Today, I got into an argument with some friends in a WeChat group. It was because I didn't agree with the online public shaming of that female teacher and believed that the current online shaming of female teachers largely falls under the patriarchal discourse of slut-shaming.
The chat records and videos, whether true or false, lack official announcements from law enforcement agencies verifying the authenticity of the incident, with only statements from administrative agencies stating that they are investigating. How can we determine that this incident definitely happened and exactly as it has been circulating online?
Even if the incident is true, should the female teacher be subjected to online shaming and various attacks?
According to current laws and regulations and the content circulating online, the female teacher does not appear to be suspected of committing a crime. She violated professional ethics, contravening the "Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Schools" issued by the Ministry of Education, and according to Article 1165 of the Civil Code, "A person who, by his fault, infringes upon the civil rights and interests of another shall bear tort liability."
So, in this event where there is no crime but a moral flaw, does the public need to wield the moral opinion as a weapon and "trample on the female teacher with millions of feet, making her never able to stand up again"? By shaming the female teacher online, it is easy to shift the focus to moral flaws and overlook the essence revealed by this incident. That is, the lack of legal protection for underage males at the legal level in our country, which is covered up by moral attacks.
In this incident, the 16-year-old boy is the real victim. I agree with Song Ma's comment:
Going through this, the boy's views on gender and relationships should be completely overturned. He is not even old enough to realize the moral conflicts and pressures involved.
It is difficult to find legal protection for underage males in our current laws and regulations, even in administrative regulations. This is unacceptable. Why should underage females enjoy more legal rights than underage males? Don't talk about the broader environment, social reality. In short, the law should be fair and needs to be fair. The legislative body should quickly ensure legal equality for underage males and effectively protect their legitimate rights.
Returning to the title, "The Most Difficult to Communicate with Are Those Indoctrinated with Standard Answers." When discussing this female teacher and the 16-year-old boy with my friends in the WeChat group, what I saw was that my friends focused on the superficial aspects of the incident, without delving into the long-standing issues exposed by this incident. Focusing only on the "standard answers" should not be the mainstream.
When we look at any hot topic, it should not just be for entertainment, but we need to pay attention to what the hot topic actually reflects, how much it relates to our own interests, and how we can use the hot topic to drive social and national progress. These are not things that "standard answers" can bring.