Disaster vs. Mob

Recently, too many tragedies happened in China. Or maybe to call it "tragedy" is a blasphemy for all the innocent lives lost. Maybe we should call it "crime".

After the crimes committed, what I saw were angry people, furious, outraged. They criticized the government, hurled abuses on the officials, and discredited every bit that is made in China. Overnight, all those silent people stood up and condemned the crimes. However, where were they? They've been living in this country for long. When babies were toxicated by the milk power, when workers buried live under coal mines, when passengers roasted to death on the terrorist bus, they said nothing. Or maybe they said a word or two, and then returned to their normal lives as if nothing has any impact on their very lives. So that's fine.

And now people are outraged again. Honestly, I'm tired to see it. I don't know for how long this time that people will keep being outraged. And after this accident, what will remain, apart from the old newspapers, vague memories, and long-forgotten words spoken out?

Foreigners sometime say, China needs a grassroots revolution to overthrow the monarchy. True, maybe China needs a grassroots revolution. But so far, I see no possible "grassroots" that are capable of doing this. Everyone, apart from the super rich and powerful who'd very much like to continue their ruling life, is netted into the invisible system that imprisons every single aspect of commoner's life: education, health care (if there's any at all), civil servant system, party membership, tax, insurance (if there's any at all), etc. No one is courageous enough to do anything "reckless" unless they can get political refuge in the US (well many people go riot just for the green cards... not many succeed). Therefore, apart from yelling and forgetting, what else can they do?

Now people are yelling again. They yell at everything and anything. In order to yell louder, they begin to spread rumors to stimulate the flames of hatred. Now the definition of "good guy" has changed: "good guy" means "the best bad guy in the bad guy groups"... The famous scientist should be proud of Chinese and their application of "relativity"?

Surely we need democracy and freedom and human rights and everything, you name it, we need it. But democracy is not built up by mobs. Freedom will be turned into destruction. And human rights are only one of the excuses for one group to repress the other.