For example here are a couple of topic titles from 知乎:
如何看待道德绑架行为？
我不想让我的女儿继续经历现在的「审美绑架」
And a comment I found on a youtube video:
现在的共产党使用的统治方式和封建时代的中国没什么两样，就是用国家主义绑架中国老百姓。按理说，其他的民族也没那么容易被统治者绑架，但中国老百姓偏偏容易被绑架，因为从一开始就被绑架了，一直没有明白过来。
Obviously in these sentences it does not mean "kidnap". So what does it mean? How can I translate it, and how do I use it?
Thanks in advance.
Here 绑架 means "force sb. into doing sth.".
道德绑架
force (your) moral beliefs on others
审美绑架
force (your) aesthetic beliefs on others
被绑架
being forced to others' belief.
It means, demanding others with an unrealistic requirement.
For your reference, you can look at Baidu Baike.
In the context of '审美绑架', '绑架' implies '劫持' (hijack) more
hijack 劫持
to take control of or use something that does not belong to you for your own advantage:
审美绑架 implies "aesthetic hijack" (hijack someone's aesthetic view to push one's agenda)
如何看待道德绑架行为？
How should we regard the hijacking of ethics? (Maybe: ‘using religion for political ends’)
过度追求网红脸？你的审美是否被绑架？
Too much desire to be an Internet celebrity? Has your sense of esthetics been hijacked?
我不想让我的女儿继续经历现在的「审美绑架」
I don't want to let my daughter continue to experience the current hijacking of esthetics. (Maybe: he doesn't want his daughter to have anorexic super-models as role models.)
In the text below, 绑架 refers to the hijacking of people's opinions through the medium of strong nationalism. (Personally, I think the 共产党 is doing a good job of ruling China. Is your country's government perfect?)
Anti communist rant （not from me):
现在的共产党使用的统治方式和封建时代的中国没什么两样，
The Communist Party's current method of ruling China is no different to rulers in feudal times,
就是用国家主义绑架中国老百姓。 (真的吗？中国梦不好，美国梦好？？）
that is, use nationalism to hijack ordinary people's opinions.
按理说，
It is reasonable to say that
其他的民族也没那么容易被统治者绑架，
other nationalities would not be so easily mislead,
但中国老百姓偏偏容易被绑架，
but the Chinese man in the street is, unfortunately, easy to delude,
因为从一开始就被绑架了，
because his opinions have been hijacked from the beginning,
一直没有明白过来。
he just doesn't know it.
(I suppose the American man in the street is all so clued up. As long as he can keep his rifle to shoot school kids and Afro-Americans, he doesn't even register that he has a government.)
