Live a responsible life

The extramarital affair between the actor Wen Zhang and the actress Yao Di has stirred up heated public online discussion about marital loyalty, and the public revelry sparked by the scandal still goes on. The seemingly boring gossip news has actually offered certain inspiration to ordinary people's life, says an article in Zhengzhou Evening News. Excerpts:

How to manage marriage is a question that every married couple needs to deal with. A look at the online comments and criticism of Wen Zhang should help us realize the mainstream values in our society and come up with our own understanding of marriage.

In this regard, celebrity gossip has played an instructive function. The scandal is just like a TV drama, featuring the cliched plot of a husband cheating on his wife, but in this case it is even more eye-catching as the hero and heroine are a real-life actor and actress, who always play out this story on the screen. The celebrities have their own desires, human weakness and roles to play in their private lives; but at the same time, as public figures, it is inevitable that their lives are caught in the media lens and brought under public scrutiny.

The paparazzi in this way have somehow become the "bridge" between the celebrities and the public. The reports of the seemingly immoral behavior are in fact reports based on facts and meet society's prurient desires. Such gossip seems to involve the issue of professional ethics, but as long as entertainers in the showbiz do their own duty and behave themselves, their names will not appear in the headlines of reports about scandals.

Everyone is the leading a role in life and people play different roles in their public and private lives. Hence, it is a question that deserves everyone to think about how to live a responsible and honest life and give no opportunity to others to rake your past up and make judgments.

Legalize the sex trade?

Some people argue that China should legalize the sex trade since it is impossible to eradicate it and this could also help prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, but such arguments underestimate the effects legalizing prostitution will have on society, says an article on Xinhuanet. Excerpts:

When prostitution is criminalized, there will be nagging worries among sex workers, pimps and the customers and anyone involved in the business about getting caught and being punished. The legal and moral consequences, therefore, help restrain such activities.

However, if prostitution was to be legalized, those involved would no longer have to worry about being brought to justice. Nor would they have to worry about their work being subject to a moral backlash, as the public's attitude toward sex work would undergo fundamental changes with the legalization of prostitution, no matter how slowly.

Under such circumstances, the sex trade would grow. Some argue that legalizing prostitution will lead to protected sex, but there is no guarantee. Instead, a growing number of sex workers may increase the risk of unprotected sex. This is understandable, since when prostitution is criminalized, sex workers and their clients are worried that unprotected sex will result in harsher punishment. While in the context of legalized prostitution, some of them will probably give in to their personal preference and engage in unprotected sex. Worse, the walls of social ethics will tumble down along with legalized sex trade, which will cause a moral crisis and also fuel the transmission of HIV and STDs.

The prevention of HIV and STDs and the crackdown on the sex trade are two daunting tasks that should be carried forward simultaneously. It is simply unwise to facilitate one while compromising the other.

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily USA 04/04/2014 page16)