Xiao Hua Issue 23

校 話 ISSUE 23 | MAY 2021

TH G N E R T S IN S R E B M U N

Performative Performative Activism: Activism: A A Barrier Barrier to to Social Social Change?

Change?

《十二公民》便是眾生百態 Rethinking Rethinking Incarceration Incarceration

美國，我怎麼不感到 美國，我怎麼不感到 羞恥？ 羞恥？

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我們的抗疫英雄 The “Marathon Mindset”

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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, Eric Wu, Illeana Li, Katrina Poon, Kirsten Kong, Madison Lau, Michelle Liu, Myriam Lynch, Sean Ye, Tim He FEATURES EDITOR Allyson Ye Writers: Alexander Arnold, Chloe Huen, Colin Chau, Julia Chan, Melody Cai, Melle Ya-Ning Hsing, Mirjana Vujovich, Tanya Wan, Tiffany Li CHINESE EDITOR Josephine Yip Writers: Agnes Wong, Claire Zhang, Emily Shen, James Song, Joyce Sze, Katherine Yin, Leo Li, Lucas Wu, Michelle Min, Querida Lai, Rachel Jiang, Yang Yi Zheng, Yi-Mei Liu, Zoe Zheng SPORTS EDITOR Jack Openshaw Writers: David Yeung, Francesca Sutch, Kaitlyn Wong, Kian Chan, Paloma Sze DIRECTOR OF ILLUSTRATION Veda Lee Illustrators: Arabella Chong, Felisha Wang, Grace Xiao, Helen Liang, Isabelle Zee, Kaylee Zhang, Margaret Wong, Mia Cheng, Michelle Qiu, Miah Cheung, Renita Tang, Tiffany Zhao DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Aidan Keough Photographers: Ashley Gatt, Cillian Hoang, Claire Fang, Daniel Yang, Emma Hu, Erin Lau, Evelyn Kwan, Finn Peterson, Kaitlyn Wong, Katrina Poon, Luca Lo, Ryan Wang, Tallie Lin DIRECTOR OF LAYOUT Airla Fan Designers: Adelaide Ng, Alyssa Merwise, Andrew Fan, Han Juby Xie, Kaitlyn Wong, Kaylee Zhang, Maegan Wang, Nathan Wu, Nicole Wu, Zoe Zheng HEAD OF BUSINESS AND ADMINISTRATION Katia Shek Business staff: Charlie Yeung, Gabriel Hui, Julia Chan, Stephanie Ma, Tanya Wan, Zachary Yuen 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,

started implementing actions towards their goal. A collaboration of 30 students from Beach Cleanup and IBEL raised $21,700 for Covid-19 relief and a family that suffered from a fire in Jordan. New initiatives have also been raised; Peace of Mind, a mental health focus group of CIS, has hosted various presentations regarding common mental concerns for adolescents.

These presentations have helped eliminate the stigma regarding mental health and have also spread the importance of conversations regarding this topic.

It would be difficult to summate the personal trials and tribulations, global events and catastrophes over the past year into a single sentence. From the difficulty of witnessing the number of cases skyrocket to the resurgence of the environment due to the pandemic, I cannot help but wonder whether human existence and the collective effects of our “numbers” have been the reason for this demise. I wonder if when Pantone announced 2020’s “Official Color of the Year” to be “Classic Blue”, “a color that anticipates what’s going I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and editing the to happen next”, they could have anticipated the articles in this issue. Mirjana Vujovich (’22)’s article irony it presented. on performative activism discusses and challenges the perception of social media as a means to spread However, rather than basking in this repetitive and social change. Eric Wu (’25)’s article and the article pessimistic outlook on our experiences, it is more by Katrina Poon (’22) and Melody Cai (’23) dive into important to celebrate the triumphs we have endured. the micro and macroaggressions that black people Social activism, in particular, has illustrated the power and people of color face in today’s society. I hope that of vocalizing social injustice and the importance of the willingness of CIS students to research and voice listening and supporting these suppressed voices. out issues prevailing in society can instigate action Had there not been people speaking out despite their and a change in attitude in our community, which circumstances on issues such as racial discrimination, will ultimately allow us to become makers of change. microaggressions, and mental illness, I do not believe that we would be as informed and aware of such issues As I do believe that oftentimes, visuals can speak and our role in support of them. It is imperative that louder than words, I think you would be delighted we recognise and continue to uphold the strength of to know that the “Official Colors of 2021” are our human race, and that is our Strength in Numbers. “Illuminating” and “Ultimate Gray”, which both convey optimism, strength and positivity. I wish you Strength in numbers can be seen all around us. all the positivity and strength to persevere through Free Clinic, with 14 CIS members, has seamlessly the pressuring times and never forget to look for the transitioned from hosting clinics to raising money light at the end of the tunnel. to help people who are unable to afford healthcare.

DITO (Drop in the Ocean), which boasts around Chih-rong Kuo 70 members, shared an audit on how to improve Editor in Chief the green footprint of our school as well as the eco-consciousness of our students. They have

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Faculty Letter

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Dear Xiao Hua readers, When the remarkable editorial staff of this studentled magazine first asked me to write the faculty letter for their latest edition, I felt deeply honored, but my heart sank, too. Indeed, on discovering that the theme being explored would be that of “strength in numbers,” I initially struggled to see beyond the last word in this phrase, as strange as it may sound.

All of the “numbers” of which I immediately thought had something to do with the harrowing, deplorable nature of the historic period through which we have been living since January 2020. Numbers like the following: 2,985,467, which corresponds to the tragic total of Covid-related fatalities that had afflicted families across the globe by early April 2021; or 6.1%, the percentage by which the Hong Kong economy contracted in 2020, i.e. the largest annual decline on record; or 1.5 billion, which is the quantity of school children around the planet who were unable to attend classes in person at the peak of the pandemic in March 2020, the overwhelming majority of whom had at best inadequate access to online learning; or 1.02, referring to the degrees in celsius by which the world-wide average surface temperature in 2020 exceeded the same mean for the entire 20th century, tying it with 2016 as the hottest year ever. I could go on.

among the other words I also noted. When I then expressed my originally sombre thinking, they happily countered with another set of digits, numerals and alternative statistics. What about 150,000,000, one queried, alluding to those who had already been vaccinated at the time of our conversation; or, I myself enjoined, taking up this student’s cue, 550, which corresponds to the number of cities across the United States where people rallied to the cause of Black Lives Matter on June 6, 2020, after the heinous death of George Floyd; or how about 2.4 billion, interjected her friend, the approximate tonnage by which global greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2020 as compared to 2019. Great point, came my response.

All of which reminds me of the exceptional Dr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group between 2012-19 and a revered grass-roots expert in human development, who once declared that “optimism is a moral choice.” Speaking about public service, though to my mind he might just as easily have been alluding to the stuff of both teaching and learning, Dr. Kim affirmed: “If you walk into this work and you’re cynical and you’re pessimistic... you probably will live out your very low ambitions.”

On behalf of everyone at CIS, thank you very, very much to the brilliant organizers, writers, artists and photographers of Xiao Hua for championing that same wisdom and for challenging us always to trust But I started asking around, wondering what this in the future, to build on the positive, and to spread ordinarily beneficent theme would evoke for our kindness wherever we go. Their conviction that we students, and their take was...well, completely are stronger together is more than an exhortation; it is different. They focused instead on the full meaning a catalyst for progress! of the inspiring dictum that there is “strength in numbers.” It suggests unity, so many said, and Sean Lynch cohesion, teamwork, inclusion and partnership, Head of School

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COMMUNITY 社區 16 | Faculty Interview: Monica Chang 18 | Alumni Interview: Francisca Lam (‘20) 19 | Alumni Interview: Candace Law (‘19)

GLOBAL CRISIS 全球危機

20 | 訪問戴老師

48 | Global Unemployment: Outlook of Hong Kong, US, UK

21 | Drop in the Ocean

50 | Mediterranean Refugee Crisis

26 | Coexist and the HK Migrant Worker Community

52 | 新冠前與新冠後的世界

29 | MerciHK

54 | Rethinking Incarceration: A correctional system rooted in respect and reintegration 57 | Pandemic of Plastic Pollution

CURRENT EVENTS 時事

PERSPECTIVE

32 | The Syrian Civil War

視角

34 | #Black Lives Matter Movement

62 | How Trump Can Win Again An Analysis Written in October

36 | Belarus Protests 38 | 我們的抗疫英雄 39 | Climate Change: California’s Raging Wildfires 41 | Social Worker, Legco Candidate and Tour Guide: Jeffrey Andrews

66 | 美國，我怎麼不感到羞恥 68 | 疫情中我們在香港 70 | The Invisible Driver of our Social Lives 74 | 2020畢業班 76 | 二十一世紀我們需要的萬眾一心 78 | 隔離二十八天 80 | 團結為力 81 | 從內地到⾹港

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TECHNOLOGY 科技 112 | 娛樂之外的社交媒體 114 | Alan Turing and AI

CULTURE

文化

84 | Subconscious Social Conditioning 88 | 藝情

117 | What Zoom Reunions Can’t Replace 119 | Artificial Intelligence: Humanity’s Destiny or Doom?

123 | 網課期間如何自我管理

90 | Performative Activism: A Barrier To Social Change?

94 | Fake News: Distinguishing trustworthy news amidst pandemic fears 96 |《十二公民》，便是眾生百態 98 | 打開旅行箱 100 | True Beauty: Can Visual Perfection Be Achieved?

104 | 單元化的平等、多元化的理解 106 | Inclusivity and Diversity in Film

SPORTS 體育 126 | How Has The Pandemic Affected Junior Athletes 128 | How Teamwork Brings Success 130 | The Rise of Esport During a Pandemic 131 | The Power of Sports in a Pandemic 133 | The “Marathon Mindset”

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社區

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COMMUNITY

Faculty interview: Monica Chang

Could you briefly introduce yourself to the reader?

