From: memco@cns.nyu.edu (Matthew Merkelson)
Subject: Re: Chinese women today
Reply-To: memco@cns.nyu.edu
Organization: New York University
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 20:19:51 GMT

In article l9abqfINNcvn@alcor.usc.edu, zyou@alcor.usc.edu (Zhongbai You) writes:
> In article <1992Aug21.023219.10811@cmcl2.nyu.edu> memco@cns.nyu.edu writes:
> >> In article 18973@news.acns.nwu.edu, usenet@news.acns.nwu.edu (Usenet on news.acns) writes:
> >> > Here is a piece of news from CND:
> >> > 
> >> > [Reuters 8/16/92] SHANGHAI -- A 24-year-old bus passenger, Dong Huibo, died
> 
> >First let me say that I honestly doubt this story. It sounds way too 
> >apocryphal to me. The passenger is named but neither woman is. If
> >the circumstances were as written, the driver would be charged
> >with negligent homicide at least.
> >
> >No, I assume this is one of those urban myths, meant to scare people about how
> >the terrible world has changed so. This particular is to scare them about 
> >how woman out in the world have gone mad with masculinity, lust and 
> >vulgarity. To get them wishing for the good old days when women were
> >meek, servile, passive.
> >
> 
>   What make you assume this is a myths. Are you suggesting that the poster
> was lying.

I'm not suggesting the poster was lying. I'm not even suggesting the writer of
the original story was lying. There are a number of books by Prof. Jan-Harold
Brunvand about urban myths. They're stories you know are true because they
happened to a friend of a friend, really. Except if you actually check,
you find out they never actually happened. People just want to believe 
they happened.

The story has elements of one of these urban myths. The largest part is the 
complete lack of mention of the women's names or any form of arrest or
punishment. Real news stories about violent incidents always have these
elements.

I'm not saying the writer lied. There have been many cases of urban myths
(such as alligators in the sewers, spider eggs in bubble-yum gum etc.)
that have made into newspapers. A casual reporter hears a story,doesn't
bother to check it out but just publishes it. It's happened before and it
will happen again.

 
>   If I were you, I would ask more background story about the incident.
> The story is really weird. People could not be that brutal, unless something
> really bad happended. What did the man do to the woman? Did the man try to
> sexually harass the woman ?   The story did provide a clue. Look at the
> body part the woman attacked.  There might be strong evidence that the 
> woman's attack is justified, at least in part. So, the story might NOT be an
> evidence that 'woman have gone mad with masculinity...'

As I remember from the first post, first she mocked his butt and then grabbed
his groin. The violence of the attacks fit the "gone mad with masculinity"
part but the parts fit the "lust and vulgarity" part.

And the story leaves out an explanation for the behavior, except for the
suggestion that women in the workplace are crazy. That's another myth-like
element.

Again, I don't know. I'm just saying that there is alot to suggest this
is a myth.


---
memco@wotan.cns.nyu.edu




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