What Changed About The Social Atmosphere In Taiwan After The Sunflower Movement?

What Changed About The Social Atmosphere In Taiwan After The Sunflower Movement?

Although difficult to quantify, many report that Taiwan's social atmosphere changed after the Sunflower Movement

Although difficult to quantify, many report that Taiwan’s social atmosphere changed after the Sunflower Movement. No longer did the situation feel so hopeless, as though the KMT was on the edge of permanently achieving the unification of Taiwan and China. Accordingly, social incidents which necessitated rapid mobilization decreased after the Sunflower Movement.

Many others also report that stigmatization of discussing political issues among young people decreased and that it was no longer so taboo to speak of issues such as Taiwanese independence. Perhaps, then, one of the results of the Sunflower Movement was the politicization of a new generation of Taiwanese young people and the destigmatization of discussing issues such as Taiwanese independence. Notably, much of these perceptions of the movement as pro-Taiwanese independence only actually crystallized near the tail end of the movement, but these were lasting impressions that shaped how the movement is remembered.

 

Photo credit: Abby Chen/Flickr/CC