http://worldmeets.us/images/Kang-Wong-beaten_pic.jpg

An elderly Chinese injured by New York police while being detained for

jaywalking: Why does public opinion in China favor the New York police

in this case, yet often condemns Chinese police in similar circumstances?

 

 

Why China's People Favor American Police Over Their Own (Huanqiu, China)

 

A few days ago, an elderly Chinese gentleman was injured in a tussle with New York police officers who had detained him for jaywalking. According to this editorial from the state-run Huanqiu, the fact that Chinese public opinion sides with New York police in this case, and that in similar circumstances, Chinese police would be condemned for police brutality, reveals a troubling lack of self-esteem on the part of Chinese, and ironically, a tendency to favor emotion over the rule of law.

 

EDITORIAL

 

Translated By John Chen

 

January 24, 2014

 

People's Republic of China - Huanqiu - Original Article (Chinese)

New York's crackdown on jaywalking becomes an issue for soul-searching in Beijing.

 

NDTV NEWS VIDEO, U.S.: China Declares War on the Chinese People, Apr. 17, 00:03:16RealVideo

An 84-year-old man named Kang Wong was allegedly beaten and injured for jaywalking by New York police last Sunday. The language barrier probably played a role. The elderly gentleman, who has a Chinese background, spoke no English. He got into a tussle with several police officers, and was subdued by violent means. The episode has become an issue in both countries.

 

After ABC NEWS reported on the matter, police stressed that jaywalkers were being targeted in the area, where three people were struck and killed by cars disregarding traffic lights over the previous nine days. A poll conducted by Sina.com, a popular Chinese portal, showed that 31 percent said "if he was arrested after breaking traffic rules, the police did the right thing," which was the most agreed upon answer.

 

However, many people have asked: If such a thing were to happen in China - an octogenarian was wounded by police for crossing a street against a red light - how would the public react then? The question is easy to answer:  the public would condemn law enforcement for police brutality. Furthermore, the Public Security Bureau would be charged with abuse of power, the chief of police would be forced to apologize, and the problematic officers punished or even sacked.

 

This analysis is quite accurate. When it comes to law enforcement in the U.S. and China, the Chinese people often use different standards when making value judgments. Given the same circumstances, the public would say that the American police acted correctly, whereas Chinese police acted incorrectly. We often criticize the United States for employing "double standards" when it comes to China, yet in fact, in this case, when comparing police in China and America, we ourselves are unconsciously doing the same thing.

 

"This is America worship in the extreme!," someone said resentfully. While that is certainly somewhat true, it is not that simple. Further expanding upon the causes behind this, we find that due to a lack of authority on the part of Chinese law enforcement, traffic violations on China's roads have become commonplace, which reinforces this double-standard mindset, even to the point of self-denigration.

 

What's more, many people take a utilitarian attitude toward the law: When laws protect their interests, they applaud; when laws confront their interests, they cry foul.

 

The case of the jaywalking elderly man injured by New York police needs further investigation. For the sake of discussion, however, it's fair to say that if the perceived authority of law enforcement is low, public acceptance of the use of force will also be low. In the United States, there is confidence that the rule of law will result in a reasonable solution. China's problem is that once an issue attracts public attention, value-oriented and morality-triggered judgments immediately prevail over law. That is why we have an old man of Chinese descent injured by U.S. police, yet dramatically, the "nationalist" Chinese public supports the police!

 

Like Worldmeets.US on Facebook

 

 

The rule of law in China has yet to become fully entrenched, which is something that cannot be remedied at once. However, given this reality, public opinion should have the capacity to embrace the rule of law instead of allowing emotion and personal morality to gain an upper hand. When things like this go too far, they must be promptly pulled back.

Posted By Worldmeets.US

 

So where do ethics enter into the matter? This, too, is a major problem. When Chinese people, for the most part, speak up for Chinese, and American people by and large speak up for Americans, a space is created within which the most vulnerable can be protected. These are elements of one of the world's prevailing ethics. So while the circumstances surrounding the injuries of the aged Kang Wong remain unclear, the fact that the Chinese public was willing to condemn him, obviously shows that China's public needs to build self-esteem instead of sending ridicule and blame when of its own compatriots gets into trouble overseas.

 

Of course, given the fact that he doesn't speak English, there are many possible explanations for why the man crossed against a red light. Why so many of his Chinese compatriots would heap generous praise on American police for the way they handled the case, while in similar circumstances, they would condemn Chinese law enforcement for police brutality, remains a huge question mark - even given the above explanations.

 

When China is weak in confronting the West, Chinese people living in the West are even more vulnerable. If the Motherland and their compatriots don't offer them support, then what else can we expect?

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR CHINESE VERSION

 

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted By Worldmeets.US Jan. 24, 2014, 9:49pm