Hello, I am Monica Chang, one of the secondary school counsellors and the peer mentoring coordinator. I was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I have 2 older siblings and we are spread out around the world. I live in Hong Kong, my sister is back in Canada and my brother lives in New York. It’s nice being the baby of the family.

Why did you decide to become a counselor and what drew you to CIS specifically?

I didn’t even know that ‘counsellor’ was a profession.

We didn’t really have school counsellors back when I was in school. There was someone to help you with university, but when it came to emotions and social development, you were on your own.

After I finished university, I was lost. My plan had changed. I was ‘supposed’ to be a doctor. I had done everything to prepare for that. I was back in Vancouver after swearing I would never be back in Vancouver after I left for university and I went through depression. It was hard finding a job when you felt useless and worthless. Nevertheless, my friend’s mother told me about a position at Parkinson Society British Columbia. She said I would be perfect for it, so I did try. I went for it and was hired to be a Resource and Communications Coordinator. It was there that I met my friend, Stacey Clarke. She was on the support services side. She and her boyfriend just broke up. She had just moved to Vancouver from Newfoundland and we did not know each other. She came into my office and started crying. I didn’t know what to do but tried my best to comfort her and support her. She told me that she thought I would be a great counsellor. What was that? She explained it

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to me and that she was studying to become one.

I was interested so I applied to University of British Columbia as a continuing education student to try out some classes. I loved it. I ended up taking a lot of classes in psychology, cognitive neuroscience and behavioural classes and then applied to grad school the following year.

What drew me to CIS at first was sheer luck. I knew I wouldn’t be able to work in the States as a Canadian and I wouldn’t be able to be a counsellor in Canada without a teaching certificate.

My professor had a list of international schools and I thought I would start in Hong Kong. My sister lived here and I had visited a few times before so it felt more familiar. I had only heard of Canadian International and Hong Kong International. When I looked at the list, I saw Chinese International School, clicked on the link and it blew me away. The page was enticing with all of the smiling students, dragon dance performances, quotes from alums and current students praising the school for its community, its wellbeing practices and its dedication to care for and support students. It drew me in immediately. I clicked on the ‘employment link’ and there it was: Secondary School Counsellor position available. It was meant to be.

What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?

Sleeping on the sofa.

Do you have any pet peeves?

When people don’t signal when they’re switching lanes, when people talk during a movie or TV show (doesn’t apply to me when I do it), and when people are mean when they can be kind instead.

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COMMUNITY

Who is your hero?

Hero is an interesting concept. I think of someone I admire most and it’s my mom. I look up to her.

The woman is abounding in grace and patience.

She is so supportive and lets me make all the mistakes I need to make and when I tell her I messed up, there’s not an ounce of judgment but only acceptance. I can be exactly who I am and feel exactly what I feel: excited, rude, angry, disappointed, cantankerous, ebullient, pensive, depressed, temperamental, anxious, doesn’t matter and she will accept me exactly as I am. She’ll bang down the door when I lock it and even when I’m physically and emotionally pushing her away, swearing and screaming, she will hold me until I stop fighting her and she lets me slump into her and just cry. She’s my soft landing space. I couldn’t be anything without my mom.

How do you define success?

I will define it by undefining it. Success is not fulfilling someone else’s goal, someone else’s dream. It is not based in extrinsic and external motivators of trying to prove people wrong or prove to people you are good enough, smart enough, rich enough, powerful enough, worthy enough. In a wordly context, success would mean all these things, but when you look at success intrinsically, did you do it for you? Did you try your best (within reason and what you are capable of)? Did you do it with integrity? Did you care? Were you willing to step out of your comfort zone? Success is when you choose to think and behave in a way that is counterintuitive to what worldly and cultural standards may dictate.

Success comes when we can be kind, genuine,

accepting, supportive, compassionate, gracious.

Success is when you stopped yourself from saying something biting to your sibling. Success is when you ran 1 more minute after you wanted to give up. Success is when you let yourself sleep on the sofa instead of feeling like you ‘needed’ to be ‘productive’. Success is when you can trust yourself, your own judgment. Success is allowing yourself to celebrate the small victories, not just the big, to revel in unseen actions, not just the displays.

Success isn’t how you measure your self worth, it’s that you know you are a person of worth. I don’t see myself as ‘successful’. I see myself as a person of worth.

If you could give a piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

You didn’t need to put such high standards on yourself. There’s no such thing as perfect. Be genuine and authentic instead. Don’t be something that you believe other people want or need you to be. You can only be you and you need to like you.

Where do you hope to be in ten years?

I would love to be a presenter that speaks to students, parents and teachers about adolescents about perfectionism, adolescent identity, stress, depression, how to be a supportive person in your child’s life. I love getting up on stage in front of an audience and connecting with people on a large scale. I would also love to be a parent. I hope that whatever I’m doing and wherever I am in 10 years... oh my gosh, I will be 45... that I am living life authentically, empathically and openly.

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COMMUNITY

attributed to the close proximity from living together and seeing each other.

Could you briefly introduce yourself?

Hey! I graduated from CIS in 2020, having been here since reception. I currently study law at Durham University up north in the UK, a half hour drive away from Newcastle. Being in the north means adjusting to the cold, wind, and rain – which I’m still adapting to!

How are you enjoying university so far, and how has Covid-19 impacted your experience?

Covid-19 inevitably has had an impact on my university experience, with the obvious such as adapting to everything being online – for classes and socialising beyond my household. I’ve had to become comfortable with constantly putting myself out there – even more so than being in person – to bridge the initial awkwardness when meeting people, for example.

With that being said, I’m enjoying university a lot! Aside from striving to succeed academically, I’m lucky to have been able to have somewhat of a normal experience (while abiding to Covid guidelines) by enjoying snippets of college life such as getting matriculated and attending formals.

Going in the same direction, was it difficult making friends? Do you live in university accommodation and has it been difficult to adjust to that lifestyle?

Durham is a collegiate university, meaning I’m affiliated to a college within the university and thus live there. I would say I’ve settled in quite well, striking a healthy balance between academics, college activities and extracurriculars. Despite Covid-19 I’ve managed to get quite close with my household and build meaningful friendships, largely

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In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between CIS and university life?

The freedom, flexibility and independence given to you at university is unparalleled. Learning is essentially self-directive aside from tutorials and there are considerably fewer contact hours. How you spend your time is completely up to you, which is a refreshing change of pace from the structured timetabling at CIS. The freedom not only allows for a better balance between academics and personal life, but also allows for personal growth by figuring things on your own.

How has CIS prepped you for university?

Though the subjects I took at HL – English Literature and History – were not directly relevant to my degree, they allowed me to refine my writing skills which directly translates to my degree. Knowing how to structure an essay, craft and analyse a balanced argument and being precise with my language has helped me immensely with my coursework – considering law is an essay-based subject.

Aside from academic skills, the IB taught me important skills such as learning to be efficient in completing multiple assignments simultaneously within a short period of time. This has translated into my university experience as the workload is definitely heavier.

What is something that you miss about CIS? The sense of camaraderie within your year group; knowing that someone was always there for you in the common room after a rough day of school was always a comforting feeling that I miss.

What are your future plans?

I wish I had a better idea! For now, I try to enjoy the luxury I have of exploring different areas of law within my degree before I get thrown into the inevitable reality of job applications and postgraduate applications.

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COMMUNITY What was the biggest challenge you faced at university?

alumni interview

I think the biggest challenge I faced is learning how to strike the right balance between work and play, to give myself time to relax and socialize while also staying on top of my schoolwork. University can be stressful not only because you have to take initiative to make sure you meet your assignment deadlines, but also because you have to take the initiative to develop and maintain your friendships, as it is no longer like secondary school where you are bound to see the same group of people every day. This is especially the case now that we are all studying remotely.

Could you briefly introduce yourself?

What are the greatest differences (eg. cultural differences) between London and Hong Kong?

Candace Law Hello! I am Candace from the Class of 2019. I joined CIS in 2013 as a Year 8 student. Prior to that, I studied at a local primary school. Currently, I am a second-year student at University College London (UCL). In my free time, I like to play with puzzles and edit videos!

The biggest difference that comes to mind is definitely the weather - London feels so much gloomier than Hong Kong during the winter. Otherwise, I think there are actually more similarities than differences between the two cities. Both have a very fast-paced lifestyle and are very vibrant - you would rarely feel bored because there is an endless list of attractions and restaurants to visit!

How was your experience at university? Was there anything that differed from your freshman year to your sophomore year?

What have you learned from CIS? I definitely had a great time during the 5 months I spent in London! In terms of social life, I was very lucky to be allocated to one of the most socially active halls at UCL - there was a great sense of community, and I made many friends there.

Academically, the workload for my second year is definitely heavier than my first year. This is also partly due to the switch to online learning, as it can be quite time consuming to go through all the readings and pre-recorded lectures. Nonetheless, it has been very rewarding to be able to learn from and interact with professors who are actively conducting research to address real-world issues.

What are you studying at university? What were the major reasons for choosing the major?

I am studying Social Sciences. Frankly, I did not have a particularly strong reason for choosing the major. Rather, having taken Economics and History at CIS, it was the subject area that I felt the most academically confident about, and so I wanted to explore the field further at university. The programme offered by UCL is perfect for me as it allows us to take classes from a range of social science subjects, including psychology, economics, epidemiology, etc, throughout all three years of our degree, so that I can explore what my interests are.

The skills that I learned from taking the IB at CIS, such as how to learn independently, how to think critically, and how to write well-structured essays, definitely provided a solid foundation for my performance at university. Also, whenever my friends and I feel stressed from university assignments, we would jokingly remind ourselves that we survived the IB, and so if we were capable of juggling 6 subjects before, we are capable of tackling any challenge we are facing now too!

