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Some people are evil. Some people are stupid. And then, there are those exceptional people who are both evil and stupid.

A clear-cut case of animal abuse happened in broad daylight on April 14. Mr Yu was just leaving the Shenzhen People’s Hospital in Futian District when he heard a loud mewing that had attracted the attention of many people in the area. When he noticed two on-duty security guards doing what they shouldn’t be doing, he began to record the following scene:

The text for this video gives more details about the incident: (translated by the Nanfang)

Two Security Guards from the Shenzhen Futian People’s Hospital Abuse a Cat
Yesterday afternoon at around 6pm
Two male security guards from the Shenzhen People’s Hospital in Futian District
used a transparent adhesive tape to tie up a 3-month old cat
and used it to drag the kitty around
Then they hang the kitty to play with it
before dragging the kitty around
Afterwards, they hanged the kitty from a tree
Attracting two small children to come over and ask
“Why have you tied up the kitty?”

Yes, children witnessed this act of animal cruelty as an adult accompanying them walked away. After the end of the video, the cat was taken down from the tree and dragged around before being hung again.

That was evil. Now comes the stupid.

After the video surfaced online, journalists from ten different newspapers and media outlets descended upon the Shenzhen People’s Hospital to confront these security guards. When negotiation with a person identifying themselves as the head of security went nowhere, the reporters went to the information desk to arrange an interview with the hospital’s public relations department.

And then in full view of people whose job it is to record things, security guards began attacking the reporters, reports Shenzhen News, Guangdong Yangcheng Evening News, JS China and other people with the bruises to prove it.

Past stupid and well into Crazytown, security guards beat the journalists with kicks and punches. You’ll have to forgive the lack of clear images of the attack since security guards successfully destroyed cameras from two television stations. The fracas continued until police came to take away the offending security guards.

For the epilogue to this story, we leave Crazytown and depart for Ludicrous City. Lin Hanli, Deputy Director of the Shenzhen People’s Hospital, absolved his organization of any responsibility in regards to property destruction and attacks because the security guards have nothing to do with the hospital; they only happen to work there. Lin said:

“Property management is outsourced, and hospital security guards are the responsibility of property management.”

Back at the beginning of this story, it was a case of “evil” committing animal abuse. Now, by using bureaucracy to absolve responsibility — that hasn’t yet acknowledged the animal abuse — it may be that we’ve gone all the way through the cycle and are back around again at evil.

That, or we’re glimpsing the “irrational national” standard well at work.

Photos: JS China, Shenzhen Evening Post - Weibo account