What's So Bad About Being "Vulgar"?

Recently, a ton of government departments have launched a joint campaign to crack down on internet “vulgarity” (低俗), with major media outlets rushing to report on it. But at the same time, there are also differing voices.

I’m just a bit puzzled: who did “vulgarity” actually offend? And what exactly defines “vulgarity” anyway?

The internet is the product of an information explosion. Naturally, all kinds of information will gather here—both the good and the bad, just like real life. That is what a real society looks like. It suddenly reminds me of the so-called “civilized society” depicted in the movie Demolition Man (超级战警). While it looked perfectly pristine and beautiful on the surface, it ultimately couldn’t escape destruction.

Civilization is certainly a good thing—not swearing, having good manners, appreciating fine art—but these are not things you can just achieve overnight by talking about them. People are the most basic units of society, and being influenced by society is inevitable. So who is going to provide a truly civilized environment for society’s members? This so-called “civilization” is really something that can only be achieved by a small fraction of the population.

Think about it: have you ever criticized someone else’s uncivilized behavior? And has anyone ever called you out for yours? We really don’t need to put on a mask of moral righteousness to condemn societal vulgarity. Different people have different lifestyles, and that’s all there is to it.

It brings to mind the old Chinese proverb: “The magistrates are free to burn down houses, while the common people are forbidden to light a candle.” As everyone knows, the authorities (ZF) themselves are far from civilized—so why are they forcing us, the common people, to become civilized?

PS: Little Flyer Bear (小飞熊) is a civilized bear. At least I don’t use bad words.