ABSTRACT
There are two prevalent myths about Taiwan’s working class that shape its public understanding. First, Taiwanese workers were traditionally docile, hard-working, frugal, and risk-taking, and these cultural traits laid the foundation for the postwar economic “miracle.” During the high-growth era from the 1960s to the mid-1980s, the conspicuous absence of labor unrest and the existence of vibrant medium-and-small enterprises, whose bosses often hailed from so-called “black hand” laborer backgrounds, were seen as an emanation of these deeply-rooted cultural virtues. Second, as Taiwan’s economic performance seemed to lose its luster in the new millennium, an analogous view laid blame on younger workers who were often characterized as the “strawberry generation” for their inability to endure hardship. They were faulted for their penchant to open a coffee shop rather than to engage in entrepreneurial activities. It was believed material comfort had “corrupted” the younger generation by making them inward looking and less competitive – the very source of the contemporary economic malaise.
