Xiao Hua Issue 24

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ISSUE 24

Negotiating Negotiating with with ‘Terrorists’: ‘Terrorists’: Bridging Bridging the the Political Political Divide Divide

中學生的心理深淵 中學生的心理深淵 Atlanta Atlanta Shootings: Shootings: Fears Fears of of Anti-Asian Anti-Asian Discrimination Discrimination and and its its Psychological Psychological Implications Implications

蛤蟆先生去看心理医生 蛤蟆先生去看心理医生 — — 探索自我，走出深淵 探索自我，走出深淵 校話

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Deep Insight Into College Admissions So you know you are making the best informed decisions

“[...] Thank you so much for dealing with me for the past year in particular, as I know your schedule became increasingly packed toward Christmas, and I hope my essays were intriguing enough to keep you awake at 3am.

Once again thank you so much and I know this letter doesn’t do you justice for the love and care you poured toward my applications!”

- C.C., CIS, Class of 2019, University of Chicago

“Under her guidance, I managed to get into my first-choice college that I firstly would not have applied to had I not consulted with Antonia, and secondly would never have dreamed of getting into. The college process was by no means an easy one, but having an admissions counsellor definitely streamlined the journey and I cannot imagine having gone through it successfully without Antonia’s direction.”

- S. Ma, CIS, Class of 2018, Barnard College, Columbia University

“[...] It was with her help that I managed to not only get into an Ivy League school but also properly understand what I wanted to get out of my college experience well in advance of my peers. If I were to go through the entire application process again I’d definitely choose to work with Ally!”

- J. Cheng, CIS, Class of 2013, Cornell University

“Antonia could not have made me feel better prepared and confident in my college application process. Using both an extensive knowledge of the industry and an instinct for what I wanted in an essay, she structured a one of a kind admission journey for me. [...] Thanks to Antonia, I’m in my dream school.”

- E.M., HKIS, Class of 2020, Oxford University (Wadham College)

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By Emerson Blais

The IBDP. I know. I know. It’s tough. You’ve got to juggle the assessments, mocks, and all the rest - nevermind a social life.

But, how? As an IBDP Examiner and Tutorial Center Principal, I’ve worked with countless IB students over the years. Some good. Some great. All searching for ways to improve. And, I’ve helped more than a few reach the fabled 45. You know - those people who get their names in the newspaper. Believe it or not: They’re just like you, and you’re just like them.

WIth this in mind, I’d like to share the strategies common among all of my very best IBDP students from schools across Hong Kong.

It starts with an attitude.

Nobody ever changed the world by si�ng around and complaining about it.

Take control of your world. Sure - the IB is one of the most challenging curriculums in the known-universe. That doesn’t mean you cannot ac�vely choose how you respond to its challenges. The best IB students choose to figura�vely! - slap themselves in the face, get in the water, and dive into the waves. Have that a�tude. Ride those waves.

Build a team.

Behind every success story is a network of support. Whether you’re preparing to enter the IBDP or already a year-and-a-half deep, it’s never too late to gather people who can help you improve. They may be classmates, friends, family, or tutors. What ma�ers is that you have people who care about your success along the way. Brainstorm with them. Ask them ques�ons. Seek advice.

Post-It Notes and timelines.

Planning is half of everything. If you haven’t already, choose your HLs wisely.

They should align with your university ambi�ons. Afraid one is too difficult? It’s far easier to drop down to SL than move up to HL. Take the risk.

Then, read the syllabus / guide for all your subjects. Using Post-It Notes, mark key topics, assessments, marking criteria, etc. You can even color-code them. If you think there’s no way you’ll be tested on something, think again. Once you’ve finished this, create a ‘master �meline’ of all your subjects. You’ll no�ce that there are o�en huge gaps between assessments. For example, the First Year of English A requires nothing but a Mock IO. Though you should be following your teacher’s assigned texts and homework, consider what else you might do with all that �me. Prepare for Paper 1, the Extended Essay, the TOK, or shi� your focus to a subject with a more immediate assessment. Do you need to take the SAT, LNAT. etc. or apply for universi�es? Plan prepara�on between the ‘lulls’ of subject �melines.

The best IB students know when to be stressed and when to chill out or do something else. Timelines are the key to this.

Google Drive: Your new best friend.

The other half of everything? Organiza�on. Create an IBDP ‘master folder’ on Google Drive, as soon as possible. Then, create a folder for all six of your subjects, plus the EE and the TOK, which makes eight. In them, you’re adding every syllabus, guide, and �meline; you’re typing class notes, homework, and assessment dra�s; you’re dropping past papers; you’re making spreadsheets of helpful websites and YouTube links; you’re crea�ng summaries; you’re uploading photos of mind-maps. Everything - all of it - with clear and consistent �tles. And, don’t forget to share your folders with the people on your team, especially any tutors. Those who score a 45 on the IBDP can find whatever they’re looking for almost instantly. That’s because they’re organized.

Raise your hand, and take the mocks seriously.

Your teachers need to jus�fy the all-important Predicted Grades. They don’t just give away 7s. That’s too risky. Parents and administrators will want answers, should a student not get that score. So, you’ll need to put in an effort to help them give you the PG you want. Do yourself a favor by raising your hand to say something - anything! - once a class. A li�le par�cipa�on goes a long way. Your level of engagement can make the difference at a grade boundary.

Otherwise, the mocks are audi�ons. Prepare for them. Too o�en do new students walk into my office and say they have a mock tomorrow but haven’t started preparing. These are the same people who are shocked and confused about receiving a 5. You can do be�er than that. Teachers use mocks as indicators of poten�al ‘real scores’ for Internal Assessments and PGs.

A steady diet of past paper practice.

Let’s be honest: There’s no subs�tute for the real thing. If you’re floa�ng through the IB without any past paper prac�ce, you’re invi�ng disappointment and regret. Sit down with a tutor or member of your team and break down the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of every subject’s past papers. Prac�ce. Revise your prac�ces.

Do more prac�ce. That’s that. When you get to the real ones in May, those bu�erflies in your stomach will be much less bu�erfly-y, placing you closer to a top score. That’s it!

Listen - everyone’s different. My belief is that proper planning and skills-based prepara�on make for success. And, that’s what we do at Causeway Educa�on.

So, if you have any ques�ons or concerns about your own progress, let us know. Otherwise, follow the strategies above, and you’ll be that much closer to your goals - whatever they may be!

Emerson Blais is the Co-Founder & Principal of Causeway Educa�on. He could’ve used this space for adver�sing, but he just wanted to help make life a li�le bit easier for anyone who reads this.

Feel free to call or message him at 3906-9766 or emerson@causewayeduca�on.com for advice on everything from the IBDP or US/UK Boarding or University Admissions to the best pizza places in Hong Kong.

Contact Us! 30-minute

personalized coansulta�on session

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校 話 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chih-rong Kuo NEWS EDITOR Megan Hsu Writers: Chloe Wong, Conrad Cheng, Helen Song, Katrina Poon, Madison Lau, Michelle Liu, Myriam Lynch FEATURES EDITOR Allyson Ye Writers: Alexander Arnold, Chloe Huen, Melody Cai, Mirjana Vujovich, Tanya Wan, Tiffany Li CHINESE EDITOR Josephine Yip Writers: Emily Shen, Joyce Sze, Katherine Yin, Leo Li, Michelle Min, Querida Lai, Rachel Jiang SPORTS EDITOR Jack Openshaw Writers: David Yeung, Francesca Sutch, Kaitlyn Wong, Kian Chan, Paloma Sze DIRECTOR OF ILLUSTRATION Veda Lee Illustrators: Arabella Chong, Cici Cai, Felisha Wang, Grace Xiao, Helen Liang, Isabelle Zee, Kaylee Zhang, Lea Cheng, Margaret Wong, Mia Cheng, Miah Cheung, Michelle Qiu, Ningjing Huang, Rena Wu, Renita Tang, Tiffany Zhao DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Aidan Keough Photographers: Ashley Gatt, Christine Ruijs, Claire Fang, Emma Hu, Erin Lau, Evelyn Kwan, Finn Peterson, Luca Lo, Tallie Lin, Tony Shu DIRECTOR OF LAYOUT Airla Fan Designers: Adelaide Ng, Alyssa Merwise, Maegan Wang, Ningjing Huang, Zoe Zheng HEAD OF BUSINESS AND ADMINISTRATION Katia Shek Business staff: Alexander Arnold, Charlie Yeung, Claire Zhang, Duncan Wan, Eileen Pan, Gabriel Hui, Illeana Li, Leo Li, Tanya Wan, Tiffany Li SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Hyning Gan Angela Yu Guo, Hannah Yuet Ying Yuen, Kaitlyn B Wong, Katherine Lu, Mia Cheng, Rania Sutton

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Editor’s Letter

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Dear Xiao Hua readers, I am not a fan of clichés and sappy phrases, so it is no surprise that I was displeased that 2021 was dubbed the “Year of Healing” by the UN chief back in 2020. Nevertheless, I felt surprisingly at peace as I watched the TV flash the last five numbers of the year. Despite the natural disasters, the emergence of multiple Covid variants, and the increased social polarization that dominate the narrative of the year, we’ve also seen an increase in precious time spent with family, measures being taken to improve the environment, and the record-breaking nomination of Korean act BTS at the Grammys. As I watched the last few seconds of 2021 wind down on the television screen, it occurred to me that the year had delivered more milestones than we tend to give it credit for.

For a start, Hong Kong has made considerable strides in the sports and entertainment industries, such as the numerous medals won at the Olympics and the blossoming of the mega-popular boy group Mirror, as they crop up increasingly on billboards all over the city.

Similarly, there were many highlights in 2021 for CIS: The on-site installation of the rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system in December, Mr Lynch’s weekly CIS Roundtable, the HZ9 students’ arrival in November, and the CISxIdeas Hackathon on the theme of Quality Education in November, to name a few. Additionally, several student groups have broadened their influence to different social media platforms, websites, and have even been featured in podcasts. For example, Peace of Mind, a group focused on destigmatizing mental health issues, has created a resource hub on their Instagram page and website to spread awareness about mental illness.

In a more introspective vein, the year also stands as a monument to our personal tenacities, challenging both our physical and mental adaptability as the seasons

clocked us with one curveball after another. For one, we had about a dozen different timetable arrangements last year with online and hybrid learning. This, compounded with the social isolation and added stress brought on by Covid, have had an undeniable impact on mental health.

According to the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, the proportion of individuals with depressive symptoms in Hong Kong doubled during the pandemic.

With this in mind, Xiao Hua’s Issue 24, “Abyss of the Mind”, discusses and unpacks aspects of mental health, as well as the complex personal and social mannerisms that underlie the human experience in this modern era. I hope that readers can not only empathise with the mental health struggles discussed in this issue but also feel understood and heard for their individual “abysses”.

Throughout this year, Xiao Hua had the honour of welcoming plenty of inspiring writers into the team. In her article “Negotiating with Terrorists”, Tanya Wan ‘23 shared her thoughts about political polarization, echo chambers, and the importance of being open-minded.

In “中學生的心理深淵 (which translates to The Abyss of a High Schooler’s Psyche”), Leo Li ‘22 explored the effects of a high schooler experiencing their formative years in front of a screen. These articles and many others endeavour to unmask the less explored facets of the human experience, doing so with considerable insight and acuity.

As we enter an era of digital (and physical) masking, rather than feeling compelled to put on a facade of achievement, I encourage you to take off those figurative masks and be vulnerable with one another. Let’s embrace the new year by breathing in the fresh air of a renewed, healthy mindset.

To another great year, Chih-rong Kuo Editor in Chief

Chih-rong Kuo 校話

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Faculty Letter A Time to Write At the intersection of Pottinger and Stanley Streets in Central, you’ll discover Sam & Company, a family-run 文具店 or stationery store. I recommend a visit. Covering not much more than 500 square feet, it is a masterpiece of organisation and display, and such is its tantalising array of affordable goods that you are bound to leave with something you never planned to buy. In fact, it’s more than likely that you’ll forget what you went in for in the first place!

Despite its modest exterior, Sam’s is like the Tardis from Doctor Who. Or, imagine that Aladdin upgraded from a cave to a retail outlet - this is what the inside of his

shop would look like. To enter, squeeze deftly past the displays of paper lanterns and stacks of blank A4 paper.

Once inside, the twin, parallel aisles reach out to greet you. I recommend going left, but just before you do, take a glance at the hanging gallery of stickers off to the right, like washing on a line. Have you ever seen the like?!

Sam’s is an all-ages, inclusive place, combining the reverence of a library and the playfulness of an art studio.

At the same time, the gentle and knowing customer service elicits a quiet affection from regular visitors. I love the order in the seeming chaos. Pastels and crayons mingle with measuring tapes, alarm clocks, stacks of post-its, and more post-its; a colourful parade of perfectly formed stickers seems on alert for a voracious Pac-Man. Greeting cards for all occasions, notebooks, writing paper, sketch pads, graph paper, folders, binders, envelopes, and an eraser disguised as - yes, you’ve guessed it - a Pac-Man! Floating along the walls, you’ll discover Chinese New Year decals, door hangings and solemn-looking gourds.

Strolling around, you can channel your inner 007. Try that novelty pen that oozes neon-coloured ink. Did you know that it lights up in the dark? It will if you stay up late enough! Craft a sophisticated doodle with the latest fibre tip classic from Pilot or Faber Castell, snap that funky paper clip on and off your cuff, or practise your spinning with that classic Bic biro. So many objects invite play and have a myriad of practical uses. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a stationery olympiad? Apart from pen spinning, much practised at CIS before our 1:1 laptop programme, the nations of the world could compete in letter writing, speed erasing and paper recycling.

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I sent myself into the field to explore Sam & Company with a colder eye. Who were these mellow buyers of tools and materials for writing and art-making? One woman I spoke to was buying envelopes. She often writes, she said, to her family members in Melbourne and still prefers to communicate that way, despite the modern convenience of Facetime and WhatsApp. Sam’s (IMHO) centrepiece is the sea of tranquillity, aka the pen counter. The display of writing instruments, alert in their supine trance, is placed in the middle of the store.

Someone was shopping for a Waterman pen. The question was - should he go for the ballpoint or the fountain pen?

Umberto Eco said that the wheel, the spoon and the book are the finest inventions because they can’t be improved upon; the same might be said of the fountain pen. The experience of writing with a good one is hard to describe, but it’s as if the ink is flowing through your hands and fingers. There’s a connection that’s hard to describe - fluid, tactile, effortless and (kin)aesthetically pleasing. (Also, if I had to make a sequel to Edward Scissorhands, it would be called Edward Fountainpenhands!).

So, as I leave Sam’s, I feel re-energised, determined to get home, take out the fountain pen and start composing a letter to family members. It’s time to write!

With that - let’s celebrate the talents of contributors to this edition of Xiao Hua. Enjoy the issue and take the time to read at your absolute leisure.

Brian Mulcahy 校話

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Faculty Letter

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Dear Xiao Hua readers, When I was first approached about writing to you for this issue, Abyss of the Mind – The Struggles and Triumphs of Humanity with focuses on mental health and psychology, many previous academic lessons came to mind. With further contemplation, I reflected on my personal struggles and triumphs in life and how through these peaks and troughs the full spectrum of life is experienced. When reviewing and considering the triumphs of humanity, for me, the actions are more significant than words.

Over 10 years ago I was going through some challenging times. Due to the financial crisis, I was laid-off from my job and had to make many tough decisions that would impact the trajectory of my life. At this time, I was living on the beautiful island of Maui and on many evenings, I would go to the beach and watch the sunset. One evening I met someone who noticed I looked a bit down. He approached me, and we started chatting. After that first occurrence, we would meet every Friday and talk story. I learned that he was a police officer who was soon to retire.

He spoke of hope and demonstrated genuine kindness. He dedicated his life to service and helping others. It wasn’t until a conversation much later that he told me the story of his time in the Jonestown cult and the loss he endured trying to escape with his life.

Vernon’s actions demonstrated the power of one person supporting another. His experience and drive to live led him to a lifetime of public service and helping others.

What I took from the conversations on the beach was that we all have the capacity to take all that life can throw at us and find a deeper meaning to help others. It was through these conversations I decided to pursue a master’s in education and to become a teacher. I would not be where I am today without the kindness of a stranger who later became a dear friend.

This leads me to the prior lessons in psychology viewing the humanist perspective and the work of Carl Rogers. He worked with the likes of Maslow and Viktor Frankl when seeking self-actualization and resilience. Carl Rogers focused on the idea of unconditional positive regard, that is, no one is born evil. We all have the potential for goodness, and it is within all of us to realize that potential.

Peaks and troughs are a part of life, but how we respond and learn from life’s lessons teaches us that we can demonstrate the best of humanity.

I want to end with how your stories can inspire and lift others. The tragedies of mankind have, at times, similarly brought out the best in people demonstrating what makes humanity great. Use the lessons from your struggles to help others and seek ways to be kind.

All the best, Jessie Bullock IBDP Psychology teacher

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TABLE OF C COMMUNITY 社區 18 | Alumni Feature: Fion Leung ‘06

GLOBAL CRISIS 全球危機

23 | 校友訪問：蔡蔚珊 Mitche Choi ‘09 26 | An Interview with: Mr Wilson

46 | Products of the Pandemic: Air pollution in China, India, Italy

28 | 老師日記：宋老師

48 | Negotiating with Terrorists: Bridging the Political Divide

30 | Community Feature: Peace of Mind

52 | Legalization of Cannabis

CURRENT EVENTS 時事 34 | Myanmar Coup 37 | Wealth Inequality in Hong Kong 40 | Tokyo 2021 Olympic risks 42 | Atlanta Shootings: Fears of Anti-Asian Discrimination and its Psychological Implications

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54 | Lessons Learned From a Broken Myanmar

CONTENTS CULTURE

文化

74 | Movie Review: Minari (2020) 76 | 《蛤蟆先生去看心理医生》—— 探索自我，走出深渊 78 | Personality tests and Zodiac Signs

PERSPECTIVE

視角

81 | What Can History Teach Us About Modern Beauty Standards 84 | 電影如何污名化心理疾病

60 | 《東方紅》：政府的宣傳，然 而民人初心的迴響 62 | We’re All Rich. So What?

66 | 不只是為了“吃”而“吃” 67 | 中學生的心理深淵 70 | 上下車

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社區

COMMUNITY Photography by TONY SHU 校話

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Fion Leung is the co-founder and CEO of Time Auction, a charity that advocates volunteerism, . a mindfulness enthusiast, as the co-creator of Mindfulness Movement, and most importantly, a CIS alum. Fion graciously sat down with Xiao Hua to discuss what entrepreneurship and service means to her.

2006. And then I went to arts school for a bit and did my undergrad in Hong Kong, at HKUST, for a business degree, then went into banking. I started Time Auction I’m Fion. I run a charity called Time Auction. It’s a charity as a side project, then started doing it full time. with a mission to advocate volunteerism, basically to get more people to volunteer. What we do mainly Entrepreneurship has been a new spirit for is two things. The first one is we have a lot of great change and creation, how did you kickstart and educational opportunities and incentives that people grow your tech innovation in Hong Kong?Where can redeem with a certain number of volunteer hours. did you get your inspiration to initiate Time For example, they can redeem say 10 volunteer hours Auction? to redeem let’s say a mentorship dinner with someone really inspiring or a creative workshop. So hopefully all How we started was my friend and I used to work in these great incentives will get more people to volunteer finance, and we used to go to a lot of startup events, more, and then they enjoy those experiences and so we were really interested in how technology can they go out and volunteer even more. That’s the first scale so fast and change the world in so many different ways. So one night after a startup event, we just program that we run. thought, “Hey! Why don’t we try to do this idea by The second program is because a lot of the people hosting inspiring leaders for a meal. Anyone can join who join the first program are actually students and if they volunteer a certain number of volunteer hours working professionals, they’re all really educated and through any charity”. So, in a way we can help many talented. So, the second program we run is to help young people learn from many different leaders and other charities to find skilled volunteers. So, any also get more people to volunteer. So, it really started volunteer who can help them with a bit of design as a side project, as a hobby. For the first two years, work, translation, teaching yoga, any kind of skill, you we just did that during lunch time on the weekend name it. So on our platform they can apply to these and then over those two years, doing outside of our full time job, we hosted something like sixty events. projects to help other charities.

And people have volunteered 6000 something hours And, a bit about myself, I graduated from CIS class of to join these events. We literally only spend a couple Can you give us a little introduction about yourself?

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hundred dollars to print flyers, to hand it out at school and we had all this impact. And then we decided to register as a charity and started growing it properly. But how we started was just as a side project, just something that we thought would be fun and interesting to do.

For us, we’re really interested in tech startups. So, after I quit my job in banking, I actually worked in NOTI? which is actually started by another CIS alumni, which is a tech media startup. So I got to know about the startup world, like how startup platforms scale, how do you apply the startup mentality in growing businesses and I think a lot of what we do at Time Auction, we try to apply the startup mentality to philanthropy in a way that how do we make sure that with the limited amount of resources we can have the biggest impact. So, that's why we are a tech platform, that's why we serve 500 volunteers would be similar to how we serve 50000 volunteers.

this 15 year old kid, super excited about the tech world, entrepreneurship, but in school he didn’t have any exposure or access to understand more about I think it’s always really motivating to see how you entrepreneurship. So, he spent the whole summer, create something and how the end users will use it. every weekend, he went to Food Angel to pack food So, to give you two examples because we run two and he accumulated something like 30 volunteer hours programs, so the first one with the incentive program, and he came to three of our events. He met with a few we have a lot of mentorship events. So we host entrepreneurs, like the founder of GoGoVan. And after dinner or lunch with inspiring entrepreneurs and many those events, he thought, “Wow!”, listening to these different kinds of industry leaders. And, I remember entrepreneurs, he was even more sure that this was after we first started, there was this one kid. He was what he wanted to do.Then, he took a gap year just to this really driven 15 year old kid, and I got to know work at a startup and then he started working on his him. He’s in an ethnic minority school, which is a really startup idea. I think for me, it’s so rewarding because under-resourced school. He found out about Time we just decided to do this fun side project, but it kind Auction through one of the school promotions and of changed this little kid's career exploration and path. then he thought “Wow! This is amazing” because he’s always wanted to be an entrepreneur. You can imagine What is the most rewarding experience you have had since you have started your career?

