Podcasts are big in Taiwan, and when it comes to news and politics, there may be none supreme to Bilingual News. But the podcast found itself in the news this week after a video it published showing its presenters making a mockery of a traditional Indigenous dance sparked outrage.
Bilingual was started in 2015 by its two presenters, Ken and Kylie. Kylie did a masters in the United States while Ken did one in Shanghai, experiences that provided them with an international background. After the 2014 Sunflower Movement galvanized Taiwanese youth, the pair decided they should use their international background and English ability to create a podcast to inform politicized young people like themselves. The group’s humor and presenting style turned their venture into one of the most important independent media projects in Taiwan. Today they have over 180,000 followers on Facebook and 130,000 on Instagram.
But comedy sometimes comes at a cost. Last Saturday Kylie and Ken posted an image of them with two Indigenous friends purposely botching a traditional dance. This sparked outrage from many Indigenous people. Critics said the massive podcasters should be more careful with how they use their discourse power. They said that in today’s Taiwan, where the media is rife with mischaracterizations and stereotypes of Indigenous people, a group like Bilingual has the responsibility of explaining why they are making a mockery of traditional Indigenous culture.
But Ken didn’t accept this criticism. He said the dance came from his Indigenous friends, who were simply laughing at him and Kylie’s inability to do it correctly. He said they were choosing to be politically incorrect, which is their right as creative types.
It’s without a doubt that Bilingual didn’t mean to push stereotypes of Indigenous people. But this incident shows that a lack of dialogue continues to exist between different groups of people in Taiwan. That’s it for this week, join me again next week for another look at Taiwan’s movers and shakers.