China Jaded by Bloodshed?

(Beijing, China) When a certain population of people possesses a mindset which dramatically differs from my own, I believe it's worthy of comment. Check out this report.

On October 3, there was a chain collision involving more than 20 vehicles, 3 deaths and 7 injuries in the southwestern ring road of Luoyang city (Henan province). Traffic on the expressway was interrupted for 2-1/2 hours. Several passengers got out of their vehicles and began to play cards while they waited.


The Beijing News news story places it emphasis not on the the number of destroyed/damaged vehicles or the number of casualties. Instead, it is about the card table next to the bloody scene of the traffic accident.

We cannot require that all travelers to participate in the rescue work, because professional and technical skills are required. We cannot require that all passengers must shed tears for the victims, because there are no personal connection. But the minimum moral standard is that you cannot entertainment (sic) yourself at a place where other people are dying.

Yet, the Chinese people have entertained themselves at many other scenes of death. Whenever someone threatens to jump off buildings, crowds gather. They cheer for the jumper, they play music, and they even yell "Jump! Jump!" because it was taking up too much time. Even after the Sichuan earthquake this year, there were people playing mahjong in a tent in Chengdu city.

I can't explain the Chinese attitude. To me, it's cold-hearted. It's like they have become so used to blood and guts and gore that it's business as usual.

So, ignore the dead bodies and the screams and cries of the injured. Just deal the cards, dammit!