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The second example I can think of is, as you know with Covid, it affects everything, so last year when Covid hit, it was only in March or April that it was already reported that 90% of charities in Hong Kong had lost a lot of funding. They could no longer do their galas, they could no longer do flag-selling. At the same time, obviously the demand for the services was increasing a lot, there are more homeless people, there are more people needing their help. They also can’t do any offline event, so they all had to pivot. One example I saw is we held a Books and Beyond reading club, which is an educational charity. They usually have a lot of weekend classes going to underprivileged schools, primary schools and high schools to teach kids english and prepare them for tests, and also to teach emotional intelligence. It’s quite well rounded. But, obviously with school closure they can’t do any of those classes, and they usually have something like 300 classes a year.

We helped them find nine video editors to change the whole education curriculum into an online course.

And then the students, when they were at home on the weekend, they can watch the classes and then they can have the zoom classes. The teachers came back and said, hey, this is amazing, because of these videos the primary school students exam results are 40% better than last year. So, it’s really heartwarming to see how technology can connect people and then they can gather themselves together to work towards

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helping these charities to face these crazy, unexpected challenges.

How did you adapt to the changes caused by Covid-19? What are some projects that you are working on that you are excited about right now?

Before Covid, we had a lot of events. wWe had a lot of those mentorship lunches and dinners. In Hong Kong every week, we had about two and we also expanded to seven other cities. We were about to launch two more in London and Toronto. We were about to scale up our Singapore operations.When Covid hit, obviously everything had to be put on hold. Hong Kong is one of the few places where we have it relatively good, so everything else we have to just hit pause and see what happens after Covid. That’s obviously a great challenge for us because none of our activities can happen. But going back to our mission, our mission is really to get people to volunteer. So, it just so happened that right before Covid, we started the skill volunteer matching program, so that has actually taken off faster than we thought because of Covid, because on the one hand, you have a lot of NGOs needing skill volunteers to help them pivot to do online activities. On the other hand you have a lot of people who are stuck at home, and can't travel. A lot of them have unpaid leave or are out of a job. It just so happened that skill volunteering, because it happens on a virtual basis most of the time, they can do it at home, a lot of these projects are done remotely, so this has really taken off. A lot of people want to help this way. A lot of charities have need. So, we got lucky that we started this program before Covid.

A lot of people say, “Wow, you guys are so smart. You changed so quickly.

Because of Covid, you’re launching this new program.”. But, it’s just great timing. In the short period of time, since late 2019 when we started, we have so far connected almost 4000 people to over 300 charities on almost 700 projects, so you know marketing, photography, design, all kinds of projects. So, it’s really kind of cool to see there is a positive impact of the pandemic on volunteering.

In a way, a lot of people see how unequal the world is because of Covid. We’re all facing this common enemy and you see that there are people who find it super hard to find masks and there are people who have boxes of masks at home. So, I think there’s a stronger sense of how unequal the world is and of wanting to help.

we found Headspace, which is a meditation app and we started doing five to ten minutes of meditation a day and realized what a tremendous difference it makes to your mindset. I think just a simple five to ten minutes in the morning or at night, once you have it as a habit, you find that you’re less reactive to external circumstances and you have more clarity within what you want to do, how you feel, what decisions you should make. It’s kind What is your belief and value behind creating the of magical, it’s such a simple exercise.

“Mindfulness Movement”?

What is a motto/ motivation that you stand by?

My cofounder and I at Time Auction, her name is Suetyi, we are also really into mindfulness. How it started was, I think at the core, we feel that growing and giving makes I think two years ago, she took a career break and she a meaningful life. It kind of includes you know there’s wanted to do something in mindfulness to get more no destination, it’s the journey that really counts. What people to meditate. So, we started again another side the journey looks like and how you make progress is in project called Mindful Movement. In the pre-Covid days a way how you can contribute to something that you we had again a lot of events, bringing a group of people think matters and that gives you a lot of satisfaction together to meditate could be 20 to 100.The goal was and motivation. At the same time, you need to kind of to bring awareness and kind of a taste to people who constantly be growing and learning. Both sides add to had never tried it before. What we wanted to do is progress and progress means happiness. It’s part of the to get more people to try to meditate. I think it’s very journey that makes it interesting and keeps you going. much needed in Hong Kong. How we got into it was because when we were running Time Auction as a side project, we also had a full time job and we also had our personal lives, so it was a lot happening and it felt like you’re being dragged in many different directions.

We thought, there has to be a better way than being stressed out about all this because there are people who have achieved way more than we have and they seem to be doing quite well. So, we looked around and 校話 期刊 24 21

What advice would you give to young CIS alums eager to follow in your footsteps?

I guess CIS is a great place, in the way that it really instills in us that we should go for what we are passionate about doing. I can’t say that that would be the same for all schools out there, for the std=students I meet.

Whether you’re into science or art, I think CIS really gives you a lot of ressources and directions that you can go explore further. I think the same thing could be applied to people who are about to enter college or real life. I think the key is to try everything. Because when I was in school, I didn’t know what to do. I went to art school and then I went to business school.

Everyone at business school said you should make money and that should be your motivation. People at art school said you find something you’re passionate about, money will come second. At the end of the day, everybody is lost, everyone is confused at that age.

But what really helped me when I got into banking, I really felt that wasn’t my path and I needed to find something that I liked doing, so I tried exploring a lot of different paths by doing it and testing it out. For example, I tried starting a fashion company with my friend and it turns out I hated it. I didn’t like looking at fabrics and I hated going to SHam Shui Po, so I realized that's probably not what I wanted to do. And then I went to volunteer at this education event where we mentor and teach girls how to code. I realized I like working with young people and I like helping them learn new things and that kind of steered my direction towards young people and something that has an impact and something innovative, and that would make me happy doing it. I think trying a lot of different things and then you narrow down the direction of what you are excited about doing and then just following that emotion and passion. Then eventually, you’ll find something you like doing, hopefully for the next 30 or 40 years of your life.

How do you hope CIS student groups/ extra-curricular groups could make use of the Time Auction platform?

It’s amazing to see there are so many non profit initiatives that the students at CIS are runinng.

It’s really inspiring. There are two things that students who are running initiatives can get involved in at Time Auction. One is if they have any initiative that they’re running, they can use 22

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our platform to find any kind of mentors or skill volunteers. For example, if they need someone to tell them about product design, they can find a product design mentor on here or someone to help them do marketing or any kind of skill volunteer, because our platform is open to all the non profit initiatives or charities. The second thing people can get involved in is if you don’t have your own project, but I know a lot of CIS students are super talented, so using your talent to help charity is actually super valuable in the way that it helps you understand the causes that you want to help better. You can talk to the charities and understand what challenges they are facing and then understand more about how to solve this problem. At the same time, you can polish your own skills. So, a lot of the time people joining these volunteer projects, they might be trying to explore a career path in let’s say digital marketing, and then they have some basic knowledge in it and then they have a charity to do a digital marketing project. Then, they really can see if they like doing this type of project or not. Back to my earlier point about exploring different paths, I think volunteering is also a great way to find out what you like, what you’re good at, and what you want to develop later on.

校友訪問：

蔡蔚珊 作為粵劇演員，你最欣賞粵劇的哪一方面？

可以先向讀者自我介紹一下嗎？ 我是蔡蔚珊，藝名千珊。我在2009年從漢基 畢業，畢業後在UCL倫敦大學學院修讀語言學 （linguistics）。回到香港後，在香港演藝學院 修讀粵劇表演。去年，我從中央聖馬丁學院畢 業，取得文化企業碩士學位。我從12歲就開始 學粵劇，跟隨我的師傅文千歲和梁少芯，兩個都 是很有名的粵劇演員。在粵劇中，我演繹的是「 生」角，意思是男的角色。

粵劇以及其他的中國戲曲包括四大個元素：「 唱」、「做」、「念」和「打」。這四大元素是 跟其他西方戲曲和歌劇比較不同的地方。「唱」 就是唱歌，粵劇裡有不同的嗓音，分為「子喉」 、「平喉」和「大喉」。「子喉」是女角色用的 嗓音，「平喉」和「大喉」則是男角色用的嗓 音。「做」包含了舞蹈的元素、表演的表情和人 物，還包含了一些程式的動作。「程式動作」就 是特定的動作，例如坐在馬上有一個動 作，打 開門又有一個特定的動作。可是，觀眾要看過很 多粵劇和戲曲，或者需要別人解釋，才會明白這 些動作的含義。大部分觀眾要用自己的想像力去 了解演員在台上的動作。「念」就是口白，在台 上的對白。最後，「打」的元素也很特別。

你最初是如何接觸到粵劇的？追隨這門藝術的過 程是怎樣的？ 最初，我學粵劇是因為爸爸媽媽希望我在新一年 的時候到老人院表演。他們知道，老人院的老人 喜歡看粵劇，所以就叫我和妹妹去學粵劇。接觸 後，我喜歡上了粵劇，覺得粵劇很有趣，內容很 豐富。當然，學習的過程有開心的時候，也有很 辛苦的時候，更有很多時候想放棄。粵劇是一 門傳統的藝術，很有深度，所以學習的過程是很 困難的。我記得第一次表演的時候，覺得戲服很 重、盔頭綁得很緊，而上台時的燈光很熱，感受 到很多不習慣的事物，結果在台上演出的時候， 我其實很想吐。忍到最後，一回到後台，我就在 地上吐了。但是，雖然有很多辛苦的經歷，每次 演出完聽到觀眾的掌聲和鼓勵，我就覺得一切都 非常值得，激勵自己不停地繼續追隨著這門藝 術。 校話

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粵語源於南方，打的武術是南派 的武術，即是「詠春」，粵劇中的 武術的基礎便是是從詠春拳來的。 這麼多的元素，我都很欣賞，可是我個人比較喜 歡音樂的部分——「唱做念打」的「唱」—— 因為 我很喜歡粵劇的旋律。小時候聽到粵劇的音樂後，我覺 得旋律很響亮而且朗朗上口，所以就喜歡上了粵劇，音樂不 停在我的腦海裡播放。粵劇的音樂運用很多廣東的音樂，將廣 東的小曲擺在我們的唱段裡面。廣東音樂比較清脆，旋律流暢優 美，節奏明朗，所以我特別喜歡粵劇中「唱」的部分。 如果要成為一個戲劇人物，你會選誰？為什麼？ 我會選花木蘭的角色。在戲曲裡演《花木蘭》的劇目，也是由女演員去扮演 這個角色。我個人很喜歡演花木蘭這個角色，因為我覺得她跟我有很多相似的 地方。在台上，我要飾演一個很強、具有男性氣質的人物；但下台的時候，我就 是我自己，是一個女的。我跟花木蘭都是女扮男裝，她是為了代父從軍，而我是為 了藝術。所以，我看到自己和花木蘭之間有很多相似點，而通過飾演這個角色，從 她的人物，我可以明白到孝忠節義的精神。 在英國讀語言學的經歷如何？對你現在的工作和生活有沒有什麼影響？ 我在英國修讀語言學時，最感興趣的範圍是語音學（phonetics），學習人體如何發出不 同的聲音。我發現這門科目對唱歌是最有用的，尤其是畢業後回來繼續研究和學習粵劇的 時候。我自己的廣東話不是太好，因為以前只會在家裡跟爸爸媽媽說話的時候用廣東話， 畢竟漢基的學生都是以普通話和英語為主。粵劇的念白全部都是廣東話，當時候，我覺得自 己對一些的廣東話的音發得不是很準。透過了解發音的過程以及研究元音（vowels）和輔音 （consonants）的發音，我發現語言學對我很有用，語音學對唱歌的方法和發音很有幫助。 除了粵劇以外，你會做什麼休閒活動、有什麼愛好 等等？ 我很喜歡做運動，照顧個人的身心健康，還會約朋友 聚一聚，我現在很多的朋友都是在漢基一起長大的。 除了這些事情，粵劇基本上佔了我大多數的時間，不 在表演的時候，我也會自己練習和參加彩排。 你認為推廣藝術和文化最大的挑戰是什麼？而從中最 大的收穫又是什麼？ 首要的挑戰就是粵劇是一門很傳統的藝術，現在面臨 著缺乏觀眾的問題。粵劇的觀眾層的年齡比較大，已 經不是普遍大眾會欣賞的一種藝術。雖然粵劇以前曾 經更普遍，甚至是香港唯一的娛樂，但現在已經不是 了。由於粵劇比較傳統，現在的人也許會覺得粵劇 比較落後，很多的元素都無法與現代人互相銜接。節 奏的方面，一齣戲有時候會很長，演出長達三個多小 時，而且表演方式不是一般人一看就能明白的。所 以，怎麽樣將粵劇介紹給現代的觀眾是一個挑戰。很 多人已經會對粵劇有一些偏見或刻板印象，把它視為 24

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比較過氣的東西。現在，很多粵劇演員會想很多方法，思考怎麼樣推廣粵劇，將粵劇帶給現代的觀 眾。所以，我們會從表演的方式，舞台的燈光、服裝的方面去振興粵劇。雖然可能不是每次推廣工 作之後都會看到直接的影響，受眾未必會即時愛上粵劇，但我覺得自己作為現代粵劇演員有責任將 粵劇這們藝術傳承下去，每次做推廣工作時，都會獲得滿足感。 在漢基時，你有沒有參與學校的藝術活動？最難忘的經歷是什麼？ 我參加的藝術活動主要是五年級的時候舉行的全校戲劇演出。那是我在漢基第一個與戲劇表演相關 的活動。記得有一些負責這場演出的老師在數學課上叫我們去練習舞蹈的編排，那時候，可以不用 上課去練習，我覺得很開心。我也會參加全校音樂劇的試鏡，雖然我只是其中一個舞者，沒有什麼 重大的角色，可是這也是我覺得很開心難忘的經歷。讀IB的時候，我選修了美術的高級課程。上課 時，老師會給我們很多自由空間去製作我們的藝術作品，我也非常享受這個過程。 無論是在藝術方面還是其他更廣泛的方面，你會對現今的漢基學生分享什麼建議？ 我覺得做自己真正感興趣和喜歡的事情是很重要的。有一些人可能會很喜歡工作，這也沒什麼問 題，但是在工作之外有其他的活動和興趣也很重要。如果像我，將自己的愛好當成工作，那麼抱著 熱情的態度全情投入是非常重要的。找到自己喜歡的工作的時候，你的工作生活不會變得很辛苦很 艱難，反而會很樂意去花費時間和精力去做這件事情，所以我覺得找到自己喜歡的方向，放膽去追 求，是非常可貴的。 校話

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1. Could you briefly introduce yourself to the readers?

I’m from Fairfax,Virginia, USA. The father of a Year 2 CIS student. I like to think, perhaps too much.

2. What’s your fondest memory from high school?

This is classified information. The Wilson archives will open to the public 10 years after my death.

3. What drew you to settle down in Hong Kong and teach history?

The first part of this question is easy. A very close friend who had been living and teaching in Hong Kong for many years convinced me to move here.

I had never lived outside the US and felt that there may not be a better opportunity, particularly with a support network already established. For the second part, bear with me. I was “drawn” to study History as I wanted to understand the various historical references in the Philosophy books I was reading, and to understand the context that gave rise to certain literary movements. In some sense, I had to study History to understand what I really loved, which was Philosophy and Literature. In time I came to realize that History was as much about Philosophy and Literature as it was about events in the past. So, armed with the requisite degrees, I saw an advertisement for a History teacher, applied, 26

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and fortune was on my side. That was 11 years ago. I made the move to CIS 5 years ago because I had heard rumours, since verified empirically, that there were bright, dedicated students with the potential and desire to create History. I wanted a piece of that. It seems fortune does sometimes favor the brave.

4. If you could witness one historical moment, what would it be?

As an observer, Christ’s crucifixion would be most sublime. If I could intervene, I would return to that fateful afternoon in the early 1980’s when my dad-he must have been drunk-- bought a lime green station-wagon. I would find a way to sabotage that moment.

5. Knowing that you recently obtained your PhD (congratulations!), what advice would you give students aiming to pursue one as well?

Technically, it’s an EdD (Doctorate of Education), HKU makes distinctions between full-time and part-time doctoral candidates, and I was the latter.

It’s a six year journey that takes a physical and emotional toll. I will never forget the “welcoming” seminar held with all of the first year students.

The lecturer (imagine referring to yourself as a “lecturer”) asked us to look around, then to imagine half the people in the room disappeared. “Half of you will not make it through this programme,” he

warned, in a manner perhaps more fitting of a general speaking to soldiers being sent off to fight a distant war than to a group of nervous academics, but his prophecy proved correct. Consider for a moment that all the students present in that room had masters degrees, were experienced educators, and had spent significant money and time to arrive at this moment. Yet more than half the students did not make it past the first two years. It takes a certain type of person, and I'm not sure one should aspire to be this type. Today the rewards for creativity are immense. It may be wiser, or at least more enjoyable, to invest the six years into a project with some close friends. That said, if you can easily pass the hours in a library or bookstore, you consider books as close friends and mentors, and you derived pleasure from writing the EE, your soul may find rest in academia.

6. Is there a saying that you live by?

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst." - Bismarck 7. Beyond teaching, we know you're also an avid martial artist. Could you tell us more?

I believe something referred often to as "mind" is a real thing that exerts profound influence on our thoughts and actions. I also believe that mind and body are two expressions of the same reality. To train the body is to train the mind, and vice versa. Martial arts is my way of being consistent with my theory of mind.

It's also been

a great way to surround myself with people who, like me, are interested in exploring better versions of themselves. Martial arts have a way of revealing a person's soul, of trimming away self-delusions. I think it's important to encounter our real self, the coward, the bully, the hero, the buffoon, whatever it may be. We can then decide if a re-creation is in order. And feedback on the mats is immediate and unembellished.

8. What legacy do you hope to leave behind at CIS? Wow, a legacy? I suspect I will go out with a whimper rather than a bang.

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老師日記：

宋老師

杭州數學老師 Interviewed by Rachel Jiang and Josephine Yip Layout by Airla Fan

您在学校的一天是怎么样的？时间安 排如何？ 拿比较常见的一天来说，我的第一节 课会在早晨七点五十五分开始，但我 会提前半个小时到达学校来做一些准 备，然后开始一天的工作。一般来 说，我的数学课是有三节的；不上课 的时候我会备一下课，改一下作业， 以及约学生补课。有的时候也会在校 园，比如图书馆与 Teahouse 里， 走一走。下午时，如果我在学校还有 事情，比较忙，我会在学校吃晚餐。 但不在学校吃晚餐的话，大概下午五 点钟左右就回家了。回家后，我比较 常做的事情是瘫倒在沙发上看电视！ 或者我会约朋友出去吃饭，沿着自己 家旁边的河走走。

心目中的完美度假是什么样子的？ 我心目中的完美度假是跟一群我很熟悉、关系很好的朋友一起去一个地方。在那个地方，我们不只 是单纯的玩，而是去探索那个地方。比如说，我们到了一个新的区域一个新的省份，我们会作为一 个亲密的朋友圈，去探索那个省份，了解当地的人、当地的食物、当地的文化。我觉得这是一个比 较充实，向往的假期。为什么说是向往，是因为朋友们也很难聚到一起。至今为止，我还没有过这 样好的一个向往的假期；一般来说，我的假期都是比较舒适的。 当数学老师最喜欢的一方面？ 我最喜欢的部分是教授知识的过程，并且我的学生们上课的时候也能一起跟我享受这个过程。我们 很多汉基的学生是很怕数学的，所以我最喜欢的时刻是我在每年能看到学生在留言说，来到杭州后 觉得数学没有那么可怕了。 其实我是可以选择教 Standard, Safe, 和 Extended 这几个班级的，但我这几年一直选择只教 Standard 班。原因是 Standard 级别的学生们普遍来说基礎稍微薄弱一点，也通常都不是很喜欢 数学。我的任务不是去让学生们把数学学得非常好，而是想要他们在一年后觉得数学没有那么可怕 了。这就是我这几年的工作目标。在上课的时候，我会变成一个不一样的人；我会比较有精力，很 有激情地上课。这样能让学生们感受到我的这份自信。 其实，我小的时候对于喜爱数学也是有转折点的。我有一次生病后去参加了一个考试，然后得到了 一个非常好的分数。从此以后，我就有了一个很强的自信心去学数学，每次解答一个问题也都会很 有成就感。但是整体上来讲，我小时候有可能没有想很深地研究数学，但是一直是挺喜欢的。 教课外的一些个人爱好？ 我其实蛮喜欢做志愿者的感觉。我以前是在美丽中国（Teach For China）当老师的，后来才来到 汉基。当时，美丽中国在招聘一个校友面试官，帮助美丽中国的工作人员面试新的申请人员，是一 份志愿者工作。这不是一份工作，但我认为是一件很好玩的事情，可以帮助我喜欢的NGO公益组 织，通过帮助别人可以获得个人的成就感。除此之外，我最近刚刚开始跟一个杭州汉基的CM学围 棋，但刚开始，所以还是觉得比较难掌握。 28

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为何选择当数学老师？如果不当老师，您会有什 么其他的理想？ 我上学的时候比较喜欢数学，觉得解决一个问题 的时候很有成就感。上大学和当研究生时，我的 专业都是跟数学相关的。后来进入了美丽中国， 我也是当一名数学老师。我的整个学习路程都是 跟数学连在一起的，成为数学老师是一个比较自 然的选择。 如果我不当老师，我可能会去做公益，加入像美 丽中国的组织，做一些我力所能及的事情。我觉 得人活一辈子，天天想着赚钱也没什么意思，我 想做一些可以帮助别人的事情。这可能是一个比 较接近我现实生活的梦想。 您从杭州汉基刚成立至今见证了什么变化？ 我在2016年8月份加入杭州汉基，当了一 年coach m entor，再成为了一 名teaching assistant，现在是一名数学老师。当时加 Being 入的时候，Collaboration、Better Program 还有 Autonomy 都还没有实行。我 认为HZCIS最大的变 化是课程的变化，包括 后 来开展的Varsity League 和 Endeavour，都 是后来我眼看着它出现的。另外，2019年HZ6 的Houses Coming Home，所有人从杭州出 发，一路回到香港，给我留下比较深刻的印象， 给那一年的学生留下了非常完美的结尾。 你曾经在美丽中国（Teach for China）的项 目学校支教，这个经历如何？ 我当时在云南的一个村子呆了两年，在那边的一 个小学教了很多不同的课程，如同数学、美术与 音乐。说实话，那边老 师的资源其实没有很缺 乏；而是那里家长对待教育的观念比较缺乏的。 他们重视教育，但把所有的教育都依托在学校身 上。我们学校很多的孩子们都是留守儿童，只有 爷爷奶奶在家里，爸爸妈妈都出去打工，为孩子 们挣钱。所以跟汉基的学生们相比之下，那里的 家庭教育是非常缺乏的。另一方面就是那里的辍 学率非常高，因为到了初中就有很多人出去打工 了。学生需要考试才能从初中转到高中，他们如 果考不上的话，就不能上高中，所以初中也算是 一个卡。再从高中到大学又需要考试，他们需要 迈的卡太多太多了，而 且也没有家庭去支持他 们。所以很多学生们上了初中就辍学，高中读一 半就辍学，因为他们觉得考大学是没有希望的。

疫情为您带来了哪些个人启发？ 说实话，疫情为我带来了蛮多的个人启发。我在 杭州跟你们在香港的某 些时间段是一样的；有 一段时间离不开家门，在屋子里憋了很长一段时 间。所以，这个疫情让我更加关注自己与家人的 身体健康。我也深刻地认识到了一定要珍惜可以 在大自然中的时间，甚至能在小区里的树底下与 草上有悠闲着会让我感到很幸福。最后的个人启 发就是我们要珍惜跟家人朋友在一起的时间，也 要珍惜能在学校面对面上课的时间。最近能够看 到杭州8可以回来，我会感到非常的兴奋，因为 终于可以看到学生们了。 今年有哪些成就令你感到最骄傲？ 从个人的方面来说，去年四月份因为开始线上上 课，我的自由时间多了 些，所以我报名参加了 一个叫PGCE （Postgraduate Certificate in Education）的研究证书。我很骄傲能在疫情期 间坚持了下来， 因为PGCE要求我上很多课， 也要写很多论文与准备各种课程的资料。我不仅 坚持了下来，也即将要拿到PGCE的证书，所以 是我个人方面比较骄傲的一点。 还有一个不是 从我个人方面的成就是 HZ8的学生们能够成 功 地回到杭州的校园里；这是一件很值得骄傲的事 情，因为整个过程太不容易了。

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Community Feature:

PEACE OF MIND

Hi CIS! We are Peace of Mind (POM), CIS’ mental health advocacy group. We hope to raise awareness in our school community by creating a safe space for everyone to learn and share about mental health.

