One of the most widely followed news stories in the Republic of China is taking place right here in Overland Park, according to today’s KC Star. It demonstrates a shortcoming of Confucianism as it is practiced, in that falling outside of the 5 relationships sometimes gets used as rationalization for treatment most of us wouldn’t consider humane:
Prosecutors charged Liu, 64, last week with fraud in foreign labor contracting. Authorities alleged that Liu brought a housekeeper from the Philippines, took her passport, stole her wages, threatened her with deportation and kept her in virtual isolation in Liu’s Overland Park home.
Stories like this regarding the treatment of “guest workers” got a lot of news coverage when I lived in the ROC. I’m not saying such abuse was common (I don’t know), but that it reflected a tension between theory and practice that the majority of the population recognized as immoral. Keep in mind news coverage can be a misleading test the prevalence of an issue, and can indicate a moral outrage: lest the disturbing case Mr. Ratigan, the hopefully soon-to-be-defrocked priest from the Kansas City area – also page one today – and the scandal at Penn State be used to judge American values.
I have first and second hand experience being required by employers and authorities to sacrifice a passport when I worked and traveled abroad. I had friends who worked for a school that kept their passports as a condition of employment, and it is a subtle and powerful method of control. When it was done to me or my friends it seemed sinister, but it is frequent practice with foreigners in Taiwan. At least those who don’t have the power to fight it – particularly guest workers from Thailand or the Philippines.
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/16/3269562/representative-of-taiwan-seeks.html#ixzz1dyRPrPMk
Edit: Stu Schafer notes that the Maoist CCP considered Confucius a defender of slavery – and cited a book at google books.
