In the past, society revered those who sacrificed most to accommodate their parents. Even grade school students who were forced to drop out of school because their family was poor and their parents were unable to work could win the "devoted child" category. In Kuo's eyes, this kind of person needs society's help, not awards for modern filial piety.
過去社會上總是標榜與推舉最能「犧牲」自己、成全父母的人，因此，家境貧困、雙親失能，被迫失學的小學生都被選為「孝子」，在郭東曜看來，這樣的例子，需要的是社會救助的介入，並不適合做為現代孝順的楷模。