We aim to implement different educational and support-based programs to encourage a more extensive understanding, and break the unspoken stigma around mental health through starting more conversations.

Through the establishment of POM, we’ve been able to gather a group of like-minded students to work together. And during the process of researching different trends and illnesses, we’ve been able to expand our knowledge on the topic individually. A big part of our mission is to exercise empathy as we truly believe that spreading compassion and kindness is the most effective way of building a collectively-enjoyable CIS community.

One of the biggest concerns that parents, teachers, and students likewise share, is stress. It’s easy to overlook the stress indications that our body is telling us. For example, sacrificing sleep has weaved itself into a part of IB culture. And it’s through constant reinforcements that students are finally becoming more aware of their health needs and how seemingly-insignificant habits can truly hinder their capabilities, both inside and outside the classroom.

This school year, our team at POM has been focusing on a variety of projects to further improve our school’s awareness of mental health. We started off the year with the launch of our website (www.peaceofmindhk. org). In doing so, we hope to have created an easily-accessible hub for mental health resources curated by our members, and also exhibit our past initiatives. During our annual mental health week in October, 30

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we invited guest speaker Aaron Robbie, from Talking Mental, to host a school-wide assembly about the mental health situation in Hong Kong, and his personal experiences. We also recently collaborated with the CIS Secondary Library to compile a list of well informed books about mental health and psychology. Furthermore, we have executed other more targeted projects such as year group assemblies for Years 8 and 11, a collaboration with issue 23 of Scribbles magazine and a collaboration with the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA).

Our first two years of advocacy has been an incredibly gratifying experience, and we’re so excited to continue our journey promoting mental health in Hong Kong. We have so much in store for the rest of the year, so stay tuned and follow us on Instagram at

@peaceofmindhk!

“Everyone struggles. Be kind and love yourself.”

Love, Adelaide and Philippa on behalf of Peace of Mind

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時事

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The tremendous progress Myanmar has made to establish democracy in the past decade was wiped out on the dawn of February 1st, 2021 when the military staged a “coup”, commonly known as a “junta”. Myanmar, formally known as Burma is a country a decade out of harsh military rule.

Elections, democracy, a thriving economy, Myanmar was growing, until it was hurled into an Orwellian nightmare. A “coup” refers to the illegal removal or seizure of government, by an opposing faction.

Similarly, a “junta” refers to a military group exerting force and control over another country to achieve political ends. In Myanmar, the military detained members of the democratic party, as the National League for Democracy (NLD), seized control of infrastructure, blocked internet access, restricted freedom, leaving the country into the hands of the military once again.

Myanmar has been politically unstable since it gained independence from British colonial rule in 1948.

During the time period of 1962 to 1988, Myanmar was under the Burma Socialist Programme Party’s one system, totalitarian rule. This party was led by General Ne Win. General Ne Win was the commander of Myanmar’s armed forces - the Tatmadaw, he believed that the people did not have the strength to hold the country together and implemented a one party system. Under General Ne Win’s rule, Myanmar fell even deeper into economic recession with unsustainable government debt which was exacerbated by putting the country into economic isolation. The meager amounts of money the country had left was used to aid and expand the military, while citizens suffered in poverty. In 1988, Myanmar’s economy declined drastically. Corruption was widespread, black markets, and underground crime groups were everywhere. Dissatisfied and vexed with seeing Myanmar constantly on the brink of collapse, students across Myanmar rallied together to protest against the military rule. The series of protests in 1988 were known as “The August 1988 uprising”, dubbed the “8888 Uprising”. What started out as a small-scale protest turned into mass demonstrations that brought hundreds and thousands of monks, students, children, and teachers together, marching on the streets and demanding democratic elections.

As a result of the overwhelming cries for democracy

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and for his removal, General Ne Win ultimately stepped down, promising that multi-party elections will happen. However, on September 18th, the State Order and Restoration Council orchestrated a coup, leading to a day of bloodshed. Sources report that thousands of people lost their lives due to the coup, but Myanmar puts that number at 350. General Ne Win’s promise for the nation was never truly fulfilled.

Aung San Suu Kyi also became Myanmar’s national icon during this time. Not only was she Myanmar’s icon, but a worldwide figure in the struggle for democracy and Human Rights, taking home the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She is the daughter of Myanmar’s Aung San, who led Myanmar’s release from British colonial rule. What made Aung San Suu Kyi stand out was how she pushed for democracy without resorting to violence and conflict. Her background and speeches resonated with the Myanmar public. With a firm belief towards establishing a democratic nation in Myanmar, she formed the National League for Democracy. In 1990, the National League of Democracy was founded by Suu Kyi, but the junta refused to accept Aung San Suu Kyi’s party. As a result, she was put under house arrest multiple times as attempts by the government to silence her. Aung San Kyi was placed in house arrest for 15 years over a 21 year period. However, being under house arrest did not suppress her desire to see a democratic Myanmar.

The military’s attempts to silence her only made the blood of Myanmar’s youth boil even more. The people were tired of being under military control again. The lack of economic growth and rising gas prices only fueled the fire. However, marred with scars from the 1988 Uprising, the Myanmar people were scared to take action. Following Aung San Suu Kyi’s idea of nonviolent resistance, youth and monks protested peacefully. However, things turned ugly once the military captured 3 peaceful monks. In retaliation, young monks captured 3 more government officials and held them hostage, demanding an apology.

Crackdowns followed suit with military officials

armed with rifles and tanks in every corner.

Following the 2007 Saffron Revolution which garnered international attention, general elections were held throughout the country. The military junta stepped down in 2011 after the 2010 General Elections in order to smoothly transfer power from the military to the citizens. The 2010 elections marked the beginning of a peace in Myanmar as they were under elected officials, Aung San Suu Kyi’s and the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) rule. The members from the NLD barely outnumbered those from the military. Furthermore, Aung San Suu Kyi has also continued to defend military abuse against the Rohingyians and restricted press freedoms leading to global controversy. In the eyes of Myanmar’s citizens, she is still an idol who led them to democracy.

Recently in 2020, another election was held and the NLD won in a landslide.

The military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won 33 of 476 available seats, while the NLD won 396. Due to the sudden drop in power, the military claimed that the election was fraudulent and staged a coup. Expressing dismay with the election results, protestors rallied against the outcome of the election. On February’s 1st, the day before the Parliament of Myanmar, the coup started arresting and detaining several officials including state chancellor, Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta subsequently blocked phone lines, TV stations, created internet blackouts, and suspended banks. Many soldiers from the major leaders of the Saffron Revolution and the 8888 Uprising were also arrested. The military announced a state of emergency, allowing Army chief Min Aung Hlaing to temporarily take over for a one year. At the same time, the UN Security Council failed to take any significant action as talks between key countries are still in place.

To fight back, the government blocked Facebook and other social media sites

to maintain ‘stability’. This was followed by the shutdown of other platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. This dealt a major blow to morale as online platforms were how protesters shared information with each other and the outside world.

These were then followed by an entire internet blackout. The internet blackout, a classic example of dictatorship, suppressed the people’s freedom of speech and left the outside world with no information on Myanmar. After the blackout, tens of thousands of people began to take to the streets and protested. On the 7th, the internet is restored while social media remains blocked. The blocking of social media left many citizens of Myanmar in the dark. A protester named Phyo said “These are just symptoms of the old dictatorship. They just want everyone to stay in the dark. They don’t want anyone to be able to facilitate knowledge, to be updated”. As all protests before the internet blackouts were organised online, the constant blockage of information exhausted and scared the citizens of Myanmar.

According to an interview conducted by Asian Boss, which was uploaded on the 16th of February, documented citizens’ first reactions to the coup as a mix of disbelief, hopelessness, and horror. For adults, the biggest impact was not being able to know what was happening in the outside world, and not being able to communicate with relatives. Whereas, students were worried about their opportunities to study overseas and the loss of scholarships.

Many mentioned waking up at 8am to bang pots and pans as an act of defiance against the military. However, as time passed by, the civilian death toll ramped up significantly, leading Myanmar citizens to plead for humanitarian and United Nations’s intervention for assistance.

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There were mixed international reactions to the Myanmar coup. The G7 countries have been slow to condemn the coup, while others have urged for global intervention by all countries. Myanmar’s neighbouring country, India, has expressed concerns and support for democracy. However, they have not taken any immediate action in hopes of establishing stronger economic ties with Myanmar. China insisted that ‘all parties in Myanmar will properly handle their differences under the constitution and legal framework to maintain political and social stability’. ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains divided as Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines noted that the Myanmar coup was their ‘internal affairs’ and their internal affairs only, hinting towards their reluctance to interfere. China, Myanmar’s biggest trading partner and investor, was more focused on keeping the country stable than reinstating democracy. The United Nations have also held conferences over this issue, and what was discussed is still majorly confidential. However, the United Nations Security Council has a resolution and statement under works. The statement will either condemn or disapprove of the coup,

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and the resolution will include next steps countries will take. Even though the resolution has not been finalised, major economies, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union have all placed sanctions on Myanmar.

Without international efforts to end the coup, Myanmar citizens will continue to be under military rule. The military is relentless and different countries are divided in the ways they want to act and interfere.

In the future, countries could come together to defend Myanmar citizens and to condemn the coup. This will increase pressure onto the military, and steps such as foriegn aid stepping in could help reinstate democracy. The profound difference between people and their motives is what makes the Earth diverse. Ethinic minority groups have come together with the public in defiance of the military.

In order to prevent a bloodbath on the streets of Myanmar, we have to come together as well and intervene before it’s too late.

Wealth Inequality in Hong Kong

Economic inequality is the unequal distribution of income between different social groups in society. It is a global concern as many people are often trapped in cyclical poverty with little chances to climb up the social ladder. The income inequality in Hong Kong creates a divide that separates the social ethnic groups— this is commonly known as the wealth gap, which signifies the difference in earnings between low-income, middle-income and high-income households. This article will explore the causes of the widening wealth gap locally in Hong Kong and discuss strategies to lessen the impact of the wealth gap on low-income households.

In 2018, Hong Kong was the second richest city in the world, with a net worth of $355.5 billion, ranking sixth in GDP globally in 2011. Although Hong Kong is considered a wealthy developing city, it o suffers from various long-term economic is-

By Madison Lau | Photography by Aidan Keough | Layout by Maegan Wang

sues, namely economic and income inequality. This is a result ofHong Kong’s low tax policy, a policy that allows for its citizens to live there without paying the majority of the taxes. In 1947, two years after the Second World War, Hong Kong established the Revenue Ordinance in order to manage Hong Kong’s inland revenue and to fixate wartime measures. Therefore income tax was set at a staggeringly low 10% throughout the years, with many unsuccessful attempts to increase tax rates in Hong Kong. The low tax policy is not a feasible solution for income inequality because the tax system does not penalise wealth beneficial to Hong Kong’s upper class citizens, who earn over $40,000 HKD per month. This occurs because the upper class citizens attempt to avoid high tax rates, therefore minimising tax burden over the years. In contrast, low income households who earn under $9,500HKD per month remain in cyclical poverty. Since Hong

Kong utilizes an income tax system, low income class households generally pay a larger proportion of their income in tax than high income households. This makes it so that they constantly lack the resources and opportunities to increase their income, therefore trapping them in a cycle of poverty.

The continuously increasing wealth gap has caused Hong Kong to reach ever higher measurements of wealth inequality.

According to government statistics, Hong Kong’s GINI coefficient, a standard measurement for wealth inequality since the 1990s, was 0.539, the highest level since the 1970s.

Based on an article by South China Morning Post, the wealthiest 10%, including Li Ka Shing, Lee Shau Kee and Henry Cheng in Hong Kong earned around 44 times more than the poorest 10% of households.

In fact, Hong Kong is home to over 90 billionaires, 5 of which earned HK$23.6 in 2016 and 2017 alone. Despite this, Hong Kong also houses over 1 million people living in poverty.

Although there is a stark difference between the “rich and poor” in Hong Kong, it has been disregarded by many government officials and corporate

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stakeholders. The Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report 2019 states that there are 1.4 million people in Hong Kong living in poverty, a community that consists mainly of low-income workers, ethnic minorities, women, children and elderlies.

Many factors contribute to the widening of the wealth gap.

Firstly, the climbing price of cage housing has made it extremely difficult for poverty stricken people to afford comfortable living conditions.

Due to Hong Kong’s dense population of 7.5 million people, living space is scarce and therefore cage houses are becoming increasingly more valuable.

Cage houses are generally around 40 square feet and can cost up to HK$2,400 per month.

Additionally, the lack of employment opportunities in Hong Kong makes it difficult for people of low-income households to find a job with sufficient income to sustain their own and their families’ lives. The lack of job opportunities is also a result of Hong Kong’s uneven education system for lower income households in Hong Kong, as a person’s level of education largely influences their future employment opportunities.

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An example of this is language barriers between ethnic minorities and the locals. Since ethnic minority students struggle with learning Chinese to properly communicate with the locals, they also experience difficulties with finding employment opportunities.

Low-income households face many disadvantages in terms of employment, and their lack of employment opportunities has only caused the wealth gap in Hong Kong to continuously widen.

Moreover, the elderly are an especially vulnerable group among the poor, as they face a difficult time competing for employment opportunities with the youthful, economically active population. Although they may be qualified with their expertise and long-standing work experience, their physical capability hinders their ability to perform physically arduous and demanding tasks like construction work. Agiesm is one of the most common types of age discrimination and prejudice in Hong Kong workplaces and major cause for over 50% of unemployed people.

Furthermore the Hong Kong government has decreed an unofficial retirement age of 60 years old. This policy is aimed to establish mandatory retirement to ensure that the most capable people are being

employed in order to maximise the economic efficiency and benefits in a company, leading to a lack of employment opportunities for older dependents of the population. Fortunately to counter this social phenomenon, the government

has attempted to implement programmes to employ elderly and middle aged people (EPEM). The program allows people aged 40 and above to apply for long term job vacancies and encourages employers to hire EPEM. The main goal of this programme is to help job seekers with limited employment opportunities to browse job vacancies. In this brochure, (https://www.labour.gov.hk/ eng/public/eip/EPM_JS.pdf) two success stories have been included. These stories helped detail how the two participants found and adapted to their jobs

through applying to the program then receiving on the job training. Despite the prevalence of ageism in Hong Kong workplaces, programs and initiatives like the EPEM employment program are working to help the elderly and middle aged people find satisfactory jobs.

Furthermore, due to the increasing unemployment rates induced by the pandemic, the economic inequality has worsened severely since late 2019.

From September to November 2020, Hong Kong’s unemployment rate increased drastically from 0.3% to 6.3%. In this twomonth period, over 245,000 Hong Kongers lost their jobs.

Since then, the unemployment rate has increased to 6.6%, the highest rate of unemployment in 16 years. Most importantly, strict social distancing measures restricted unemployment in many sectors of Hong Kong.

Due to these social distancing government regulations, over 200 bars in Hong Kong were closed during the fourth wave of Covid-19, and 70 bars were subsequently shut down. This mass unemployment in the food and beverage sector forced service workers to accept a minimum wage of 37.5HKD per hour and unpaid annual leaves. This sudden mass unemployment forced the unemployed service

workers to fall back on their life savings, which may not be enough to support themselves and their families. Unfortunately, Hong Kong’s unemployment rate is gradually increasing, and the government’s attempts to alleviate widespread poverty have not been particularly effective, therefore many low-income households have been forced into the vicious cycle of poverty.

Although the Hong Kong government has made efforts to improve poverty relief by increasing expenditure on public healthcare, these efforts are relatively insufficient in tackling inequality as a whole. For example, in the 1950s, the Hong Kong government launched a public housing program to increase housing and public investment in health and education. Although this improved social relations for around three decades, Hong Kong no longer has the economic ability to support these changes. Oxfam, a charitable organization that aims to end the injustice of poverty states suggests that the government should consider implementing a “participatory budgeting” process when deciding how much will be spent that year. A process that would help the people make better economic decisions regarding the future. An Oxfam’s Inequality Report, also recommended the government to review their current minimum wage policy annually, allocate more educational resources and provide

Chinese education support to ethnic minorities, increase the quota for childcare services, extend service hours, allow the elderly to apply individually for CSSA and increase support for interim housing. These proposed plans may improve their standard of living for low-income households. The suggested alternative measure aims to decrease the wealth gap of low-income households through government provision of education, social service and elderly support.

In conclusion, wealth inequality has become an increasingly prominent social issue in Hong Kong. Moving forward, the government should consider implementing solutions with assisted support from multinational organisations, by reviewing wages, providing elderly care and childcare services and funding support towards ethnic minorities, in order to reduce the widening economic equality and far-reaching repercussions from the recent Covid-19 pandemic. If action is not taken soon, wealth inequality will become an unending problem between the different social groups of Hong Kong.

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Tokyo 2021 Olympic Risks

By Myriam Lynch | Illustrations by Felisha Wang | Layout by Alyssa Merwise When the Olympic Games were created around 3000 years ago in Greece, their purpose was to celebrate and honor the gods. However, when the Olympics were revived in 1892 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the first modern games were held in Athens in 1896, their purpose shifted. Under the direction of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Games became an opportunity for countries to compete amicably through sports. The five interlocking circles of the official flag, with each circle representing one of the five continents, depicts a world united by a shared value of athleticism.

Politics have never completely taken a back seat at the Olympics, however. The highly sought privilege of hosting the games is often the result of a geopolitical calculus that only the IOC understands.

Those kinds of calculations are more than ever at the fore of the next Summer Olympics, to be held in Tokyo in July 2021. One year behind schedule, the Tokyo Games hope to be remembered as the first Games to be held successfully and safely in the midst of a global pandemic.

A year ago, it seemed impossible for Japan or any country to host the Olympic Games, even though Japan was already nearing the finish line in its preparations. When I visited Tokyo, in January 2020, construction sites and billboards with the Olympic flag were a constant reminder of the upcoming summer games. In fact, Japan waited as long as it possibly could - precisely two days before the Olympic torch was set to leave Fukushima on its way to Tokyo - to announce the Games’ cancellation.

Covid-19 seemed to have the entire world in its iron grip, and even the Olympics would not resist. One year later, Japan is insisting on holding the Games, even though the country has a low vaccination rate and has only recently recovered from the latest Covid-19 state of emergency declared in January.

The world may be watching the progression of the Olympic torch across Japan with anticipation, but the potential health risks of hosting the Olympics in a pandemic are in themselves significant enough to warrant the Games’ cancellation.

Hosting the Olympics during a pandemic poses health risks that cannot be underestimated. One

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expert cited by Conde Nast called the decision to press forward with the Games a “matter of life and death” and argued that, notwithstanding the years of training and sacrifices athletes make to compete in the Olympics once every four years, the Games are “not an essential service to the world.” Athletes themselves have voiced

concerns about the IOC’s announced health protocols. While teams will only be able to arrive at their accommodations in the Olympic Village five days before their competition and must leave within 48 hours of the end of competition, vaccinations are not required for athletes. Amid fears that new strains of the virus may be brought by teams from around the world, the possibility of another wave is particularly worrying for those living around the sprawling complex, in central Tokyo. Although until now Japan has dealt with the pandemic better than many other countries, with an estimated 496,000 total cases, as of April 2020, only 1% of the Japanese population has been vaccinated. This slow rollout is the result of both cautious policy—Japan has only approved the Pfizer vaccine for use—and a wary population. According to a poll conducted in January of 2021 by the Tokyo Broadcasting System, 80% of people in Japan believe the Olympics should/will be canceled or postponed.

As great as the health risks are, the economic and political consequences of cancelling the Games weigh on the minds of the country’s leaders. The global economic crisis caused by the pandemic has hit Japan particularly hard. According to the BBC, Japan’s economy shrank by 4.8% in 2020, the first time Japan’s economy has contracted since 2009.

Moreover, the slow Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the country (0.46 doses per 100 people as of March 23, according to Our World in Data), may negatively

affect the ability of the Japanese economy to recover from the impending recession. Takumi Tsunoda, senior economist at Shinkin Central Bank Research, expects “a repeating cycle of coronavirus infections spreading and being contained” in 2021, meaning that “consumption is not likely to recover at the expected pace,” he told the BBC. Meanwhile, due to the one year delay in holding the Olympics, the overall cost to Japan of hosting the Games in 2021 has increased by $2.8 billion; the full price tag is now estimated at $15.4 billion.

Perhaps the biggest benefit the Olympics can bring to a city is in the form of tourism revenue.

The last Summer Olympics in Brazil, brought together 10,500 athletes, 500,000 foreign tourists, and tens of thousands of coaches, judges, officials, VIPs, sponsors, media and broadcasters.

