I Think We Will Hardly Shake off the Label of "Swindler"

People have always called the Commune a "swindler." In the early years I would get angry when I heard it and always fought back, but for the past two years I have mostly kept silent, realizing that this is probably the fate of those of us who run KangAi Commune.

1. Most members of KangAi Commune feel only that they keep paying in, and never feel that they get anything out of it.

Protection is something intangible. Many people do not realize that it exists, that it is valuable and that it costs a great deal. And it is rather difficult to educate the public about the value and the price of protection. When a person always feels that he has paid out real money and received no financial return, then over time he will inevitably grow suspicious of — even resentful toward — the thing he is taking part in. This may simply be human nature.

2. Most people in KangAi Commune will never receive mutual aid.

The way KangAi Commune works is in fact that a large majority helps a small minority. In the end, most people pay out money and receive none, and will never experience what it feels like to receive a mutual aid payout.

3. KangAi Commune's strict review has offended many people.

Many people complain that KangAi Commune's contributions are high, which objectively requires the Commune to review rigorously and act strictly in accordance with the conditions set out in the covenant. That inevitably means rejecting many people's claims, and some of them harbor deep resentment toward the Commune, producing every kind of complaint and curse.

4. The small minority who do receive mutual aid have little influence.

Those who receive aid have usually been through misfortune; they may be physically and emotionally exhausted, may not wish to reveal their privacy, or may no longer be alive, so it is hard for them to step forward and speak up for the Commune. Although we have already provided mutual aid to 17,000 people, they are only a small part of those who contribute, and even if all of them spoke out they would represent only a small minority's view of the Commune; it is hard to make every member understand that the Commune is real.

5. Peer platforms have been closing down one after another.

Most mutual aid platforms have shut down. Platforms including Alipay's Xiang Hu Bao closed without any explanation, making it very hard for users and society to gain any deeper understanding of the mutual aid platform model.

So there is basically no escaping the fact that some people will call KangAi Commune a swindler. I understood this before, and the practice of the past few years has deepened that understanding. It is a very sad thing.

So what are we to do? We can only keep insisting on strict enforcement of the covenant, hold fast to beliefs such as "time reveals a person's true heart" and "the innocent prove themselves innocent," and trade time for people's understanding of this work. We push on, carrying the weight.