Dignity

When I was in elementary school in Taiwan, one of my classmates was the son of a soldier. His father probably retired from the army very early, so he didn't receive much long-term salary and welfare. Later, he worked in agriculture for a living and lived a very hard life. Although poor, his table was always spotless, and the toilet floor was reflective. Every time I go to his house for dinner, I am in awe of the old uncle's resounding Shandong accent and his majestic appearance. And his child, my classmate, is always dressed neatly and meticulously, even though his old clothes have long been washed and turned white. Recently, I occasionally recalled the past of my childhood, and when I thought of the extremely simple furnishings of his house, the windows were bright and clean, and it was upright, I suddenly remembered that this is what the ancients called "poverty".

To be poor is to be poor but not humble, and to have a clear air of self-respect and self-respect. This kind of person is poor, but his dignity is not to be despised or degraded. He does not eat the food that comes from him, and he does not show people in a coquettish manner. Anyone who sees him must respect him three times. As a child in Taiwan and as an adult in Hong Kong, I have seen many such poor and poor men, or vigorous vegetable garden farmers, or energetic iron-workers. Their faces were bright, as if they were doing the most important thing in the world.

Last month I attended an event with Mr. Chen Danqing. The event is about to start, and there are still a lot of people standing outside the door. Chen Danqing asked the venue manager what was going on. The latter said that it was for safety and that no one could enter the venue. When we entered the hall, we found that there was actually a lot of space, so Mr. Chen went out to negotiate and asked to let people in, and I asked the audience in the front row to move the chairs together to make room for others to stand.

Just as everyone started to move the seats, the security guards at the scene suddenly held down the standing audience with their hands and shouted, "What are you doing! Don't move, go back! Go back!" The attitude was quite rough. No matter how I explained it, they turned a deaf ear, and things started to get a little chaotic. Then the management came to see what was going on inside. I got angry and told the manager, "Your security guard is swearing!" So she pointed at one of the security guards casually: "You! Withdraw!" At this time, a calm audience pointed out my mistake at the right time: "He didn't swear at anyone. ”

That's right, the security guard did not swear at anyone, he was just a little fierce and a little violent. It's just that I can't stand it when I say he swears. However, how can I not be used to it? All over the country, I have encountered such rude words and deeds of security guards many times. They seem to have only two attitudes, either saluting the distinguished guests respectfully, or being aggressive when needed, with almost no middle ground.

Another person reminded me that most of these security guards in the city are migrant workers from the countryside. I also know that they are just carrying out orders. Every time they encounter a problem, they can only maintain "safety" according to the instructions of their superiors, and dare not make their own decisions. Because they were never given this power, their job was to be obedient. Every time they perform a mission, their method is often to shout at people who have crossed the line, or even pull the unruly guys. Beyond that, they don't know there are other, gentler expressions. Because maybe they themselves are usually treated like this (I remember that "You! Retreat!").

A few days later, I was having dinner in a restaurant, and when I went to the bathroom, I passed a private room with the door ajar, and there were bursts of roars. I instinctively walked a few steps slower, and saw a person in the room with a blushing face scolding a waiter with his head down, he shouted, "Can you afford my clothes? Your boss has to call Where's my uncle! You bastard!" I immediately thought of the dedicated security guard that day, not because his attitude was very close to the "uncle" in front of him, but because he looked like this guy and shrank back in fright The body of the waiter.

Two years ago, Professor Sun Liping of Tsinghua University wrote an excellent article titled "The Dignity and Non-humiliation of the Poor". He believes that the worsening gap between the rich and the poor makes it difficult for many weak people to keep their jobs, let alone their dignity. So, can our society maintain them? cannot. Because this is an era of disliking the poor and loving the rich, the mainstream of the city, and even the public power. Did the police who drove away migrant workers in front of the station square ever show respect? Have the city officials who chased and beat hawkers on the street ever showed goodwill? China, founded on communist ideology, has become a country with the largest class division, and this division is not only the difference between power and wealth, but also the difference in the distribution of dignity; the dignity of the poor and the weak is equal to their own. Property is as scarce.

Then, relentless market competition came in, and things only got worse.

Interestingly, respect must be a two-way street: "To treat people with respect cannot be achieved automatically by orders alone, it is also a kind of mutual recognition. Mutual recognition requires the existence of negotiation, which involves the complexity of individual personalities and social structures." In the vernacular, this is face. When the "uncle" felt that the waiter didn't give him face, so he humiliated him in public, he probably didn't know that this kind of rudeness was humiliating in itself. The fact that the weak have been bullied does not mean that the strong who bully others gain dignity; on the contrary, dignity and face are interpersonal dances, and anyone who deprives others of dignity cannot be a decent gentleman.

No wonder this society not only no longer sees "poverty", but also "rich and noble" is almost dying out. Rich people are rich and expensive; how many rich people in China today are extravagant? So I would like to add a footnote to Sun Liping's point of view: Apart from the poor and the weak, the rich and powerful today are not actually very dignified.

"Poverty and Wealth" - Liang Wendao