However, in the age of Covid-19, increased tourism risks setting off a major superspreader event. In order to minimize that potentiality, the Games will be held without live audiences, that is to say, without tourists. In other words, for all of Japan’s investment in the Games, the country and particularly Tokyo, will reap greatly reduced economic benefits for the privilege of playing host.

Despite the challenges facing the Games, the 2020 Summer Olympics hold a special significance for Japan. These Olympics, also known as the “Recovery Games” in Japan, have been eagerly anticipated as an opportunity to display Japan’s recovery from the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster, especially on the tragedy’s 10th anniversary. The torch relay that began in March 2021 deliberately started

in a still scarred Fukushima prefecture as a symbol of resilience. The 2020 Olympics are a matter of national pride. The Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has billed the Games as “proof of human victory against the pandemic,” according to the Associated Press. Passing on the opportunity to host the Olympics would mean a lost opportunity until 2032 (the next Games up for bidding), and a lost chance at economic recovery.

But perhaps the most compelling reason for hosting the 2020 Olympics comes from an issue with even greater optics; if they are held, these Games will forever go down in history as the first Olympics to take place during or immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic. If Japan were to cancel, it would cede that historic distinction to the next Olympics, the Winter Games of 2022, which are scheduled to be held in Beijing. This move could be interpreted in Japan as a symbolic defeat by the country’s primary military rival in the region.

On the other hand, as the first country to host the Games during the pandemic, Japan hopes to be able to burnish its image on the international stage, as a world leader during a tense global climate. The cost of letting that unparalleled opportunity slip by may be a price too high for Japan, and the ultimate price tag of these fraught Olympic Games.

If the 2020 Olympics do finally take place this summer, the Covid-19 pandemic will shape it undoubtedly into an Olympics we have never before quite seen or experienced. While sports and tourism are the usual drivers of the Games, in 2021, soft power may hold greater symbolic weight. The 2020 Games are set to be a contest to demonstrate that this herculean event that many deem impossible and some may even consider reckless, is in fact possible. Perhaps this year, the Olympic torch might even shine as the light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel.

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Atlanta Shootings: Fears of Anti-Asian Discrimination and its Psychological Implications

By Michelle Liu | Illustration by Isabella Zee | Layout by Zoe Zheng

摘要：新冠病毒蔓延至今令全球變得愈加分化，暴力似乎無處不見。2021年3月16日的美國亞特蘭 大槍擊案引起了社會對亞裔人遭受暴力與歧視對待的關注。本篇文章深入分析了暴力歧視對亞裔人 身心健康的深刻影響以及舒緩此問題的一些方法。 On March 16th, 2021, six Asian women were killed in a series of mass shootings in Atlanta, Georgia. The incident sparked outrage both locally and internationally, and gave rise to a series of protests against anti-Asian violence across the States. While the pandemic is far from the first time Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have been the target of hate crimes and discrimination in the U.S., it has amplified the problem as Asians are associated with the spread of the virus, as well as subjected to stereotypes and prejudice. Not only do these acts of discrimination threaten individuals physically, they can also have unparalleled mental health effeects which are much harder, but just as important to address in the long-term.

The start of anti-Asian sentiments in the U.S. can partly be attributed to the ‘Chinese Exclusion Act’, a federal law signed in 1882 to restrict the number of Chinese immigrants in America. In the late 19th century, Chinese immigrants in the West Coast were often stereotyped as “degraded” and “uncivilised”, leading to the development of a collective anti-Chinese mindset within the country. Eventually, the term “yellow peril” was coined as the Chinese were considered a threat to Western values and public health.

While the Exclusion Act ended in 1965, these stereotypes still persist in society. One-third of AAPIs reported experiencing discrimination before the pandemic even began.

Additionally, the “model minority” myth – the belief that all Asian-

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Americans are successful, welleducated, and tolerant of racism –is extremely detrimental as the hardships and discrimination that Asians face are overlooked by the media and general public. In fact, despite the assumptions surrounding upward mobility, Asian Americans are actually the poorest group in New York city with 25% of the population living in poverty. They are also the most affected by unemployment during the pandemic – demonstrating that the model minority stereotype is indeed just a myth.

These issues have been magnified during the pandemic as those of Chinese descent all around the world are accused of spreading the virus.

The use of the terms “China virus”

and “Kung flu” by President Trump and the media, echoing the decadeold “yellow peril” rhetoric, gave rise once again to blatant xenophobia and unfounded hate plaguing the Asian community. According to Stop AAPI Hate, an anti-discrimination organisation, roughly 3,800 antiAsian hate incidents were reported just a year into the pandemic, with women and elders being the most affected. The persistence of negative stereotypes and surge in hate crimes could partly be explained by the need for an outlet in the face of unparalleled uncertainties and adversities – people are ready and willing to blame anything that can provide an explanation for their own misfortunes.

With the steady rise of discriminatory acts, it is no surprise that the mental wellbeing of Asians and AsianAmericans are also in steep decline.

While fear, anxiety and depression are common emotions in the midst of a global health crisis, studies have found that Asian communities are disproportionately affected in terms of mental health. A study published in Ethnic and Racial Studies found that Asian immigrants and Asian Americans experienced significantly higher levels of mental disorders during the pandemic, and that this phenomenon can partially be attributed to discrimination.

Additionally, other studies have shown that racial trauma caused by discrimination can lead to the development of chronic mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and somatic disorders related to eating and sleeping. Asians have been at high risk of mental illnesses even before the pandemic began; while they had some of the highest rates of depression and suicide, they were also the least likely to seek mental health services. Now, Asians (international students in particular) must deal with both concern for themselves and their families in the midst of Covid-19, and isolation and stigmatization, substantially increasing the risk factors of mental disorders. Thus, contrary to what the model minority myth suggests, Asians are, and have long been, one of the most vulnerable social groups in our society.

In addition to low utilisation of mental health services, Asians were also found to be reluctant to report hate crimes. Most reflect that they found doing so too troubling or intimidating, which is another concern as it can prevent them from accessing the appropriate resources and receiving the help and attention that they need.

The model minority myth perpetuates this problem as the image of Asians as being free of any social problems restrains Asians themselves from actively demonstrating their need for help, resulting in the internalisation of

their distress and further deterioration of their mental health.

To counter this issue, there are a number of actions to be taken at both the community and institutional level.

A paper published on ‘Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy’ suggested actively challenging stereotypes of Asian communities present in the media by presenting them as “unrepresentative” or “atypical”. Additionally, public figures can use their social influence to spread a positive message to a wider audience, such as the First Lady of New York who shared a video on Twitter voicing solidarity with Asian Americans. Government leaders can also play a crucial role in terms of policies and support services that they offer to the affected communities.

For instance, due to the low number of Asians seeking mental support, “culturally-appropriate mental health services” and “community-based outreach” could be useful measures in order to encourage more to seek help.

Previously, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented a anti-discrimination initiative during the SARS pandemic to monitor stigmatisation and work with Asian American communities to develop culture-specific interventions, a proven example of a potentially effective response.

measures can also help the cause.

Ultimately, if nothing else can be done, simply checking in on a friend or family member overseas or at risk can also have just as big of an impact.

Anti-asian discrimination has long been present in the u.S., As well as other parts of the world, and it is likely to continue beyond the pandemic. The chasm that such discrimination can create between people is striking, and bridging it will undoubtedly take much time and effort.

However, it can be done – every individual should work towards promoting inclusivity, diversity and racial acceptance, so that this yawning abyss that we see at the moment might someday be reduced to the smallest crevice.

On a micro level, there are many resources online which provide opportunities to learn more, donate and keep up with new developments surrounding the AAPI community, one of them being the ‘Anti-Asian Violence Resources’ Carrd page. Additionally, reporting any incidents to organisations like Stop AAPI Hate or Stand Against Hatred so that the data can be used for spreading awareness and developing further preventative

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全球危機

GLOBAL CRISIS

Photography by CLAIRE FANG 校話

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By Megan Hsu | Photography by Ashley Gatt | Layout by Airla Fan

What would the world look like in 2050? Flooded megacities, forced migration and intensified surface ozone levels. As people are suffering from catastrophic losses in Covid-19 and extreme weather events, climate adaptation policies are needed more than ever.

Facing the climate change abyss, the Covid-19 pandemic highlights the global pressing need to reduce air pollution. In recent years, South Asian and East Asian countries continue to dominate the list of the most polluted places in the world, particularly China, India and Pakistan share 49 of the 50 most polluted cities globally. According to IQAir’s 2020 World Air Quality Report, anthropogenic emissions from the industrial and transport sector decreased during lockdowns, with better air quality in 65% of global cities in 2020. Based on a study conducted by PNAS, Covid-19 lockdowns contributed to a fall in the concentration of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter levels by up to 60% and 31% respectively in 34 countries. It is important to know that even though Covid-19 may have indirectly led to a reduction in air pollution worldwide, the European Society for Cardiology affirms that 15% of deaths globally from Covid-19 could possibly be attributed to long-term exposure to air pollution.

Tackling global warming is a challenge without precedent, from denial to decarbonisation China’s air pollution presents a dire social, economic and environmental problem. However, China’s leaders face significant challenges balancing economic growth and the need for improving environmental and social welfare. China’s sources of air pollution mainly come from biomass burning, production of coal, the concentration of motorized vehicles, electric power plants and more. As one of the greatest carbon emitters and largest producers of coal, Beijing’s

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average daily Air Quality Index in 2020 reached 262, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deemed as very “unhealthy”. Specifically, Hotan, a major oasis town in China’s Xinjiang region was ranked as the world’s most polluted in 2020. With annual levels of PM 2.5 around 110.2 micrograms per cubic meter, Hotan’s air pollution is deep in the “hazardous” territory, reported to be up to 11 times greater than the World Health Organisation target for annual exposure. High levels of air pollution contribute significantly to public health. A study by the Health Effects Institute reported that unhealthy levels of PM2.5 may have led to more than 1.42 million premature deaths in China in 2019. Hence, China’s growing energy system must be transformed completely to reduce air pollution. Currently, China has introduced renewable energy sources to cut coal and boost green growth. The government may also consider establishing regional cooperation in the Greater Bay Area to further address air pollution.

Moreover, the striking impact of air pollution in the UK urges the government to overhaul and strengthen its regulations under the Clean Air Strategy, to secure clean growth and innovation for future generations. Although air pollution level decreased drastically in 2020 due to the pandemic’s restrictions to curb traffic, half of the UK school pupils are worried about air pollution near their school. In the country’s lockdowns, the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that average levels of nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas produced mainly by diesel vehicles declined to their lowest points since 1997.

According to the London Government source, there was a 97% reduction in the number of state primary and secondary schools exceeding legal pollution limits. Therefore, the ONS concluded that Covid-19

restrictions were a “large contributing factor” to the reduction in air pollution levels. Currently, many local authorities have also encouraged walking and cycling to create low-traffic neighbourhoods in an attempt to reduce air pollution in residential areas.

However, it faces strong resistance from the procar lobby and disgruntled drivers arguing against installing low-emission zones. The government’s persisting efforts to reduce traffic congestion hopes to improve locals’ health and quality of life, as the role of transportation in UK cities’ air pollution become apparent during Covid-19 lockdowns.

Furthermore, the high pollution levels in India presents a health and economic hazard across the vast nation. According to a report from Clean Air Fund, India’s air pollution contributes to a financial loss of $95 billion annually, which can be translated to around 3% of India’s GDP in 2019 and twice the amount of annual public health expenditure. Notably in 2019, 1.67 million deaths in India were caused by air pollution, which is around one in every five deaths in the country, according to Forbes. The falling air pollution levels can be seen causing the lowered quality of life and increased health expenditure that may lead to decreased labour productivity. While recurring high pollution may accelerate short-term revenue loss from falling consumer spending, it is also associated with risks of long-term reputation

loss among international tourists. Ultimately, laying bare the health and economic costs of India’s toxic urban air pollution Although from one year to the next, you may not feel the difference in air quality in your home city, air pollution continues to be a prominent issue in our day-to-day life. Therefore as shown from examples in China, UK and India, the carbon emissions to produce electricity, industrial power, transport and heating contributes significantly to air pollution with adverse social, economic and environmental impacts.

In spite of the fact that the Covid-19 lockdowns have led to improvements in air quality in most countries, the level of pollutants is expected to increase as governments lift short-term restrictions. According to CNN, the global decrease in anthropogenic emission in 2020 was partly offset by the severity of extreme air pollution events like wildfires and dust storms, worsened by the climate crisis. Softening the blow to the Earth’s changing climate and carbon cycle, much is needed to alleviate the pressures caused by anthropogenic climate change. The world is on the verge of a climate “abyss”, calling for world leaders to establish a global coalition for net-zero carbon emissions.

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Commies. Capitalists. SJWs. Bigots. Snowflakes. Homophobes.

Welcome to the 21st century: a politically polarised world in which humans happily inhabit segregated bubbles, hurl stones (or rather, the aforementioned insults that now carry little weight) in their glass houses and paper towns, and form nearimpenetrable echo chambers where differing opinions are immediately shut down. Every controversial topic is in black and white, and you are either good or evil depending on your stance towards it. It’s all over social media, too; head over to Reddit, Instagram, or Twitter, and you’ll find clogged-up geysers spewing partisan vitriol with abandon.

A study conducted in 2014 by the Pew Research Center stated that “92% of Republicans are to the right of the median Democrat, and 94% of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican”.

This political divide is further demonstrated by the recent ‘presidential’ debates between Trump and Biden, where the two men interrupted one another and exchanged childish insults like “clown”, “there’s nothing smart about you”, and

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“will you shut up, man?” The animosity between the left and the right appears to be only growing with time.

This polarisation is not limited to the United States––Hong Kong saw plenty of social conflict in the 2019-20 protests, with friends and family members with opposing views growing increasingly hostile towards one another.

Yellow or blue? Pro-this or prothat? To be demonised or not to be demonised? And there’s a lot out there we can blame for it, like social media with its extreme ‘influencers’ that perpetuate radical beliefs, algorithms that further our confirmation biases, or the habit of searching only for results that verify our views.

However, perhaps we are not

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suggested, simply “accept the realities with which we are presented”. We need to constantly confront them, question them, perhaps even trade them for others. And the best way to do this is to talk to people whose beliefs directly oppose our own.

People on both the left and the right frequently claim to be major

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entirely helpless in the face of this divide; perhaps our actions have the ability to directly affect whether we exacerbate it––or close it. We cannot, as Christof in The Truman Show

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proponents of free speech whilst acting-in

ways that directly contradict that sentiment. For example, take “if you’re a Trump supporter, I’ll never speak to you again”, a motto that appears to be a favourite of left-wingers on Twitter. Sure, you might think that Trump is an arrogant, entitled man who did

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Take the “no uterus, no opinion” adage, another completely useless catchphrase that only serves to inflame conflict and limit support for women’s rights as a whole.

Feminism is not about amplifying

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reprehensible things to people in the US and around the world, but whether it warrants complete severance of contact between a massive population who happen to disagree with you on their political beliefs is debatable.

The following questions come to mind: What purpose would this estrangement serve? Would it be possible to simply distance ourselves from one another without sacrificing a longstanding relationship over a political dispute? And, most importantly, how can we expect others to even consider our views if we refuse to talk to them at all?

egalitarian society for everyone regardless of gender. Like it or not, the people with the greatest power to dismantle and reform problematic systems are the ones who rest at the top of them.

It follows from this that social progress is best accelerated when men are included in the conversation too.

In May 2019, there was an uproar when twenty-five of twenty-seven white male Republicans voted to outlaw abortion in the Alabama Senate (the other two remaining abstained). Shouting “no uterus, no opinion” at this might feel like a reflex reaction, but really, doing so would be futile and counterproductive. Everyone has the right to voice their opinion; no one has the right to not be offended. Maybe we’ll have

legalising abortion after having discussed it with women, whose lives will be directly affected by the decisions that they make.

But that’s not going to happen if we continue antagonizing them by inanely chanting “no uterus, no opinion” and acting as if it’s possible or fair to silence men to elevate women. Gender equality is a two-way street, and women need the support of men––the same way men need the support of women––if they truly wish to achieve it.

Right-wingers are equally guilty of suffering from the “go-freespeech-unless-I-disagree-withyou-in-which- case-shut-up” syndrome. Ben Shapiro, for instance, once decried political polarisation ostensibly incited by the media and the “cult-left” on

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on his eponymous radio show.

He also happens to be the co-founder of the conservative website The Daily Wire, which takes great pride in “triggering the libs”, and someone who sells tumblers that read “LEFTIST TEARS” (yes, in block letters). His Youtube channel, which boasts a count of over three million subscribers, offers a variety of videos with provocative and arguably clickbaity titles such as “Ben Shapiro DESTROYS

movement, an omnipotent God exists, and so on. (My views are pretty much the opposite.) He considers my political views naïve, deluded, the products of a hyper-sensitive, PC-obsessed society dominated by leftist ideology, while I see his as ridiculously cynical, traditional, and alarmingly unempathetic, particularly in the socioeconomic

text him back, rebutting––or at least attempting to rebut––his points in a series of impassioned messages. While occasionally exasperating (no doubt for the both of us), our conversations never fail to be bluntly honest, thought-provoking, and surprisingly fruitful. And that’s exactly what civil discourse is: the ability

any substance but achieves his political objectives and boosts his viewership numbers.

think abortion is a basic human right. We get stuck, on occasion, running in circles of heated debate supported by the same old, tired lines of argument, struggling to comprehend how on earth others do not see the painfully obvious flaws in their so-called logic. When I receive texts like “there’s [sic] more people overdoing it on the left than white supremecists [sic] on the right” or commentary on how George Floyd’s death was not a murder done in cold blood, it takes an enormous amount of self-restraint not to simply dismiss his preposterous statements and live on peacefully in my self-imposed (and often ignorant) bubble of presumptive moral superiority.

you don’t necessarily agree with and walk away––if not enlightened by their views, then prepared with an even more well-informed argument for yourself.

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University of Utah”, et cetera.

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His shameless promotion of why he thinks trans people suffer to take part in a ... conservative values often lacks from gender dysphoria or why I conversation with people But not all hope is lost; it is possible––and absolutely necessary––for people with diametrically opposing views to engage in civil discourse without whipping out the flaming pitchforks and hysterically screaming ‘die, bigot/SJW/ something-phobe/socialist (select that which applies)!’ In fact, I know it’s possible because I’m friends with a conservative named Wilbur (a pseudonym he requested), and I like to think of myself as a die-hard leftist. In his opinion, modern feminism is demented, homosexuality is a sin, transgender people are mentally ill, white privilege is a leftist conspiracy theory, abortion is murder, BLM is a misinformed and flawed

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Once the urge to do so subsides, however, I invariably

As Antonin Scalia, a prominent conservative Supreme Court Justice, once put it: “I attack ideas. I don’t attack people.

Some very good people have some very bad ideas.” He was addressing his close relationship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, another justice known for being an influential feminist in addition to supporting various other liberal policies. Despite their opposing ‘ideas’, Scalia and Ginsburg spent plenty of time together, riding elephants in India and enjoying dinners together on New Year’s. The two of them, Ginsburg remarked at Scalia’s funeral in 2016, were

‘best buddies’, and she was ‘blessed…to have a working colleague and dear friend of such captivating brilliance, high spirits and quick wit.’

“Take the time,” Davis said at his TedTalk, “to sit down and talk with your adversaries. You’ll learn something; they’ll learn something…It’s when the talking [between two enemies] ceases that

(university students with little to no media experience) to challenge their views. Imagine if we had people with similar backgrounds

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Candace Owens, for instance, in civil discourse with different people is of key importance.

Not for the sake of achieving unanimity through means of disparaging dissent, but rather to gain a clearer understanding of the reason behind other people’s views. The psychologist Gordon Allport once conjectured that the most effective way to reduce prejudices and dispel stereotypes is through interpersonal contact.

Maybe it sounds too good to be true, but I’m inclined to agree.

In 2016, the prominent conservative pundit Tomi Lahren was a guest on leftist comedian Trevor Noah’s Daily Show and discussed racism in America. Not long after, Jubilee (a YouTube channel) released their first few videos in the ongoing series Middle Ground, which promotes conversation between ordinary people with differing political beliefs: pro-lifers and pro-choice proponents, immigrants and Trump supporters, or capitalists and socialists, to name a few.

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man is another gem from Emmanuel Acho, a Nigerian-

or Judith Butler and Jordan Peterson. How refreshing it would be to see people who rest on polar opposites of the sociopolitical spectrum sitting down with one another to discuss their field of interest. There would be no mediator or interviewer to permeate the discussion with any sort of implicit bias; no reason to complain that they are being represented unfairly.

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Imperial Wizard (a rather bizarre relationships, defunding the of this is to say that .. name for someone essentially police, the national anthem, and we should be more moderate the president of racism) to an interview without informing Davis beforehand that he was black. Though tense at first, the initial encounter eventually led to Davis routinely attending KKK rallies, attempting to gain a better understanding of their views, while Kelly would come over to watch Davis’ gigs or have dinner with him. Eventually, Kelly left the organisation for which he’d served as a leader over the course of decades.

more. It’s all too easy to restrict ourselves to content we feel most comfortable with and forget that the path to critical thinking is often paved by discomfort.

Plenty of well-known public figures––left- and right-wingers galore––are guilty of creating echo chambers of their own by appearing in recorded interviews and discussions with people who are either unwilling (friends and colleagues) or lack the capacity

in our opinions; it’s just that our opinions aren’t worth much if we’re unwilling to voice them to people we disagree with or challenge them by lending an ear to the other side. Discuss, disagree, and learn. In this day and age, bipartisan compromise is necessary and civil discourse is the light that can guide us there.

So here’s to negotiating with terrorists and bridging the political divide. Our generation is an incredibly political one––let’s just 校話 期刊 24 51 hope we get it right this time.

LEGALIZATION LEGALIZATIONOF OFCANNABIS CANNABIS

By Conrad Cheng | Illustration by Michelle Qiu | Layout by Adelaide Ng “Cannabis” is a psychoactive drug (a

In an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit in 2012, California rapper Dogg claimed substance thatSnoop affects one’s mentalthat he smokes 81 blunts (hollow cigars filled with cannabis) a day.

At that time, while it was legal to possess processes) from the Cannabis Sativa plant. It 摘要：無可否認，毒品對於年輕⼈潛 cannabis for medical purposes in California, recreational cannabis was yet to be legalized.

