Can Scandals Help Us Look into Social Problems?

Tin-packaged Sanlu brand baby milk formula is seen in a Chinese supermarket in this undated photo. [File Photo: Xinhuanet]

Are scandals - whether in politics, academia, or other areas - useful in calling our attention to important problems in ways that no opinion leaders or statesmen ever could? I agree that in a number of cases scandals can reveal some hidden social problem. On the other hand, some scandals will distract the public's attention to trivial matters and have negative influence on the younger generation.

On the one hand, scandals sometimes serve to call attention to pervasive social or political problems that we would otherwise neglect and that will lead us to think of ways to better our society. One such example happened recently in China in the notorious tainted-milk sandal which left nearly ten infants dead and almost 300,000 sickened. In the tainted dairy products scandal, which caused widespread panic and public discontent, melamine, often used in the manufacture of plastics, was added to milk products to deceive protein test. This milk scandal has urged the revision of China's draft food safety law which underlines strengthened oversight and management on food safety by stipulating the establishment of a food safety commission by the State Council to coordinate and guide food safety work.

Similarly, some political scandals expose leaks of regulation to society and as a result promote reform and development. The Clinton- Gore fundraising scandal in 1990s is a paradigmatic example which sparked a renewed call for the reform of campaign-finance. There's no doubt that the society will benefit from such kind of reform.

On the other hand, some entertainment scandals can distract public attention from what is really important for establishing a strong foundation in society. Take the recent nude-photo scandal in Hong Kong for example. Years ago the daily upload of erotic photos of Hong Kong singer-actor Edison Chen and his former rumored celebrity girlfriends sparked a media frenzy. Ironically this scandal, which has brought many hot Chinese actresses into disrepute, seems to be unending. Follow-up stories splash almost daily the front pages of Chinese publications. Excessive public focus of such a scandal distracts the public's attention away from pressing national and global problems, such as the global financial crisis, anti-terror efforts, and health-care reform debate in China, to name just a few.

More importantly, the people involved in these entertainment scandals often set a very bad example for the younger generation and that will cause fundamental damage to the whole society. It's really a pity and heart-breaking when the eight-gold medalist Michael Phelps was caught in a smoking marijuana scandal. The image of the miracle maker and great idol for many was suddenly deflated after the scandal and caused a rather negative influence on the young and impressionable. Such scandals have the potential to damage society fundamentally.

All in all, most scandals serve to flag important socio-political problems more effectively than any leader can. However whether the benefits of scandal outweigh its harm to the society must be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

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