"Apologizing" with one's face covered

[pritmimic]

"Apologizing" with one's face covered---does anyone else see a problem here?

http://taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2012/05/13/2003532711

The photo accompanying the above story shows two high-school students named Tseng and Chen kneeling beside Chen’s mother to make a public apology. Tseng and Chen, together with an accomplice, poured urine and feces on the faces of sleeping homeless people in Taipei, filmed the episodes, and posted videos to Youtube.

Does appearing in public (ostensibly) to subject oneself to the humiliation of making a public apology have ANY VALUE WHATSOEVER if one's face is masked so as to hide one's identity (thereby intentionally avoiding the majority of the potential sanctions that might result from admitting wrongdoing)?

I would argue that it does not.

Is such absurd posturing symptomatic of an insidious rot that has set in at the core of our society? I would say that it is.

A true apology entails willingness to accept the consequences of one's wrongful actions. Wearing a mask negates this, an bespeaks, instead, an unwillingness to do so.

Disgusting. Pathetic.

[jimipresley]

Whoever wrote that "article" has feces and urine on their keyboard. Yet another reason to bemoan the ineffective buxiban system.

And wtf is a "netizen"?

Morons.

[Hamletintaiwan]

Those are minors after all and should not be forced to do anything publicly.
Showing their faces could jeopardise their future.
I don't know why Taiwanese are so into public humiliation as a resolve. It doesn't accomplish anything.
It also contradicts all the rules put on us teachers in our daily life.

No corporal punishment of any kind.
Can't kick a student out off class.
Can't have them stand up.
Too many students.
Teachers have so many students that they even don't know their names etc.

But picking now three students and publicly humiliating them is going to solve it all or what?

[Feiren]

They are not minors. They are 20 and 22 years old. Their mother also wore a face mask. They probably don't want to be recognized for the same reasons most people wouldn't want to, but also because the one whose mother accompanied him is the son of an OTC-listed company's owner. They will be concerned about kidnapping.

Still, it's interesting that the public has questioned (as usual) the sincerity of their apology but no one has mentioned the face masks. I guess they are just such a part of 'public' life here that no one really thinks about it. The main problem with their apology seems to be that it was not made to the victims directly and also that they are not doing anything to make up for their sins. The 'old testament' crowd in Taiwan wants them to suffer what they inflicted on the street people.

To her credit, the mother is offering to compensate the victims. But it looks to a lot of Taiwanese people that the irresponsible rich are behaving outrageously and then just buying their way out of their problems. See Makiyo.

Those are minors after all and should not be forced to do anything publicly.
Showing their faces could jeopardise their future.
I don't know why Taiwanese are so into public humiliation as a resolve. It doesn't accomplish anything.
It also contradicts all the rules put on us teachers in our daily life.

No corporal punishment of any kind.
Can't kick a student out off class.
Can't have them stand up.
Too many students.
Teachers have so many students that they even don't know their names etc.

But picking now three students and publicly humiliating them is going to solve it all or what?

[Hamletintaiwan]

They are not minors. They are 20 and 22 years old. Their mother also wore a face mask.

Sorry but the article doesn't say that or am I missing something?
They look like high-school kids to me.

Anyhow, if they are 22 and 23 as you say, then, what is the mother doing there?
She didn't do anything or did she?

Oh yes! She raised and breastfed those brats.

[Feiren]

Check today's Apple Daily for the ages.

Taiwanese parents always consider their children to be children even when they are 20 years (or more) over the age of majority. If they have the means, they will baby their children for life unless the kids revolt.

I very much doubt that the wife of an OTC-listed company breastfed her children 20 years ago.

She has taken public responsibility for having failed to raise them right, made them apologize by kowtowing (literally) to the public (not sure what the point of that was, shame culture?), and offering to pay compensation. The last offer is revealing though. Mommy will buy off the victims. Granted they are high school students (at an advanced age) and don't have any money, but still....

They are not minors. They are 20 and 22 years old. Their mother also wore a face mask.

Sorry but the article doesn't say that or am I missing something?
They look like high-school kids to me.

Anyhow, if they are 22 and 23 as you say, then, what is the mother doing there?
She didn't do anything or did she?

Oh yes! She raised and breastfed those brats.

[Ryan the third]

Those are minors after all and should not be forced to do anything publicly.
Showing their faces could jeopardise their future.
I don't know why Taiwanese are so into public humiliation as a resolve. It doesn't accomplish anything.
It also contradicts all the rules put on us teachers in our daily life.

No corporal punishment of any kind.
Can't kick a student out off class.
Can't have them stand up.
Too many students.
Teachers have so many students that they even don't know their names etc.

But picking now three students and publicly humiliating them is going to solve it all or what?

I'd say fill a big bucket with urine and feces and pour it over them and post it on youtube. I do not like the idea of people like that having a future.

[Battery9]

wow. NT1500..that's it? You get in worse trouble for flippin the bird here!

[touduke]

After the students uploaded at least 36 clips showing themselves abusing homeless people..

That unbelievable. They must have felt that their actions would be seen as an amusement by the larger public.
People do all kind of cruel&creepy and revolting stuff to other humans - but to make that stuff and themselves public on youtube is puzzling.

[TheGingerMan]

Those are minors after all and should not be forced to do anything publicly.
Showing their faces could jeopardise their future.
I don't know why Taiwanese are so into public humiliation as a resolve. It doesn't accomplish anything.
It also contradicts all the rules put on us teachers in our daily life.

No corporal punishment of any kind.
Can't kick a student out off class.
Can't have them stand up.
Too many students.
Teachers have so many students that they even don't know their names etc.

But picking now three students and publicly humiliating them is going to solve it all or what?

I'd say fill a big bucket with urine and feces and pour it over them and post it on youtube. I do not like the idea of people like that having a future.

Seconded.