A small number of netizens have vented their anger and even verbally abused some innocent Chinese Malaysian singers because of what they perceive as the Malaysian government's mishandling of the MH370 situation. This should not have happened, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

It is understandable that the Chinese public have expressed their anger and protested against some of the actions of the Malaysian authorities, yet celebrities and public figures should avoid acting too emotionally, because influenced by their public online comments, the feelings of outrage are rising and even hurt Malaysian entertainers performing in China such as Fish Leong.

After the incident happened, many Malaysian people also criticized their government for its late and non-transparent release of information. But the anger at the Malaysian authorities should not be transferred to ordinary people, especially Chinese Malaysians who have stuck to and had the most feelings for Chinese traditions in Southeast Asia. Some Chinese netizens who blamed Chinese Malaysian singers such as Leong and Victor Wong have only presented their ignorance.

Meanwhile, celebrities and public figures should not act too emotionally and irresponsibly to stir up people's feelings. On the contrary, when social outrage is on the rise, the media and public figures should behave more calmly and rationally than ordinary people.

It is uncivilized and irrational for some Chinese to verbally attack those Malaysians and to call for a boycott of Malaysian products. Rationality should be a fundamental attribute of the public, and they need to keep calm and make rational judgments when a situation gets heated and different opinions spring up.

Inappropriate school rules

A middle school in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, has released new school rules that include some that are strange and overly strict, such as students cannot share QQ instant messaging accounts with the opposite gender. The school, though well-intentioned, has infringed on the rights of students and such rules may not achieve the results the school authorities expect, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

Influenced by the environment they live in, children nowadays are more mentally mature than their ancestors. Society needs reflect on the fact that teenagers are exposed to popular culture that is full of love stories, and the corresponding supervision should also not lag behind.

It is such a twisted cultural environment that has made our children "prematurely enlightened", and of course this inevitably leads to campus puppy love. Faced with such a reality, schools have to do some follow-up work, such as providing proper guidance, instead of racking their brains for strange and ineffective moves.

Such a rule mirrors the lack of effective education methods. Schools should be places that specialize in teaching and guiding, rather than forbidding students to do what the schools do not want to see. Besides, students deserve to know what they should know at this age and guidance should be offered them on how to deal with relationships and maintain normal friendships.

It is inappropriate to forbid boys and girls from eating together at the canteen or adding each other as contacts on QQ because they need to get homework help or share study notes.

In all, the school authorities should be more humanized and open-minded while making rules and guiding students rather than treating their normal communication like a dreadful disaster.

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