Home » Opinion » Chinese Views
Gang rape trial eclipsed by online outcry over justice
By Ni Tao |
July 18, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE trial of Li Tianyi, son of decorated army singer Li Shuangjiang, and several accomplices - accused of gang-raping a young woman - is underway.
But instead of focusing on that high-profile case, our attention is drawn to a row unfolding in the virtual world.
Reports that Li's defense attorney entered a plea of not guilty sparked a social media furor and many people questioned the lawyer's moral compass.
Moreover, the lawyer's personal weibo account was flooded with virulent abuse by vigilantes.
In fairness, the attorney should not be harassed for doing his job, even if he is seeking to acquit a villainous brat who allegedly committed a grievous crime.
At this point, a Tsinghua University law professor entered the fray, deflecting public rage from a fellow legal professional and making himself a target of fury.
Yi Yanyou, an associate professor, said on his weibo on Monday that it causes less harm to rape a bar hostess than a "decent" girl. His post immediately enraged the public, as well as the victim's mother who countered that her daughter was not a bar hostess.
The online conflagration forced Yi to tone down his remarks a bit - or did he? In a posting yesterday, he simply reworded his previous remarks.
Now Yi says that it causes greater harm to rape a "decent" girl than a prostitute, bar hostess, taxi dancer, or "three-service girl," referring to nightclub girls who keep customers company and provide entertainment, which may include sex.
By playing with words, Yi demonstrated that he was both unapologetic and angered by the weibo insults. Indeed, he tweeted that "one cannot expect rational dialogue to take place in cyberspace."
Cyberspace is truly a place where decorum quickly deteriorates, but it manifests, at least in this case, a stronger sense of justice than Yi possesses.
He seems to have lost his conscience in throwing his weight behind the accused rapist Li and his powerful parents.
And his "which-does-more-harm" remarks reflect his blatant contempt for the rights of people he deems lowly and inferior, undeserving of equal treatment under the law - actually, his own law.
If basic concepts such as equality, the very essence of law, are so alien to a law professor, what business does he have holding forth on justice and rights?
Can we trust such morally deficient teachers with our children?
Yi's incendiary views are also colored by the usual elitist disparaging of the masses. His message is that it's impossible to speak reason to a murderous, zealous lynch mob.
Uncouth as the web community is, it has retained integrity lost to the likes of law professor Yi, who seems to think that civility and his brand of reason come before conscience, morality and decency.
That's why his public excoriation merits little sympathy but considerable schadenfreude. He had it coming.
The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small. Those who try to stop or slow them will only get caught and ground as well.
But instead of focusing on that high-profile case, our attention is drawn to a row unfolding in the virtual world.
Reports that Li's defense attorney entered a plea of not guilty sparked a social media furor and many people questioned the lawyer's moral compass.
Moreover, the lawyer's personal weibo account was flooded with virulent abuse by vigilantes.
In fairness, the attorney should not be harassed for doing his job, even if he is seeking to acquit a villainous brat who allegedly committed a grievous crime.
At this point, a Tsinghua University law professor entered the fray, deflecting public rage from a fellow legal professional and making himself a target of fury.
Yi Yanyou, an associate professor, said on his weibo on Monday that it causes less harm to rape a bar hostess than a "decent" girl. His post immediately enraged the public, as well as the victim's mother who countered that her daughter was not a bar hostess.
The online conflagration forced Yi to tone down his remarks a bit - or did he? In a posting yesterday, he simply reworded his previous remarks.
Now Yi says that it causes greater harm to rape a "decent" girl than a prostitute, bar hostess, taxi dancer, or "three-service girl," referring to nightclub girls who keep customers company and provide entertainment, which may include sex.
By playing with words, Yi demonstrated that he was both unapologetic and angered by the weibo insults. Indeed, he tweeted that "one cannot expect rational dialogue to take place in cyberspace."
Cyberspace is truly a place where decorum quickly deteriorates, but it manifests, at least in this case, a stronger sense of justice than Yi possesses.
He seems to have lost his conscience in throwing his weight behind the accused rapist Li and his powerful parents.
And his "which-does-more-harm" remarks reflect his blatant contempt for the rights of people he deems lowly and inferior, undeserving of equal treatment under the law - actually, his own law.
If basic concepts such as equality, the very essence of law, are so alien to a law professor, what business does he have holding forth on justice and rights?
Can we trust such morally deficient teachers with our children?
Yi's incendiary views are also colored by the usual elitist disparaging of the masses. His message is that it's impossible to speak reason to a murderous, zealous lynch mob.
Uncouth as the web community is, it has retained integrity lost to the likes of law professor Yi, who seems to think that civility and his brand of reason come before conscience, morality and decency.
That's why his public excoriation merits little sympathy but considerable schadenfreude. He had it coming.
The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small. Those who try to stop or slow them will only get caught and ground as well.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
