1984 vs. 老天有眼 (chop suey)

In the novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” George Orwell depicts a fictional world where the ubiquitous telescreen (transceiving television set) monitors the private and public lives of the populace. The landscape is adorned with posters of the Party leader, Big Brother, bearing the caption “BIG BROGHER IS WATCHING YOU.”

When Orwell composed the novel, it was supposed to be a political sarcasm and the world, a fictional dystopia. He may not have expected that this world full of “eyes” had somehow been seen in today’s Taiwan in some way.

The much discussed Makiyo incident is a proof.

Makiyo, a half-Taiwanese, half-Japanese entertainer of 27, took a taxi with a Japanese man 友寄隆輝and two other female entertainers in Taipei after drinking. After arguing with the driver for refusing to buckle up, the group got off the taxi. 友寄隆輝and Makiyo beat up the driver and kicked him in the head before they left by another taxi, leaving the wounded driver alone on the ground.

When the incident was revealed, Makiyo had a press reference and gave a version of this incident, which was proved to be full of lies after a recording from a taxi driver’s event data recorder was disclosed. The group was slammed by the society for their violence and lies.

In the past when there was no surveillance or EDR as today, when things like this had happened and you had different versions about an incident, which is called 羅生門(luo2 shen men2), Rashomon, a film based on two stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, all you could count on was reliable witnesses, or God to show the truth.

As a result, when a puzzle is resolved and the justice is done, people will always say老天有眼(lao3 tian you3 yan3) , literally meaning God has eyes. Whatever you do, God is watching you. Like what is in the novel, “BIG BROGHER IS WATCHING YOU.” Or what Taiwanese often say 舉頭三尺有神明(ju3 tou2 san chi3 you3 shen2 ming2), Above your head God is watching you.

羅生門=罗生门

舉頭三尺有神明=举头三尺有神明