Any advice for CIS students?

The IB is tough but the hard work will pay off!

Studying is important but don’t let it consume you.

Spend more time with your friends instead and really cherish your time in CIS!

Looking beyond your present experiences, what do you think the future holds for you?

As Covid has shown, life can be very unpredictable.

The pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty for all of us, but I am excited to see what kind of opportunities it will open up. I am planning to pursue a career in either public policy or charity work but am open to exploring other career options as well.

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訪問戴老師 在漢基任教27年的戴老師為人所知，是多屆學生的良師益 友，其互動有趣的教學方式以及對學生的諄諄教誨博得漢基 同學的愛戴。 介紹：戴老師 畢業於湖南大學（語言學士），洛外（文學碩士） 1994年由澳洲來香港 最喜歡的書：《紅樓夢》 問：您為什麼會來到漢基？ 之前在湖北大學任教，發現自己熱愛教育工作，於是1994年 來到香港就加入了漢基。 問：您認為當中文老師最大的收穫是什麼？ 可以與年輕人討論對中國語言、文化、傳統習俗的知識，還 能與學生分享和交流對學習、生活及一些社會議題的看法等 等。 問：疫情下學校改成網上學習如何改變了您的教學生活？ 在疫情之下，我通過上網課更加熟悉了電腦技術。隨著學校 和政府規例的調整，老師和同學都適應了如何應付快速變化 的形式及不斷變更的時間表。最終，如果你不能改變現實就 要改變自己。 問：聽說您去年在疫情初期曾滯留於武漢，當時的經歷如 何？您如何理解「萬眾一心」的價值？ 面對武漢的「封城」狀態，是一種很孤立、無助的感覺，獨 自一人困在家裏，沒有網絡，聽不到世界其他地方的消息。 每天被電視報導的患者數字、死亡數字等負面消息圍繞，感 到無奈並體驗到生命的無常。幸好現代科技先進，與朋友聯 繫，給同學上網課，全靠手機微信，當然也得利於朋友同事 們的鼎力相助。後來靠朋友的幫助得以乘坐香港政府的第一 班包機返回香港，使生活終於回歸正常，特別感謝朋友們的 關心和幫助，感謝香港政府認真負責、以人為本的高效率工 作作風。也許這就是「萬眾一心」的價值之一？ 20

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INTRODUCTION TO DITO

DITO是一個由學生自主領導的環保組織，由「漢基足跡」、「海灘清理」及「都市農業」三個服 務小組構成。也許你聽說過可持續發展審計，或瀏覽過DITO的雙語網站，這一切都是為了將可持 續發展融入到學校的理念中。以下幾頁的文章均由DITO學生撰寫，分享其組織的成就、未來計 劃，以及對可持續發展的看法。

DROP IN THE OCEAN

SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL

Drop in The Ocean (DITO) is a student-driven and led environmental group that strives to establish sustainability as a CIS school value through systematic change, community dialogue and education. DITO is the umbrella term for its three sub-strands: CIS Footprint, Urban Farming, and Beach Cleanup. Beyond acts of service, we aim to bolster commitment and implement sustainable strategy across campus by actively connecting and collaborating with student groups to provide student voice and agency towards environmental stewardship.

Marking the beginning of a new era— the Sustainability Council is a consultative body that reports to the Leadership Team, providing them with recommendations on how the school can implement the recommendations, guided by the CIS Mission, Vision ‘33 and CIS Footprint’s sustainability review.

The Council voices out the opinions and expertise of all school stakeholders to develop a coherent and effective sustainability policy that will align with the decision-making, operations and practices of staff, students and teachers. It recommends targets and pathways towards carbon reduction, waste reduction, green operations, and ecoliteracy.

Year after year, we continue to create, expand and grow, implementing sustainable strategies within our school and local community. Recently, we published a school-wide Sustainability Audit Review, launched a bilingual DITO website, collaborated on the Second-hand Uniform Sale with Green Uniform, featured on RTHK Radio 3 “Common Room with Alyson Hau”, celebrated the launch of sustainability audit report with a Community Forum- and beyond!

A school is a microcosm of a city, sharing similar societal constraints and interests on both local and global scale. Advocating for sustainability starts with us, individuals, schools and the wider community. In this ever-changing, diverse world, innovation in sustainability and the development of environmental thinking is essential.

Think to yourself: How will you participate in this change? What mark will you make?

By Megan Hsu | Layout by Airla Fan

RECAP RECAP OF OF

SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY AUDIT AUDIT

去年，「漢基足跡」的學生為了評估學校的碳 足跡，進行了全面的可持續發展審計，收集 了大量有關學校用電、採購、課程內容等的數 據。本篇文章將概括審計的主要發現及其解決 方法，包括漢基碳影響的四大來源，激發大眾 的環保行動。 Why run a sustainability audit? To collect baseline data, make informed decisions, understand our priority and strategy- the sustainability audit tells us all! Working to transform CIS into a sustainable developing school, over the past year DITO Footprint members have been working on a comprehensive sustainability audit. Starting from the roots of school operation,to classroom learning, energy consumption and institutional governance, the audit covers the pillars of sustainability and acts to reduce our environmental footprint. Transitioning from data analysis to the application of our findings, for the upcoming year ahead DITO hopes to engage and prioritize in the list of 100+ recommendations.

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DITO Footprint: by Avani Kalsi

COMMUNITY 1. Stakeholder engagement

Through administering a series of informal interviews with 39 key school stakeholders, we collected data on where CIS is in terms of sustainability. All stakeholders felt the need for a whole school sustainability strategy to increase our interactions with nature, in order to foster a sustainable mindset and catalyzing sustainable change. Self-reflection was also important for the school to reflect on its history with making sustainable change.

2. 3 Largest Carbon Impact: Energy and Water, Travel and Food

Did you know that air-conditioners make up 70-80% of the energy consumption in Hong Kong International Schools? When it comes to light fixtures, CIS is making amazing strides towards green energy, 90% of all CIS light fixtures are LEDs, however our swimming pool makes up 10% of our total energy consumption.

DITO recommends you to “ensure air conditioning units are turned off when not in use” and learn to be ecoconscious on your water consumption on a day to day basis Transportation is very carbon-intensive, but we all need to commute, how do we lower our carbon emissions? In the 2018-2019 academic year, we flew 8.5 million kilometres, emitting over 1,400 tons of CO2 emissions, which is 18 trips to the moon and back! Based on our school-wide survey data, the leading transportation to and from school is by private non-electric car, excluding the use of hybrid cars. To reduce carbon emissions, DITO recommends you to carpool, take public transportation or walk to school.

Our ongoing collaboration with Chartwells has allowed greater integration of vegan and vegetarian options.

As a school community, we waste 5kg of food every single day, with 64% of that waste made up of small scrapings. DITO recommends you to rethink your daily consumption habits and food choices.

4. Buildings and grounds

Due to the hyper industrialized, modern city we live in, there can be a few sustainable aspects of our schools that can be overlooked. One aspect that people tend to overlook is indoor air quality. There is some proof that long-term exposure to formaldehyde and other VOCs can cause adverse health effects, such as asthma or respiratory and lung disease. We estimate that we save about 4% of the school’s annual water consumption through a rainwater harvesting system.

DITO recommends you to personally try to bring more of the outside greenery into the school!

5. Curriculum

The audit also addresses the fact that eco-literacy is a troubling challenge for schools currently. In CIS, the topics that are covered that have to do with sustainability, are mostly: “Biodiversity and conservation” and “Global citizenship”. Education for sustainability also is proven to improve students’ ability to learn holistically, and improve student attitude towards civic engagement. Project-based learning, interdisciplinary projects and student-led initiatives like DITO have been the leading force of engagements with sustainability. DITO recommends you to: “Identify and promote professional development opportunities for Primary teachers related to education for sustainability.”

6. Community Engagement

Who is our school, local or global community? Our school is connected with varying organizations and communities that we as CIS members could connect with, there are 44 education institutions that lie within walking distance of CIS. Branching out towards the wider community, our school could also set up more sustainability-focused projects towards food waste, renewable energy, transportation and recycling. DITO recommends you actively reach out and engage within not only the school-wide community but also exterior communities.

3. Procurement and waste We aim to establish a procurement and waste policy to prioritize purchasing goods and services that could be manufactured and disposed of sustainability, and support locally manufactured services. CIS uses a worrying amount of paper each year, during the 20182019 academic year, we were able to find out that 1-1.5 million were used. 70% of all Hong Kong waste was sent to landfills in 2018, this is especially worrying due to Hong Kong’s continuous decrease of landfill space. DITO recommends you either purchase second-hand uniforms and try to reduce the amount of paper you use.

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School is a Microcosm of Our City

by Bosco Choi, Gloria Poon & Emily Yu | Layout by Airla Fan 「縮影」一概念源於古希臘哲學，指同類型的事物以 具體而微的方式呈現。學校就是城市的縮影，所以校 內行動是改善環保制度的第一步。學生對校園的影響 正反映了他們影響社會的潛能：讓我們憑著生態素養 和熱情去改變世界！

personal hygiene, social distancing, and mask wearing.

The same rules apply in the larger scope of society. In order to keep the doors of our school open, we must make sure we abide by those rules, just like citizens of Hong Kong.

A microcosm, derived from the greek terms “micro” and “cosmos,” or “small world” is defined as “a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something larger”.

