Heroes still exist
It is a sign of sick society when one must protect oneself before offering help to a stranger for fear of being framed. Yet good things are also happening.
Last July, a two-year-old girl who fell from her tenth-floor home in Hangzhou, capital of eastern China's Zhejiang Province, was miraculously saved by a young mother who happened to be walking by. The woman surnamed Wu managed to catch the girl before she hit the ground. However, Wu was not able to hold onto her because of the force of the impact. Both Wu and the girl were rushed to the hospital. From then on, as a true hero, Wu was named the "most beautiful mother in China."
Also in July, a 20-year-old girl named Yu Shuhua became an Internet star in China for giving her "first kiss" to a drowning elderly man. It was reported that she was on her way from work when she saw the man being rescued from a river. Having just graduated from a nursing college in Beijing, Yu cleared the man's airway, knelt down and immediately gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and performed cardiac massage. After the news spread nationwide, many netizens saluted Yu and named her the "most beautiful girl in China."
Then there was also the "most beautiful grandmother" who gave her own life to save a drowning boy, after already having saved three children from a river.
According to Xia Xueluan, professor of sociology at Peking University, these titles indicate an eager demand for social morality. The public believes these "beautiful" people did the right thing out of instinct, which revealed their purity, goodness and beauty, he said.
Morals need to be strengthened
The real-life "Farmer and the Snake" stories have sparked a new round of debate over China's public trust, legal procedures and moral decline, especially since a majority of people say they would not offer assistance if they came across an old man who had fallen down, because they were afraid of being sued.
The negative impact of these cases on society can not be underestimated, and relevant departments must be cautious in handling such cases to avoid hurting the innocent. Meanwhile, China must strengthen its legal and social security systems. Only then can we all hope to be the "most beautiful."
