[Answer] What Do You Think of Wang Baoqiang and Ma Rong’s Divorce?

[Answer] What Do You Think of Wang Baoqiang and Ma Rong’s Divorce?

A few days ago, there was a fairly popular question on Zhihu: how foolish can public opinion be? Whenever a trending controversy comes up, I always think of that question. Whether it’s marriage or relationships, I think their essence is like drinking water—only the one drinking it knows whether it is cold or warm. Outsiders trying to judge right and wrong based on one side of the story is unfair to begin with. And in situations like this, public opinion often acts as a force that pushes things further along, stirring up trouble for fear the world might be too quiet. So spectators, onlookers, and the so-called “melon-eating masses” all come out to point fingers and pass judgment. But who really knows the truth behind the fragments that are made public?

I think that, regardless of his personal character, Wang Baoqiang simply made the decision that was most advantageous for himself. By striking first, he put himself on the moral high ground and gained an early advantage in the court of public opinion. That is where he was smarter than the parties involved in several earlier public scandals—or perhaps he learned from those cases. Because if he had not handled it this way, in my view, most men would not publicly announce to the world that they had been cheated on. No matter how angry they might be in private, it is still not exactly an honorable thing to proclaim. But if Wang Baoqiang had not said so and had only announced the divorce, then public opinion might very well have swung toward narratives like “he became famous and abandoned the wife who stood by him in hardship” or “a modern-day Chen Shimei.” For someone whose livelihood depends on his reputation, that would have been an even heavier blow.

I have always felt that Conan’s famous line, “There is only one truth,” is not really accurate. Most facts present themselves in the style of Rashomon. And as bystanders, how I see it—or how you see it—is, in one sense, unimportant, and in another, extremely important. It is unimportant because no matter what we think, these matters have no direct connection to our own lives. But it is also extremely important because the internet can be fiercer than a tiger, and the pressure that public opinion and online abuse bring upon the people involved may be beyond imagination. Therefore, I think the best attitude toward this incident, and toward similar incidents, is simply to remain rational and observe from a cool distance.

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