The national army is also a human being: treat individual minor faults rationally and stop online public trials

◎ I am a camouflage lamb

September 3rd coincides with Military Day, and the whole society is talking about how to care for the national army and improve the status of military personnel. However, I felt extremely heavy and ironic in my heart. Because a cadre I know well, Master Sergeant Lin Jiahua, is currently undergoing an overwhelming public trial and bullying on the Internet.

September 3rd coincides with Military Day, and the whole society is talking about how to care for the national army and improve the status of military personnel. (File photo) Military cadres were publicly interrogated online on September 3, Military Day

The cause of this incident was simply that he accidentally lost a cigarette butt. It is understandable that littering cigarette butts is indeed wrong behavior. As a soldier, of course, you should receive due review and corresponding punishment. But what is chilling is that this minor violation has been infinitely magnified on the Internet, leading to a collective witch hunt. Discussions were circulated everywhere on social platforms, and even overwhelming smears and personal attacks began to appear: some accused him of being "the most incompetent sergeant major I have encountered in four years of volunteer service", and some even criticized him baselessly for being "used to being a local emperor" in the army.

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As someone who knows Master Chief Lin, I must stand up and say something fair. He is by no means an "incompetent cadre" as netizens call him. Serving in the engineering and military department, which is extremely high-pressure and has extremely high professional requirements, he works hard and shoulders heavy grassroots management and training responsibilities. Everyone has witnessed his hard work and dedication. Under the pressure of heavy tasks, smoking is just one of his personal ways to relieve the huge psychological pressure. Now, just because of the mistake of a cigarette butt, all the efforts he has made silently at his post for many years have been completely negated. How cruel is this to a grassroots soldier who has devoted himself to his duties?

This incident reflects the current collective pathology and double standards in Taiwanese society's treatment of the national military. On the one hand, we publicize in front of the public that the national army is very important and that we should respect the military on September 3rd Military Day; on the other hand, society's moral judgment on soldiers is extremely harsh. Soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms and buying breakfast on the road will be photographed and interrogated. Nowadays, even a small defect in living habits can turn into devastating online bullying.

The national army is also a human being and treats individual small faults rationally

The author is reluctant to leave behind the familiar Sergeant Lin Jiahua, who has been subjected to overwhelming public trials and bullying on the Internet. (Provided by the author) The national army is also a human being, an ordinary human being who needs to breathe, need rest, and makes small mistakes, rather than a flawless moral saint. If our society continues to use a magnifying glass to examine military personnel and treat grassroots cadres with the most stringent standards, it will ultimately chill the hearts of all those who protect national security.

Through the part of "Freedom to Speak", I would like to make a profound appeal to the public: please stop the endless online public trials. It is necessary to provide the national army with reasonable institutional supervision, but please look at individual minor faults rationally and return dignity and fairness to every grassroots soldier who sweats silently on the job.

(The author is a professional soldier)

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