In China, there have been several cases in recent years in which people who helped the victims of accidents were then sued by the victims. Often the blackmailers claim that the person who has helped them is responsible for the accident. A series of “good Samaritan” extortion cases severely damaged the trust between people and made those who would be good Samaritans more rare.

Then, whether should we help the old in trouble? In my opinion, we should not hold back our benevolence. We can see clearly that the crisis of confidence between people is becoming increasingly serious. Sincerity and confidence are replaced by dishonest and hypocritical behaviors. Caution and alert are deeply rooted in people’s sub-consciousness. Helping others, especially the old, in trouble is a traditional virtue of China. We should stick to it and develop it further. What’s more, if we turn a blind eye to those who need help, our whole society will become indifferent and unsteady.

When we come into the case, firstly, we’d better call health care workers for help, because most of us lack of medical knowledge. Most elderly people have diseases like hypertension and cerebral thrombosis. They are very likely to be injured for the second time, which may be fatal. If we prop them up hastily, we may cause more harm to the old. In addition, we should obtain evidence before take action. We should ask a third party to be the witness or carry out the rescue together. Make full use of the mobile phone. We’d better take videos of the whole process as the physical evidence in case of dispute. If we are blackmailed by the old, we must defend our rights through legal means and never tolerate this kind of behavior.

Besides, it is necessary to for government and the society to give legal protection to those who help the old and be blackmailed, because the phenomenon will get rise to people’s misgivings about their actions. Most blackmailers were not severely punished by the authorities for their extortion, which goes against the kind-hearted. As long as everyone is willing to do others a favor, the government should take measures to safeguard the rights and profits of those who help others. Only by getting rid of this worry can people help others zealously.

In a word, blackmails in these cases cool people’s ardor of helping others. Definitely, we should continue to extend a hand to those who are in trouble. At the same time, we always need to have a backup plan.