Criticizing actress for defending her right is misguided

Actress Sun Li and Donald Duck. [Photo/Xinhua]

WHEN CHINESE ACTRESS Sun Li complained on her micro blog about the noise during the night from a nearby construction site, tagging the official local government account, the local authorities responded by solving the problem. But some netizens criticized Sun for abusing her celebrity status. The Paper.cn commented on Tuesday:

Is it everyone's right to have a quiet environment at night so they can sleep soundly? According to the Law on Prevention and Control of Pollution from Environmental Noise, except for special tasks, such as emergency repairs or rescue, construction work is forbidden during the night.

The actress didn't ask for special treatment; instead, she asked for the right of every citizen to be upheld. Reporting illegal night construction work to the government is the right of every citizen.

Some people said Sun could have moved to another place to sleep. But the logic is problematic because it is the construction site that violated the law not the actress. When Sun protected her right, she was helping other residents in and around the area to be protected from the noise.

Getting used to the noise doesn't mean it is right for the construction work to be done at night; and it is unfair to criticize Sun for standing up for her right. It should be taken as positive interaction between the actress and the local government.

Of course, it is another question whether the local government in Jinzhong in North China's Shanxi province would have responded in the same way if Sun hadn't been a celebrity.