However, though the pandemic is causing more stressful situations, what’s more at stake is our environment. As climate change becomes increasingly prominent, it becomes imperative for CIS to incorporate sustainbility into the curiculum and make an explicit commitment to eco-literacy and our environment. The longer we wait to take action, the closer the prospect of irreversible damage looms. We need students and graduates of CIS to always keep sustainbility in mind when making any type of decisions; understanding the choices that are efficient and beneficial to an individual: something as simple as using a plastic bag for groceries instead of a reusable one could have devastating consequences to our environment. We need students and graduates of CIS to who are motivated and will follow their passion about the enviromnment to make a positive change. We need students and graduates of CIS to encourage, inspire and educate others to work collaboratively towards global stewardships.

The notion of a microcosm has dominated philosophical beliefs since the time of the Ancient Greeks. Conceptualized by the philosopher Pythagoras, he viewed the world and cosmos as a unity, the part acting as the whole, and vice versa. He understood the human aesthetic experience was deeply intertwined to the movement of the stars; Cosmos, not only representing the totality of the universe, but that the universe was governed by principles of harmony and balance.

With the rapid growth of technology, society has become more unified, more interconnected. In light of the recent pandemic, our social world has undergone drastic changes, stress levels are tipping us over the edge, practically drowning us, yet we are still powering through. This is because as a community, we are all depending on each other via support, interaction, and trust to us afloat. Taking this into consideration, how is our school a simulation of our larger society?

Zooming into our school, we are tackling the pandemic as efficiently as possible. From sitting in front of a screen from 8 am all the way to 3 pm for Virtual Learning to slowly easing back into a hybrid learning environment, it is needless to say that our routine has no doubt been disrupted from time to time. However, transitions were smooth, as everyone had people around the corner to rely on; students have each other, teachers have other teachers, etc… This interminable loop of networks allows us to make deeper connections, while flourishing and growing in times of crisis.

The school is a safe environment for students to voice our opinions, speak up for environmental activism, and most importantly, take action. As a microcosm of the city, the school sets the tone for how future leaders are capable of great change. If our students and alumni are all capable of shaping the environment to our liking, the school is a catalyst to accelerate our ambitions. Our generation has the potential to change the world. Let’s begin and make our mark today!

In a larger context, the entire world has fixated their attention onto foreign affairs, and many have been quick to scrutinize other countries for its mishandling of the pandemic. However, who is it to blame? The individuals or the governments?

As a citizen and a member of the community, we must take responsibility for our actions. From disregarding COVID regulations to being lax in maintaining basic personal hygiene, the irony and hypocrisy of our own words begin to show itself. Only when everyone works together are we able to curb the spread of the virus. At school, we must follow the same protocol of maintaining

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The The Power Power of of Narrative Narrative & & The The Necessity Necessity of of Systemic Systemic Change Change

近年在全球各地都見到學生大型遊行示威，集體為 不同議題發聲，爭取改變。氣候變遷問題同樣需要 每個人齊心合力，改善環境不但靠個人的生活選 擇，更需要制度性改變。 What is the power of narrative? What is the power of our voice? In the rapidly developing 21st century, we are able to observe just how enthralling and powerful this tool can be. It lurks under the atmosphere. We observe it on the news.

In the US, high school students of our age took to the streets, making their opinion and voice known about the change needed towards gun control. In 2014, approximately 1 million Hong Kong citizens stormed the city demanding change to the law in what would eventually be coined the “Umbrella Revolution.” Perhaps most famously, On May 29, 1856, Bloomsberg, US president Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech regarding slavery that would eventually be known as the “Lost speech.” Said to have been so powerful and engaging observers and journalists neglected to take notes, it is a piece of powerful narrative that has since been lost to the history books.

Time and time again, we have seen just how powerful voice can be. But have we begun to lose sight of this? Climate change has slowly begun to encroach upon daily normal conversations, yet little to no demand for action can be heard. Nowadays in the busy streets of our city, we see a piece of garbage wandering in the empty streets; we leave it there. We are offered a plastic straw that comes with the drink that we just bought; we mindlessly accept it. Ordering take-out that comes in undegradable styrofoam boxes; we just roll with it. Indifference begets neglect. Eventually, we are forced to face the reality we and our previous generation have created ourselves.

Fortunately, though the demand for change has been a quiet one, it has slowly worked its way into many conversations at school. The green lifestyle has assimilated its way into many of our lives, regardless of whether we are consciously aware of it or not, regardless of whether we are

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consciously aware of it or not, regardless of whether we have welcomed it or not. The removal of tetrapaks, the discount for bringing your own cups to purchase beverages on the 9th floor, Green week, these activities have all been designed to focus our attention on climate change and sustainability within our local community. Although change needs to begin with an individual’s actions, ultimately, we need to come together and unite for the future of our planet.

Within the scope of the whole world, these baby steps may seem miniscule, even irrelevant in the span of time. However, if no one was to do these baby steps, how does change begin to happen?

The current system that upholds our community has not only repeatedly failed to show its success in managing climate change, rather it has contributed to the destruction of our climate. From extreme deforestation in the Amazon, to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, to destruction in the Great Barrier Reef with more than half of the entire reef bleached, we are on the brink of no return. We see this same destruction even in our own community; While the bi-weekly visits from DITO’s beach cleanup strand to Stanley and Shek O have made some positive improvements to the landscape, it is still a insurmountable amount of work before significant improvements are observed, with styrofoam and plastic wrappers scattered throughout the beach, and fishing nets potentially dangerous to marine life wedged into the vegetation.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but through commitment and unification, it may just be around the corner; The rise of vegan cuisine as a means to combat climate change by reducing livestock has slowly but surely been working up a storm, particularly with the rise of “Omnipork” becoming more and more popular and mainstream around us.

We can see systemic change is necessary to enact positive change against climate change. Turning off the lights when you exit a room, using metal straws, and wearing sustainable clothing are all excellent ways to tackle our lifestyle habits, but it is only when we all come together that great change will occur. From the White House to our own front door, everyone must take action, whether it is big or small.

Illustration by Orilea Wang

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4 Ways to Think About Sustainability

By Alexander Zhang, Alpha Ngai | Layout by Airla Fan 可持續發展的定義究竟是什麼？如何才能做到全球 環保？我們可以從四個方面來探討此問題：個人的 生活習慣，集體的制度性改變，氣候正義與不平 等，以及消費經濟。隨著氣候變遷問題惡化，你我 都有責任出一分力，共同實現可持續的未來。 There is no doubt that in recent years, the harms that climate change has imposed on our global society has become exponentially worse. As defined by the United Nations, climate change is “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere.” Recognising the disastrous effects it entails, sustainability can be used as a mechanism to combat climate change. But what does sustainability look like?

Due to the large magnitude of the effects of climate change, sustainability can be approached in four main aspects, those of individual action, systematic solution, climate inequality, and market forces.

Firstly, individual action can be characterised by the day to day activities and life choices that each citizen makes in our modern society. Such actions and lifestyle choices include the usage of electricity, choices in diet and transportation, and engagement in efforts to create systemic change. These deeds may seem minuscule and negligible, however once the majority of the population commits to them, the impacts will be largely recognisable.

Secondly, though every small step taken by contributions on the individual level do lead to beneficial outcomes, systematic change is also necessary for long-term change in society as a whole. Systematic change regards actions such as government legislation, entailing stricter regulations on companies that are responsible for a large portion of pollution to be imposed. In the status quo, economic dependence on fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources is ubiquitous on a global scale. Hence, actions on the individual level are simply not enough to solve these large-scale problems. Instead, only international cooperation such as the Paris Agreement as well as several countries including China and Japan setting their

sights on going carbon-neutral in the next few decades will be able to solve this problem.

Furthermore, when looking at climate change from a global perspective, it can be seen that climate change has a disproportionate impact on humans around the world. In lower income areas of the earth along the equator with large coastlines are the areas where the effects of climate change are most visible and amplified due to the fragile economic status that many of these countries have. Therefore, other than thinking about sustainability purely as a solution to preserve the natural condition of our environment, it can be also thought of as a mechanism in which social inequality can be prevented and mitigated.

Lastly, when creating sustainable change in society, economics must be taken into account as it is the backbone of a functioning society. In economic theory, the law of demand states that a higher price for a good or service leads to less consumers purchasing that good or service and vise versa. This fundamental theory of economics can be widely crucial in the implementation of sustainable policies.

One can disincentivize the usage of coal powered electricity through government price floors and regulations. Additionally, the law of supply states that a higher price for a good or service leads to more of that good or service being supplied. This can also be applied in new sustainable industries such as renewable energy. Governments can implement subsidies on such industries to decrease the costs of production and increase the amount supplied while still maintaining a similar price

As António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, once averred: “Climate change is moving faster than we are, but we don’t give up because we know that climate action is the only path.” In view of the fact that we may be easily blindsided and misunderstand the true meaning and importance of sustainability, it is imperative for us to recognise that there is an imminently pressing deadline that, if not met, will bring upon injurious consequences to every single person on this planet. Ergo, we must strive to take action and induce positive change in our society, that, with the combined efforts of us all, will result in a swift and prosperous future that we and generations to come may relish and take pride in.

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We are COEXIST, a migrant workers advocacy group that aims to empower the large community of migrant workers through the arts and mental health support. It is our duty to make them feel cared for, respected and acknowledged for the incredible role they play as the backbone of our city. From art exhibitions to hosting educational events, our ultimate goal is to foster the spirit of inclusiveness and respect amongst the general Hong Kong community.

for themselves, such as masks from the pharmacy.

Foreign domestic helpers’ depressive problems during COVID-19 could be exacerbated by the work climate and career arrangements. These helpers are often forced to live and sleep in a cramped and unsatisfactory atmosphere in Hong Kong households due to a lack of living space. A prior study found that the level of satisfaction towards the working household environment was associated with mental wellAmidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the general being among FDHs in Hong Kong. According population of Hong Kong and migrant to recent studies, the likelihood of contracting Filipina domestic helpers’ psychological COVID-19 is higher in households with larger well-being (e.g., depressive symptoms) have household sizes (i.e., more individuals live been affected greatly. Especially during the in the same house) and greater household COVID pandemic, it was common to see crowding.

