Creation: Historical Materialism Group of the Proletarian Liberation Struggle Association
What is suffering? What is happiness? Different classes have different answers. Sha Baibai recorded a video of her euthanasia, which stirred ripples among the petty bourgeoisie who see no way out of individualism. Sha Baibai was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus at the age of 20. After feeling unable to enjoy life freely, she decided to go to Switzerland for euthanasia. Systemic lupus erythematosus, a common chronic and recurrent autoimmune disease, can affect multiple systems including blood, kidneys, and skin, but it is actually curable. Before deciding on euthanasia, Sha Baibai needed dialysis three times a week. She held the belief that “being half-dead is the greatest harm and insult to me, I was born to pursue freedom and truth,” and “firmly” chose to go to Switzerland for injection euthanasia. Under the propaganda of bourgeois media, Sha Baibai is portrayed as a calm, composed, and serene girl, fully aware of her terminal illness, but living life to the fullest: fluent in multiple languages, enjoying bungee jumping, skydiving, loving boxing, and passionate about walking the runway… But in reality, Sha Baibai’s “beauty” is entirely based on the parasitic lifestyle of the bourgeoisie, living off the labor of others. For the vast majority of Chinese working people, having systemic lupus erythematosus means huge medical expenses. There are many news reports online about college students with lupus needing donations to continue treatment. When the disease is unstable, patients cannot do anything and lose their ability to work. The meager income of ordinary workers is far behind the soaring prices. They cannot afford to get sick or dare not get sick. Lupus is especially common among women. In Confucian society in China, women with lupus face accusations and discrimination for being unable to give birth. They cannot and will not live as “free and fulfilling” as Sha Baibai. Sha Baibai’s “beauty” is bourgeois beauty; to the proletariat, it is decay and depravity. She is spiritually empty but proud of her bravery and boldness, seeking thrills through bungee jumping and skydiving. She dresses herself up as a vase for others to admire and play with, and avoids gaining weight by not taking weight-gain medications, which later contributed to her worsening condition. Before going to Switzerland, she bought luxury bags, claiming they look high-class and elegant. It is estimated that Sha Baibai’s euthanasia in Switzerland cost up to 600,000 yuan, an amount that ordinary workers could not save in a lifetime. Sha Baibai claims, “I have lived an excellent life,” and her “brave death” is praised by many petty bourgeoisie who are on the brink of bankruptcy and despair due to political and economic oppression by the Chinese revisionists. But in reality, Sha Baibai’s life is a shameful, contemptible life of bourgeois pleasure and enjoyment. Her so-called freedom and ease are nothing but licentious indulgence. Like all exploitative classes, they are extreme egoists, with the secret to their conduct being “for myself.” They take “pleasure” in sucking the blood and sweat of the working people and in luxurious, decadent living. When they lose all this, they consider it “suffering.” When Sha Baibai could no longer freely indulge in the blood and sweat of the workers, and had to lie in a hospital bed, she felt her life was over. The petty bourgeoisie loves the parasitic life built on exploiting the people’s blood and sweat, and even freely chooses death. However, the coming of the capitalist crisis is inevitable, and the bankruptcy of the petty bourgeoisie is also inevitable. They will never enjoy Sha Baibai’s “excellent life.” The petty bourgeoisie is doomed to perish; they only see their small circle and see no hope. Only by abandoning their narrow pursuits of eating well, living well, and sleeping well, and joining the proletarian revolutionary struggle for the liberation of millions of people can they find true happiness and spiritual fulfillment.
