The entertainment industry has been very lively recently, starting with Zheng Shuang abandoning her child, followed by Hua Chenyu unexpectedly having a child, and then a bunch of gossip about other celebrities.
I have no intention of discussing these entertainment news, I am just interested in the term "吃瓜" (chī guā).
According to the explanation from Baidu Baike:
"吃瓜群众" is an internet slang term. In online forums, people post to discuss issues, and there are often a bunch of people queuing up to reply, either expressing their opinions or chatting irrelevantly. In 2016, someone referred to ordinary netizens who only observe without speaking as "吃瓜群众，" to indicate a state of not caring, not expressing opinions, and only observing.
Based on this definition, most netizens are not "吃瓜群众" because they are actively participating in the discussion. They leave their own opinions through comments and share "the latest information" through group messages, which does not align with the behavior of "observing without speaking."
In my opinion, this kind of behavior is no different from the gossip and discussions of village gossiping women.
Both of them satisfy their boring lives by discussing the actions of others, while also achieving social purposes. Furthermore, this kind of behavior is a form of invading others' privacy. When the person being discussed is oneself, it will inevitably lead to disgust and curses for those who gossip. That is why we often despise and detest village gossiping women.
Similarly, when we spread such gossip recklessly, we are also practicing the behavior of village gossiping women. The only difference is that we haven't realized it because we are not the ones being discussed, just like how the people being discussed by village gossiping women are not them. Therefore, we do not feel guilty.
So, besides the fact that we are not the ones being discussed, what other reasons make us ignore others' pain, suppress our shame, and discuss others' privacy so openly?
I think it's the term "吃瓜" (chī guā). "吃瓜" (chī guā) carries a bit of mockery and teasing, as if it puts on a "cloak" for discussing others' privacy, allowing us to express our opinions openly.
It's like some people who like to preface hurtful words with "I'm a straightforward person." With this "cloak," it seems natural to say even more offensive things because there is the "this person speaks straightforwardly" cloak protecting them.
If we could put ourselves in others' shoes and replace "吃瓜" (chī guā) with "discussing others' privacy," would this kind of crazy behavior decrease a bit?