commentary by Patrick H. Moore
The feminism of the 1960s and 1970s attempted to send a message to society that old-fashioned male chauvinism was an unacceptable phenomenon that had run its course. Without a doubt it succeeded to some degree and women have made great progress — at least here in the U.S. — over the past several decades. Does this mean this sexism is dead and buried in this benighted land? Hardly. Although the message of equality of the sexes has been received and assimilated by much of American society, the notion of women being somehow not as “good” or as important as men is still very much alive in the minds of many American males. This is clearly demonstrated by the appalling number of sexual crimes against women that still stain our police blotters.
So although we have made some progress, we still have a long ways to go.
A recent case that comes to us from China reveals a virulent and peculiar type of male chauvinism that few American men — I believe — would even conceive of. Shockingly, a Chinese man named Jian Feng, sued his ex-wife in China over having UGLY KIDS and won. Roz Zurko of Hartford Top News writes:
A man sued his ex-wife over having ugly kids and he won. His ex-wife was ordered by court to pay him $120,000 in this bizarre case. This story started out with the man suing his wife because she gave birth to an ugly baby girl, but once DNA tests proved that the child was his, he sued her for having ugly children. He did this on the grounds of ‘false pretenses’ after finding out his ex-wife’s beauty was due to plastic surgery before they met, according to “Fox and Friends First” on Friday, Nov. 8.
So let’s make sure we get this right. Mr. Feng’s wife gives birth to a baby daughter. Big Papa goes to inspect the new arrival. After thorough observation, he concludes that his baby daughter does not look like either him or his attractive wife; rather, the poor thing looks like she got hit with “the ugly stick”. Here’s what Feng said in a statement to the Irish Times:
“I married my wife out of love, but as soon as we had our first daughter, we began having marital issues. Our daughter was incredibly ugly, to the point where it horrified me.”
So at this point, according to the Chicago Now radio station, Feng does the only logical thing. He sues his wife either for giving birth to an ugly daughter or for having an affair. Or maybe he sues her for having an ugly daughter because she had an affair. It’s unclear precisely what the grounds of the lawsuit were. Can you sue your wife for having an affair in China? I don’t know. What is certain, though, is that the DNA tests proved conclusively that Feng was the poor child’s father. She was stuck, through no fault of her own, with a truly wretched dad.
At this point, Feng’s wife confessed that prior to their marriage, she had traveled to South Korea where she had obtained $100,000 worth of plastic surgery. In short, Feng’s ex-wife — who may be as vain as he is — had gone to great lengths to transform herself into a more “beautiful” woman. The irony is that the kids do apparently resemble their mother before she had the plastic surgery. Although it may come as somewhat of a surprise, plastic surgery is not hereditary.
These revelations gave Feng the opening he’d been looking for. He went back to court and sued his wife again — this time on the grounds that she gave him three kids under false pretenses — because she’d never disclosed the fact she’d had plastic surgery, thus “duping him into thinking she was beautiful.”
Somewhat shockingly, the judge ruled that an actionable fraud had been committed and ordered Feng’s ex-wife to pay him $120,000.
* * * * *
So let us count up everyone’s blessings. We’ll start with Feng. He’s $120,000 richer (assuming payment is made), is no longer married to his ex-wife and has three children whom he finds distinctly unattractive. He has also gained a certain amount of notoriety and is a laughingstock throughout the western world.
Feng’s ex-wife is $120,000 poorer (assuming she pays). She has three children whom she presumably loves and cherishes notwithstanding their appearances. It is unclear whether she is in the market for a new husband.
Is a sense, despite losing the lawsuit, Feng’s ex-wife is clearly the lucky one. She is no longer stuck with Feng. She has been delivered from that odious man.
As for the children, they need not worry. If they are not overly vain, they will most likely be more or less content with their appearances. If they are vain, no problem. There are plenty of excellent plastic surgeons in South Korea just waiting re-mold them into whatever shapes their hearts desire.
And, lastly, there are rumors that this bizarre and admittedly disturbing story may not be true, or that at the very least, the family photo is bogus. We will stay abreast of this in case there is verification one way or the other.