Though Snoop contains two main compounds, THC Dogg most likely had a prescription from a doctor, it is unlikely that any medical professional would 在許多健康風險。但是，近年來，美 (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD recommend smoking once every twelve minutes, nor is it physically possible to smoke such a large (Cannabidiol), with THC being the main 國數個州份將娛樂性⼤麻合法化，到 amount on a regular basis. If anything, this statement is a testament to the detrimental effects cannabis psychoactive compound that makes us feel has on our cognitive ability. However, following California’s legalization of recreational cannabis in 2016, 底這個具有爭議性的舉動背後有什麼 “high”.

While cannabis may help reduce Snoop Dogg has been able to legally purchase cannabis from a registered dispensary an ounce at a time.

anxiety, pain and increase appetite, evidence 原因，⼜會對社會法律平等和經濟帶 suggests it does come negative14 Since 2016, 11 more states have legalized recreational cannabis, takingthat the tally to 16 out ofwith 50. Another 來什麼影響呢？ health effects, particularly on brain health. In states have decriminalized recreational cannabis, meaning that criminal sanctions are no longer applied short use impacts to the possession of cannabis under a certain threshold. Tothe most Xiaorun, Huachronic readerscannabis who call Hong Kong attention, ability to learn. home, legalizing this illicit drug may feel like an abyss ofour thememory, mind, causing someand of the motives and These short-term effects may also carry on potential benefits behind this policy to be overlooked.

In an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit in into the long term, especially among teenage 2012, California rapper Snoop claimed “Cannabis” is a psychoactive drug Dogg (a substance that affects one’s as mental processes) from the Cannabis users, cannabis hinders brain development that he smokes 81 blunts (hollow cigars filled Sativa plant. It contains two main compounds, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) CBD (Cannabidiol), with directly affectingand their academic performance THC the main psychoactive compound makes us feel “high”.

While cannabis may help reduce with being cannabis) a day.

At that time, while itthat was in school. anxiety, and increase appetite, evidence suggests that it does come with negative health effects, legal topain possess cannabis for medical purposes particularly on recreational brain health. In the shortwas run,yet chronic in California, cannabis to cannabis use impacts our memory, attention, and ability to learn. These short-term effectsmost may also carry onIn into the long amongare teenage be legalized.

Though Snoop Dogg likely addition toterm, this, especially teenage users more users, as cannabis hinders brain development directly affecting their academic performance in school. had a prescription from a doctor, it is unlikely prone to addiction, as evidence from the CDC In addition to this, teenage users are more prone to addiction, as evidence from the CDC suggests that 1 that any medical professional would suggests that 1 in 6 cannabis users below the inrecommend 6 cannabis users belowonce the age of 18twelve suffer from addiction, while only 1 in 10 adult users are addicted. smoking every ageinofthe 18United sufferStates from addiction, while only A poll conducted by Gallup found that around 12% of adults have used cannabis in 1 in minutes, nor is it physically possible to smoke 10 adult users are addicted.

A poll conducted the past year. Among them, 18-29 year olds are twice as likely to use cannabis than 30-49 year olds, with such a large amount on a regular basis. If Gallup found thatteens around 12% adults 22% of young adults claiming to be users of the drug. Theby use of drugs among is also onof the rise, in anything, this statement is a testament to the the United States have used cannabis topping the list of the most commonly abused drugs among high school seniors in the United Statesinatthe detrimental effects cannabis has on our past year. Among them, 18-29 year olds are 35% cognitive ability. However, following California’s twice as likely to use cannabis than 30-49 legalization of recreational cannabis in 2016, year olds, Despite these potential negative health impacts, some argue that with 22% of young adults claiming Snoop has been able to legally purchase they areDogg less adverse and cause less social harm than to legal be users of the drug. The use of drugs cannabis such fromas a alcohol registered an the legalization substances and dispensary tobacco, pushing among teens is also on the rise, topping the ounce at a time. of cannabis into mainstream discourse. With public support list of the most commonly abused drugs of this policy at an all-time high, many countries and among high school seniors in the United inSince regions around the states world have have legalized initiated cannabis States at 35%.

2016, 11 more decriminalization/legalization bills, supported by three recreational cannabis, taking the mainly tally to 16 out arguments: racial and safety. This article will of 50. Another 14equity, states economic, have decriminalized Despite these potential negative health examine these arguments in the context of the United States. recreational cannabis, meaning that criminal impacts, some argue that they are less sanctions are no longer applied to the adverse and cause less social harm than legal Cannabis was of prohibited 1937 following Tax Act, a possession cannabisinunder a certain the Marihuana substances such as alcohol and tobacco, policy that originated from racist roots. Harry J. Anslinger, the head threshold. To most Xiao Hua readers who call the legalization of cannabis into of the Bureau of Narcotics, spearheaded the prohibitionpushing of cannabis, Hong Kong home, legalizing this illicit drug may through a campaign that capitalized on bigotry and mainstream stoked hatreddiscourse. With public support of feel like an abyss of the mind, causing some of this an all-time high, many countries towards minorities. Anslinger first portrayed cannabis as apolicy drug at that the motives and potential benefits behind this andlinked in regions induced violent behavior, such as murder and rape, then it to around the world have initiated policy to be overlooked. cannabis decriminalization/legalization bills, African Americans and Mexicans, whom he referred to as “degenerate races”. mainly supported by three arguments: racial 52 ISSUE 24 24 XIAO HUA HUA equity, economic, and safety. This article will 52 ISSUE XIAO

In order to further incite racial bigotry and hatred, Anslinger claimed that cannabis threatened the supremacy of white people and white virtues, stating that it “makes darkies think they’re as good as white men”, and even suggested that it caused white women to have sex with black men. The discriminatory nature of the bill did not end after its enactment, but also intensified racial bias in the enforcement of cannabis-related laws, disproportionately affecting minority groups. Though the Marihuana Tax Act was ruled unconstitutional in 1969, its discriminatory legacy lives on until this day. According to the ACLU, African Americans are four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis-related offenses despite using and selling the drug at similar rates as white Americans. The impacts are far-reaching as around 700,000 cannabis-related arrests are made per year, potentially ripping families apart and affecting employment opportunities and housing opportunities, if found guilty. Hence, proponents argue that the legalization of recreational cannabis is an important step towards combating discriminatory practices and racial bias in the criminal justice system, as well as recognizing the hardships minority groups have faced due to the criminalization of cannabis.

Due to the large number of cannabis-related arrests per year, enforcement is often costly. In a report published by the ACLU in 2013, $3.6 billion USD is spent on enforcing and monitoring cannabis laws. Putting this sum into context, the Los Angeles Police Department’s annual budget stands at around $3.6 billion annually. If cannabis were to be legalized, the regional government budget will likely drop substantially.

Apart from reducing government expenditure on enacting enforcement, proponents argue that legalization will also bring upon increased tax revenue and create employment opportunities. According to a study by New Frontier Data, “national legalization in the United States would result in $128.8 billion in tax revenue, and an estimated 1.6 million new jobs.” Despite cannabis being illegal federally and fully legalized in less than 20 states, around 250,000 people are currently employed by the cannabis industry as of January 2020, trumping the number of coal industry workers by 4 times. With unemployment at an all-time high in recent years, some argue that legalization is a plausible remedy for boosting employment in the short-term.

Besides economic benefits, legalization of the cannabis industry means bringing the black market to light, resulting in higher product safety and transparency. In states where cannabis is illicit, consumers have no choice but to turn to the black market.

In a black market, products are not properly regulated and often lack transparency in its origin, content, and potency. According to the American Addiction Centers, lacing is a common practice in the black market, as producers often combine other substances, such as lead and embalming fluid in order to achieve maximum profitability. The potency of cannabis is also on the rise, with the average THC (main psychoactive compound) content of cannabis increasing from around 3.7% in the 1990s to 9.6% in 2013, where more people are likely to get “high” than they were 2 decades ago. Government regulation not only ensures the quality of cannabis on the market, but also allows consumers to make informed decisions, especially on potency when purchasing.

However, regulation of the industry is often challenging, as a POLITICO magazine article puts it “underfunded law enforcement officers and slow-moving regulators are having trouble building a legal regime fast enough to contain a high-demand product that already has a large existing criminal network to supply it.” In some cases, legalization has inadvertently fueled the black market. Unlicensed dealerships are prevalent among licensed dispensaries in Los Angeles, while states bordering states with legalized cannabis are experiencing a growing influx of illegal weed. It is evident that the enforcement of regulations is in need of refinement, in order for the original intent of legalization to be achieved.

Regardless of how successful legalization has been, it is without a question that this policy is a growing trend globally. With more than two-thirds of Americans supporting it, many no longer see cannabis as a dangerous drug, instead view it as a soft drug that is safer than alcohol. While some propose regulating cannabis akin to alcohol, many fear that the destigmatization that comes with legalization only enhances long-term use and addiction. Whereas, others are concerned about the “slippery slope” scenario, as the legalization of one drug leads to the legalization of another. Now cannabis, what’s next? With mixed opinions among the scientific community, how do we discern between a drug that should stay illicit and a “safer” drug that should be legalized? Ultimately, science may not even be the determining factor at all.

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By Alexander Arnold | Illustration by Rena Wu | Layout by Airla Fan

INTRODUCTION On the morning of February 1st, 2021, the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military, deposed the democratically-elected National League for Democracy, the ruling party, in a coup d’etat, reinstating a military government not seen since the end of the 20th century. In doing so, they detained state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint on several indictments, ranging from “violation of COVID-19 guidelines” to “importing walkie-talkies”. Separately, three other members of the NLD died while under police or military custody.

The people were quick to respond: within the span of a few days, unions organized strikes, boycotts were arranged, internet campaigns were formed, and marchers rallied in the streets, all calling for an end to the military junta, the release of Aung Sang Suu Kyi, and

UNDEMOCRATIC DEMOCRACY Military rule is nothing new to Myanmar. In fact, much of the population are quite familiar with it, as Myanmar never saw proper and unimpeded democracy until 2011, having been trapped under rigid military rule for the 50 years before, since 1962. Just a mere decade later, Myanmar once again descended back into military rule.

The return to military rule was not sudden, as over Myanmar’s decade of democracy, the military, though incredibly unpopular (as exemplified by humiliating spankings in general elections in 2015 and 2020, courtesy of the NLD), managed to continue to exert their power and influence over the country. In the end, Myanmar’s small stint with political reform was fruitless. Power never truly transitioned to the people as intended with democracy; instead, it remained with the Tatmadaw, who simply had to wait for the perfect excuse to restore their power.

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a return to democracy. The military took exception to this, refusing to let any resistance off lightly, responding without reservation. Bloody scenes flooded the Burmese internet, as the military worked to suppress protests, with methods that do not fall short of maximum lethal force. A mere three months after the start of the coup, its ensuing bloody crackdown had left in its wake a death toll of over 700 civilians of all ages.

Civil unrest is nothing new to the Southeast Asian region, especially in recent times. 2020 saw an increasingly unpopular monarchy in Thailand, unwelcomed job creation bills in Indonesia, an anti-citizenship bill in India, and encroaching anti-terrorism laws in the Philippines. But recent events in Myanmar and the rest of its bloody history teach us valuable lessons about power and its tenacious relationship with the tendencies of the human mind and nature, and the destruction it wreaks, given the right environment.

A healthy democracy requires checks and balances.

These are what keep a government accountable and responsive. More importantly to keep in check though, are departments that inherently retain power because of the nature of their work, for example, law enforcement or military. Full democracy allows the people a say in military and law enforcement in terms of funding and size. This limits the power that these departments can have, thus keeping them in check, and prevents them from exerting power over the people. Not only that, but principles of democracy often filter into constitutions too, inherently contradicting the authoritarian and undemocratic nature of stratocracy. Constitution is also written to limit military power, further keeping them in check.

Nothing went right for Myanmar when it came time for democracy to control the military. The 2008 Constitution

of Myanmar, written by the military themselves in 2003 as part of their “roadmap to democracy”, ensured that, ironically enough, democracy could not be achieved in practice. Believing that democracy was the key to legitimizing military power, they attempted to set in stone clauses that would ensure their power through elections. For example, legislative bodies were to be 25% Tatmadaw, while Aung Sang Suu Kyi was barred from presidency. As for decision-making, any changes to the constitution required over 75% of the vote of Myanmar’s main legislative body, the Assembly of the

CHAOS OF THE POST-COLONIAL WORLD In the wake of the destruction of the Japanese occupation of Burma of the Second World War and the accompanying guerilla war, Myanmar was left in tatters, as the British colonial administration struggled to stabilize the region. For the past several years, various factions of Burmese nationalists had fought on both sides, some believing that support for the British would lead to concessions in favour of Burmese demands for independence, others believing that the Japanese would grant them independence. The most significant faction was the Burma Independence Army, founded by Aung San (father of Aung San Suu Kyi), who collaborated with the Japanese occupiers against the British, before later switching sides, after realizing the Japanese would not grant them independence. After the war, Burmese nationalists united to join the Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League, headed by Aung San. Gradually, their popularity, along with general strikes and armed uprisings around the country, prevented the British from ever properly regaining control. In 1947, the Burma Independence Act was passed in the British Parliament, and Myanmar was independent.

But the exit of the British did not lead to better times.

Instead, it washed away the strands of glue that had held Myanmar together: the powerful and unifying

Union. This meant that without Tatmadaw compliance, change to the constitution was out of the question, thus legitimizing Myanmar’s military power under the veil of false democracy.

In no way was enough power vested in the people through democracy and constitution to keep the military in check, and democracy sustained. Instead, the Tatmadaw was endowed not just with physical power, but also political power, entirely ruling out any possibility for progress in democracy to occur.

administration that was the British colonial government.

The British departure ushered in a new era of instability, as the Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League fell apart, and Myanmar’s many ethnic groups sought autonomy.

Eventually, this all culminated in a coup in 1962, as Tatmadaw general Ne Win looked to consolidate power and crush rebellious minorities. He was relatively successful in politically stabilizing the country, but of course not without a variety of atrocities and human rights violations. His economic policies were not very auspicious either, as he pursued isolationist policies of autarky. At one point, he even nullified all 50 and 100 kyat notes, instead replacing them with 45 and 90 kyat notes. Myanmar’s seemingly eternal struggles eventually lead to its classification by the United Nations as a “Least Developed Country” towards the end of the 20th century.

This political and economic instability is all too characteristic of any other post-colonial state, as seen not just in Myanmar, but also the many other countries that underwent the process of decolonization in the 50s and 60s. Generally, the decolonization processes involved the exit of colonial presence and administration, leaving a large vacuum in power waiting to be filled. This was quite problematic for various reasons: firstly, when colonial powers drew their borders, they often did so arbitrarily without consideration of ethnic groupings.

This meant that in many post colonial states, various ethnic groups pitted themselves against each other, each seeking for control over the country as a whole. Secondly, at the time, radical ideologies, such as communism and fascism, were quite popular. Furthermore, with the Cold War in the background, the idea of receiving support to fight a proxy war and gain power was quite lucrative.

This was because alignment with communism would mean support and aid from the Soviet Union, while fighting communism would on the other hand turn into support and aid from the United States. As a result, civil war often ensued. Thirdly, those who wanted to secure power in these countries generally had to do so

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via means of violence. Hence, many post-colonial leaders were generals, who consolidated their power via coup or civil war. Not only did this cause widespread bloodshed throughout these countries, but it also ushered in an era of dictators who ruled by force, brutally cracking down on any resistance. These dictators also almost always lacked economic experience, leading to often feeble and destructive economic policies and rebuilding attempts.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI: NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATE, OR ACCOMPLICE TO GENOCIDE? In 1990, the military junta called an election in the wake of widespread civil unrest and a brand-new prodemocracy movement, aimed at forming a constitutional committee to write a new constitution. Aung San Suu Kyi led the National League for Democracy to a landslide win, securing 392 of the 492 seats in the committee. The military government was not happy with the results, immediately declaring them null and throwing the many new opposition figures into jail. Aung San Suu Kyi was one of them, being placed under house arrest for a total of 15 years over a 21 year period before her release in 2010. In 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, for “her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights”. Her prize was well deserved: since 1988, using Gandhi’s principles of non-violence, she made speeches and led Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, also founding the National League for Democracy in the process, all of which eventually led to the 1990 election.

After her release from house arrest in 2010, she ran in the 2012 by-elections for the Burmese legislature, intended to fill a handful of vacant seats. Over the next few years, she and her party, the NLD, slowly gained power in the Burmese legislature, until she attained the position of “State Counsellor”, the de-facto leader of Myanmar. At this point, the people of Myanmar viewed her with admiration, as a champion of their long fight for democracy in Myanmar.

But she was not perfect as a leader. In fact, her tenure was filled with controversy, consisting not just of criticism for her struggles in helping the country develop, but ironically enough, because of her inability to speak out against human rights violations in Myanmar.

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Because of this, most post-colonial states became entrapped in poverty and instability as these processes repeated themselves over the years. Few societies have managed to escape since, as war and famine still rage across all of sub-Saharan Africa and some of Latin America.

The Rohyingya genocide began in late 2016, when a series of attacks against police outposts in the Rakhine state were perpetrated by a Rohingya insurgency group.

In retaliation, but under the guise of counter-terrorism, the Tatmadaw carried out a variety of crimes against humanity. As the crackdown on the Rohingya people continues through today, over 25,000 have been killed, with 700,000 more displaced.

Counterintuitively, Aung San Suu Kyi refused to speak out against the Rohingya genocide, leading many to view her as complicit in such crimes against humanity.

Worse, in December 2019, in front of the Interrnational Court of Justice in The Hague, she denied allegations of genocide, calling them “incomplete and misleading”. As a result, her international image was severely tarnished, with many calling for her many accumulated accolades to be revoked.

Yet in the blink of an eye, Aung San Suu Kyi has returned to hero status, after becoming the new victim of the Tatmadaw, in the aftermath of the latest coup. Her moral rollercoaster and accompanying reputation hold greater meaning than just that of an interesting story about an embattled leader, however. Instead, it presents to us humanity’s inherent tendency to forgive and forget a person’s moral lapses purely because they too have become victims, just as much of the world and the people have forgotten about Aung San Suu Kyi’s demise.

Is this a mentality of the human mind that we necessarily want to eradicate, though? The abyss of the human mind is awash with empathy, hence, we intuitively wish to side with our victims, even when they have substantial flaws.

Is it worth it to trade-off such ability to stand by the sufferer, in order to avoid accidental alliance with the morally degenerate?

BUT WHO CARES? International reaction to the latest coup was lukewarm, to say the least. Responses in the Southeast Asian region ranged from neutral to a position of concern, while responses from the West condemned the coup and called for the release of all those detained. The strongest responses came from the United States, who enacted sanctions for the perpetrators of the coup, but only threatened to freeze assets. On the other hand, New Zealand fully axed its diplomatic relations with Myanmar.

Despite such widespread international disapproval towards the coup, aside from the actions of the United States and New Zealand, none had any potential to force the slightest concession from Myanmar’s new rulers, as non-developed countries in the region likely felt the need to retain economical ties. The failure for any country to cook up any sort of stricter reaction to the coup highlights the dominance of self-interest in

CONCLUSION Almost, if not all of the world’s issues are because of power and its ensuing struggles. Wars are fought over land and resources, which are lucrative to governments because they contribute to their power. Discrimination often occurs when someone fears losing their power over a certain group. This idea is further echoed in Myanmar’s conflict: Myanmar’s democracy was flawed because the latest constitution was written by a power-

government, and its precedence in priority to human rights. This is by no means a positive outlook for the preservation of human rights in coming times.

Similar issues are further reflected in intergovernmental organizations. Just as individual countries have, organizations such as the UN, ASEAN, and the EU have “expressed concern” towards the coup. In an emergency meeting of the United Nations, the United Kingdom drafted a resolution urging the “restoration of democracy”, the release of those detained, along with other things. It failed to receive full support and therefore passed after China and Russia, who are allied with Myanmar, refused to agree to it immediately. In the end, little more was passed save for a statement of condemnation. The problems here extend further than just self-interest, though: intergovernmental organizations have often suffered from bureaucracy, and polarization between superpowers (ie. the United States and China), leading to struggles to effectuate proper change through such organizations in a timely manner.

hungry military looking to retain power in supposedly democratically elected legislatures; Myanmar’s conflict is perpetuated as various factions vie for power; Aung San Suu Kyi morphs from victim to oppressor of power as she gains and loses that very power; and intergovernmental organizations fail to summon the power to help solve conflict in Myanmar. Though it is unlikely that there will be a bloodless and fast solution to the Myanmar situation anytime soon, the least we can do is learn more about the mind’s behaviour when it comes to power, and act wiser come the next conflict.

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視角

PERSPECTIVE Illustration by LEA CHENG 校話

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《東方紅》 政府的宣傳，然而民人初心的迴響

By Emily Shen | Illustration by Mia Cheng | Layout by Ningjing Huang How can music be used as a tool for political warfare? This article explores how different musical techniques and folk lyrics are manipulated in creating revolutionary music through analysing the successful effects of the Chinese song “The East is Red.”

