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Author: Tan Mintao Source: Voice of the Legal World
87182 cases outside of China, surpassed! This kind of news headline is disgusting.
A disgusting news headline, combined with the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in other countries, forms a short message, which was sent out through the People's Daily's WeChat public account.
The news headline is: 87182 cases outside of China, surpassed!
Seeing such a news headline makes people feel disgusted.
Surpassed, with an exclamation mark added, as if we are so happy and eagerly looking forward to this surpassing, and so self-satisfied?
Surpassed, do you think it's a basketball game? If someone surpasses you, if someone loses, then you win?
In the face of the epidemic, can the editor and editor-in-chief who edited this news headline have a normal news value? The number of confirmed cases in other countries has increased, surpassing China. Can this be called surpassing? Do we have to congratulate this and take credit for it - China's confirmed cases have finally been surpassed by countries outside of China?
Do you think this is a competitive game? China and countries outside of China are engaged in a digital competition. If China is surpassed by countries outside of China, do we win? Do we achieve a complete victory?
Surpassing means that in a sports game, the score changes from being behind to being ahead, or it can also refer to when there is an external reference, oneself (or one's own side) changes from a relatively disadvantaged state to a relatively advantageous state.
Literally speaking, the number of confirmed cases in countries outside of China surpassing China cannot be called behind or ahead, let alone compare them with disadvantages and advantages. In the face of the number of confirmed cases, there is no distinction between behind and ahead, only what should and should not be.
In the face of a huge number of deaths, where is the advantage and superiority? And the increase in the number of confirmed cases in any country is not worth celebrating, and it is even more inappropriate to call it "surpassing" when the number of confirmed cases in one country exceeds that of another.
As for the definition of "surpassing," I don't know if the editors of the People's Daily are ignorant or pretending to be ignorant. They used the term "surpassing" to describe the number of confirmed cases outside of China surpassing those in China. What is your intention?
We can imagine a scene where a certain team surpasses other teams in a sports game, and the players cheer together and celebrate. But what we can't imagine is that the term "surpassing" is actually used in the comparison of the confirmed cases of the new coronavirus between China and countries outside of China, and it is even sent out as a news headline on the official public account.
Is it possible that when the number of confirmed cases in countries outside of China surpasses China, we still have to cheer? Do we have to shout out: Surpassed! Surpassed! Surpassed!
It's the same "surpassing." On March 4th, the cumulative number of cured and discharged patients in Wuhan exceeded the current number of confirmed cases for the first time. This "surpassing" is what we have been waiting for and finally arrived.
But the number of confirmed cases outside of China has surpassed China. Who is looking forward to this surpassing or what has happened?
The use of "surpassing" is something that makes people proud or happy, not something that should be used in any situation. For example, in 2019, among the top 50 companies in terms of the number of patent applications filed by China, there were 19 Chinese companies and 12 American companies. China surpassed the United States, and we can be proud and proud of this.
Using the term "surpassing" in this context is not a problem. But when it is used in the comparison of confirmed cases, it ignores the suffering of people in various countries.
And the same news, the People's Daily's WeChat public account and Weibo use different language expressions.
The expression on the People's Daily's Weibo is: The number of confirmed cases outside of China has exceeded China.
Could it be that these two platforms are maintained by different editors, so the language used is different?
Or, it is the same group of editors maintaining them, but comments can be filtered and released on the public account, while comments on Weibo cannot be prohibited. They may be afraid of causing a commotion on Weibo, so they did not use the term "surpassing" on Weibo. The truth is unknown.
However, the national conditions of each country are different, and the ways and means of combating the epidemic are also different. When the number of confirmed cases in countries outside of China exceeds that of China, we should show the demeanor of a great country and provide effective experience and lessons for other countries in the world to fight the epidemic, and reduce the increase in confirmed cases in various countries, instead of just watching and making fun of it.
In the face of the epidemic, all countries should fight together, and no country can stay out of it. As long as the epidemic in one country is still developing, other countries will inevitably suffer a second attack from the virus. Today, China has been strictly preventing imported cases and has strengthened the screening of people returning from abroad.
In the context of global efforts to fight the epidemic, the increase in the number of confirmed cases in any country is a potential threat to its own people and the people of other countries. Please, editors of the People's Daily, do not make the language mistake of saying that the number of confirmed cases in countries outside of China has surpassed China. In the face of the epidemic, there is no gloating, only honor and disgrace shared by all, no standing by, only watching out for each other, fighting the epidemic together, strengthening global cooperation, and achieving zero cases globally, as well as the common progress and development of all countries in the world.
The latest news is that when countries outside of China exceed China in the number of confirmed cases, there may be more international students returning to China, and in the future, preventing imported cases will become the second battle against the epidemic that China faces.