Hong Kong actor Wong He (王喜) arrived in Taiwan on April 3, later writing on Facebook that he had a profuse nosebleed after a healthcare worker conducted a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on him at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Photographs of his bloody nose and the description about his “appalling” treatment have sparked controversy on the Internet.
“There were staff who offered to stop the bleeding and change the mask, but they were rejected by Wong,” Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
However, Wong was quick to hit back on social media, saying that he rejected the offer because he was given a roll of “toilet paper,” which he refused out of “common sense.”
As confirmed cases are spiking again, it is understandable that the public is feeling restless. Nonetheless, at such a critical moment, everyone needs to remain composed more than ever.
People should not be surprised that Wong was making a big deal about the incident, as it is an actor’s nature to be “dramatic.”
The last thing that is needed is for his histrionic account and behavior to create panic.
After all, Wong committed a few transgressions during the incident.
First, he called the healthcare worker a “murderer” in his post.
“The murderer has fled the scene, while those who remain do not know the name of the murderer and know only that she was from a hospital,” he wrote.
It is simply unacceptable for Wong not to apologize for his misconduct, as this is a grave insult to the healthcare profession.
The #IdonotknowChuangJen-hsiang hashtag in his post was either impertinence or a blatant provocation. Of course, he has the right to not know Chuang, but his hashtag was simply gratuitous.
If not for Wong’s fame, such a small error would have never sparked such a heated reaction, and I would not have known about him if it had not been for the controversy.
People should respect each other by default. When others do not respect us, we do not respect them either. It is true that the healthcare worker made a mistake, but Wong’s appalling reaction and response are so intolerable that even fellow Hong Kong actor Chapman To (杜汶澤) asked Wang to “respect another country’s culture and customs” on social media.
Taiwan is grappling with its worst COVID-19 outbreak since May last year. If Wong’s behavior has had other repercussions, I doubt he would be able to take full responsibility for them.
Li Kuan-long is a lecturer at Shih Chien University’s Kaohsiung campus.
Translated by Rita Wang
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