TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A middle school student's award-winning cartoon has drawn criticism from some for appearing to downplay the importance of providing pedestrians with adequate right-of-way when walking on zebra crossings.
As part of the National Student Art Competition for the 2023 academic year, a student at Dongsing Junior High School in Taoyuan City won the Oustanding Award for the comic category, reported China Times. The content is based on the theme of pedestrians and is titled "Emperor's Clause."
The illustration depicts a pedestrian dressed as Emperor Qin Shi Huang sauntering on the zebra crossing as he tows his pet tortoise with a leash, while all manner of vehicles wait in agony for him to finish crossing. The piece appears to be a response to new traffic regulations that went into effect in June, which raised the maximum fine for motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians to NT$6,000.
This illustration caused dissatisfaction among netizens and pedestrian right-of-way groups, who left messages on the school's Facebook page to express their anger. Social media influencer Cheap called the cartoon "truly pathetic" and said that it is disheartening to see a work that vilifies Taiwanese pedestrians receive a national art award.
Cheap expressed concern about the portrayal of pedestrians who are already vulnerable in Taiwan. The influencer asked, "What is wrong with our education system?"
The principal of the school, Lin Chi-wen (林祺文) responded by saying the student's goal was to incorporate a social issue into the cartoon. After reading news reports describing the new traffic regulations as being overbearing with an "Overlord Clause," he was inspired to create the illustration.
However, Lin said the true meaning behind the student's work was simply to express the idea that both drivers and pedestrians should respect each other. Lin said that the student's meaning was that although the law protects pedestrians, it should not become a domineering clause.
Lin said the student's work was a personal creation, and the competition regulations required a supervising teacher, although, in reality, the art teacher's involvement was minimal. He expressed gratitude for the attention and constructive criticism from the public and said the school would promptly educate students and staff on correct traffic safety laws, respecting pedestrian rights, and yielding to pedestrians to ensure their safety.
