Road rage versus unfair criticism

A 21-year-old Chinese, surnamed Duan, studying in the US was killed in a road accident in California recently. It was an otherwise ordinary accident, except that Duan was driving a Ferrari.

The news of the accident generated some nasty reactions from some people, especially netizens, probably because the victim was a rich man's son. Some comments on the popular Sina micro blog are especially scathing, with one netizen saying: It's better for him to die than to kill others (while speeding).

According to a Los Angeles Times report, however, "the Ferrari was traveling at an appropriate speed in a 35-mph (56 kilometer per hour) zone, but the Hyundai (which hit the Ferrari) was moving 'well above the posted speed limit'". Besides, the driver of the Hyundai is under investigation on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. In fact, so far, no evidence has been found to suggest that the victim had done anything wrong.

Last week, in an accident of a different nature in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a BMW driven by a young man named Hu Bin overturned at a curve. Local police saw nothing unusual in the accident and said no one was injured.

But as soon as news of Hu's involvement in the Hangzhou accident emerged, netizens criticized him for being a "show-off" who refuses to change. Some media outlets reported the accident in a similar tone.

Perhaps Hu's background has a lot to do with it. Five years ago, Hu knocked down a pedestrian on a Hangzhou street. And although police later said that Hu was not speeding, the death of the pedestrian prompted many people to ignore the official report. Hu was sentenced to three years in prison but was released nine months earlier after his sentence was commutated.

Despite his criminal record, there is no evidence to show Hu violated any traffic rule in last week's accident. Many netizens, however, will have none of this because of their hatred toward rich people like Hu and Duan.