As a Chinese person who has lived in the US for five years, I think the “normal-to-westerners” explanation of 圣母 is wrong. Kindness and good deeds are widely celebrated on the Chinese internet, and I am often moved by them.
Suppose a country leading in AI invokes safety concerns to demand that countries trying to catch up restrict their development, while continuing its own. Calling this 圣母 would criticize the perceived double standard and moralizing at others’ expense, not concern for humanity.
The term can be misused, but presenting it as evidence that Chinese people reject ordinary compassion reflects a prejudice and misleads readers.