1949年10月1日，毛澤東主席站在 天安門城樓上，向全世界宣告「中 華人民共和國中央人民政府成立」 的莊嚴時刻，奏響的背景音樂就是 《東方紅》——事實上取代了中華 人民共和國國歌《義勇軍進行曲》 的位置。文革爆發後，中國大陸很 多廣播電台及有線廣播站的開始曲 被統一改為《東方紅》 。 隨著更多廣播和媒 體的採用，該曲在 中國變得眾所週 知、響徹雲霄。 1966年5月至1976 年10月間，「文 化大革命」在中 國大陸境內發 生，是一場「 由毛澤東發動， 被反革命集團利 用，給黨、國家和 各族人民帶來嚴重災 難 的內亂」（百度百科）。嚴重災 難帶來的內亂，例如代際之間的 衝突、新與舊文化的碰撞、社會階 層的爭論，令中國漸漸地陷入了混 亂。為了帶領中國人團結一致並且 推動自己的目標，毛澤東運用了政 治宣傳。正是因為當時的內亂和人 們生活中普遍的困惑，他的政治宣 傳——如紅寶書和海報——才能影

響全體的群眾，帶領一個運動。而 在所有宣傳中，藝術是傳遞信息最 有效的方法。 藝術不受國家、歷史等背景影響： 無論是來自哪一個國家、說什麼語 言的人， 大家都可以 通 過

藝術 突破障 礙， 解除隔閡，找到共同 點。其中，音樂在文革中可以說是 最普及、最能打動人心的方式。聽 音樂本身為一種很受歡迎的休閒活 動，它因此不像其它宣傳技術一樣 具有威脅性，所以消息通常容易傳

播，不會引起人們的懷疑。音樂和 唱歌在大多數的中國民族文化和生 活中都是重要的一部分。另外，在 文革中，由於大多數的老百姓是文 盲，而戲劇及很多其它藝術形式都 算是陽春白雪，音樂成為了接觸 老百姓最有效的方式。毛澤東曾 於《在延安文艺座谈会上的 讲话》中提出「文艺要为 工农兵服务」。很多老 百姓，特別是下層 階級人民，被毛澤 東的宣言所感動。 於是，音樂變得更 普遍，農夫和民人 紛紛開始為毛澤 東寫讚美歌以及 如《女軍人》、 《瀏陽河》等的 愛國歌曲和革命歌 曲，很快地滲透在社 會之中。整體來說， 音樂宣傳不僅僅可以輕易 和解大家的想法，又給社會帶 來極大的影響。20世紀末的中國共 產黨宣傳歌曲《東方紅》1就是一 個完美的例子。 《東方紅》原本是一首陝北民歌， 依照另一首地道陝北名額《騎白 馬》的曲調和旋律改編而成，由人 民歌手李有源作詞，作曲家李涣

1 當時的宣傳歌有幾百多首，可以分成六個不同的種類：共產黨的經典歌曲；讚美或戰鬥和政治運動中歌 曲；工人、士兵和農民歌曲；民族歌曲；青年革命和外國歌曲。《東方紅》屬於革命民歌，而且由農夫而不 是政府寫成，文章其餘的內容都只能應用於這一種宣傳音樂種類。

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之編曲。《東方紅》的歌詞代表著作詞 家李有源對毛澤東的支持：「這首歌的 含意和這首歌作者的社會階層層次是十 分相稱的，雖然當時已接近二十世紀中 葉，而且在最前進的中國共產黨領導之 下，生產落後的中國農民⋯⋯的理想也 只寄託託在『真命天子』身上，如果有 一個『天命所歸』的毛澤東，他竟然領 導農民造反，打天下，那末他當然是東 方升起來的紅太陽了」。那麼，這首歌 為什麼對中國人這麼有效、深刻呢？ 首先，李有源不是完全自己造出這首「 名歌」，而是從政治早期的宣傳得到很 多暗示——他從上級的筆記本里看到了 「東方紅」三個字，又見到了「毛主席 是中國人民的救星」的標語，於是他就 寫下了這首歌——早在他之前，人人已 有意地把毛澤東視為中國的「救星」。 某報雖然將《東方紅》比作《國際歌》2 ，一首同樣響遍了全世界的「名歌」， 但是兩首歌的精神恰恰相反：十九世紀 法國工人創作的《國際歌》表示了共產 主義的鬥爭方向，並且帶著自信而積極 的鬥爭態度；相差一世紀之久，中國貧 農創作的《東方紅》卻表示了一個落後 國家小氣的個人崇拜——毛澤東和共產 黨與「太陽」的連結——但是它同樣是 人民情感的真摯表達。這首歌的歌詞簡 單並琅琅上口：幾乎每句都反覆了至少 兩次，一共只有六個不同的詞句；同 時，它運用的語言通俗易懂，對普羅大 眾來說無比親切。打個比方，歌詞原 本運用了「哪達兒」一詞來突出陝北 民歌的地方特色。後來，為便於在群 眾中傳唱，「哪達兒」恢復為「哪 裏」。這樣的安排讓文盲的民人可以 更容易和真實地發揮對毛澤東及其領 導的中國共產黨的深情。歌詞中也利 用感嘆句「呼儿嗨哟」來突出激動之 情，推進眾人的情緒。不僅如此，歌 詞從最早的「他為人民謀生存」改成 「他為人民謀幸福」，見證的是「以 毛澤東為代表的中國共產黨人領導人 民為中華民族謀復興，要建成一個嶄 新的中國」。

由於中國多種民族如雲，文化中的民歌 和歌唱自然也變化多端，所以對中國人 來說：「偉大的音樂作品，都是從民間 音樂中滋生長出來的」，故《東方紅》 不僅僅是文革時代的產物，更是文化及 歷史文物。社會主義奠基人馬克西姆· 高爾基說過：「民歌——人民的口頭創 作，是社會生活在廣大的藝術概括上的 反映。」又說：「從太古以來，民歌總 是親切地伴著歷史，它們有自己的意 見⋯⋯不知道人民的口頭創作是不了解 人民的真正歷史的。」也就是說，民歌 的音樂形式具有簡明樸實、平易近人、 生動靈活的特點。所以，《東方紅》運 用一首家戶喻曉並擁有歷史背景和中國 獨特風格的民歌為基礎，使歌曲較容易 打動民人的心，又百唱不討厭。其次， 民歌的旋律比較簡單、容易把握，讓任 何人都可以輕易將感情和愛國情懷注入 旋律，把曲目推到高潮。所以，《東方 紅》和很多其他宣傳歌曲都以民歌曲調 和旋律為主，結合愛國精神和民族精 神，使人們團結為一體。 每一首共產黨宣傳歌曲都是人民集體創 作的結晶，表達了人民樸素的心聲。這 些歌曲通過民歌新唱等形式擁有被演繹 為多種版本的能力，唱出了共產黨「為 人民謀幸福」的初心及其帶領中華民族 為實現偉大復興的中國夢而永續奮鬥的 信念和決心，成為了穿越時空的經典作

2《國際歌》是最著名的國際共產主 義運動頌歌。原本法語歌詞由巴黎 公社委員歐仁·鮑狄埃於1871年巴黎 公社鎮壓期間創作。歌曲頌讚了巴黎 公社成員們的共產主義理想和革命 氣概，後被翻譯成多種語言，傳遍 全球。

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We’re All Rich.

So What?

Written by Mirjana Vujovich| Layout by Zoe Zheng It’s a fact we hear often: Hong Kong is one of the most “unequal” cities in the world. It’s stated in Bloomberg headlines and evening television segments, discussed in classrooms and essays. We know about the subdivided flats, the cage homes, and the dismal minimum wage ($37.5 an hour). Some of us even know about the Gini coefficient, and that Hong Kong’s figure stood at 0.539 in a 2018 Oxfam report, far higher than that of other developed economies like Singapore and the United States, which both had values below 0.4.

(The Gini coefficient measures income inequality in a population: a value of 0 indicates perfect equality, whereas a value of 1 indicates perfect inequality.)

And yet, when I make my way through everyday life, it’s evident that I—and my peers—often forget about the wider reality. We spend our time studying for unit tests and browsing Instagram memes, allowing us to ignore life outside of our “bubble”, one where we are granted immense privilege. To be clear, “we,” here, is Chinese International School (CIS)—not the institution, but rather those that make up the community: students, parents, and likely teachers and alumni too. Although I don’t have perfect insight into every single person’s mindset, our detachment from the typical Hong Kong existence is apparent in our conversations and actions. Such a “typical” existence is one where international school is just not an option, dinners at Sevva are unheard of, and English is spoken

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when necessary, not by default.

To us, though, driving up Braemar Hill in a Tesla or dropping a few hundred dollars on lunch in Causeway Bay are simply normal activities. Even when serving the underprivileged, most students make sure to simultaneously log the activity for CAS hours or similar credits, rendering such engagement inorganic, at best. And of course, many of us see Hong Kong not as our permanent home, but as a stepping stone on our way to an expensive university abroad. Our lives are half a world away from most residents of our city, both culturally and socioeconomically.

This may be most easily demonstrated, as before, through figures. According to Statista (in 2019), the median household income is around 330,000 Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) per year.

Given that the school fees at CIS stand at around 265,000 HKD per year for Year 12 and 13 students, this would leave the “average” household with about 65,000 HKD to spare.

Just over 5,400 HKD per month is nowhere near enough to live on; one only has to check any property website to realize why. But of course, we already know that the majority of CIS families are far above average in terms of income. Extra fees like the Annual Capital Levy (28,000 HKD per year) and those for school trips like camp and CEP raise the total cost of attending CIS even higher.

Clearly, then, we come from more affluent backgrounds than the

average Hong Kong household. Just how affluent, though? Using statistics from the 2011 Hong Kong census, a monthly income of over 60,000 HKD, enough to live comfortably while paying school fees and rent, would place a household somewhere between the 90th and 100th percentile: in the top 10%. Though this figure is concerning enough on its own, it’s even more alarming given that this income is around 20 times greater than that of households in the bottom 10%. Without getting into a discussion on economic theory, it’s obvious that the disparity between people from low- and higher-income backgrounds is significant.

Moving beyond numbers, though, hallmarks of our everyday lives also demonstrate this divide. Swanky houses on The Peak or the South Side are not uncommon, and every school morning, a barrage of private CISowned cars helps congest Braemar Hill Road, affecting not just each other, but everyone else on the road.

(There are about 7 cars for every 100 people in Hong Kong, to put things in context.) After school, students will head down the hill for expensive private lessons (including tutoring at high-end centers that are advertised on the nearby minibuses). When breaks begin, a large proportion of the student body will board flights to vacation destinations like Phuket, Switzerland, or Niseko (in nonCOVID times, at least).

Most students are perfectly willing to spend hundreds of dollars on frivolities—myself included—albeit accompanied by the obligatory “I’m so broke,” which we all know isn’t true; the opposite has already been made apparent.

In addition, it’s imperative to consider the roles of domestic workers in our lives. Their existence can (at least in part) be attributed to the fact that the nuclear family structure assumed one parent would stay home (thus allowing for a family to contain one breadwinner and one housekeeper), but double-income households have become more common, especially in Hong Kong. Thus, the demand for people to complete housework has grown, and domestic workers, often known as helpers, are part of many CIS families. Despite their ubiquity, these helpers, as well as amahs (cleaning staff), security guards, and construction workers, are often ignored by us.

At CIS, staff members do not wear name tags. This is not a problem for teachers, as they interact with students frequently, and their names soon become common knowledge within the community. Administrative staff are known, too, though to a lesser extent, as they mainly stay within their offices. Other workers, though, walk through the halls each day, passing hundreds of students per week, and yet remain nearly anonymous. It seems that, despite a lack of malicious

intent, we rarely engage with those dissimilar to us—that is, those who don’t speak English and come from educated backgrounds—and this also occurs outside of the CIS bubble.

On the streets of Hong Kong, I find myself accustomed to seeing elderly women pushing carts of garbage, or domestic workers setting up cardboard fortresses on Sundays, without paying them so much as a second glance. I don’t think I’m alone in this. It’s not inherently bad, of course, to focus on getting from Point A to Point B, but it’s telling how easy it is to filter other people out en masse. Furthermore, this casual indifference is another indicator of a socioeconomic divide: although we interact with our helpers at home and rely on amahs at school, our consideration for them as people is lacking.

None of these elements—the relative affluence, extravagant lifestyles, and unideal treatment of the perceived lower class— are completely unique to CIS, or even to international schools. However, they are noticeably prevalent, and compound with other factors to illustrate the disconnect between international schools like

CIS and the greater Hong Kong community. Those other factors can be summarized, generally, as cultural differences; though some students in local schools are similar in their lack of class consciousness, international schools are unique in their culture: one which shies away from its surroundings, fixating on the West (some might say the “international”) instead.

To understand how and why international schools differ, it makes sense to start with the curriculum.

After all, school, at its core, is a place for learning, and CIS teaches students from Reception through to Year 13, therefore having a large impact on the lives of young people. For almost 30 years (since 1992), CIS has offered the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program, an international course of study known for its rigor.

Other international schools in Hong Kong use the A Level curriculum of the United Kingdom or Americanbased curricula. On the other hand, all other schools—that is to say, local schools—follow the Hong Kong curriculum, which culminates in the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exam.

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The IB focuses on a “holistic” education that develops both “knowledge and skills”, resulting in classroom environments that focus both on concrete knowledge as well as less traditional forms of teaching, like seemingly casual discussions and team-based projects (mainly in the years preceding the Diploma Program). This stands in contrast to the rote learning that pervades the local curriculum, where exam preparation is the main (and perhaps only) priority. Consequently, international schools have gained a reputation for being “happier and [more] chill,” compared to the “traditional school day in [Hong Kong],” which is “like hell every day,” as phrased by one YouTube commenter. Though CIS students are certainly stressed, we rarely experience the same crushing pressure as students at local schools, for reasons to be explained later.

Furthermore, the differences in the

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contents of these disparate curricula are also noticeable. While the IB is a global curriculum and its humanities subjects thus reflect world history and internationally-relevant topics, the DSE curriculum’s equivalent “Liberal Studies” has modules focusing on Hong Kong and modern China; similar content only appears in Chinese Language B courses to a minimal extent (the topics of “cultural diversity” and “customs and traditions” are somewhat vague).

Cantonese speaking backgrounds, and since speaking Cantonese is not officially encouraged by the school, I’ve found that even those who do use the language (or dialect, if you’re the United Nations) do so less and less as their years at CIS pass. The same applies for Mandarin: the students who enter in Year 7, speaking Mandarin at home, form groups but eventually end up primarily speaking English by the onset of the Diploma Program.

More importantly, though, are the roles of different languages—namely, English and Chinese—in our school environment. Although Chinese (in the form of Mandarin) is taught “50% of the time” in CIS Primary and remains a part of the curriculum all the way until Year 13 graduation, it is rare to hear CIS students speaking languages other than English with their school friends outside of class.

Many students come from non-

As a result, CIS students (not all, but enough) often walk around Hong Kong sticking out like a sore thumb. It’s not that speaking English is necessarily a bad thing—the problems arise when many students simply don’t know how to speak Cantonese (myself included). Again, speaking a certain language is not a requirement for living anywhere, but our acts of “community engagement” and “locally-based service” suffer

from our ignorance. Recently, I needed to contact a charity regarding some logistical issues, so I communicated with the other leaders of our studentrun group, only to find out 0 out of 3 of us spoke enough Cantonese to converse on the telephone. Though we were able to ask someone else for assistance, the experience reminded me that for lots of us, our “internationalism” can prevent us from meaningfully engaging with our local community.

Of course, though, this problem is not exclusive to CIS; rather, it’s a marker of international schools across Hong Kong (and likely other cities too, to be fair). Within our communities, we view such internationalism as valuable but retain undoubtedly Western-centric views of the world.

To us, the “international” in our name means anywhere except Hong Kong, which does make some sense, but also pulls our focus away from our real-life surroundings. This isn’t true for every facet of our life, but nevertheless, it’s common to find students who are more knowledgeable about international politics (typically that of the United States) than anything going on in Hong Kong. Recently, I overheard a conversation wherein a student from my year group declared, “I don’t know anything about Hong Kong politics,” with a laugh and what could have been a hint of pride. That was no rare occurrence, though; compare the schoolwide buzz around the 2020 US election to any recent local election, and you’ll see what I mean.

This ostensible indifference towards Hong Kong (again, not for everyone, but for enough) is not entirely our “fault,” so to speak. Firstly, our formal education centers around the West in many ways, as described above.

And less obviously, the volume of so-called “third-culture kids” within international schools lends itself to a community where many view their home city as a temporary stopping place, rather than an actual “home”.

This ties into the very nature of the

international school as a construct: an educational institution offering a curriculum different to “that of the school’s country of residence” (as per Wikipedia), thereby creating an inherent separation between said country and the school’s community—and can the effects of such an essence be negated at all?

Most would agree that schools should engage with their local community— and ideally try to benefit it. This is especially true for a school like CIS (and other well-known international schools), where we should be wellpositioned to help the less fortunate.

Despite our best efforts, though, with things like CAS programs and Service & Action Week, the attitudes of students (and their families), as illustrated above, show that this is not the case. It stands that international schools, perhaps, are antithetical to such a notion. There are measurable manifestations of this, too: for the CIS class of 2020, only 4 students of 114 remained in Hong Kong for their studies; compare this to a “top” local school like St. Paul’s Co-educational College, where a minimum of 69 out of 177 students enrolled in a Hong Kong-based university. Admittedly, numerous CIS alumni return to Hong Kong and find employment in the city, and seeking education abroad is not inherently bad. However, it does allow us to look beyond Hong Kong—almost to ignore it, at least for now.

One might note that CIS, in its curriculum and pedagogy, skews towards the latter portion of its name, far more “international school” than “Chinese,” and this is good in some ways, like the grueling nature of the Chinese education system, which is therefore decidedly not great for student wellbeing. And yet, it’s also ironic, given the name of the school.

Even within the Diploma Program, only about a third (and that’s a generous estimate) of CIS students acquire a Bilingual Diploma. The defocus on Chinese education is

yet another factor in fostering the prevailing culture of students who are notably detached from the CIS bubble. As aforementioned, it comes with the territory (the territory being international schools), but it’s not as if nothing can be done.

As merely one student in the enormous network of individuals that make up the CIS community, I definitely do not have absolute control over what the institution chooses to teach, or how it is governed. Nevertheless, I still play a role in determining the overall atmosphere of the school; I refuse to believe that my presence—or anyone else’s—is insignificant. Even if I plan to leave Hong Kong after graduation, I live here right now. And with all the CAS hours I’ve accumulated, I’d better gain some awareness of my local community as well. We can all call ourselves “global citizens” and other similar terms, but at the end of the day, I believe that we ought not to neglect our home, however temporary it may be.

Sometimes it seems like CIS and its associations—school, upcoming assessments, leadership positions— are the world. It’s not always easy to remember that it’s not. But being aware of my own tunnel vision isn’t enough; actions speak louder than words, and so personally, I’ll try to improve my shoddy Cantonese, buy locally whenever possible, and volunteer sans Instagram infographics, among other things. At the risk of sounding self-righteous, I think it would be great if we all tried to look outside of this CIS bubble as well.

We won’t instantly solve citywide poverty, but I think (and hope) that we can do better for ourselves and the world around us, and I like the sound of that. 校話

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不只是為了 “吃”而“吃”

By Joyce Sze | Photography by Evelyn Kwan | Layout by Airla Fan 俗話說：「民以食為天」，中國人可是將這句話琢磨得十分徹底，打招呼時說的第一句話永遠都 是：「你吃了嗎？」在解決了溫飽後，食物的作用不僅僅是為了生存，它也涉及到不同國家的文化 和傳承。 每個國家都有屬於自己獨特的食文化，而這種食文化的形成恰恰與這個國家的歷史和人文的發展有 關。一些國家的人們因為宗教的原因而不吃某一類食物，而有一些國家或地區由于氣侯與植物生長 等原因而形成了獨特的食物制作方法和飲食習慣。中國人注重親情團圓可在多個節日中體現，就像 中秋節和端午節，家人們在這些節日時都會聚在一起吃飯。而中國人的節日食物，例如湯圓，八寶 飯也有著闔家團圓的寓意。又比如說，在美國，感恩節是一個十分重要的節日。感恩節時，親朋好 友都會聚在一起共進火雞大餐。火雞作為感恩節最傳統的菜也有一個深厚的歷史含義：在17世紀初 期美國新移民為了感謝印地安人一直以來的幫忙，捕捉了當地的火雞，製作成美味佳肴，與他們度 過了有史以來第一次的感恩節。這些不同國家的餐飲習慣反映了不同的習俗。現今，人們不單單能 夠吃到自己文化的食物，也可以品嚐其他文化的食物，更加了解彼此的文化，促進人與人之間的文 化交流和了解。 再者，對很多人來說，某些食物具有屬於個人的特殊含義。首先，食物承載著很多人的回憶，很多 時候，這些都是童年時期的美好回憶：在吃彩虹糖果的時候想起了小時候放學時校外攤子上的五顏 六色棒棒糖；吃餃子時想起小時候過年時一家人熱熱鬧鬧包餃子的情景，那是「家的味道」。這些 由食物而想起的珍貴的童年回憶總在不經意時帶給我們溫暖和幸福的感覺。同時，不同的家庭有着 不同的飲食習慣，而這些食物也是每一個家庭傳承的一部分。小時候過年時奶奶教包的餃子，大了 也會教自己的孩子同樣包餃子的方法，這種祖傳食譜以及過年一大家人吃餃子的習慣也被一代一代 傳承了下去。而一家人有說有笑，一起分工煮飯，然後圍坐在桌前邊吃邊聊的時刻，不僅大大促進 了家人間的親密關係，是我們日後的美好回憶，更是每一個家族一代代飯食習惯和傳統的繼承與延 續。 吃東西是為了什麼？為了填飽肚子而吃的大米，嘴饞而吃的零食，被逼著咽下去的青菜，為慶祝生 日而吃的蛋糕，為團圓而吃的湯圓...... 吃，可真的不只是為了「吃」那麼簡單。

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中學生 的心理 深淵

By Leo Li Photography by Emma Hu Layout by Airla Fan

Summary: Secondary students face many potential stressors in their daily lives, both academically and socially.

In this article, Leo (‘22) gives an overview of students’ wellbeing and provides practical coping methods based on scientific research and an exclusive interview with psychology teacher Ms Bullock!

