Is it the banks?

是銀行嗎？

Taiwan's housing crisis is absolutely disgusting.

臺灣的住房危機絕對令人作嘔。

It has some of the highest housing costs in the world while wages are among some of the lowest in advanced countries.

它的住房成本是世界上最高的，而工資卻是發達國家中最低的。

Meanwhile, rich people and politicians in Taiwan happily engage in speculation and hoarding at the expense of everyday working people.

與此同時，臺灣的富人和政客們卻樂此不疲地進行投機和囤積居奇，犧牲了普通勞動人民的利益。

Despite the insane prices, renters have no choice but to live in old, disgusting, tiny, cockroach-infested units in Taiwan's major cities.

儘管房價高得離譜，但在臺灣各大城市，租房者別無選擇，只能住在陳舊、噁心、狹小、蟑螂橫行的單元房裡。

Landlords have all the power and will routinely break the law by ignoring fire codes, installing cameras in private areas, and splitting houses into tiny units that they can still rent out for insane prices.

房東大權在握，他們經常違法亂紀，無視消防法規，在私人區域安裝攝像頭，將房屋分割成一個個小單元，然後以瘋狂的價格出租。

Government leaders have tried to pass laws and respond to this problem, but they have no real incentive to take action on this issue because oftentimes they are the ones who own multiple homes and engage in the very speculation that they're supposed to be fighting against.

政府領導人曾試圖通過法律來應對這一問題，但他們並沒有真正的動力在這一問題上採取行動，因為很多時候他們才是擁有多套住房並參與投機的人，而這正是他們應該打擊的。

And despite the crazy prices, over 1 million homes remain empty in Taiwan.

儘管房價瘋漲，但臺灣仍有超過 100 萬套房屋空置。

But will Taiwanese ever stand up and demand that rich people and the government be held accountable for this?

但是，臺灣人會站出來要求富人和政府為此負責嗎？

Probably not.

可能不會。

Or is it the greedy, dirty consumers?

還是貪婪骯髒的消費者？

In Taiwan, power and greed are the true face behind the idealistic facade of democracy.

在臺灣，權力和貪婪是民主理想主義表象背後的真實面目。

Because Taiwan's future is uncertain.

因為臺灣前途未卜。

Everyone is anxious and wants to take what they can while they can to increase their chances of survival.

每個人都很焦慮，都想趁現在能拿什麼就拿什麼，以增加自己的生存機會。

The goal for most is to get rich enough to send your family abroad in case of a Chinese invasion.

大多數人的目標是變得足夠富有，以便在中國入侵時把家人送到國外。

So anyone who tries to curb Taiwan's obsession with selfish greed and short-term profit is brutally crushed.

是以，任何試圖遏制臺灣對自私貪婪和短期利益的痴迷的人，都會被殘酷擊垮。

It reminds me of Aburo Arasaka who tried to change his family's company within but was ultimately killed.

這讓我想起了阿布羅-阿拉坂（Aburo Arasaka），他曾試圖改變家族企業的內部結構，但最終被殺。

In the face of rapacious power and greed, to be an agent of change is to jump naked into a pack of wolves.

面對貪婪的權力和貪慾，要想成為變革的推動者，就必須赤身裸體地跳入狼群。

You will be devoured.

你將被吞噬。

Who is to blame?

責任在誰？

Nobody knows.

沒人知道。

Nobody cares.

沒人在乎

We're all just suffering, aren't we?

我們都在受苦，不是嗎？

You go into Taipei, right?

你去了臺北，對嗎？

And you see abandoned building after abandoned building after abandoned building.

你會看到一棟又一棟廢棄的建築。

Empty place, empty place, empty place.

空地，空地，空地。

Yet then you go on 591 and you try to find a rental and there's nothing.

然而，當你走到 591 號公路上，試圖尋找租房時，卻一無所獲。

Nothing good anyway.

反正也不是什麼好東西。

Nothing good.

沒什麼好事

For 15k, you can get a tiny little prison cell infested with cockroaches, with old furniture, a dirty disgusting door, no window and if there is a window, the window just leads to another concrete building.

