Opinion / Raymond Zhou
Zhao Yan beating case
By Raymond Zhou ( chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-09-23 11:19
A Chinese tourist was looking around the Niagara Falls near the
US-Canadian border, and she was severely beaten by a US security officer.
That was basically what happened on July 21, 2004, and yet it is
fascinating how facts could be presented and could shape public opinions,
including those of the jurors.
When the bruised face of Zhao Yan appeared a year ago, it sent a
shockwave among the Chinese public -- and rightly so. What did she do to
have deserved such cruel treatment?
However, in the subsequent rainstorm of denunciations posted in popular
websites, there was rarely any judicious analysis. Many simply jumped to
the conclusion that the officer did it out of malice for Chinese people
per se, not thinking that there are many other nationals who look like
Chinese in the American eye, let alone the tens of millions of
Asian-Americans.
There seemed to be a distinct line between traditional media and the new
media in covering this unfortunate incident. While the "old school" tends
to adhere to journalistic principles and report on how the Chinese and
the US governments dealt with each other on this matter, some "new kids
on the block" have taken the sensational route, eliciting wholesale
condemnation and stereotyping.
Police brutality could certainly be a justifiable issue here, but
cultural difference may have played a bigger role. To Zhao Yan, the
38-year-old business woman from Tianjin, North China, it seemed an
intuitive response to flee from someone who was chasing her. It may not
even matter how she would have reacted in a similar situation in China
because all the Hollywood movies could have conditioned her to take off
and fumble.
To Robert Rhodes, the US Homeland Security officer charged with violating
Zhao's civil rights and recently acquitted in the criminal case, it was
his duty to arrest someone who fit the description of a drug trafficking
suspect and, when Zhao fled and reached for something in her bag, used
all means to stop her. There have been frequent reports, in the US, of
hesitating or lenient cops who ended up being killed in their line of
duty by those they were trying to detain.
Did Rhodes use excessive force? It appeared so from the photo. But again,
we must examine the circumstances of how one thing led to another. Each
one of them gave an account that was favorable to his or her own
argument, which did not really surprise anyone. Assuming each was telling
the truth, it may not be the whole selective truth. Rhodes' track record
may shed light whether he has a penchant for "excessive force."
We must admit that the jurors had a ringside seat on the facts than
someone like me who is getting the details from media coverage. I respect
their verdict, but that did not lessen my sympathy for Zhao. She may not
have acted wisely, but how could she know better? It is ludicrous to
expect her to act like an American the minute she descended on the land.
That's why the word "tourist" has certain connotations.
Public perception towards Zhao Yan took a sharp turn when someone leaked
that hers was a government-paid pleasure trip disguised as a business
trip. Online responses were swift and vicious: "She deserved the beating
and it served her right," many wrote.
One could not help but marvel at the hatred that Chinese people have for
corruption. However, who footed her travel bill and who was her employer
is totally irrelevant to this case. The same goes for the defendant's
claim that she had violated her visa restrictions by engaging in
activities not allowed by her visa type. Even if she had jumped ship and
was in the US illegally, she should not be treated inhumanely. That is
the bottom line
My deduction is, those who were exhilarated to see a "damned corrupt
person" beaten were the same ones who had earlier felt the whole Chinese
nation was insulted. When news was presented in a sensational form, it
would certainly evoke simplistic responses. While it is in the good
spirit to care about one's compatriots, especially when they are away
from homeland, it may not be rational to equate an isolated incident with
a full-blown bilateral confrontation.
Sensationalizing the Rodney King beating did not help America's racial
relations. Nor will this case for justice or Sino-US relations.
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