2020年也許是所有00後經歷過的最動盪的一 年。遊行、暴動、疫情，一系列的事件使整個世 界社會在兩年內進入了最顛簸的狀態。這一切的 變動對正在成長的青少年的影響必然是不可小覷 的。作為中學生，不但在學業上會有日夜增加的 壓力，在社交、社會方面上更是會遇到從未有過 的困惑和坎坷，在現在這種環境下更是難上加 難。所以，關注中學生的心理是至關重要的事， 同時，維護日常的心理健康也至關重要。 對於所有學生，在高中最後兩年的衝刺必然是人 生中最重要的階段之一。與此同時，在這個時候 更是要保持心理上的健康，以免走上歧途。可想 而知，幾乎所有受訪的學生在這個階段都統一反 應到自己「壓力倍增」。不僅僅要維持著學業， 還要為「申請大學、課外活動、社交」等操心， 一切讓時間變得如此珍貴稀少。2020上半年也 幾乎是全在網上授課的，這對學生的心境都造 成了不同程度的影響。經過訪問，一些高中學生 在學業上並沒有被一屏之隔的距離影響，一部分 則認為長時間坐著學習導致了工作效率大幅度地 降低，還有一些覺得在家裡反而能夠更專注於學 習。即使如此，所有人都一致認為，網上學習在 社交和日常交流上施加了不同層次上的困難，心 理壓力也隨之增大，一天中時常會感到「心不在 焉、不安、焦慮」。嚴重時也偶爾會感到「憂

鬱、壓抑」，出現幽閉煩躁症的病徵。澳洲健康 部門發現，長時間坐著的人患上癌症、焦慮症和 抑鬱症的風險都會提高。對於學生來說，種種的 心理問題在某種程度上比蔓延的新冠病毒更加揪 心。雖然最近漸漸放鬆的隔離措施讓大家有了更 多的面對面交流的機會，而許多學生都反應了自 己「心理素質」和「社交生活」上的提升，但迎 面而來的課業與社區壓力始終纏繞在學生的心頭 上。依然存在的「時間管理問題」和各界的壓力 始終是學生焦慮的源泉。在如此複雜的環境下， 業務只會每天增加的中學生該如何面對自己的心 理深淵？ 一般的關於解壓網站或博客會說「停下你正在做 的事情，去運動，跟家人朋友說說話，做瑜伽， 做正念活動(Mindfulness)」等。但是實話實說， 網上的都是非常標準化的方法，很難顧及到所有 的人群。所以最科學、效率最高、最適合大家的 解壓方式是什麼？哈佛大學2019年的研究表明 人最佳的解壓方式就是最簡單、最純真地「笑」 。沒錯。研究員發現，「笑」會降低應激激素、 動脈炎，提升良性膽固醇和分泌「快樂激素」， 就是我們所知的多巴胺、血清素、內啡肽等。愛 笑的人也自然會更陽光、受歡迎、富有同情心， 擁有良好的人際關係，從而達到解壓的效果。再 就是家戶喻曉的「冥想」。研究表明「內向性思 校話

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考」和深呼吸的組合能降血壓、放鬆神經。兩者 的組合，已經能夠有效地為生活解壓，讀者不妨 可以試試。 在與本校的心理老師Ms. Bullock的訪問中*，她 表示「笑容和冥想」對抗壓的效果不等。如果是 在「面臨負面情感時，那麼笑容自然是比較有 效」的解決方案。 人類的神經系統具備著「戰 鬥或逃跑反應」功能，是讓我們生存下去的生理 行為。「冥想」能消減大腦那方面的反應，有效 地保存體力和減輕壓力。但如果壓力的來源不僅 限於負面情緒的話，那麼就必須直接去針對那些 源泉了。對於大多數人，她認為預防過多的壓力 才是重點。對於中學生來說，「良好的時間管 理」是最佳的預防方式，因為絕大多數的學生壓 力來源都是跟時間的緊迫相關。規劃好時間就已 能化解可觀的心理壓力。接下來就是得分析自己 是在經歷那一種壓力。「良性壓力」是常常在運 動中不可缺少的生理功能。這種壓力是許多生物 先天具有的，它讓我們保持警覺，充分地發揮身 體機能。「即刻性緊急壓力」是突然間感到的壓 力，比如遇見突擊測驗，來得快也去得快。「慢 性壓力」則是最需要關注的。最廣泛的例子就是 生活在沒有盡頭的疫情中。世界上許多的人都是 在這幾年來初次體驗到「慢性壓力」，除了持 久性，這種壓力還是極難控制的（只要源頭間

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接不斷）。在這種情況下，「笑容」是相當不錯 的解壓方式。這個時代的不確定性也讓人的心理 壓力倍增，畢竟人一直崇向穩定性。人可以在心 態上調整自己，設立計畫和目標，但不要有任何 期望，心態要保持平和柔韌，思想開朗並隨時迎 接變化。在這個時候，「冥想」就是一個良好的 治療方案，它能讓人在精神上清醒，還能修心養 性。總之，在面臨壓力時，學生得先了解預防方 式，再試著用治療方式為自己解壓。 雖說壓力會影響到人們的正常發揮，並不是所有 壓力都是負面的。人人都有壓力，但也就是有那 種壓迫感，我們才會萌發出生活的動力。有了這 種動力，人類文明才有今天。一個人面對問題的 心態可以決定他的壓力程度。當然，情況因人而 異，如果持續感到「慢性壓力」，而無法自拔的 話，那就最好尋求專業人士的幫助，例如學校的 心理輔導師，為自己設立個人化的解壓方案。 中學生的心理必然是變化多端的，面臨的壓力和 煩惱也有因人而異。面對自己心中的複雜情緒 時，學生們得記得這一切都是自然的情感，都只 是成長階段的一部分。去接受生活給人帶來的酸 甜苦辣，同時又讓自己保持著積極、開放的心 態，不但是一種正向的生活方式，更是與內心自 我的和諧共處。

訪問英文紀錄：

Additional record: An Interview with Ms. Bullock To what extent would you agree that smiling and meditation are the best remedies for stress?

B: To some extent, because you can be stressed with a smile on your face. Stress is a different emotion – it’s a physiological response. It can go either way: if you don’t address what’s stressing you out, and just put a smile on your face, that can be very unhealthy, because you’re just burying it with a smile. It all depends on the behaviour that goes along with it: Why are you stressed? What are the underlying issues? If it’s more pessimistic, then smiling helps, because muscles have memory, and smiling is directly correlated with those happy memories. Smiling is also contagious. If you want to make people uncomfortable, have them look at someone and smile, and try to have the other person not smile. I did this once with Dr. Faunce and it was so uncomfortable. It’s the facial feedback. When you see someone smile, you smile. It does spread that way.

Does it help stress? It depends what the stressor is. For meditation, it goes back to what the stress is. Stress is a physiological response to an external stressor or event. And when you have a physiological response that activates your autonomic nervous system, it’s your flight-or-fight. So when your body is going through stress, your body’s flight-or-fight response is activated, your blood pressure is elevated, your pupils are dilated, you get butterflies in your stomach, your palms are sweaty. Meditation lowers those levels. When you take deep breaths, that helps you get back to homeostasis, or your baseline, and that conserves energy.

What’s your opinion on the new timetable implemented after Easter?

B: Everyone’s hungry, and then it comes out as “hangry”. Yes, it’s great that we’re back and seeing people, but it’s the time and space of Hong Kong that is challenging. With this, we’re losing time. Our time is very structured, only two 20-minute breaks. It’s very frustrating when that scarce time to meet teachers is being taken away. It makes it all more challenging. And when people don’t have food – let’s look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Kids don’t do well if they are hungry; they cannot focus, as all they can think of is that they are hungry. Compared to the afternoon schedule, it was either a love-or-hate relationship. But I think, overall, we don’t have consistency. We are humans, we need consistency.

Before this new timetable was introduced, we were in a period of long-term online learning. What do you think are some psychological and physical effects of that?

B: Blue light. Being on a screen; posture, vision, isolation, loneliness. You can be in a class full of students online and feel incredibly lonely. For teachers, it was incredibly challenging because you get no feedback. It’s exhausting as a teacher to try to perform for a class. You have to smile more to get everyone more involved, to deliver those emotions through electronic means, and it’s just very exhausting. After class, a teacher’s job is on our laptops. So we are on our laptops and on our laptops, marking, lesson planning… all aspects of our jobs are on the computer, and sometimes we are online for 12 hours a day. For the short term, sure; for a week, sure. But for months at a time... even the way I did my grad and PhD online, it wasn’t on Zoom, as it was a blended program, so it was not as exhausting as this. I can do passive learning, but not for class periods, when I have to teach, interact, and do things. I’d say the most challenging part of online learning is Advisory, like, “how are you actually doing?” I had a student who was very honest, he was like, “this sucks.” He went on a rant on how unhappy and lonely he was. That’s the truth and most challenging part of online learning as a teacher.

With everything considered, what do you think are some misconceptions of stress?

B: Everyone has stress. Not all stress is bad, some stress is good. Your mindset and how you approach a problem can lead to stress. Do you see it as a challenge? Or a threat? Understand that stress is a physiological response – it has aided human survival up to this point – but, also understand that you don’t have any real big threats. This goes back to the mindset: you don’t have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, your basic needs are met. Everyone has stress, it’s natural, that’s the biggest myth. And some stress is good. If students have questions about stress and don’t know what to do, our counsellors and learning enhancement teachers are all good resources. Please seek help because stress can lead to destructive behaviours. Social support helps a lot, and that’s what makes online learning difficult, because there was little social support.

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上下車 Written by Querida Lai | Layout by Zoe Zheng Summary: A bus ride and the passing scenery contain endless memories of friendship. In this elegant piece of prose writing, Querida (‘23) leaves readers with an understanding that people will always come and go in our lives.

晨光熹微，穿透窗戶曬在臉上，把我從昏沉的夢裏喚醒，當意識漸漸回籠，我從床上緩緩坐起，揉捏著隱隱 作痛的腦袋，腦海閃過今天是什麼日子，我的心倏地升起一絲惆悵。 在媽媽詫異我今早竟不用她進來河東獅吼一番便已經早早起床的目光中，我咬著麵包背起書包出門了。巴士 站的人潮還是零零落落的，只有一兩個跟我一樣睡眼惺忪的上班族在等候巴士，我抬起頭看向標示著「102 」號的站牌，不由自主地盯著出了神，一直到巴士停靠在路邊，發出巨大的煞車聲響，我才猛然回神，匆忙 上車。 巴士從炮台山地鐵站開出，很快到達興發街，我撇頭看向窗外，看見了一個熟悉的身影急步走向隊伍末端： 她身穿和我一樣的制服，鼻樑掛著一副又圓又大的眼鏡，瘦小的肩膀壓著看來碩大的背包，她緩緩走到我身 旁的位置坐下。 「早安。」她輕聲說道。「早安。」我尷尬地低頭，不去看她的表情。 換了是平日，我們早就已經開始吱吱喳喳的聊天聊個沒完了，從昨晚的電視劇劇情，到班上的八卦，再到會 不會寫老師給的作業——車程相較於我們無邊無際的話題總是顯得短促，但是今天我只是無言，反而轉向窗 外已看過上萬遍的景色。 一切都是從她告訴我她要退學去美國唸書開始變調的，今天就是她最後一天上學的日子了。窗外的風景快速 的略過眼前，如同跑馬燈般轉瞬即逝，就像我們的快樂時光也結束得如此教人措手不及。一思及明天開始我 就不會再看到她在車站等車，我的校園生活也即將不再有她參與，我就生出一股難以言喻的難受和委屈。 接下來的一天我也不記得自己是如何度過的，隱約記得班上其他同學圍著她給她道別，只有我一個人站得遠 遠的，身為好朋友的我卻顯得份外疏離，同學拿著要送她的蛋糕路過時還問我幹嘛愣在這不過去，我只是苦 笑，推搪說裏面的空氣太悶了，我在這兒透透氣。 但是我終究還是默默陪著她留到最後，她慢慢的收拾著抽屜裏的課本和文具，又把儲物櫃內的小飾物還有我 們的合照一一收起。我很想像其他同學一樣說些好聽的話，但是任我費煞思量，我還是想不出來應該說什 麼。 最後她背起沉甸甸的書包，對站在門邊的我笑說：「走吧。」 然後我們又一同走到巴士站，等待著那輛搭乘過不下百次的102號巴士。時間已不早了，我眺望著遠處開始 落下的夕陽，天空也似染上了七彩斑斕顏料的畫布般，好看中又帶著教人鼻酸的悲涼。 一直到她拉拉我的手臂，我才發現自己又再一次因為太入神，連巴士已經到達都沒看到。我們坐下後，又是 一段無言的路程，我低頭撕著自己手指上無辜的死皮，以掩飾自己的難受。 「…喂，」她突然戳了戳我的肩膀。「你記得我們第一次見面的那天嗎？」 我當然記得了。升上中學那天，就在同一個座位上，我靠在窗前打瞌睡，她在她的車站上車後，坐到了我的 身旁，主動和我說話，我們因此而成為了朋友。 「嗯，怎麼了？」 「直覺告訴我你會是一個好的朋友，事實上我的直覺也真的不錯嘛。」她笑道。「謝謝你陪著我到最後。」 明明什麼都沒為她做過的我卻莫名其妙地獲得了稱讚和感謝，我飛快地移開視線，不想她看見我變得通紅的 雙眼。

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「不……不用客氣。」我倔強地回答。「那你，行李都收好了嗎？」 「差不多了，很多東西都可以去那邊才買。我最想帶走的東西，都在這兒了。」說到最後一句時，她語重心 長地伸手比了比太陽穴。 「那我呢？」我反問。 她呆住一秒，才苦笑道：「你不是『東西』嘛。」然後伸手拍拍我的頭。 面對她的安撫，我不發一語，把臉轉向了別處。理性上，我知道她說的都沒有錯，但是只剩下我一個人的巨 大失落感仍是把我淹沒。想到即將來到的明天，我就寂寞得想哭泣。 「……我要下車了。」聽見她輕聲吐出的一句話，我才一個激靈的抬起頭，發現巴士已到我們家附近。此時 的天色已徹底暗了下來，昏黃的街燈亮起，開始盡責地照亮途人回家的路。 我看見她把書包的肩帶拉起，這曾經看過無數次的動作此刻卻殘忍得令我鼻酸，我想伸手拉住她，卻最終收 回了手。 我目送著她的背影，突然感到人間的不公：因為我比她先上車之故，無論如何，我始終要看著她離開。 我把臉貼到窗戶上，想要再多看她兩眼，卻意外地發現，先下車的她沒有馬上離開車站，反倒站在原地凝視 著車上的我，笑著對我揮手道別。我也用力的朝她揮手，一直到她的身影越變越小、我的眼前越來越模糊為 止。 我哭到忘記了在自己的車站下車，一直坐到了尾站，才悻悻然的下車。我看著車門在我面前轟然關上，又準 備回到站頭接載新一輪的乘客。我擦擦眼睛，突然明瞭到自己只不過是云云乘客之一，我先上車，她後來上 車，我們曾一起走過一段路，然後她要先下車了，可是最終，我也會下車的。 其實並沒有什麼不公平。 我低頭翻出手機，給她傳了一段訊息：「和你一起看過的風景很美，我也帶走了。」

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Illustration by MIAH CHEUNG

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Minari

摘要: 電影《夢想之地》改編自其導演鄭 李爍的真實故事，講述了80年代一個韓裔 美國家庭為了追尋「美國夢」而移居美國 的經歷，受到國際矚目。本篇文章探討了 電影的影響力以及成功背後的原因：它真 實地展現了美國移民對於「美國夢」的執 著和野心以及他們所面臨的文化衝突。

By Katrina Poon | Illustration by Grace Xiao | Layout by Ningjing Huang Lee Isaac Cheung’s “Minari” (2020) is a semiautobiographical account of his own childhood, depicting his experiences of growing up in America during the 1980s.

“Minari” stars Steven Yuen as Jacob Yi, a South Korean immigrant who relocates his family to a farm in the outskirts of Arkansas from Californian city life in search for a better life. Jacob brings his wife, Monica (Han Ye-ri), with a daughter, Anne (Noel Kate Cho) and son, David (Alan Kim) to settle into their new life moving into a mobile home

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on a 50 acre plot of land. Both Jacob and Moinca work as chicken sexers (workers who identify and sort baby chicks based on their sex) to get by, though Jacob has dreams to start his own farming business, growing Korean originated crops for other KoreanAmerican immigrants on his new land. Whilst personal to Lee Isaac Cheung, the film is able to resonate with many immigrants, especially those who are Korean, it examines the hardships of assimilating into a new culture and what it means to be a family.

The most comforting aspect about Minari is how realistic it feels - as if we are sitting through a documentary on the Yi family, watching as the family finds their way in a foreign culture. All the experiences are drawn from the director’s first-hand account, making each scene, subtle as the conflict is, personal and intimate. It’s the reality in which Jacob and Monica navigate their way through a new culture, figuring out their next steps and what is best for their children. Through the ways in which father and son

interact, the passion and potential Jacob sees in the farm and David and the protectiveness that naturally worries Monica as she watches her son explore their new surroundings are explored. Both parents with completely different expectations for life out in Arkansas - Jacob is eager to start his dreams, while Monica fears the isolation from the urban life they grew accustomed to; what’s more, David’s heart condition causes her to be afraid of being too far from a hospital, and would much rather have stability over whatever life they’re trying to find on a farm. At the heart of the film, we see hope that is passed down through generations, the universality of the Yi family as international immigrants, and the difficulty in putting down roots in a new country.

Not long after they move into their new home, Jacob and Monica arrange for Monica’s grandmother to travel from South Korea in order to take care of their children. Youn Yuh-jung’s performance as grandmother Soonja is compelling as she navigates a generational and cultural gap between her and her grandson.

Soon-ja, who doesn’t know the children at all, serves as a tremendous reminder of the Korean culture they left behind, planting her own “Minari” near the creek behind the farm they live in.

Their individual understanding of the world is powerfully highlighted when David complains that “Grandma smells like Korea!” or when he tells her she isn’t a real grandma - often a more familiar scenario to many immigrant kids than expected immigrant kids “americanized” with

little appreciation of their native culture. She brings chili powder and dried anchovies instead of the stereotypical American grandmother David would rather have. Mostly, Minari echoes comfort. From the soft cinematography of the fields and grass to the piano that accompanies many scenes, the staticness of the countryside contrasted against the liveliness and vitality of working towards a dream. The tenderness of the film encapsulates the dreamlike

state of childhood, capturing the memories in a neverending stretch.

The childlike friendliness that develops between David and Soonja, both adventurous, curious yet unapologetic about the American world around them.

For many immigrants and their children, settling into a foreign country is often lonely and isolated in an unfamiliar culture. We see Jacob’s

loneliness transcending into passion towards starting his own business, in order to provide other Korean immigrants with foods that remind them of home. “Minari” has struck the hearts of many Korean immigrants in America, as many realised how similar the interactions between their own family members were, the insecurity of socializing with those with different cultural backgrounds and the struggle of accomplishing their dreams.

According to the Learning for Justice program, the model minority myth “characterizes Asian Americans as a polite, law-abiding group who have achieved a higher level of success than the general population through some combination of innate talent and pullyourselves-up-by-yourbootstraps immigrant striving.” It bases itself entirely on stereotypes, perpetrating a harmful expectation for many Asian Americans to live up to. Films like Crazy Rich Asians (2018), being the most recent major studio film with a largely Asian cast, has harnessed this stereotype of an ideal minority group, contributing to stereotypes like the nerdy Asian best friend and that asians must be successful.

Minari differs by staying grounded towards the reality of the way Korean-Americans and other AsianAmericans have started in America, highlighting the equal universal struggle for immigrants. Ultimately, Minari is a heartwarming story about the hardships of immigrants, and the preservation of one’s own culture in a foreign land, and one that is definitely worth watching in 2021.

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《蛤蟆先生去看心理医生》 探寻自我，走出深渊

By Michelle Min | Illustrations by Cici Cai | Layout by Alyssa Merwise

导读： 他与父母或朋友有着无法言喻只能深藏于 心的矛盾；她因为无法理解，表达自己的情绪 而让伤口随着时间在内心溃烂；你或许在夜里 借着音乐与枕头独自对抗负面情绪；我们的人 生旅程中，停留在低谷的时间总是格外黑暗漫 长。而这本书，就讲述了一个关于跌入又爬出 深渊的故事。

内容简介： 《蛤蟆先生去看心理医生》写自英国一位 经验丰富的心理学研究者和临床实践者，罗伯 特-戴博德（Robert de Board)。本书讲述了曾 经开朗活泼的蛤蟆先生在遭遇了一系列人生失 意后，一蹶不振，颓废不已，以至于身边的朋 友不得不将其推荐给心理咨询师，苍鹭。在一 次次的会面中，蛤蟆先生从起初的抵触，到逐 渐能够在苍鹭的引导下自行梳理情绪，最终重 新收获了自信与对生活的掌控。书中对整个心 理咨询的过程进行了贴近现实且又言简意赅地 描述，使读者能够身临其境，跟随苍鹭与蛤蟆 先生一同重审自我，见证改变。

部分一：关于自我 在应对不同事件时，决定我们处事方式 的心理状态其实是在随之变化的。这些自我状 态的背后不仅映射了我们与父母的关系，还能 反映我们心智成熟程度。儿童自我状态可以分 为自然型儿童与适应性儿童。前者包含了人类 与生俱来的基本情感，而后者则是为了生存在 父母身边而根据对方演变出来的依赖模式。例 如，蛤蟆先生的父亲严厉又霸道，导致童年的 蛤蟆先生面对这样的强权只能选择服从，久而 久之，他便丧失了表达愤怒的能力。他一直认 为，让别人知道他生气了他就会受到惩罚，因 为这是蛤蟆从小赖以生存的自我状态。除此之 外，每个人还有“父母状态”，处于这种状态的 76 ISSUE 24 XIAO HUA

我们会像自己的父母般表现，并以从他们身上 学到的价值观与道德观评判对错。或许，你曾 因为“失败”在内心狠狠谴责自己，这时的你就 处在一种“父母状态”，并在以父母的身份惩罚 自己。可是，在孩子与父母状态中的我们，并 不能真正的成长，因为这时的我们是在通过责 怪他人，自我怜悯去逃避问题。能将我们拖出 深渊但只有自己，请始终记得，我们本就有力 量来改变处境，改变自己，只要我们开始为自 己负责，掌握主权。 通过了解这些形态，我们虽然不能立刻学 会正确处理情绪，但是，我们可以通过观察自 己在不同状态下的样子，以一个上帝视角去 审视父母对我们的影响，直面童年留下来的伤 疤。改变的开始是“真诚地回应当下的需求”， 以摆脱过去经历的束缚。当你陷入情绪漩涡 式，不如尝试去区分自己所在的自我状态，进 行有效的调整。若是时常对自己感到不满，厌 恶，不妨问问自己：“你能停止自我批判吗？ 你能对自己好一些吗？也许最重要的问题是， 你能开始爱自己吗？”

部分二：关于心理咨询 在咨询开始之前，蛤蟆曾认为这是一个他 将自己的困境讲给苍鹭听，苍鹭给予安慰与建 议的简单过程。或许你也有类似的想象，可事 实上，这只是咨询的冰山一角。是的，苍鹭用 心聆聽蛤蟆诉说的一切，给予共情，让蛤蟆时 刻感觉自己被重视着。但是，在整个自我重塑 的过程中，为了让蛤蟆真正面对自我，打破他 原有的思维模式，苍鹭也会质疑，拒绝，这让 蛤蟆数次感到困惑，愤怒，沮丧。例如在蛤蟆 初到咨询室时，他说是朋友让他来的，并且他 已经准备好按苍鹭说的话照办，可苍鹭却拒绝 了为他辅导。这让蛤蟆十分愤怒，也打破了我 对心理咨询师的印象。苍鹭说“心理咨询向来是 一个自发的过程，咨询室和来访者双方都得出 于自愿。所以这就意味着，只有你是为自己而 不是为取悦朋友才想咨询的时候，我们才能真 正合作。”这一番话顿时让蛤蟆感到兴奋，因为 他意识到，或许，我们真的可以靠自己摆脱痛 苦，走出深渊。这几次咨询中最让我动容的一 次对话是，蛤蟆问苍鹭“你认为我会 好起来吗”，苍鹭直视着他的眼睛说：“如果我 不相信每个人都有能力变得更好，我就不会做 这份工作了。” 这或许就是心理咨询师的意义 与使命感所在吧。

结语： 总体而言，我个人是十分推荐这本书的，这是 一本入门级心理咨询读物，语言通俗易懂，但 是内容却能带来许多启发。特别是在现代社 会，人们或多或少都处于过亚心理状态，通过 阅读这本书大家可以对自我有更多认识，更好 的掌控情绪。更重要的是，不少人仍对心理医 生这个职业，或是接受心理咨询这件事仍有些 知识上的空白。这本书对心理咨询的过程进行 了详细，客观，真实的描述，能够打消部分人 对心理咨询的担忧。

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On paper, everyone has a distinct personality.

