One of the essences of art is the attachment of importance to the authenticity of expression. As such, the question arises as to exactly what level of intimidation and pressure might have been applied to force a dedicated artist such as Taiwanese director-actor Leon Dai (戴立忍) to forgo his beliefs — having participated in and supported various social movements in Taiwan — and issue a 3,000-word statement on Friday last week distancing him from his past actions.