Actually, you don't understand the Cantonese people.

Author: Ye Shuming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The typical personality of Guangdong people is vividly portrayed here. They did not complain endlessly or engage in frantic arguments. Instead, amidst a chorus of criticism, they fought tirelessly against the SARS virus while actively sharing "anti-inflammatory" experiences with other affected regions. They did not blame fate, kept their factories running, schools open, and streets bustling, maintaining normal life in an orderly manner. On the other hand, the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress quickly passed legislation requiring "citizens to cultivate civilized and hygienic eating habits, avoid excessive consumption of wild animals, and prevent the spread of diseases from animals." This is the (answer) Guangdong presented to the entire nation. Mutual blame cannot solve the problem. It is better to do something useful than to curse the ozone layer into a hole. The people of Guangdong understand this principle well. However, despite this, the (slander) against Guangdong people did not stop and instead led to more furious (accusations): "Why isn't the legislation simply 'not eating wild animals,' but instead 'not eating excessively'? 'Not eating excessively' is not an (rigorous legal term) and is equivalent to saying nothing. Are the people of Guangdong still stubbornly refusing to change after SARS, continuing to eat wild animals?" A netizen passionately shouted online: "It was all because of the excessive consumption of wild animals by the people of Guangdong that brought us this (calamity). They still refuse to repent. They brought this upon themselves—dead or alive, it's their own fault. Don't drag the entire nation down with them!"，，。 The people of Guangdong replaced "not eating" with "not eating excessively," which reflects a (pragmatic attitude). Claiming to never eat wild animals again is pure self-deception. Marine fish are also wild animals—you can say you'll never eat them again? From a legislative perspective, if both "prohibition" and "not excessively consuming" are difficult to enforce, it is better to adopt a defensive "not excessively consuming" rather than an aggressive "prohibition." This aligns more closely with the spirit of legislation and better protects people's existing rights and order. The 2003 SARS incident not only has high research value in medicine but can also serve as a classic case in the study of social culture. From it, we can see the differences between northern and southern cultures, the special ethnic personality of the people of Guangdong, and their psychological resilience and spiritual state.