Filipina domestic helper’s workload increase as they are responsible for maintaining the It is vital for COEXIST to target this demographic households and taking care of their employers’ and to alleviate some of the mental health families when many public facilities are closed. problems that domestic migrant workers are Furthermore, many of them have reported facing in Hong Kong. difficulties in obtaining protective equipment

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COMMUNITY My helper has always been a huge part of my life. As both of my parents were busy when I was growing up, she was the main parental figure in my life. I remember her sharing snippets of her old life with me and even as a kid, it was shocking to me the pain she had to endure.

Until this day, she has never told me her full story. So here I am, sharing the story of the strongest woman I know.

This is Yati’s story.

“I would play with my friends after school and play hide and seek. We would go to the waterfall and wash our clothes together. We would eat the cashew fruit we stole from the cemetery.”

She had a wonderful childhood. It was a childhood filled with games of hide and seek, waterfalls, and the kind of freedom that can only be experienced through motorcycling down the dirt road of a remote village. She was the eldest of four children, but that was a responsibility she wouldn’t experience until years later.

Her afternoons were spent at the cemetery, where she would steal from the cashew trees and devour them secretly.

Those were her best years.

“I went to school until I was in secondary, I wanted to keep going to school but we didn’t have enough money. I decided to help my mom by working since I am the eldest of the family. I would pick cloves from the cloves trees to sell in order to help out with the financial situation.”

When she was 16, she had to drop out of school. She had always been good at school, she especially enjoyed drawing class. She would’ve loved to continue with her education but that wasn’t a choice for her to make. Every day, she would pick cloves from trees and sell them at the market to earn some money. As the eldest child, she knew this was a responsibility that she could not run away from. When she was a bit older, she decided to

leave her village and go to Jakarta alone to find a job. She became a helper for a rich family. She cleaned, cooked, took care of the kids. She only came back home for the Muslim New Year.

“In 2000, I gave birth to a baby girl. I didn’t eat anything when I was pregnant. After that, I decided to go to Hong Kong where my sister was already working in. I was on a minibus going to Hong Kong. I had a bad feeling before I went on the bus but I didn’t think much of it. I was sitting in the front with my friend, we were eating FOX candies.”

It was 5 am on a Friday. She remembered the exact date.

That morning she woke up bright and early, ready to start a new journey, and this time to Hong Kong. She sat with her friend on the bus, right behind the driver’s seat. She laughed and ate with her friend. The bus ride was long and the day was early, so naturally, she fell asleep. “I don’t know how I ended up sleeping crouched on the ground, but thank god I did”. She woke up to a loud noise. And then there was nothing (“I think I fainted”). When she woke up, she remembered turning to her friend to find blood. There was a gaping wound where her stomach was and blood was gushing relentlessly out of it. It was a scene right out of the horror films she had seen. She stood up to find all 12 people on the bus bleeding out. Her heart started pounding and she didn’t know what to do but she HAD to do something, right?

“I tried to carry all of them out of the bus” Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. That night out of everyone on the bus, only three survived: her, the driver and one other passenger.

“I prayed for all of them” I used to never understand why my helper took her religion so seriously. She would stay in her room at 8 pm every night, praying. Now, I understand: when life throws so much at you, all you can do is pray.

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COMMUNITY “Then, I started working in Hong Kong. It was for a small family of three.”

She only stayed with them for one year. She was in a foreign country where everyone spoke a language completely incomprehensible to her. “Cantonese was so hard, I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying!”

The family she stayed with lived in a tiny apartment in Jordan. Her days consisted of walking, walking, and more walking. Every day, to save transportation money, she had to walk 4 times to and fro the little girl’s school 30 minutes away. One time to go home after sending the girl to school. Twice to send lunch to the girl. And the final time to collect her from school. She was only permitted to take the MTR when the girl was with her.

“I had no freedom there. They would have cameras in the apartment and I couldn’t leave the house without contacting my employer” They made her clean their brother’s apartment, their office, their grandparents’ house. She became a machine that woke up solely for the purpose of cleaning and cooking. “I was very thin because I walked so much. I had no holiday and not much food to eat.” This was her life for one year. One day, when the little girl was playing with her scooter around the apartment while Yati was ironing, she knocked the iron over. The iron fell right on

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Yati’s hand, “my hand became red and I got a huge blister that turned black afterwards.” She didn’t know then, but that was her exit ticket.

Maybe it was out of guilt, or fear, but her employer decided to let her go. One afternoon, her employer told her they would treat her to yumcha, but instead, they brought her to the agency and ended the contract.

After that, she has been with our family ever since.

“I’m so lucky to have my daughter, to have lived despite everything,” she said as she was telling me her story, “now I look back and laugh.” Her life has since slowed down to a comforting routine. “God will always find a way,” she always tells me, “you just have to trust him”.

As I watched her cook our dinner in the kitchen, humming as she chopped up the carrots and onions, I felt closer to her than I had ever before. She has been with our family for 12 years, when she first came, I was only up to her waist, yet, I never tried to know her story. Now, I feel a sense of pride as I watched her, knowing how much she has been through. That is why I am writing this article, to share a voice that would otherwise be unheard, to share a story that would otherwise be untold.

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MerciHK

COMMUNITY

“Thank you Hong Kong” MerciHK (“Thank You Hong Kong”) is a new group in CIS founded and led by Y12 student Ella Sarkis (12G2) that aims to mobilize the expat community to support Hong Kong through the coronavirus pandemic. MerciHK pools resources from the expat community (in the form of financial support or donation of goods or services) to support local communities particularly impacted by Covid-19.

Its main beneficiaries for this year have been frontline healthcare workers and first responders treating infected patients.

When asked about her inspiration to start MerciHK, Ella mentioned her own personal experience.

She moved to HK from Europe and joined CIS when she was 6 : “I have always felt welcomed in Hong Kong despite the fact that I am an expat. I look different, I barely speak Cantonese, but I am still able to live a privileged life. Hong Kong is unique in this regard and it’s hard to find other places where foreigners are treated that well in host countries.

Early in the pandemic, some expats were blamed for not respecting the Covid rules as diligently as locals. And I felt like I needed to act to do something and turn this narrative around. I decided to launch an initiative, led by expats and meant to show appreciation and support in a time of need to the city who has given so much to us and that we’re so lucky to call home”.

MerciHK performed its first action in the spring of 2020, teaming up with a local restaurant company to organize meal donations to hospital staff at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (one of a few hospitals treating Covid patients in Hong Kong).

MerciHK was then incorporated as a CIS community initiative under the leadership of Ms. Uttam and Ella was joined by Year 13 student, Savannah Overton (13Y2).

This allowed MerciHK to scale up, and to date, the group has raised over HKD $70,000 through various initiatives including direct fundraising, handmaking and selling wreaths to CIS families, with support from the CISPTA, and most recently, tutoring children in French and Chinese.

With these funds, MerciHK, by the end of this academic year, has donated over 2,000 meals to frontline healthcare workers treating COVID-19 across 6 different public hospitals.

“It has definitely been challenging to start a new group, especially on the leadership front, having to coordinate and network with hospital authority and companies, which I was not at all familiar with. I am so proud of what Savannah and I have accomplished so far, but mostly am grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to be able to support individuals who are giving and risking so much, and be able to imprint the CIS mark and ethos on our community”

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時事

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The The Syrian Syrian

CURRENT EVENTS

Civil War

By Sean Ye| Illustration by Veda Lee | Layout by Nathan Wu

I n t r o d u c t i o n :

According to the Council of Foreign Relations, over 400,000 casualties, 5 million refugees displaced, 300 chemical attacks launched, the ongoing nine-year Syrian Civil War is one of the most deadly conflicts in the 21st century. The Syrian Arab Republic, also known as Syria is located in the Middle East, bordering the countries of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. To the people of ancient Iraq, which formed around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Syria was also known as the “Eber Nari”, or across the river.

Republic in 1958, but Syria quickly seceded in 3 years. Throughout the 20th century, Syria would participate in multiple other wars against Israel and also participated in a coalition against Hussein’s Iraq.

How did The Civil War Begin?

In February 2011, the Arab Spring was sparked by anti-government protests in several Arab countries calling for political reform and democracy. Although the Syrian Security Force attempted to contain

Early and Recent Hystory of Syria:

During the early 20th century, Syria was ruled by the Ottoman Empire. After World War One, Syria became a French colony. Syrians rebelled against the French rule, eventually leading to France ceding control to the Syrians in 1946 after World War Two. The ruling party was the Ba’athist Party, a party that strongly advocated for Pan-Arabism, Socialism, and Anti-Westernism. This led Syria to be involved in the Arab-Israeli war, which started because Palestine was partitioned by the British as a safe zone for Jewish peoples who were recovering from the holocaust, leading to outrage amongst Arab Palestinians. Syria and Egypt formed a union as the United Arab

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the protests by making several arrests, mass protests spanned across Egypt, Tunisia, and more countries. In March, Syrian Authorities sealed off the city of Dar’ a in hopes of preventing the spread of protests. This event was ultimately useless as the sealing of the city led to outrage and further protests.

Subsequently, President Assad fired his cabinet, and his represent-

atives hinting at major political reforms—unfortunately, none came.

In April, soldiers and tanks were sent to the cities of Baniyas and Homs in order to calm the protests, which were growing increasingly violent. Following the escalating violence, the EU and the USA both sanctioned Syria and its officials.

