Mandarin Monday: Tricky Headlines That Misplace Blame

原创 Zeus Zou theBeijinger

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More than any other grammatical obstacle, my friends who have studied Chinese always seem to stumble when it comes to correct usage of “被 bèi“ and ”把 bǎ“. It's a matter so tricky, in fact, that even for many native speakers, we fail to realize that when adopting the passive voice, the perspective we take also shifts and may change the focus of the entire sentence, even though we are still talking about the same incident.

You might be familiar with this phenomenon in English media: a headline will use the passive voice to focus on the victim rather than the perpetrator of a crime, often leading readers in the direction of victim-blaming. But of course, Chinese media is no innocent here either.

Recently, one netizen created a series of images to correct the headlines posted by media when reporting crimes against women. In the original headlines, the media tends to take the victims as the subjects while conveniently passing over the identity of the criminals.

Original Headline
女子遭家暴起诉离婚被丈夫持斧砍杀
nǚzǐ zāo jiā bào qǐsù líhūn bèi zhàngfū chí fǔ kǎn shā
Woman Who sought Divorce Due to Domestic Violence is Murdered by Husband with an Ax

Corrected Headline
男子家暴并持斧砍杀起诉离婚的妻子
nánzǐ jiā bào bìng chí fǔ kǎn shā qǐsù líhūn de qīzi
Man Abuses Wife, Murders Her When She Seeks Divorce

Both titles are talking about the same incident but take starkly different angles. The original speaks from the wife’s story which may be more sensational and can trigger sympathy from the public, yet it dilutes the role of the husband. Worse, it subtly suggested the lady’s decision to ask for a divorce was what gave rise to this tragedy.

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Original Headline
坦白嫖娼未获原谅竟撞车杀妻
tǎnbái piáochāng wèi huò yuánliàng jìng zhuàngchē shā qī
After She Fails to Forgive Him for Cheating with Prostitutes, (He) Runs Her Over, Killing Her

Corrected Headline
男子婚后嫖娼且故意撞车杀妻
nánzǐ hūn hòu piáochāng qiě gùyì zhuàngchē shā qī
Man Cheats on Wife with Prostitutes then Runs Her Over With Intent to Kill

The original headline focuses on the motive behind the crime rather than the crime itself, which might suggest that the writer wants us to sympathize with the murderer's actions. Though this headline did not use the passive voice, it did emphasize the criminal's perspective by focusing on how the wife "failed" to forgive him for his actions.

Original Headline
南京一女大学生遇害案动机是情感纠纷
nánjīng yī nǚ dàxuéshēng yùhài àn dòngjī shì qínggǎn jiūfēn
Motive in Murder of Female Nanjing College Student was Relationship Dispute

Corrected Headline
男子伙同他人蓄意谋害交往对象后埋尸
nánzǐ huǒtóng tārén xùyì móuhài jiāowǎng duìxiàng hòu mái shī
Young Man Murders and Buries Romantic Partner with Help of Colluders

Again, the existence of the murder has mysteriously disappeared in the original headline. Moreover, the media consciously downplayed the severity of this crime, and the maliciousness behind it by featuring the motive and leaving out significant details.

Sadly, behind each of these shocking headlines are the cries and struggles of those once beating hearts. Just like blurring the face of the criminal to protect their privacy while digging up the life story of the victim, these sensational headlines are just as toxic. It is not a habit that can be changed overnight, but at least a few netizens are beginning to draw attention to it.