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Two separate series of incidents that happened in recent months have had the effect of shocking the nation. The first was the string of 11 successive suicides by employees of the Shenzhen-based technology firm Foxconn since the beginning of this year. The latest tragedy happened as this writer was working on the column yesterday. The other, six fatal attacks on kindergarten kids and students in various provinces across the country over two months. The public, understandably, was shocked by the loss of so many lives in such a short period of time. Yet, they were more puzzled at the weird recurrence of such tragedies. Why did such incidents take place despite widespread vigilance and preventive measures undertaken after the first few cases? Some sociologists and psychologists attributed the phenomenon to psychological stress and mental problems suffered by the attackers as well as those who took their own lives. The experts even cited the Werther effect - copycat acts taking place following widely publicized similar cases. Such theories are not groundless. In a certain sense, they are quite to the point. Yet, psychological or mental problems are definitely not the root cause of the tragedies. These problems have other deeper causes. Some insightful critics pointed out that acute social conflicts - widening income gaps between the rich minority and lower and middle-income majority, worsening unemployment, rampant corruption, infringement of the public's interests and rights by the more powerful members of society, and so on - were to blame for such tragedies. | 
