Speculative stunts for personal gain hurting society

Commuters wait for the next train at Sihui subway station in Beijing, May 22, 2014. [Photo/IC]

A VIDEO in which someone claiming to be a Beijing resident scolded another passenger on the subway, telling them not to come to Beijing, caused a stir when it was posted online. Yet it later transpired that the incident was staged by an actor from Northeast China's Liaoning province. More regulation is needed to stop such speculation, says an opinion article on China Youth Daily:

Those who make such publicity-seeking videos hope to benefit from them.

The problem is, quite a number of people have succeeded in doing so, as they have become mini-celebrities able to cash in on their "fame". Even though everybody blames them for being vulgar and challenging morality, they still make a profit because they are widely known.

Some might argue that's the choice of the public, but this only damages society in the long run. When vulgarity becomes popular and makes a profit, it lowers the standards of society.

Worse, the bad money drives out the good, and the actors that practice hard to improve their skills lose out. Eventually talent is replaced by familiarity.

It is time to end this. The authorities might find it hard to intervene, but it is necessary to raise the general moral standards of society, so that those who stage such stunts will no longer attract the eyeballs they need.