Formation of the Free Syrian Army:

On July 29, 2011, the Free Syrian Army was formed by soldiers who had defected and were fed up with the Syrian government. In 2011, more countries started to oppose Syria, including previous close allies, such as The Arab League. However, China and Russia aimed to veto any attempt of trying to condemn the Syrian government’s use of violence.

As members of the UN Security Council Big 5, China and Russia could veto any UN resolution in the Security Council. The Russian Delegate explained that condemning the Syrian Government would only hurt peace talks, and the Delegate of China opposed and did not support the use of chemical weapons, but did not support condemning yet as the investigation was still ongoing.

An emergency meeting was called on Christmas Day by the Arab League and the UN in December 2011 to discuss a plan of action, and how peace would be kept.

Leading onto 2012, the conflict

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CURRENT EVENTS

in Syria was officially classified as a civil war by the International Red Cross as the situation kept escalating. In 2013, the Syrian Government started using chemical weapons, leading to the then President of the United States Barack Obama considering military action.

In 2014, the forces of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIL or ISIS) entered into war. They declared themself as a caliphate, which is a form of Islamic state. ISIL used terrorism and social media campaigns to recruit followers and soldiers that helped them fight in the war. In 2016, The Battle of Aleppo ended, with the government declaring victory over the Free Syrian Army in Syria’s largest city. In 2019, Turkey launched an attack against Rojava, a democratic group fighting alongside the Free Syrian Army, using the excuse of trying to maintain its borders. In reality, Turkey was trying to suppress the majority Kurdish population of Rojava, as Southeastern Turkey is full of Kurdish people who have been trying to gain independence. Recently in 2020, the government has become close to claiming victory due to the eradication of ISIS ISIL eradicated, other military groups becoming less and less involved, and The Free Syrian Army and other democratic protests only retaining control of some cities in the North.

Goals of War: The Opposing Forces

Although the war was mainly situated in Syria, many different opposing forces were involved in the Civil War globally. Forces such as the Syrian government, the Democratic protestors, ISIL, Arab League, United States, European Union, Iran, and Hezbollah came together. In favor of the Syrian

Government and the Free Syrian Army, the main parties desired to bring the country under control.

Whereas, the Syrian Government wanted to keep the current regime and the status quo, as the Free Syrian Army and Democratic forces hoped to form a new government, different from the protestor’s original goal of minor reforms to the Assad regime. However, ISIL wanted to establish a caliphate,to cause terror to the world, and to gain global influence. They wanted to return to the original state of Islam, influence many people around the world

also a major blow to the industrial areas and infrastructure in the major cities of Damascus and Aleppo. Chemical weapon attacks, which included chlorine gas, sarin, and sulfur mustard gas, which was mostly initiated by Syrian President Bashar Assad, have caused degradation of soil and vegetation, contaminating the environment and damaging the health of the population. Moreover, 13 million people have been displaced in Syria, with many fleeing to Europe, causing a refugee crisis. Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Syrians have been forced to the brink of starvation and poverty, leaving more than 6.6 million displaced people in crowded camps.

Conclusion:

The Syrian Civil War has affected the geopolitical climate in the Middle East this decade and its years to come. It has caused a once flourishing Syrian nation into

poverty. Moreover, the multiple terrorist attacks have sparked racism and hatred towards refugees in Europe. Even though the Syrian Democratic

through social media, and gain followers and supporters. On the other hand, the Arab League, United States, and European Union yearned for peace and prosperity in the area, while Iran and Hezbollah wanted to up the amount of influence they had in the Levant.

Major Effects of the Civil War:

As a result of the Syrian Civil War, more than 400,000 civilians died, causing severe damage to Syria’s economy, specifically as a leading export country for oil. There was

protestors had a clear vision and gained support, ultimatly, the Syrian Government used weapons to regain their control of the war-torn country. With the United Nations’ indecisiveness, NGOs are unable to contribute much, as major media outlets no longer reported the Syrian Civil War. However, hope still lingers for the future of Syria and its democracy, the world is still awaiting for the government to officially declare victory.

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CURRENT EVENTS

#BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT

By Eric Wu | Illustration and layout by Airla Fan Bang. A sound that was heard across the whole world. A sound that reminded them of the global rallying cry. A sound that motivated up to 26 million people to protest in the streets for days with no end. The death of Treyvon Martin gave birth to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. From a single hashtag, the #BlackLivesMatter movement has expanded into the largest social justice movement of the 21st century, where people from all around the world displayed their dismay with police brutality and systematic oppression against different races.

The following year in 2015, saw more instances of police brutality in the United States, most notably Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, and Meagan Hockaday.

The #BlackLivesMatter movement protested against these deaths that were deemed as oppressive, to change for the better through the means of civil disobedience and public demonstrations. This bolstered the #SayHerName movement that was just emerging, gaining awareness and change towards police brutality against women of color. Controversially, in 2016, Colin Kaepernick knelt during the National Anthem After the acquittal of George Zimmerman, an at the start of many different football games to silently American man who fatally shot Treyvon Martin protest police brutality and racial inequality. LeBron under Florida’s Stand Your Ground statute, Alicia James and Carmelo Anthony, two huge basketball Garza, an online user, went onto Facebook to express stars, further stated “enough is enough” in regards her displeasure with the ruling, quoting “Black Lives to police brutality at the beginning of an awards Matter”. The founders, specifically Patrisse Cullors ceremony. Having international celebrities like these saw the potential in this phrase and decided to speak out and discuss the topic at hand heavily make it a hashtag through the growing rise of social influenced more and more people about this topic. media. Eventually, the hashtag began taking form and gaining attention worldwide, with each case On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed when a of police brutality reinforcing the movement. As police officer kept on kneeling on Floyd’s neck, as more and more users heard the news, whether from he desperately pleaded, “Please I can’t breathe” and mainstream sources or from social media sites like “Don’t kill me”. His death brought the subject of police Facebook and Twitter, the movement garnered more brutality into the limelight, gathering protestors in attention and called for change. In July of 2014, Eric areas including Australia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Garner was killed when a policeman put him in a etc. The killing of George Floyd, among protesters prohibited chokehold under the suspicion of selling all over the world, led to community outrage after individual cigarettes. Subsequently, in August 2014, mainstream media covered these issues for months Michael Brown was shot 6 times under self-defense, on end. There were times where protests in the U.S. with the last shot being fatal. These events turned have gone up for 2 months straight, most notably in the #BlackLivesMatter movement into a physical Portland, which saw months of daily protests, after presence through the growing sense of comradery insufficient change in the status quo and more counts and strength in numbers that the online users felt. of police brutality, notably the case of Breonna Taylor.

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CURRENT EVENTS to Pew Research Center, 23% of the users in the United States claimed that social media changed their perception, either positively and negatively of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, police brutality and political parties. Beyond a messaging platform, it turned into an online space where information and different messages can be widely accessible to each other. The movement brought global awareness and participation of police brutality and long-lasting structural change to political systems. Recently, some states are slowly defunding their police departments, sending different professionals to different situations instead of the same police officers. Specifically in New York City, they have started to respond to 911 calls that call for mental health professionals, in order to Throughout the 7 years of endless campaigning, what stop over-reliance on police officers. has the movement achieved? The #BlackLivesMatter movement made significant changes globally by The #BlackLivesMatter movement still has a long way redefining the way social justice gets its roots to go in achieving its ultimate goals of advocating and and how movements could reach from people to achieving civil disobedience against police brutality people. Relying immensely on social media, the and racism. There will always be a spark of change role of dominant social capital platforms proved in the world that will unite our divided nation, pull the empowerment and unity of people who stood the strength from numbers, and make real systematic together and united under a single cause. According change happen.

Some of these movements were not met with overwhelming positiveness, criticisms about the #BlackLivesMatter movement was aroused from the lack of hierarchy and structure in the movement. Most notably, from the movement’s civil disobedience.

Instead, some protests led to riots which caused the destruction of property, and countless injuries for both the police and protestors. Many of the critics called for the #BlackLivesMatter to be fully peaceful and end community violence. However, some of the people in the movement defended, saying that the violence is what garners attention, the violence is justified under all that has happened to the black communities.

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CURRENT EVENTS As multiple protests such as the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the climate strikes spread their influence across the world, countries in turmoil began to take notice and gather the courage to start a social movement in their own country— the ongoing national opposition strike in Belarus. Tired of being led by the relentless ruler, Alexander Lukashenko for the past 26 years, Belarusians reached their limit and began protesting against their ruler.

Lukashenko has been in power since 1994,often dubbed as ‘Europe’s Last Dictator’ for his reported

lack of regard for human rights.

During the elections, the majority of people in Belarus claimed to vote for Syvatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposing candidate, as she vowed to steer Belarus away from Lukashenko’s ruthless ways, yet the official results show that Lukashenko won in a landslide. Thousands in Belarus decry government rigging of the polls, leading to mass protests and political demonstrations. The Belarusian public took to the streets to protest against the outcome, resulting in an unprecedented amount of arrests and deaths

.

On May 29, 2020, notable blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky was arrested for launching a campaign to unseat the current president, Lukashenko, frequently criticized for disregarding human rights, and constant homophobia due to his catchphrases, ‘it is better to be a dictator than gay’ and ‘if a woman is a lesbian, it’s the man’s fault’. Most recently, his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was to ‘drink vodka and go to the sauna’ got him under fire.

Belarus Protests

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CURRENT EVENTS Despite the continuous arrests of her fellow opposition members who were barred from being candidates, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya pushed forward, and rallied along with 60,000 others, chanting for freedom from the ‘tyrannical’ ruler.

