorship and democratic transformation, and their economic levels are similar. However, the political style, civic temperament, and social atmosphere of Taiwan and South Korea are completely different and even obviously opposite. Although Taiwan's various political and social problems are not necessarily less and less serious than those in South Korea, such as the proliferation of black money politics and the delay of transitional justice. But the response of Taiwanese was very different from that of South Korea. Taiwan's politics and civic movement are seriously playful, and the sense of justice and mission from officials to ordinary citizens is poor. In other words, they also seem to attach great importance to rights and freedoms. On the surface, it seems that various political struggles and civic movements are no less than that of South Korea, but they have no real "heart". The public opinion environment is even more so. How serious are Taiwan's political opinion programs? The difference between literary film and television is most obvious from that of South Korea. Not only are there few excellent film and television works that reflect history and reality, but those few are only superficial and superficial. In addition to reflecting some appearances, "Taiwan Betrayed" has directly shown the complex political game and the darkness inside the autocratic machine? Even the description of the underworld has obvious reservations and whitewashing. "The Distance Between Us and Evil" seems to be very deep and touches the edge of society, but in fact, it covers up the injustice of the social structure and the ugliness of human nature with family affection and personal joys and sorrows (this is quite similar to mainland film and television dramas). Taiwan's characteristic is "small luck", lack of interest in profound and grand things, and unwilling to face the darkest and cruelest side of society and human nature, so it is unable to develop a sense of arrogance and uprightness, and a sense of family and country for the common good. . Behind this is Taiwan, on the one hand, estranged from mainland China and abandoned the broad Chinese culture and national spirit, and on the other hand, failed to shape its own core values and ethnic temperament (or the current situation is the value and temperament), resulting in The lack of national spirit and the weakness of the source of fundamental ideas.

Hong Kong before the end of the anti-amendment movement is also a comparable object. Due to its special geographical location and historical origin, Hong Kong has produced a relatively unique political culture, ideological movement and civil society. On the one hand, the political movement in Hong Kong is quite spectacular, the social ideology is complex and diverse, and the citizens, especially the intellectuals, have strong political vitality; on the other hand, the common people in Hong Kong are relatively indifferent to politics in daily life, and they are more concerned about people's livelihood issues than civil rights issues. This is obviously due to the narrow land and dense population in Hong Kong and the high pressure of life. And because Hong Kong is close to the mainland and is greatly influenced by the mainland, Hong Kong politics is always closely related to the politics of mainland China. The interests of Hong Kong people are also strongly related to the interests of mainland China and mainlanders. There is mutual dependence and utilization, and competition, confrontation and exclusion. With the intensification of the land-Hong Kong conflict, the political mainstream of Hong Kong has gradually changed from the "bridgehead of greater China's democracy" to the "pioneer of local self-determination". The nativist and separatist advocates have overwhelmed the demands for social justice and the improvement of civil rights and people's livelihood. The political atmosphere become extreme and deformed. Even if there is no comprehensive clearing and the promulgation of the National Security Law, Hong Kong's political activities and ideological movements have lost their justice and fraternity, and run counter to the progress of civilization.

The political process, civic movement, and literary and artistic expression of European and American countries are also magnificent, but they have entered a relatively tired state, or their various progressive and critical movements and expressions are gradually released in different stages of history. There is no such concentrated and strong expression and action in South Korea due to the late development of democracy, heavy history, dramatic transformation, and a large gap between ideal and reality. Of course, there are far more movies and TV dramas in Europe and the United States that reflect the dark side of the system, human nature, and society than in South Korea, but in terms of only reflecting the dark side in a realistic way, except for a few classics that are difficult to surpass, most of the works are not as good as those in South Korea. Typical work.

In other countries, such as Singapore, which is the same developed country as South Korea and also influenced by Chinese culture, its politics has not been fully democratized, its political freedom and civil society are not sound, and its values are also affected by the system, culture, historical experience and international environment. Repressed and restricted. Singapore's most important consideration is to survive surrounded by alien pagan religions, stability and people's livelihood, and justice and mission have been shelved intentionally or unintentionally.

