Only paranoid people complain

Chinese scientist pleases bureaucrats

Yesterday, at the entrance to Peking University, about a hundred people tried to hold a protest against the scandalous statements of a professor at the most famous university in China. In March, in the pages of Zhongguo Xinwen Zhoukan (China News Weekly), the head of the university's forensic laboratory, 49-year-old Sun Dongdong, said that 99% of people who constantly complain to the authorities have mental problems. During a discussion on the topic of forced hospitalization of people with mental problems, the scientist stated that “professional complainers” are mainly suffering from “paranoid-type disorders”, so they should be isolated from society and treated.

These remarks provoked a lively debate. Critics pointed out that Sun Dongdong is a leading psychiatric expert who not only evaluates the mental health of individuals for the benefit of the judiciary, but also participates in the development of legislation in the field of psychiatry. The weight of his opinion is great, but if it prevails, then the winners will be the careless and corrupt officials - after all, they will be able to send any objectionable complainant to the hospital. On Tuesday, Sun released a letter deeply apologizing for how his words may have "hurt someone's feelings." He stated that he cares about the welfare of the people and their health and does not at all seek to limit the freedom of the complainants: “I hope that these people will be able to solve their problems legally.”

Nevertheless, yesterday the Chinese English-language newspaper Shanghai Daily ranked Sun among the intellectuals who “sold his soul and conscience.” Particularly incensed was the scientist’s clumsy explanation that his estimate of the proportion of paranoids did not apply to all complainants, but only to those with whom he had to deal: “This is not an apology at all. Even if 99% of those he met were truly paranoid, it would be wrong to dismiss their complaints as baseless. His comments support those who oppose justice and who want to reduce the number of complainants."

The grievance system gives ordinary Chinese people the opportunity to challenge what they consider unfair administrative or judicial decisions by appealing directly to higher authorities. “Professional complainants” have been trying to achieve justice for years and even decades. However, this raises a difficult question: do they initially act this way because of a mental disorder, or are they gradually driven crazy by interaction with the bureaucratic machine?

Deputy Head of the Department for Receiving Citizens' Appeals of the Chinese Ministry of Internal Affairs, Li Zhuhong, admitted that more than 80% of the complainants are peasants, the majority come from the lower classes and representatives of socially disadvantaged groups. In the vast majority of cases, the complaints of the complainants were justified.

Alexander LOMANOV