After Lukashenko was announced as the president, the opposition demanded to see the ballots and wanted a recount. Germany and the European Union also requested Belarus for a recount, yet Lukashenko said that all the ballots were already destroyed. The election outcomes estimated that Tikhanovskaya would win 60-70% of the votes, yet Lukashenko won by a huge margin. On August 10, protests began to spring up across the country using stun grenades, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons that bombed the city within 3 hours. Arrestees were piled into trucks, violently beaten and were reportedly assaulted in over-crowded jail cells. Lukashenko’s response was to completely block Belarus from accessing the internet and left them without a way to communicate with each other, and the outside world for 3 days. During those 3 days, Lukashenko’s once most loyal supporters also began protesting against the rigged elections and police brutality.

During the protests, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was reportedly held under government control for 3 hours. After she was released, Tikhanovskaya and her children fled to Lithuania. Belarusian State media then released a video of her where she appeared to be reading from a script, pleading protesters to stop. Her campaign partner, Maria Kolesnikova, said that “we think this video was recorded under pressure from law enforcement authorities,” but no information about the video was released by the government.

Lukashenko subsequently met with Vladimir Putin, President of Russia to discuss the future of Belarus in hopes of remaining allies. Putin

met with Lukashenko on September 17, pledging to give Lukashenko 1.5 billion euros for funding of the police and military. Even heavier crackdowns happened, BBC reported that riot police used live rounds on protesters, causing 6 deaths in total from the police. The latest death was announced on October 3, when a man died in intensive care after suffering a moderate traumatic brain injury, a skull fracture, and 11 broken right ribs. When he regained consciousness, he reported to medical officials that he was beaten by police, but the government fraudulently announced that he fell off the top bunk and suffered the subsequent injuries. The government’s reporting was inconsistent with what medical staff was told, leading to suspicion.

In efforts to tone down the violence, Canada and the United Kingdom froze Lukashenko’s assets on September 29. On October 2, the European Union announced that they did not see Lukashenko as a legitimate president and agreed to sanction 40 officials who allegedly meddled with the electoral votes. Furthermore, the United States had sanctions on Lukashenko since 2006, but due to the recent events, sanctioned another 8 officials. The sanctions were placed in hopes to deter further violence, but Lukashenko’s party and the opposition party have yet to come to a non-violent agreement. Police have since scaled down the acts of brutality after the backlash from the EU. Arrests went from 317 to around 100 after the talks.

Angered by the sanctions, Lukashenko revoked all accreditation for foreign journalists, barring foreign journalists from further reporting on the situation. He remains defiant, blaming the protests on foreign influence and meddling.

On October 4, a hundred thousand protesters flooded the streets showing solidarity with the members of the opposition that have been arrested. Parents who participated in majorly peaceful protests were

also interrogated by the police and were threatened with the loss of custody. Seeing little to no change in Lukashenko’s stance, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic recalled their ambassadors from Belarus. Russia also put the leader of the opposition, Tikhanovskaya on the Russian wanted list in return.

The road to hope and peace isn’t crystal clear yet, but foreign influences will play a great role in its next steps. German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, will meet with the opposition leader in Lithuania, discussing their further tactics.

Funds like the Belarus Solidarity Foundation have been set up to aid protesters who have been injured and pay for their bail. Other ways to help would be through global petitions and spreading awareness to gain international media attention.

Hopefully, these protests will end in peace with the transfer of power to the democratically elected leader.

Tikhanovsky content revolved around the Belarusian government corruption, which led to the government launching multiple criminal probes against him. Furious by the arrest of her husband, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, his wife, decided to run for president. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist since 1994, claimed the country was not ready to vote for a woman or to have a woman in a place of power.

Lukashenko’s main opposition at the time, Mikola Statkevich, was arrested 2 days later along with 140 people from rallies across the country. In the following month, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation announced that it was not invited to oversee the election, as it has since 2001, leading to suspicions across the country. Throughout the months of May to July, Lukashenko has repeatedly accused the Kremlin of meddling in their affairs, which the Kremlin denied.

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我們的抗疫英雄

By Agnes Wong | Illustration by Kaylee Zhang | Layout by Zoe Zheng

⼆零⼀九年對⾹港來說實在是令⼈不安的⼀年，這邊 廂社會運動還沒平息，那邊廂新冠狀病毒便在武漢開 始傳播開來，⽽且世界每⼀個⻆落也慢慢陷⼊了這可 怕病毒的陰影。經歷過⼆零零三年「沙⼠」疫情的⾹ 港也再次被病魔折磨，多得⽇夜堅守崗位的前線醫護 ⼈員，香港比起其他地區的確診個案較低，總算平復 了一波又一波的疫情。

與病魔的⾾爭

⼆零零三年「沙⼠」發⽣的時候，我當時做內科醫生 的爸爸正在8A病房⼯作，他就是第⼀批被感染的醫 護⼈員。當年他不幸染病，從⼀位醫⽣變成了病⼈， 慶幸只和死神差⾝⽽過。⼗七年後的今天，他⼜再次 ⾯對這世紀疫症，不過這次他的⾝份不再是病⼈，⽽ 是在病房與其他醫護⼈員並肩跟病魔作戰的前線醫護 ⼈員。經歷了兩次疫症的他，深深了解到病⼈的感受 和前線醫護⼈員所肩負的重⼤責任。 他說著，這昔⽇的畫⾯⼜再次重播。「那一週的星期 ⼆下午，我突然收到了⼀個同事的電話，告訴我已經

「我還記得發病的那⼀天是⼆零零三年三⽉初的 ⼀個星期天，⼀起床後便覺得異常的冷，不停的 發抖。雖然第⼆天我開始發燒，但我還是照常的 上班去，但回到醫院卻發現⼤約⼗五⾄⼆⼗位同 事也有同樣的症狀。情況的確有⼀些不尋常，但 因為我們沒有呼吸道的症狀，就只是照上司的建 議回家休息，希望病症能夠快快的退掉。」

有近三四⼗位醫護⼈員染病了，叫我盡快回醫院做檢 查，當晚我就和其他有病徵的同事被隔離了。在醫院 隔離病房待了接近⼀個星期，我的肺部掃描開始顯⽰ 肺炎的跡象，⽽每天都有同事因為呼吸困難要進⼊深 切治療部，這時我才知道了⾃⼰患上了嚴重的急性呼 吸系統綜合症。」 他說，接著的兩個星期是最⾟苦的階段，因為他的病 情急轉直下，肺部的發炎情況越來越嚴重。他雖然已 接受了⾼濃度氧氣治療，但仍然覺得喘不過氣來，連 坐起來吃東西的⼒氣也沒有，只可以⼀直⾄躺在床 上。這時候，內科及藥物治療學系教授沈祖堯醫生更 告訴他若果病持續惡化就會安排他⽤呼吸機。他由本

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來年輕健壯的年輕⼈，突然變得像⼀個植物⼈似的， 不單⽌⾝體能⼒⼤⼤降低，⼼理上也⼤受打擊，⾯對 這陌⽣的病毒，他作為⼀位醫⽣也覺得⾮常無助。雖 然如此，他充分信任照顧他的醫療團隊的能⼒，也沒 有放棄⾃⼰，靠著⾃⼰堅強的意志，終於戰勝病魔， 慢慢的康復了。他回憶說：「在這三個⽉漫長的康復 路途上，令我最刻⻣銘⼼的一刻便是終於能夠離開病 床的時候，回頭發現了⾃⼰在床上留下了⼀個深深的 ⼈形印。」

T h N b d m a h w u t c a b

「沙⼠」與冠狀病毒

把⼆零零三年的「沙⼠」相⽐起現在的冠狀病毒，當 年的病毒對醫療界來說是完全陌⽣的，最初沒有準確 的檢測方式，保護裝備亦⽋缺，所以醫護⼈員都是冒 著被染病的⾵險上班。到了今時今⽇，醫院的反應不 但迅速，⽽且隔離和防疫的措施有⼤⼤的進步。可是 這病毒⽐起沙⼠傳染⼒更強，病⼈在沒有症狀的情況 下也可以傳播給別⼈，所以更難控制散播速度。幸 好，⾹港的醫護⼈員兩次都能堅守崗位，沒有離棄病 ⼈，以及盡⼒服務市民，這個疫情才得以慢慢的舒 緩。

疫情留下的烙印

「就算疫情多麼的嚴重，我們作為醫護⼈員⼀定會抱 著積極和認真的⼼態來⾯對它和照顧病⼈。」我爸爸 堅決的表⽰，「⾃從我曾經做過『沙⼠』的病⼈後， 我所經歷的⼼理變化對以後的⼯作有了很⼤的啟發， 因為我更懂得怎樣體諒病⼈的⼼情和跟他們溝通，也 能充分了解他們承受的精神壓⼒。」 記得⼩時候，爸爸常常苦⼝婆⼼地提醒我和哥哥要經 常洗⼿和保持個⼈衛⽣，但我們卻覺得他很囉嗦，有 時候也沒有聽他的。到了今天，我⾃⼰親⾝經歷這世 紀疫症才明⽩到他叮囑背後是因著他不平凡的經歷。 因此，作為⼀個負責任的公民，我們應該注重個⼈衛 ⽣，勤洗⼿，⽣病的時候要戴⼝罩和留在家中休息， 也要每年接受流感疫苗，以減低醫療系統的負擔。這 場冠狀病毒疫情已經維持了一段十分長的時間，各地 的醫護人員都拼盡了全力去守護每一個病人，有的更 加犧牲了自己的性命，這高尚的情操實在令我感到十 分佩服和感激，我也非常渴望將來能夠成為他們的一 分子，為醫學界出一分力。

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California

By Madison Lau | Photography by Tallie Lin & Emma Hu | Layout by Alyssa Merwise

The largest California Wildfire complex ever recorded in history continuously burns through the Coast Range of Northern California, is this the new normal? Wildfires have been blazing in California for decades due to its alarmingly dry, hot and windy weather during the spring and autumn months. Normally, the wildfire season peaks between July and November, when the weather is in its extreme, mostly hot and windy. The wildfire season is expected to end when the first significant autumn rainstorm arrives, which usually happens around the middle or end of October. In the past decade, as a result of the devastating impacts of climate change, temperatures in California have peaked and repeatedly contributed to the natural disasters caused by the wildfires.

