Abstract

This research made a content analysis of comments from a pray-for-blessings website after the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake happened. Contemporary Chinese social mentality is supposed to be reflected by the results. It explores that most netizens wrote the comments in the National Mourning Day. The contents of these comments are divided into 13 species: pray for the disaster areas, pray for China, pray for the rescuers, pray for others, group cohesion, suggestions, love, sympathy, questioning the China Seismological Bureau, appreciation, information of earthquake, schadenfreude, uselessness of praying. Although there was some negative emotion as schadenfreude and some complains appeared, the whole was positive. The source of negative ones may be from high expectation of China Seismological Bureau and dissatisfaction of the society. Theism and antitheism both existed, there was more theism in the pray-for-blessings, however, antitheism was the primary. In all, the whole country is in the social mentality of the all-concerned, comity, love, cooperation, and advocation of science.

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