"An Shit Rebellion" may be the last straw that overwhelmed Tsai Ing-wen
In ancient times, Luoyang paper was expensive, but now there are toilet paper rushes to buy. The general impression of buying daily necessities is that it occurs in economically underdeveloped countries and regions, but unexpectedly, this scene will also be staged in economically developed Taiwan.
Toilet paper zombie buying wave
According to Taiwan media reports, due to the rise in toilet paper prices by 10-30%, Taiwan has exploded in a wave of toilet paper rush to buy toilet paper across the island. Since toilet paper mainly solves the problem of grain reincarnation, netizens jokingly call this toilet paper chaos an unswerving chaos.
Taiwanese people are rushing to buy and hoard, and toilet paper in many stores and stores is sold out in seconds as soon as it is put on the shelves. People who can't buy it complained a lot, and store operators said that the sales volume of toilet paper is about 6-10 times that of normal.
The people who rushed to buy toilet paper in various stores almost all carry boxes and boxes. Many people bought 3 or 4 boxes in one go, and many stores did not have time to replenish the goods, so that the people unpacked the goods themselves. People used bicycles, Mercedes-Benz and even trucks to participate in the rush to buy toilet paper. It can be said that rushing to buy toilet paper has become a sport across the island. So much so that the greetings when people met became: Have you snatched toilet paper?
The toilet paper rush to buy Taiwan was jokingly called by Taiwanese media person Qiu Mingyu. Zombies refer to losing their minds, as if they don’t need money, rob, move, and don’t need money. Everyone has a car. Not only can you buy it in physical stores, but you can’t buy it online.
Not only can ordinary people not buy toilet paper, but it is difficult for Taiwanese public opinion representatives to buy toilet paper, because the toilet paper in supermarkets in Taiwan’s legislative bodies has also been stolen.
Taiwan’s incident of snatching toilet paper has attracted the attention of the world media. The BBC (BBC) news website reported on this. The BBC reported on the rush to buy toilet paper by "Taiwan toilet paper panic: Why is there no paper on the island?" The article said that Taiwanese netizens recently shared empty toilet paper shelves on social media. Some people reported that instead of worrying about the price increase of toilet paper by 10% to 30%, they should be worried that toilet paper cannot be bought because of the rush.
How much toilet paper is purchased by Taiwanese people in just a few days? It is stacked as high as the 101 Building "1610 Buildings".
The news of Taiwan’s rush to buy toilet paper spread to the mainland, and mainland netizens said: Otherwise, donate some to Taiwan compatriots. Look at the critical moment, it is still "one family on both sides of the Taiwan Strait"!
The Taiwan authorities of the DPP had to respond to the wave of toilet paper buying that swept across Taiwan. Four days after the toilet paper chaos (the 27th), Lai Ching-te, head of Taiwan's administrative agency, said that the current supply of toilet paper is safe and everyone can buy it, and the price will be stable and reasonable. Please do not panic or rush to buy it. There is no need for these. But no one could listen to Lai Ching-te's conversation, and the rush to buy was still going on.
Why toilet paper has become "Luoyang paper is expensive"
Media reported on the 23rd that "international pulp prices soar, toilet paper has increased as soon as March." The Consumer Protection Department of Taiwan’s administrative authority also made great contributions to the rush to buy. They announced that prices will not rise before mid-March. It is the end of February now, and there are more than 10 days left before mid-March. This does not mean that you should buy it quickly, otherwise the price will be raised in mid-March. The public has panic-style buying of toilet paper under the promotion of the media and Taiwan authorities' pig teammates.
Is the soaring international pulp prices the fundamental reason for Taiwan’s crazy grabbing of toilet paper?
The international pulp quoted on February 24, 2018 was US$932.5, and the international pulp quoted on December 3, 2016 was US$630. It did rise a lot from the quotation, but 2018 was not the highest time for international pulp quotations. The international pulp quotation on June 11, 2011 was US$1,040. Why did there be no sanitation purchases in Taiwan in 2011? Why is there a rush to buy toilet paper in Taiwan in the world? If the international pulp prices rise, the prices of paper in other countries and regions will also rise.
In fact, due to the influence of international pulp prices, paper prices in mainland China have also risen a lot.Why is there no rush to buy in mainland China? Although the price of paper in mainland China has risen, the wage level in mainland China has also increased very high, offsetting the impact of paper rising. In contrast, Taiwan has not raised its wages for 17 years, and the actual wage level in Taiwan is only equivalent to 2000 after deducting prices. Therefore, Taiwanese people are extremely sensitive to price fluctuations. If the price of a pack of toilet paper is NT$10 NT$7, and the increase is 30%, it is NT$3. For ordinary Taiwanese, that's not bad. They spend more than NT$500 a year. Therefore, the rise in international pulp prices is not the fundamental reason for the rush to buy, the fundamental reason is that Taiwan’s wages are too low.
The toilet paper chaos may be the last straw that overwhelmed Tsai Ing-wen
If it were just the toilet paper price rose by 30%, it would be better to say that it was the butterfly effect. Affected by the rise in international pulp prices, not only toilet paper will increase prices, but related products will increase prices. For example, napkins, diapers, wet tissues, cultural paper and even furniture will rise. What is more serious is the rise in the prices of industrial paper, that is, packaging boxes. As the saying goes, wool comes from sheep, merchants will inevitably transfer the price of rising prices to consumers, which will lead to an overall increase in the prices of vegetables, fruits, and various commodities, that is, it is possible that all industries will rise.
This wave of rising toilet paper prices may be the prelude to the overall rise in Taiwan's prices, which is a nightmare for Tsai Ing-wen. If handled improperly, this wave of comprehensive price increases will have a serious impact on Taiwan’s “nine-in-one” election at the end of 2018, and even cause the collapse of the DPP election.
The lessons of the Kuomintang are right in front of us. The double increase in oil and electricity promoted by Ma Ying-jeou caused the Kuomintang's failure in the "nine-in-one" election in 2016, thus allowing the Democratic Progressive Party to achieve a party rotation for the second time and re-rule.
In summary, Taiwan’s toilet paper buying wave may be the prelude to Taiwan’s new round of comprehensive price increases and the beginning of Tsai Ing-wen’s nightmare. This "Shit Rebellion" may also be the last straw that broke Tsai Ing-wen's back. (Zhang Mi)
