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The great Chinese leader and visionary Deng XiaoPing  (邓小平) famously used the phrase “ “it doesn’t matter whether a cat is black or white, if it catches mice it is a good cat” (“不管黑猫白猫，能捉老鼠的就是好猫”) to push China into the economic reform that lift tens of millions out of poverty and the country into an economic super-power.  And many said that one of his regrets has been not living long enough to witness Hong Kong to be returned to China.

To apply this wisdom to the political unrest in Hong Kong, “it doesn’t matter whether a person is in black or in white, if they live their proper role, they are good citizens”.  

Hong Kong is a relatively homogeneous society, inhabited by smart, intelligent, efficient and often charitable citizens. Its prosperity and international status sometimes hide its darker side that it does not always embrace diversity and inclusion in its soul.  In Cantonese, there are nicknames for caucasian, black, mainland Chinese, and other races. In the early 90s, there are nicknames for mainland Chinese which belittle them quite a bit.   Decades of world-renowned economic successes in this small city create some deep-rooted but subtle sense of pride, superiority and entitlement. Pursuit of capitalism and colonial elitism come with a chasm between the poor and the rich, the have and have-not, the will-have and the will-not-have;  without artful colonial maneuver, it creates a dangerous level of resentment among the have-not, will-not-have and the righteous.   Quick-thinking, short-cuts, pragmatism and efficiency, at times, are more highly valued in this city than critical thinking and Socrates discussion or Aristotle thinking.  These sentiments can be hijacked in current challenging situations.

I was born and raised in Hong Kong; and love the city.  For a moment, let’s try to use the Aristotelians’ first principle  and applies them to the five core demands. 

First principles

1. A rational and calm mind is better than an irrational and angry mind. 
   If your emotions take over the reasoning, you become the victim of emotional hijacking, it is time to pause discussion and delay action.  E.g. You get outraged after watching some YT videos, and in that moment, you translate a few specific incidents into anger against all protestors, or all police or all establishments.
2. A government needs to be diligent and care about the citizens. (勤政愛民)
   Even if we discount the organizers’ reported protestors participation, there are still thousands or tens of protestors that are disgruntled,  the government has responsibilities.
3. A citizen needs to follow the law and order. 
   Asking for “I burn with you” is not fulfilling the role of basic citizenship.  Bullying law enforcement officers are not following the law and order. Obstructing and vandalizing LegCo, the set up to scrutinize bills, are not following the law and order.
4. A citizen needs to accept consequence in acts against the law.
   Regardless of the situation, attacking police is against the law; obstructing police is against the law; vandalizing is against the law.
5. People in Hong Kong love Hong Kong. 
   Call out those who may use Hong Kong for their political agenda; and those who may love other countries instead.
6. Ad hominem behaviour is not acceptable.
   Ad hominem is when you start to attack others’ character and motive rather than their behaviours.  E.g. Rather than condemning specific violence of some individuals, it turns to attack the character of the whole class of protestors, police and their families to be shameless, and flawed in character.  

Seeing the five demands through the lens of first principles:

1. Full withdrawal of the extradition bill. 
   Demand met.  Demand does not compromise any first principles.  It has been suspended and now withdrawn.
2. A commission of inquiry into alleged police brutality.
   Partially met with adding top officers to CAPO.  Demand for commission, outside of existing system, compromises first principle 1: are the police brutality a few cases or systematic pattern that warrants a total overhaul of the system to inquiry police complaint? Are there evidences that HKPD is using more force than NYPD or police in other places in handling unrest? Demand also compromises first principle 3 & 6:  are the citizens behaving as good citizens to bully the law enforcing officers with labels, expose their family, surround their police stations?
3. Retracting the classification of protesters as “rioters”
   Demand not met.  Demand compromises first principles 3 and 4.  If burning the cities, throwing petrol bombs, vandalizing and obstructing subways, police stations, airport and more are not the behaviours of rioters, what are?
4. Amnesty for arrested protesters
   Demand not met.  Demand compromises first principles 3 and 4.
5. Dual universal suffrage
   Demand not met.  This is emotional hijacking to take advantage the outrage and other resentments for something else.Demand compromises first principle 1 and 5.  Do these people, with political agenda seeking support from foreign countries,  love Hong Kong or love foreign countries? The result of last LegCo direct elections do not show clear evidence that Hong Kong people value democratic movement higher than other things they want for the city.

These first principles are of course debatable.  The point is that such an approach, to think through the first principles and stack them against the demands, can give a boost to your rational mind, and avoid your emotions to take over your intelligence without your knowing.

More rational minds are needed in my beloved city to return back to safety and beauty.

Posted in About Learning, Dear Diary, Hong Kong