Social debate of so-called “moral abduction” has become popular in recent years in China. In the name of morality, people use excessive or even unrealistic standards to demand, coerce or attack others, and to influence their behaviour.
Have you ever been kidnapped by morality? If a soldier sees that someone is in danger, he must give up his life to save people, otherwise he will be condemned. If someone participates in a competition on behalf of a group and does not obtain the desired results, she will be condemned. You better believe it.
Scenario 1; “With Great Difficulty”
Online food deliveries are often late for many reasons. With the arrival time imminent, the “waimai guy” (外卖 小哥; delivery boy) always chooses to call you to say he is already downstairs and would you please confirm the delivery and pay first. You will likely agree to do so, feeling that it does not matter and may be a little rude to deny the request.
However, an hour passes and your food has still not shown up. Feeling angry and hungry, you call back to cancel and request a refund. The delivery staff then blame you, saying you couldn’t understand them. Colleagues come to comfort you and this is when you will hear the phrase, “都不容易” (Since life is a struggle); your actions will get them fined, why bother?”
Scenario 2; “The Rich are Deserving”
While driving home from work, an electric tricycle on the wrong side of the road unexpectedly appears. You step on the brakes as quickly as possible but still hit a nearby object. Everything is fine except your car. The tricycle owner is about to leave when you ask for compensation. Their reaction? “Money is not an object for you; why do I have to pay?”
Such cases of moral abduction are even more serious for celebrities.
Not long after the 2017 Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) earthquake, a Chinese actor was forced to donate ¥100 million. Someone said to him, “Your movie was so successful, you should donate ¥100 million for the earthquake!” This is obviously a case of moral abduction. The irony is though, the actor had in fact quietly donated 1 million prior, in the aftermath of the quake to help victims.
Scenario 3; “The Weaker is in the Right”
A blind candidate was enrolled in university with honours. Considering potential safety issues, the school agreed with the parents’ requirements, renting a house with water heaters and air conditioners for the family, all prepaid for half a year. The school even arranged a special teaching team for the blind student. This did not satisfy the father; next he wanted a guide dog and nurses. There are few guide dogs in China and a fully trained one costs as much as ¥200,000.
The school said that there was nothing more it could do, but the father took to the media to voice his grievances.
Scenario 4; “Ignorant of the Need”
A television anchor took to Weibo to complain that she had “tried hard to remove the suitcase” on the plane, but that among people around her, especially the men, no one helped and few even looked up. She called them, “Ugly and without any love”.
Scenario 5; “He is Just a Child”
A 50-year-old woman was shopping with her grandson in a supermarket; while walking around the snacks area, her hands constantly cracked open pistachios taken from the shelves and fed the grandson. A member of staff approached to remind her that items for sale could not be tasted, unless offered as part of a promotion.
The old lady said in disapproval, “I didn’t taste it, can’t the kid taste one or two?”, while putting another one into the child’s mouth. The shop employee then pointed out that her grandson had eaten 20 to 30, which cannot be called a taste. At this point, the grandson sitting in the shopping cart became shocked by the scene unfolding and suddenly burst into tears.
The grandmother was on a roll; “We have to make sure the goods are of good quality, so just had to have a taste. And what do you do; make my grandson cry just for one pistachio? He is just a child; how bad is one child eating these two pistachios?”
The sound of the quarrel had attracted a large group of people. With no regard for the truth, they automatically took the side of the old lady and blamed the shop employee.
Scenario 6; “What I Have Done is Good for You”
There is a kind of parent (mother or dad) who really does their best for you (as they see it). They wake you up every day, they make breakfast for you, wash clothes for you; when you go to primary school, they will urge you to do your homework on time and take you to various tutoring classes. In middle school, they will help you organise your schoolbags, help you clean your room and manage everything that you do not want to do. Their “sacrifice” and “help” is not what you want, as illustrated by the saying, “我不要你觉得，我要我觉得!” (I don’t want you to think; I want me to think).
The inextricable goodness in human nature should never become a moral abduction. Weakness is not terrible. It is terrible to use it as an excuse to ask for benefits to which you are not entitled. Lying behind these six real-world examples of moral abduction is a confusion of logic.
Why use your moral standards to kidnap my interests? As the saying goes, either way, you can’t win. China’s no different there.
