[colinmhayes]

>but the only reason people are reacting to this are that they don't understand it

I think it's much more likely that they're reacting like this because they see their own plight in the wolf. It doesn't matter why the wolf killed itself, it became a meme that allowed many Chinese to reflect together on a common plight.

[sdenton4]

I think there's a bit more to the analogy than just the suicidal wolf, though. The wolf is offing itself to minimize loss because there's no clear path to a better outcome.

This seems like a common refrain when we see radicalized engineering students from less-developed countries, who are notably common in extremist groups. They're people on a very difficult path (an engineering program!) with no real path to success (living in a society where unemployment for people with degrees is very high). Cost for continuing on the path is high, and there's no obvious path to get the good outcomes.

[spywaregorilla]

Having reread the article, it seems like the concept of suicide doesn't weigh into the cultural reaction at all. It's just giving up on the chase.

[lancengym]

Yes you are quite right. The social media reactions did not suggest an attitude of suicide at all. It was more of laid back life instead of meeting expectations and attaining so-called success.