Lately I keep seeing people get angry at the assholes who post on Weibo and other platforms. Here is one way to think about it.
- Everyone has their own definition of an asshole. There is no need to settle on a fair definition. Just use your own judgment. Then think about how often you encounter one in person. Suppose one out of every hundred people you meet is an asshole. That is 1%, which seems like a pretty low estimate.
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According to a report from late 2020, China was approaching a billion internet users. At 1%, that gives you ten million assholes.
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Most people rarely comment online. Assholes tend to have a lot to say, and what they say is more likely to spread.
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So it is perfectly normal to go online and find the place full of comments from assholes.
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Another way to look at it: sometimes it feels like China has a lot of assholes. But if we insist on comparing countries, the figure that matters is the percentage, rather than the raw count. In a country with a population as large as China's, it is normal to see all kinds of clowns making a spectacle of themselves every day. That says little about Chinese people as a whole.
One philosophical view holds that anger comes from overly optimistic expectations. Once you understand the logic behind all this, it is a little harder to stay angry.
Source: I have lost track of the original. I will add it when I find it.