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The story of a driver hitting a child on purpose isn't just down to our compensation laws – it goes back to the cultural revolutionTwo questions: firstly, if your car accidentally knocks down a child, do you call the ambulance or run the girl over again? Secondly, if you see a little girl dying on the ground, do you try to save her, or ignore her and walk away?These questions sound ridiculous and crazy, but a few days ago a driver in Foshan, south China, ended up nearly killing a two-year-old girl, Yueyue, by running her over twice rather than face the hassle of a possible lawsuit. Meanwhile, many people walked by the girl's mangled body, ignoring the situation, until a scrap collector on a bicycle stopped and saved her life. The girl is currently fighting for her life in hospital.Perhaps the most tragic thing is that this is hardly unique, just the latest and worst of a series of similar incidents where suffering has been greeted with indifference.If any good can come of this, it is that the Foshan incident has sparked discussion in China. Many have criticised the passersby and blamed China's compensation culture for their cold-heartedness, citing a well-known case in 2006 when someone who helped an injured old lady get to hospital was ordered by a judge to pay her compensation. (The judge's argument was: who helps somebody like that unless they are at fault?)Others say that Chinese traffic laws encourage bad behaviour among drivers – that they are only required to pay compensation of ¥200,000 for a death caused by a car accident, but must pay all the medical treatment for the rest of victim's life if the accident is non-fatal.Whatever the reasons are and wherever we place the blame, there is no excuse for witnessing a human being dying without doing anything to help. As many Chinese web users have written, it's possible that there is a kind of sickness in Chinese society that has infected us to our core, and which has been growing for a long time.In the 1960s and 1970s, the country was caught up in the political frenzy of the cultural revolution. A whole generation lost their youth, spending a precious decade in rural China or in labour camps. Four decades on, China has been transformed into a major economic power. However, China still hasn't completely recovered from this period; the same lack of trust and the instinct for self-preservation that helped a generation survive the political shocks of their youth, has not gone away. It is a trauma that is rarely spoken of or dealt with personally.One of my relatives was sentenced to a labour camp for many years during the cultural revolution after speaking up for a friend who had been denounced as a counter-revolutionary. That period is a reminder to him and his family to never get involved in other people's business.In the late 80s and 90s, China began the process of reform and opening up. As many get richer, loyalty to the party and the authority (itself a product of propaganda) has been gradually replaced by the individualism, materialism and the pursuit of wealth. Without any religion or traditional values (many of which were also destroyed during the cultural revolution), there is a spiritual vacuum in today's China. Our traditional values of communalism and social harmony have been replaced by selfishness and individualism. Many people think of how to maximize their personal interests, even though they may step over – or run over – others on their way to their goals. On a more positive note, it's also one reason we see many young Chinese searching for new faiths and philosophies to fill in this void.There is no quick remedy for this social disease. It may take years or decades for the Chinese society's mentality to catch up with its economic development. However, over time, some progress will be made. More Chinese people will begin to care about not only the wellbeing of their family and colleagues, but how they can contribute to building a healthy society. We see this happening now: more people are volunteering for local community service or to work for NGOs. As more urban Chinese enjoy comfortable lives, they will ask for more rights and a better social environment – and will do their bit to make that happen – with the aim of living in a society in which children can rely on the help of strangers.This is a change that has to come from us, the Chinese people. It will only happen when we are ready to deal with the scars of the past, confront the problems of today, and work together to build a brighter tomorrow for all the generations of China.
A "cylindrical object"!
Quote from: nacho on February 12, 2023, 04:44:16 PMA "cylindrical object"!...goes DOWN the throat.
Quote from: monkey! on February 13, 2023, 12:03:35 PMQuote from: nacho on February 12, 2023, 04:44:16 PMA "cylindrical object"!...goes DOWN the throat.Monkey FTW.
