TITLE:
Impoliteness Responses to Immorality in Online Comments: A Case from Sina Weibo
AUTHORS:
Yanxue Tian, Haicui Zheng
KEYWORDS:
Impoliteness Responses, Online Comments, Strategies, Morality, Sina Weibo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.15 No.4,
August
14,
2025
ABSTRACT: This study investigates impoliteness responses to immorality in online comments through a case involving a man repeatedly verbally abusing two construction workers because their work clothes were stained with dust on Line 5 of the Beijing subway on April 17, 2025, posted by Hong Xing News, a news agency in China, on Sina Weibo, a popular social media platform in China. The analysis examines how Sina Weibo users make impoliteness responses in this context, and the real reason behind these comments, in terms of morality. The findings reveal that these Sina Weibo users employ 13 impoliteness response strategies in total, including three broad strategies and 12 subcategories. In addition, the real reason behind these comments is the man’s violation of moral principles of equality, and laborers should be held in high esteem, highlighting the Sina Weibo users’ strong determination to condemn immorality.