花 1.5 萬美元，你就能住進一間小小的牢房，裡面蟑螂成災，傢俱陳舊，門骯髒噁心，沒有窗戶，即使有窗戶，也只是通向另一棟水泥建築。

So it's not actually a window.

所以，它實際上不是一扇窗戶。

It's just, well, I guess it's a window.

我想這只是一扇窗戶。

It's a window to hell.

這是一扇通往地獄的窗戶。

And that's the situation in Taiwan.

這就是臺灣的情況。

My God, guys, I'm so excited.

天啊，夥計們，我太激動了。

I finally found an apartment in Taipei.

我終於在臺北找到了一套公寓。

It's only 20k.

只有 2 萬。

Look.

你看

I can live here in Taipei for 20k.

在臺北，我花 2 萬美元就能住在這裡。

So exciting.

太激動人心了

I found such a good deal.

我找到了這麼好的交易。

I can't wait to move in.

我等不及要搬進去了。

Yet people from outside of Taiwan will say, guess what?

然而，臺灣以外的人會說，你猜怎麼著？

It's worse in my country.

我國的情況更糟。

Go to Hong Kong.

去香港

Or even Taiwanese people will say, well, guess what?

甚至臺灣人會說，你猜怎麼著？

It's better than China.

比中國好

It's better than other countries.

這比其他國家要好。

Taiwan number one.

臺灣第一。

Shut your mouth.

閉上你的嘴

Stop complaining.

別再抱怨了

If you don't like it, get out of Taiwan.

如果不喜歡，就離開臺灣。

Taiwan swimming cap.

臺灣泳帽

If you don't like it, just go back.

如果你不喜歡，就回去吧。

Taiwan swimming cap.

臺灣泳帽

If you don't like it, stupid foreigner, then just go back.

如果你不喜歡，愚蠢的外國人，那就回去吧。

Back.

後退

Back.

後退

Back.

後退

Back.

後退

Fair enough.

有道理。

I choose to live in Taiwan.

我選擇在臺灣生活。

Does that mean that I should just accept it?

這是否意味著我應該接受它？

Does that mean I should just not speak out against this ridiculous real estate speculation problem in Taiwan?

這是否意味著我不應該對臺灣荒謬的房地產投機問題發表意見？

People in Taiwan use real estate, as they do in many other places, to hoard and preserve and create wealth.

與許多其他地方的人一樣，臺灣人利用房地產囤積、保存和創造財富。

Right?

對不對？

But when we start talking about five houses, ten houses, housing as a business, where young people are never in their lives given Taiwan's salary, going to actually be able to afford housing?

但是，當我們開始談論五套房子、十套房子，把住房作為一項事業時，年輕人一輩子都不可能以臺灣人的工資真正買得起房？

Come on, man.

來吧，夥計。

Come on.

來吧

What are we doing?

我們在做什麼？

What is the role of the government when it comes to this housing situation?

政府在住房問題上扮演什麼角色？

Is the role of the government to simply protect wealth and maintain order and make sure that no one rises against the government?

政府的職責僅僅是保護財富、維持秩序、確保無人反抗政府嗎？

Especially when they've been disenfranchised and they've been suffering from low wages for far too long, and they don't really see a good future for themselves?

尤其是當他們被剝奪了權利，長期以來一直忍受著低工資的煎熬，他們真的看不到自己的美好未來嗎？

Is that what the government is these days?

這就是現在的政府嗎？

Because in my opinion, I thought that the government existed to not only preserve order, but to facilitate moral values.

因為在我看來，我認為政府的存在不僅是為了維護秩序，更是為了促進道德價值觀。

To give people hope.

給人們帶來希望

To accept the assertion that everyone is entitled to a certain amount of dignity and the government should do its absolute best to give people a fair and free opportunity to reach their full potential and to get things in life that provide them with meaning.

接受這樣的主張，即每個人都有權享有一定的尊嚴，政府應盡最大努力給予人們公平自由的機會，讓他們充分發揮自己的潛能，獲得有意義的生活。

Such as housing, a family, and children.

