tim's experiment

Curious little court case the other week in which a man was jailed for persuading a woman that it would be good for her personal fung shui to have sex with him and some of his other followers. This is a little local eccentricity. There have been similar cases before. When I first landed in Hong Kong the whole town was talking about a man who had been dubbed by the Chinese press “the pork sword acupuncturist”.  I recall a later variation on the theme in which the offender claimed to have invented a new way of administering medicine, which involved him swallowing it and then having sex with the patient.

When I was a court reporter we did not encounter this sort of thing. Whether this is because people in North Lancashire are less ingenious or more suspicious I dare not say. There have of course been cases in Western countries where charismatic religious leaders demanded the supreme tribute from their female followers. But these were not like the Hong Kong cases. The ladies concerned had already donated themselves to the guru, handed over their property, abandoned their families and former lives. People in this condition are said to need “deprogramming” to restore their sense of reality. But in Hong Kong there is no suggestion of brainwashing. It seems some ladies need little prompting to accomodate the fung shui man right after they move the fish tank.

One does wonder about the justice of taking these cases to court, actually. It is difficult to believe that the “victims” were really swept away on a wave of quasi-religious enthusiasm. I suppose when the constabulary comes round it does not seem quite respectable to say that you didn’t believe a word of it but a girl needs a bit of nude wrestling from time to time. Or if you do say that there is no prosecution so we don’t here about it. We are dealing with adults here. Is it the law’s function to protect people from their own stupidity?

If it is, then the law seems to go about it in a highly selective way. I notice that the gentleman who may or may not have forged Nina’s will collected a wide variety of favours from the lady while she lived, on the most extravagantly spurious basis, without anyone suggesting that a crime was being commited. Local firms pay large sums to “experts” for advice on their buildings and furniture. Yet the authenticity of the advice or the qualifications of the expert are never questioned. Nor are his fees.

Then there is the whole area of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I do not doubt that somewhere among the numerous traditions there are some which have genuine therapeutic value. They will then become part of Medicine properly so called, which is a scientific activity based on experimental proof rather than tradition. There are people who swear by the traditional stuff, and there is an enthusiastic industry pushing the idea that this is a viable alternative. But this whole area is trappy. The fact is that a lot of people respond to suggestion. Every drug experiment finds some patients who get better though they are being given a placebo. Most of the minor ailments to which humans are prone will clear themselves up in two or three weeks whether you get medical attention or not. So any medical system can look good, in the sense of producing success stories.

I must not give the impression that Western civilization is a paragon in these matters. I continue to be amazed and disgusted by the amount of space which local English-language publications are prepared to devote to astrology, which is widely known to be bunk. The South China Morning Post has a politically correct astrology section, offering bunk in the Chinese style as well. Then we have pages devoted to loopy alternative health things involving candles, chrystals, rocks, odd exercise machines and wierd diets. There are probably some parts of this kaleidoscope which have real value (yoga? meditation? Kreisfeld?) but it is difficult to see which ones they might be, and the newspapers make no attempt to tell you. No theory is too outlandish for the “other medicines” page. I wonder if they do it for the advertising?

Then there are the traditional or conventional religions. I am not a militant (or any other kind of) atheist. But I am offended by the curious selectivity in local Christians’ desire to have the tenets of their religion incorporated in legislation. There are seven deadly sins, only one of which concerns sex. But nobody ever writes to the papers calling for legislation against, say, greed, envy or sloth. It’s always lust they’re on about. Yet surely, in a city of many races and religions, this is a matter which must be left to the individuals concerned. Even if they do it with the fung shui man.