US kidnapping should be a lesson for all

The disappearance of Zhang Yingying, a Chinese visiting scholar at the University of Illinois, has drawn public attention to Chinese students' safety in the United States. Subsequent analyses on WeChat platforms are pretty wild, reinforcing old prejudices and creating new ones. One writer warns against drivers of Saturn cars, as the suspect was driving a Saturn to pick up Zhang before she disappeared. This widely read writer argues that someone with good social status would not drive a Saturn. Others, after reading about the suspect, conclude that introverts are a risk to society, themselves or both.

It is absurd to make such generalizations based on just one incident. Such sensationalism also takes attention away from the real measures that Chinese should take to protect themselves against crime while working or studying abroad.

Overseas visiting scholars constitute a fairly vulnerable group. Their stay in a foreign country ranges from a few months to a year. Given the brevity of their stay, more often than not they decide not to buy a car or learn to drive, and thus have to depend on either friends or the public transportation system, which can be infrequent, at least compared with that in China.

However, despite the despicable crimes, it is not right to profile people based on race, personality, or the cars they drive.