Perhaps you see yourself as more extroverted than introverted, more creative than logical, or more of a follower than a leader. The idea of sorting the entire world into less than twenty boxes is both intriguing and absurd.

Examples of such “sorting hats” are astrology and the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator. Through your birthday or through a questionnaire, respectively, these mechanisms of determining one’s personality traits, decision-making abilities and interpersonal skills have become a be-all and end-all way for some people to characterise themselves. Those who are believers see astrology or Myers–Briggs types as useful ways to validify their emotions and characteristics. However, there are still skeptics at hand who are quick to dismiss them, seeing them as unreliable and with no real scientific backing behind them.

In Western Astrology, there are 12 signs, each with a different animal and name. The first sign is Aries and the last is Pisces, with each sign covering roughly a month. Flip open a newspaper, scroll through social media, or even do a Google search, and you would see a horoscope based on your zodiac sign, detailing predictions such as a chance encounter, overcoming a struggle, or even a career change.

The predictions of astrology aren’t completely random. In fact, they have a long dated history behind it. It is uncertain where the idea of divination from the stars originated, but Ancient China was one of the earliest cases of using the stars to determine the future, usually an Emperor’s. Sumarians and Bablyionians looked to the sky for answers as well. In fact, the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa, which is dated to the first millennium BC, is one of the earliest

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records of astronomical observations. Eventually, the idea evolved into a two part system: calculating the astrological map and reading/analyzing them. While some believe this to be an accurate prediction of one’s future, others scoff in disbelief and are swift to write it off as a hoax, throwing into question the reliability of horoscopes.

Testing the reliability of horoscopes has yielded results that disprove their accuracy. Perhaps the most famous study was done by Shawn Carlson in 1985. He had twenty-eight well-known and experienced astrologers match over 100 natal charts with psychological profiles. The results found that the astrologers were unable to match the charts and profiles accurately, with the final results being no more accurate than flipping a coin. This demonstrates the flawed system of astrology: highly qualified, top of their field astrologers could not use their knowledge to assign these profiles. Another study consisted of tracking over 2000 babies born in March starting from 1958, and their developments were recorded at regular intervals. They tracked over 100 characteristics, from IQ to sociability to ability in different subjects such as art or music. Theoretically, if horoscopes and astrology are accurate, there would have been many similar traits between them.

However, the study concluded that there was no distinct evidence of similarities between them. There are countless other experiments with conclusions that tend to cast doubt on the success of astrology.

While horoscopes should be read with a grain of salt, astrology has, amazingly, still remained popular even amongst younger generations, proving that people are keen to be validated in their identities, no matter the accuracy of the source.

However, while some see astrology as a meaningless description, others use it as a guidance for big life decisions. India, for example, uses astrology for matchmaking and arranged marriages. The process, known as Kundali in South India or Nakshatram in the North, is typically done with a matchmaker. Using a birth chart with the position of the moon for the possible bride and groom, the matchmaker would then score their compatibility based on eight aspects. These aspects may include mutual attraction, mental compatibility, temperament, intimacy and health. Each aspect has a maximum point value—obtaining 32-36 points is seen as an excellent match, but less than 18 is not recommended for marriage. In China, certain dates and months are not chosen for weddings because it is believed to be bad luck.

Couples may choose to not get married in months that clash with their Zodiac signs, or not marry in conflicting years from their Chinese Zodiac sign.

Another popular personality test is the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI), created by Kathering Briggs and her daughter Isabel Meyers in the 20th century.

It is a self-reporting questionnaire that has you rate statements about yourself from agree to disagree.

The test then measures introversion/extroversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling and judging/ perceiving, and in total, there are sixteen possible results. Being more perceiving would mean you were more spontaneous and capricious, whereas being more judging meant you were more of a planner, preferring to weigh all options before making a decision. Being more intuitive might mean you tend to read between the lines, and view decisions in a more abstract way. Being more sensing might mean you live in the present more and take things at face value. One letter from each category is used to create the final result. So if you described yourself as extroverted, intuitive, more logical than emotional and more perceiving, you would be type ENTP. While on the surface, it seems more reliable than horoscopes, with companies even using this test to assess prospective employees to learn more about their personality, they do face similar problems with regards to reliability and accuracy. Firstly, there are only two options for each dichotomy, meaning that there are no in between options. For instance, since most people are not always introverted or always extroverted, it leaves a large middle range that has to be unevenly distributed. Secondly, it being self reported means the results depend entirely on the honesty of participants. Therefore, they would be able to stretch the truth or answer in a manner that may not be entirely what they believe, losing needed objectivity. Thirdly, it’s difficult to get a consistent result. According to Fortune Magazine in 2013, “if you retake the test after only a five-week gap, there’s around a 50% chance that you will fall into a different

personality category compared to the first time you took the test.” This means that the results can vary often depending on the mood of the participants, making it unreliable. Furthermore, there is little to no scientific evidence that strongly endorses the validity of the test. It is estimated that between a third to a half of reports backing up and lending credibility to the test are published by companies supported and edited by the test. Tests like the MBTI are judged on a spectrum, meaning you would have characteristics of each dichotomy, no matter your final results. So if you were given an “E” value, it does not mean you have no introverted values at all, but rather having a preference. Viewing your personality through simply the lens of your results may cause you to pigeonhole yourself or others.

One explanation for the popularity of astrology and MBTI is the Barnum Effect, a term first coined by psychologist Paul Meehl. It is a psychological phenomenon where individuals have a tendency to believe personality descriptions to be accurate and tailored towards them, even if the statements are meant to be broad enough to apply to a majority of people. Using vague, overgeneralizing language means that the reader is free to interpret it in a way that fits into their narrative. Phrases such as “at times”, “occasionally” or “generally” are commonly used to make statements less restrictive or concrete and allow for more room for readers to believe the statement applies specifically to them. Common statements that use the Barnum effect include “You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.” or “You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.” Perhaps at first glance, these statements seem very accurate and specific, but they are actually applicable to a large majority of people. Wanting to be liked, admired or self-critical are all part of human behaviour, and

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general enough that it can suit most people. This effect is often used when writing said personality statements, creating an illusion of hidden knowledge specifically shared and applicable to an individual, when in reality, these blanket statements can be used for a wide range of people.

Similarly, confirmation bias also plays a role in those who believe in these tests. Confirmation bias is defined as a tendency to seek out or interpret information that supports and encourages their current beliefs. The brain’s want to make sense of the world by finding patterns and connections. Confirmation bias eases this by seemingly giving credibility to horoscopes or tests like the MBTI. For instance, if a statement says you are “reliable and dependent” or “charismatic and a team player”, it is natural that you are more likely to believe in it due to its positive nature. Especially with horoscopes, it can make mundane predictions about future events seem impressive and unbelievable. Perhaps your daily horoscope mentions that “You will receive advice from a friend.” While friends often share their opinions, confirmation bias would cause you to connect and

identify your experiences with what your horoscope mentioned. This can then cause further trust and belief in horoscopes, and may leave you actively looking for links and twisting your experiences to fit into these statements, making it hard for a situation to be viewed in an objective manner. It can also cause you to group and make generalized observations about others. Statements such as “All Geminis are dramatic” or “Aries have the worst tempers” are harmful because it causes limited interactions with others to become almost factual statements.

While horoscopes and MBTI may seem all-knowing and scarily accurate, they seem to actually rely on psychological effects and deliberately vague statements to lend them credibility and success. Therefore, it is important to think critically and remain as impartial as possible when reading them. While it may seem fun and meaningless to read these statements or take the test, it is essential to make sure no unwarranted biases or judgements form. At the end of the day, everyone remains unique and should not be grouped based on arbitrary statements that are designed to fit a majority.

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Recently I’ve fallen into the rabbit hole that is historical costuming. Sure, it’s fun to scroll Instagram and see people looking like they’ve just stepped out of a painting. But what interests me about historical clothing are not frilly, elaborate confections of dress. Rather, it’s what history can teach us about the concept of beauty and how we view feminine beauty today.

When I say “historical beauty standards”, it’s an almost immediate jump to lead-whitened skin, rib-crushing corsets, and debilitatingly tiny feet. We shudder at the practices people put themselves through to be ‘beautiful’. The idea that exterior beauty equals inner virtue, as the ancient Greeks believed (“Different influences”), seems absurd to us. Contrasted with our modern beliefs, such behaviours and ideas seem extreme, even oppressive, and we pat ourselves on the back for having eliminated these harmful standards.

But it may be too early to start celebrating. After all, the cyclical nature of human history is widely observed, and beauty standards follow this pattern as well.

It’s no question that we’ve made strides towards diversifying our idea of beauty in recent years, at least on the surface (Feldman). We’ve reached a point where statements like “every body is beautiful” and “you are perfect as you are” have become ubiquitous.

Of course, we know there’s still much progress to be made in until ‘beauty’ truly envelops all demographics, but as time goes on that goal seems ever closer. Yet perhaps we should stop and ask ourselves whether that is really the goal we should be working towards.

Why do we all want so badly to be beautiful?

Some view beauty through an evolutionary lens, arguing that humans have adapted to find certain traits more attractive because they indicate a higher

probability of successful reproduction (Cloud and Perilloux). For example, a 1993 study done by psychology professor Devendra Singh and subsequent recent studies have found that across modern cultures, a figure with a waist to hip ratio (WHR) of around 0.7 and ‘normal weight’ (which in itself is problematic) was found more attractive than figures with higher WHRs (Singh). The proposed explanation for this attraction is that a lower waist-to-hip ratio in people assigned female may result from the fat deposition patterns encouraged by increased estrogen levels, thus signalling that a person is sexually mature as well as able to conceive more successfully. Another example is that some studies have found more symmetrical faces to be more attractive, a finding explained by the fact that a person’s facial symmetry is thought to be an indicator of developmental health and genetic resistance to certain diseases, which may lead to healthier offspring (Lents).

However, these studies proposing evolutionary hypotheses about perceptions of attractiveness focus overwhelmingly on what we, today, consider to be attractive. Any considerations of historical definitions of attractiveness are perfunctory at best.

Why should we assume that what we find attractive today is justified because it happens to correlate to some measures of reproductive health? If we truly evolved to find ‘beauty’ in measures of fertility, then our perceptions of beauty throughout time should remain quite constant regarding these measures. Yet this is not the case.

Take the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) for instance, a measure noted for its consistency across modern cultures. The previously mentioned studies seem to suggest that we find a WHR of 0.7 most attractive because it indicates the highest probability of reproductive success. If such a preference were developed for evolutionary advantage, attraction to low WHRs should remain constant throughout human history. However, even just considering western fashion, there were numerous periods of time where a low WHR was not the ideal.

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In fact, it was sometimes even considered undesirable. In the 1920s, to take a more drastic example, the fashionable figure is one with “an unbroken line from shoulder to knee” and “waists are a negligible quantity; there is rarely a suggestion of one” (Corsets and Crinolines). Magazines of the time wrote that “we must at all cost avoid anything likely to emphasise the waist” (Corsets and Crinolines). If reproductive potential truly guided definitions of attractiveness, the 1920s silhouette should not exist. The waist is also hidden for a full thirty or so years in the directoire and regency era, with the ‘empire’ waist well above the natural smallest point on the torso. How is one meant to judge reproductive fitness from WHR when the waist is not even visible? Countless other fashions obscure the waist as well, such as the ‘houppelande’ garment fashionable in the late middle ages (Newman, Paul B. (2001). Daily Life in the Middle Ages. McFarland. pp.

112–113, 116–117.), the robe a volante in the early 18th century (“Robe Volante”), and the Indian peshwaz (Women’s Costume). Recognising these historical silhouettes quite diminishes the plausibility of the idea that our modern beauty ideals are driven by evolutionary logic.

Or consider facial symmetry, which purportedly indicates health. In fact, it’s been found that ‘fluctuating asymmetry’, or non-extreme asymmetries, in someone’s face is not a reliable indicator of their health in dimensions such as height, weight, or illnesses during development (Pound et. al.). If facial symmetry does not indeed indicate health and superior reproductive fitness, finding it attractive has no evolutionary advantage.

So ‘beauty’ does not always equate to a biological advantage in terms of procreation. However, it does have a social advantage: people want to have children with people they find attractive. It doesn’t matter so much which traits are found attractive, it just matters if you have the current traits that are found attractive.

It’s been found that women subjectively rated “attractive” have 16% more children than those rated “moderately” or “not attractive”, while women rated

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“very attractive” have 6% more children (Jokela).

Based on these statistics, it seems that reproductive success and thus evolutionary advantage is correlated with what society deems attractive.

The social benefits of being beautiful extend beyond reproductive success. A 1972 study (Dion K et. al.) demonstrated that “what is beautiful is good”. In other words, people judge facially ‘attractive’ people more positively than ‘less attractive’ people, believing that ‘attractive’ people have “more socially desirable personality traits” and more successful careers and personal lives. ‘Attractive people’ are also “assumed to be more kind, honest, and moral” (Cui). This also works in the reverse, a phenomenon known as “good is beautiful”. When we are told positive personality traits of people, we perceive them to be more aesthetically attractive than when we are told negative personality traits.

Looking at these results, it becomes clear why we crave beauty so badly. We can laugh at the ancient Greeks all we want, but we are no different from them in associating exterior beauty with inner virtue. And we might have scrapped those atrocious practices we believe historical people put themselves through to be ‘beautiful’, but we’ve simply taken on new ones.

To start with one rising technology: cosmetic surgery. In 2016, the global market for cosmetic surgery was worth 27 billion USD. It’s expected to nearly double in value by 2025, reaching 51.6 billion USD (“Medical tourism”). Nearly 1.8 million women globally received women’s most popular surgical procedure, breast augmentation, which is 6.5 times the amount of men undergoing men’s most popular surgical procedure (National Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery). That in itself is worth questioning. A significant motivation to undergo cosmetic surgery is “to improve self-esteem and confidence” (“More than”), yet a norwegian study has found that cosmetic procedures don’t actually increase women and girls’ satisfaction with their general appearance (“Mental health”). In fact, mental health may even decline after surgery, especially for those with body dysmorphic disorder, a group four times more prevalent among those who get surgery than in the general population (“Beauty in the eye”). That’s on top of the higher rates of depression and anxiety in women who decide to have the surgery in the first place (Jiang). Even more worrying is the research suggesting that women who underwent cosmetic breast augmentation (the most popular procedure, remember) have higher rates of suicide (Sarwer et. al.). Can we really say that this method of achieving ‘beauty’ is more progressive than historical means?

Let’s not forget the use of “diet” to achieve certain beauty standards either. Along with certain personality traits and genetics (“6 Common”), “sociocultural idealization of thinness” (Culbert) is considered a risk factor for developing eating disorders, and many western cultures certainly do idealize thinness (“Why Do Women”), especially in the U.S. It’s worth noting that this pressure on people to become thinner (even when they are at a healthy weight! (Gallivants)) is not spread evenly: anorexia and bulimia, two of the most common eating disorders, affect significantly more women than men (“Prevalence, incidence”). People of colour, disabled people and LGBTQ+ people are also affected at disproportionately high rates (“Eating disorder”), yet they often are not given access to the healthcare that they need. More than 9% of the global population are affected by eating disorders, and 26% of that subset will attempt suicide. The prevalence of eating disorders, contrary to other mental disorders, is only increasing (van Hoeken et. al.) The physically harmful practices of the past, some of which have been much exaggerated (“Everything You Know”) or misunderstood (“Egyptian Eyeliner”) (though criticism of others is certainly warranted), have been replaced by equally harmful mental health issues exacerbated by the constant comparison enabled by social media (Fardouly).

All this leads to the fact that we are still objectifying ourselves and defining our worth by our appearance (“The complicated truth”). Sure, body positivity sounds good, but that’s not achievable for many people (“It’s time”), and it still promotes the idea of equating beauty with ‘goodness’ or personal value.

It also saturates the idea of beauty so much that it virtually becomes meaningless - saying everybody is beautiful is as ironic as saying everybody is unique.

You might as well say that everyone is a human.

On that note, perhaps we should be aiming for body neutrality instead (“How to Shift”). Body neutrality emphasizes taking care of and being aware of your body’s needs instead of focusing on its appearance as a source of self-worth. That’s not to say we should ignore bodily appearances entirely; that would be dismissing all the societal structures that privilege certain types of bodies over others. But we should take steps towards understanding that we don’t need to source our happiness or self-satisfaction from how our body looks. It can simply be a vessel and tool for our further fulfillment. And for me, for the next few weeks at least, I’ll be finding that fulfillment in my next historical costume.

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电影如何污名 化心理疾病

By Rachel Jiang | Illustrations by Mia Cheung | Layout by Maegan Wang

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现代社会日益激烈的竞争大大增 加了人们面临心理疾病的普遍 性。根据世界卫生组织 2003年发 布的调查，此刻全球每 4 个人中 有 1 个人受到心理疾病的困扰。 然而，因社会存在的严重心理疾 病污名，很多本能获得治疗的患 者却不愿接受治疗，已治愈的患 者回归社会时也会遭遇巨大的生 活阻碍。之前所提的世界卫生组 织调查同样提出了患者康复的最 大障碍是社会对他们的歧视与排 斥，导致他们错失医疗的良机。 可见心理疾病污名是一个必要解 决的社会问题。 要想有效地消除心理疾病 污名，我们首先要对它形成的原 因进行深入的了解。近几年，电 影针对心理疾病的处理方式成为 了社会心理学家与精神病学家的 研究热点。许多的专家们指出大 银幕上表现心理疾病的方式对大 众对于有关话题的理解与认知有 着重大的影响。这是因为心理疾 病在我们的现代社会中仍是一个 禁忌话题；精神病患者真正的经 历常常被忽略及笼罩，从而促使 电影成为人们唯一接触心理疾病 的来源。然而，多数的电影仍将 票房收入排为第一，将心理疾病 案件过度戏剧化，导致严重的污 名。在下文中，笔者将分析电影 污名化心理疾病的主要因素及其 对心理疾病患者创造的种种困难 与挫折。 大众对于“疯癫”的概念

以及心理疾病的认知仍扎根在荧 幕形象层面上肤浅，带有侮辱性 的刻画。多数电影常常过于强调 心理疾病的负面的刻板化属性， 如同患者暴力，侵略与怪异的行 为。经典电影《闪雷》中显然疯 癫的主角杰克·托伦斯是一个暴力 的狂人杀手，被电影刻画成残暴 野蛮的形象。电影从而映射着心 理疾病普遍的刻板印象。因此， 尽管人们对心理疾病本质的认识 日益深入，但大多数人对心理疾 病患者仍持有刻板化信念。另一 部经典电影《一次飞过杜鹃的 巢》对于心理疾病的描述足以让 观众们得出结论：精神病所是毁 灭心灵的地方。电影里，个性活 跃的罪犯人麦克墨菲为了逃脱监 狱里的苦役假装自己精神失常， 但依然没能逃脱制度的控制。 本电影中对与医院治疗方法戏剧 性的描绘，特别是如此无情，野 蛮的电休克疗法，刻印了相当长 久的社会影响。激烈的电惊厥疗 法的加入使得《一次飞过杜鹃的 巢》的情节更加情绪化。电影中 的电休克疗法导致患者进入如同 僵尸一样，思维迟钝的状态；几 乎没有电影会显示出正面的治疗 效果。因此，心理疾病成为一个 更加疏远的概念。 此外，几十年以来，往往都是恐 怖片子主导着荧幕上对疯癫的刻 画，例如传奇的《猛鬼街》与《 十三號星期五》。著名的万圣节 人物‘迈克尔·迈尔斯’结合了超自

然因素与精神病患者的身份，似 乎是一个不朽的人物。这些电影 从而会凸显各种关于心理疾病的 迷信与污名，如同精神病具有超 自然的成分，是被恶魔附身并需 要藉由驅魔来恢复正常。因此， 令大众对于心理疾病产生深层的 恐惧，从而导致歧视的行为。久 而久之，令心理疾病更加蒙受污 名。 以上的污名使心理疾病患者受到 不可避免的日常阻碍；污名毀坏 了患者的社会身份，社会网络与 自尊，以致他們失去了许多的重 要生活机会。许多的社会调查一 致发现心理疾病患者的就业率比 心理健康者低10-15%，而且超 过60%的心理疾病患者会经历失 业。此外，心理疾病患者租赁房 子也存在加多的困难。因失业， 许多心理疾病患者会成为流浪 者，并产生吸毒的习惯。许多研 究表明，30-35%的流浪者具有着 精神疾病。不仅如此，无处不在 的污名阻碍了患者的求助行为。 为免受歧视，患者会通过隐瞒 病情或不接受治疗来避免公众污 名，从而更加严重化病情。 总而言之，我们可见电影针对心 理疾病的刻画隆重地影响了社会 大众对与心理疾病的观念，它们 刻板化与戏剧性的描写使人们对 与心理疾病产生深层的恐惧，也 因此导致歧视的行为。而污名大 大影响了心理疾病患者的日常生 活，使他们面对种种的阻碍。

校話

期刊 24

85

《地球媽媽》

马莉涵 8G2

媽媽說：你聽得到我呼吸的急促 嗎？ 我想：如果杜絕了污水的排放， 濃煙的產生， 汽車的尾氣， 媽媽，您會好起來嗎？ 媽媽說：你感覺得到我冰冷的手腳 嗎？ 我想：如果讓臭氣熏天的水溝， 變回清澈見底的小河， 污水得到治理， 媽媽，您會好起來嗎？

86

ISSUE 24

XIAO HUA

媽媽說：你看得到我晦暗的皮膚 嗎？ 我想：如果讓垃圾可以分類， 電量可以節省， 森林得以被保護， 媽媽，您會好起來嗎？ 讓我們傾聽媽媽的話語， 讓我們亡羊補牢，為時不晚， 我們要讓地球母親 恢復從前那美麗的模樣！

校話

期刊 24

87