比如住房、家庭和孩子。

But does that really exist in Taiwan?

但是，臺灣真的存在這種情況嗎？

So it really calls into question a lot of things.

是以，這確實讓人對很多事情產生了疑問。

And I have friends who have said that Taiwan is probably going to have a revolution over this housing crisis.

我有朋友說，臺灣很可能會因為這場住房危機而發生一場革命。

And I can definitely see why.

我完全明白為什麼。

But let me know what your thoughts are.

不過，請告訴我你們的想法。

Taiwan is an end-stage capitalist dystopia.

臺灣是一個末期資本主義的烏托邦。

In many ways, literal hell on earth.

在許多方面，這裡簡直就是人間地獄。

Because at least in other poor countries, most folks are suffering equally.

因為至少在其他貧窮國家，大多數人都在遭受同樣的苦難。

But in Taiwan, the kings and queens of capitalism are free to run around in their Porsches, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis taunting the rest of society.

但在臺灣，資本主義的國王和王后們卻可以開著他們的保時捷、蘭博基尼和瑪莎拉蒂自由馳騁，嘲弄社會上的其他人。

And the false idea of hope pervades everyone's mind, leading them to betray their peers at the first chance they get to improve their lives.

每個人心中都瀰漫著虛假的希望，導致他們一有改善生活的機會就背叛同伴。

This means that workers will never mount meaningful resistance in the face of disgustingly low wages.

這就意味著，面對令人作嘔的低工資，工人們永遠不會發起有意義的反抗。

Tenants will never stop paying their rents in order to curb parasitic real estate speculation.

租戶絕不會為了遏制寄生的房地產投機而停止支付租金。

And Taiwanese brains will never abandon the dogma of respecting authority and tradition, even as both of these things boil them alive in the sweltering Taipei heat.

臺灣人的大腦永遠不會放棄尊重權威和傳統的教條，即使這兩樣東西在酷熱的臺北讓他們沸騰。

And it's not only the poor who suffer from this.

不僅是窮人深受其害。

The rich in Taiwan indulge in lavish lives of decadence that look fun and cool from the outside.

臺灣的富人過著奢華頹廢的生活，從外表上看，他們的生活充滿樂趣和酷感。

But inside, they suffer.

但他們的內心卻是痛苦的。

Just as all societies enslaved by bankrupt market values suffer, we sacrifice truth and beauty for security and comfort, and do our best to beat down and silence the inner voice that calls upon us to speak the truth, fight for justice, or love one another.

正如所有被破產的市場價值觀所奴役的社會所遭受的痛苦一樣，我們為了安全和舒適而犧牲了真善美，竭盡全力打壓和壓制呼喚我們說出真相、為正義而戰或彼此相愛的內心聲音。

This is the true face of Taiwan, a society caught in a vice grip with no future.

這就是臺灣的真實面貌，一個陷入困境、沒有未來的社會。

And the surface-level politeness serves as a sad veneer, a feeble attempt at hiding the brokenness within.

而表面上的禮貌只是一種悲哀的掩飾，一種試圖掩蓋內心破碎的無力嘗試。

Like a mother and father who hate each other but begrudgingly clasp their cold dead hands together in front of the children, the only way out of this hell would be sustained movements of peaceful mass resistance that demand redistribution of wealth, an end to real estate speculation, and comprehensive labor reform.

就像一對互相憎恨卻又在孩子面前勉強握緊冰冷雙手的父母一樣，走出地獄的唯一辦法就是持續開展和平的民眾抵抗運動，要求重新分配財富、結束房地產投機和全面的勞動改革。

But this will never happen.

但這永遠不會發生。

So if you want to picture the future for Taiwan, who refuses to and will never reform its system of crony corporate oligarchic capitalism and political buffoonery, look no further than the words of George Orwell who said, If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot, stamping on a dead face, forever.

喬治-奧威爾說過："如果你想描繪未來，就想象一隻靴子，永遠踩在一張死人臉上。"如果你想描繪臺灣的未來，臺灣拒絕也永遠不會改革其裙帶企業寡頭資本主義和政治小丑制度。