Copyright, 2017
Indie DaDee

Indie DaDee

Noted social movement personality Indie DaDee was among the major participants of the Sunflower Movement

July 24, 2017
Daybreak Editor
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Noted social movement personality Indie DaDee (音地大帝) was among the major participants of the Sunflower Movement. DaDee, whose real name is Yao Ken-hsiang (姚茛翔), had previously been a major figure in Taiwan’s indie music scene, as one of the founders of the Spring Scream rock festival, and a longtime volunteer in the 4-5-6 Movement weekly demonstration against nuclear energy. DaDee also had a background deeply steeped in Taiwanese Internet culture, whether on Facebook or PTT, running a Facebook fanpage which oftentimes posted humorous political commentary

Indie DaDee is best known in the movement for the Big Bowel Blossom Forums (大腸花論壇), a pun on the characters for Sunflower Movement (太陽花運動). These were events in which individuals would be invited by DaDee in front of a crowd to drink and vent their frustrations, whether with the movement itself, the government, or otherwise. Anyone was allowed to participate in these and to speak their mind, leading to discussions sometimes touching on issues not directly related to the central demands of the movement, such as LGBTQ issues or indigenous issues, and participating by foreigners or other individuals. A notable incident would also be entertainer Cheng Chia-Chen (鄭佳甄), also known as “Chicken Cutlet Girl” (雞排妹) for her appearance in a chicken cutlet commercial and known for her pro-Taiwan stances, taking off her bra during the April 20th session of the Big Bowel Blossom Forum, something which led to sensationalist media coverage.

IndieDadee. Photo credit: IndieDaDee/Facebook

These appeared late in the movement, the first taking place on April 7th, and were widely watched online through livestreaming. The Big Bowel Blossom Forum on April 10th, for example, attracted 18,245 views in realtime and attracted a total of 222,801 views through the recording. The Big Bowel Blossom Forum on April 19th attracted a total of 16,854 views in realtime and 287,868 views through the recording. Big Bowel Blossom Forums continued to be held after the withdrawal from the Legislative Yuan for several months and, in April 2014, several Big Blossom Forums were organized in other parts of Taiwan outside Taipei without any direct involvement from Indie DaDee. Some of the Big Bowel Blossom Forums on April 9th and 10th borrowed space from the Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan.

The Big Bowel Blossom Forums allowed for a sense of emotional release, as well as criticism of the central leadership of the movement. Chen Wei-Ting and Lin Fei-Fan themselves participated in the Big Bowel Blossom Forums. Interestingly, seeing as the movement initially hoped to avoid overt talk of Taiwanese independence, the Big Bowel Blossom Forums had a large impact in shaping public perceptions of the movement as leaning towards Taiwanese independence close to the end of the movement.

 

Watch Recordings Of The Big Bowel Blossom Forums:

 

IndieDaDee during a Big Bowel Blossom Forum. Photo credit: IndieDaDee/YouTube