The vast majority of developing countries are still trapped in some basic survival and development, and cannot seek truth and pursue justice by standards like South Korea. There are countless vicious rapes in India, Cambodian children are caught as prostitutes, Nigeria is full of corruption, Mexico is mired in violence and drugs... When more tragic tragedies are common, those that are objectively serious but better than the more tragic are also It will naturally lose the possibility and legitimacy of being focused, unless it is deliberately pushed to the focus of public opinion by some forces. They are not yet equipped to pursue those higher and deeper justices. (Of course, in fact, political changes, civic movements, and public opinion expressions in these countries are also very intense. However, due to their limited development stage, they cannot have the same or even milder resistance in South Korea. The influence and attention )

The greatness of Korea, the United States and all sincere and upright progressives in the world and the significance of their struggle and exploration

As a result, the radical, courageous, profound, introspection and self-discipline of South Korean progressiveism is extremely prominent. This is caused not only by various objective factors, but also by the subjective initiative of people based on conscience. From politicians like Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in, and Park Won-soon, to artists like Lim Kwon-taek, Bong Joon-ho, Kim Ki-duk, and Kim Bing-woo, to protesters like Yoon Sang-won, Jeon Tae-il, Kwon In-sook, Shen Sang-seo, and thousands of others Wan's people with lofty ideals and ordinary citizens, the struggle, cry and sacrifice of the progressive forces in South Korea not only fully interprets "man-made things", but also shows the limitations of the times, the complexity of society and the helplessness of people's hearts. (Of course I'm not saying that people like Roh Moo-hyun and Park Won-soon are perfect great men and heroes, and saying that would also hurt the victims of their crimes. I'm just saying that they are only partially great, and they refuse to smear the victims but plead guilty and even Suicide, although not worthy of greatness, has already subverted the law or paid the price. At least in this day and age, it is still worthy of admiration. At the same time, it does not affect my sympathy for the victim)

Korean progressives have paid a heavy price for their exploration and pursuit of moral politics and a just society. Instead, they have caused some backlash and setbacks, but this kind of exploration and pursuit should be fundamentally affirmed. Just as the French Revolution paid a greater price, many revolutionaries also died by the guillotine, but the world will never be the same. Their sacrifices are worthwhile. They are "dead people" who died "with great plans". They are not only heroes of their own nation, but will also be engraved on the credit book of human history forever. It is even said that the punishments and sufferings suffered by their opponents who are not completely broken, those conservatives who have fallen on the road to justice, are equally valuable and meritorious. Just like the Girondins, royalists and aristocrats in the French Revolution, and the Jacobins and the revolutionary people are equally worthy of respect, King Louis XVI and his wife also deserve to die, "because the republic must live." South Korea's Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Park Geun-hye, Lee Myung-bak, and all those who paid the price behind them and below are also victims in the process of progress. Although they are bad, they are already "good" compared to those with vested interests in various countries who completely defy the wheel of history, have no bottom line, go unpunished, and even grieve for life and death. After all, they have achieved greatness together with the progressives. change, and promote the advancement of the nation, the nation and the human society.

What progressives in South Korea and the United States advocate and practice, although it is difficult to achieve a complete victory at the utilitarian level and even lead to backlash and regression, the actual success or failure (including the success or failure of the ideal itself) is worrying, but it is pitiful. , His will is commendable. Humanity has experienced long and dark nights, and although people from the 17th to 21st centuries have not fully seen the sunrise, they have ushered in a dawn full of hope. However, this is only the dawn of some people, while many more people are still in the dark, and even for some people, the dawn of others is just their own darkness. So we need to achieve not only justice for some and justice for the mainstream and the majority, but also justice for all and full justice for all and for everything in the world. At that time, all logical inconsistencies and dishonesty will disappear, all problems and matters can be properly handled according to their own merits, and everyone can get material and spiritual that match their efforts and their virtues. income.