On August 16 and 17, 38 separate wildfires were started by dry lightning strikes across Northern California, in Glenn, Tehama, Mendocino, Lake and Trinity counties.

The series of wildfires is known as the August Complex fire, particularly the main fire of the complex was called the Doe Fire. By August 30, the Doe Fire had absorbed the Tatham fire, the Hull and the Glade fires, three of the largest fires in the complex. In the past few weeks, the fires have continued to spread rapidly due to high winds and temperatures of 32 to 43˚C. On September 10, the August Complex had burnt through over 471,000 acres of land, surpassing the Mendocino Complex Fire in 2018, which burnt through 459,123 acres of land.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the August Complex is one the largest, record-breaking fire complex in California history. As of October 1, the wildfires had burned through nearly 4 million acres of land this year.

A contributing factor of wildfires is climate change because of its effect on the weather. As climate change worsens, the weather in California gets drier and hotter.

This causes the forest fuels to become drier and more flammable, therefore allowing wildfires to travel faster and consume more. Bad land use and irresponsible forest management are also contributing factors as they produce the same result of climate change, but climate change will affect the forests regardless of who owns the land, Because of this, the number of fires have doubled since 2001. Although climate change is a contributing factor, it is not the only cause of the wildfires. While some fires are caused by natural occurrences like lightning strikes on poorly managed vegetation, 90% of the wildfires are unintentionally caused by humans. For example, The El Dorado fire was ignited on the 5th of September after a smoke generating pyrotechnic device originally intended to be used at a gender reveal party ignited a tall patch of grass at the El Dorado Ranch park. The El Dorado fire burned through nearly 23,000 acres of land and caused over $8 million of damage.

As a result of the August Complex, there have been over 30 human casualties, firefighters and citizens alike.

Aside from casualties, more than 3,300 structures have been destroyed and up to 200,000 Californians have been displaced. Although many animals have escaped or hid from the wildfires, it had brought lasting impact to numerous numbers of rabbits, deer, frogs, mice, foxes, coyotes and other animals that have been burned alive and forced out of their habitats.

Not only were the wildfires endangering humans and animals, it is also affecting the economy. The wages have increased due to the fires, the labour market has been disrupted and local employment increases whenever large sums of money are spent on the county. In 2000, the US experienced their first wildfire season that cost more than $1 billion, but in this year alone, they have spent over $10 billion on wildfire expenses, including property damage and losses and decreased tourism.

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Wildfires On September 14, President Donald Trump visited California, Sacramento to address the wildfires onsuming the West Coast. Trump denied the extremity of climate change and believed that the main cause of the Wildfires was due to a lack of forest vegetation management. In the September 14 conference, Trump states, “It’ll start getting cooler, you just watch”. Ever since, Trump has declared the California wildfires as a “major disaster” and provided financial support to California, despite previously intending to withhold emergency aid due to political differences. However, Biden disagrees with Trump’s approach to the California Wildfires.

Previously, in a speech addressing climate change and responding to Trump’s view on climate change, Biden called Trump a “climate arsonist” and claimed, “If he(Trump) gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly”. Biden’s perspective was generally more positively received, but both points were valid and supported.

“

If he(Trump) gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating and more deadly

Aside from the financial aid provided by the government, charities including American Red Cross, California fire foundation, Go Fund Me and many more have been accepting donations to help victims of the wildfires to find shelter, food and other basic necessities. In California, many nearby residents unaffected by the fires have also decided to open their homes to wildfire victims and adopted displaced animals. As part of the local and global community, we can donate money to show our support to the wildfire victims, and help spread awareness and gain support. Although it will be a challenging journey for California to combat this challenge, it is also everyone else’s responsibility to do their part to help climate change and pray for those affected by the wildfires.

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Social Worker, Legco Candidate, and Tour Guide:

JEFFREY ANDREWS And His Work Towards Racial Equality for Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong

By Alexander Arnold| Photography by Luca Lo | Layout by Nathan Wu

O

n July 21st, 2019, several hundred men armed with sticks and metal rods entered Yuen Long MTR station, unleashing a flurry of violence on passengers and protestors returning home from that day’s pro-democracy protest. Thirty-nine minutes later, the police arrived, momentarily ending the attack. However, as soon as they left, the attackers returned for a second wave of violence. Many of the assailants were recognized as prominent members of triads in Hong Kong. It was also noted that many of the attackers were of an ethnic minority background.

Three months later, on October 16th, Jimmy Sham, the convenor of the pro-democracy organization Civil Human Rights Front, was left bleeding on the street as he was attacked by five non-locals armed with hammers and knives.

It was during the height of Hong Kong’s anti-extradition bill protests that a passion and resistance never seen before in Hong Kong emerged. However, this passion was accompanied by a more distasteful emotion: revenge. Tensions between locals and ethnic minorities skyrocketed.

Jeffrey Andrews I first came across Jeffrey Andrews in my readings about Hong Kong. I began reading about Hong Kong’s issues in June of 2019. Usual issues stood out to me, such as Hong Kong’s geriatric and dysfunctional electoral system, or the economic disaster that is housing prices in Hong Kong. These were topics frequently debated about by the media and the community.

However, what seemed missing to me was discourse regarding race relations in Hong Kong. No doubt, it was a pressing issue, but the media rarely touched upon it and the population

seemed to have little care or interest in it. But when the issue was brought up, there was one name that stood out—Jeffrey Andrews.

For the few that have made the deep dive into the discussion of the status of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, Jeffrey Andrews is an easily recognizable name. A man of Indian descent, Andrews was born and raised in Hong Kong, the grandson of an immigrant. He attended a local English Medium of Instruction (EMI) school dedicated to ethnic minorities, essentially segregated from the education of his local peers. As a result, he didn’t learn proper Cantonese. Eventually, in form 5 (Year 12), he dropped out of school and ended up down the dark path of crime. After 2 years, he was arrested. For Andrews, this was an awakening: he was suddenly well aware of the dangers of the life he was leading. Inspired by the social worker who helped him out of his own troubles, Andrews decided to become a social worker himself, one of the first of non-local descent, with the goal of improving the lives of ethnic minority Hong Kongers. Now, as a pioneer at the forefront of race relations between ethnic minorities and locals in Hong Kong, Andrews is ambitious but capable.

We hopped on a call on a Sunday morning. Andrews seemed very busy, hailing in a few minutes late as his wife toggled with and deciphered Zoom’s controls.

The plight of ethnic minorities I entered the discussion expecting the conversation to be about day-to-day racism against non-locals. However, what Andrews presented to me was relatively surprising and new to

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me. He emphasized that what ethnic minorities faced was essentially structural violence, characterizing the status quo as one in which Hong Kong’s marginalized were directly and indirectly harmed by inequalities of almost every nature.

Slightly confused, I inquired: “What about racism from other citizens?”

He replied, “Everyday racism and discrimination, I think that can be solved, and I am seeing a huge change. Twenty years ago, nobody would know ethnic minorities the way they do today.”

“Inefficient and Ineffective, and Incompetent” In March of 2020, when faced with the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrews, as a prominent representative of ethnic minorities, was invited to a meeting with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). A government department intended to reduce inequalities of all sorts in Hong Kong, they wanted to converse with Andrews on how to continue helping ethnic minorities become more equal in society. During the meeting, the idea of “centers for ethnic minorities” was proposed, one that Andrews felt was quite agreeable. As the group began to reach somewhat of a consensus, one of the members of the EOC chimed in: “What is the point of these centers when all ethnic minorities take their children to get married at the age of 12?” Andrews was appalled - this was meant to be the Equal Opportunities Commission, yet such insensitive comments were being made. How could this body of government be trusted to make a difference in Hong Kong?

This seemed to be Andrews’ greatest frustration: the government and political structures of Hong Kong, and how it signified a more institutionalized and systemic racism as opposed to the interpersonal type that I had brought up. He felt that much of the struggle existed in the government’s inability to protect the marginalized ethnic minorities of Hong Kong, never mind bringing them up to the status of equality. He raised another example for me.

In 2018, the government decided to delegate $500 million (HKD) to ethnic minorities, representing 1.25% of the government’s predicted expenditures for that year. Andrews acknowledged to me that this was a huge step forward, recognizing that this would not even have been considered as a possibility fifteen years ago. On the other hand, he argued that this budget granted the government a false sense of complacency and accomplishment: “it’s given them this attitude, of ‘oh we’ve done so much, it’s your community from here forward’, which basically implies that we are lazy and we are the ones doing nothing”. He also argued that the government’s use of this money may have turned out to be “inefficient and ineffective”, raising several questions: “where is this money going? Do they actually have performance pledges, policies, do they look into where this money is actually going? Has it actually made an impact?”

And it is fair to say that it likely has not made an impact, as Andrews argued right afterwards. The COVID-19 pandemic has in no way saved ethnic minorities from the government’s failures: In March, word began trickling around that Muslim ethnic minorities crossing Hong Kong’s borders were not being

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provided Halal food in their 14-day mandatory quarantine periods. Worse yet, in September, the COVID-19 tests of two Nepalese family members were switched up by accident, and the wrong family member was hospitalized. The Center for Health Protection’s sham of an apology? “Nepali names look quite similar to us”.

How can the systemic discrimination of ethnic minorities be solved if these are the kinds of people who are supposed to be solving it?

Another major factor is Hong Kong’s “half-democracy”.

Andrews spoke to me about the importance of representation of ethnic minorities in government positions, of which there currently is none. Legislative positions in Hong Kong are only half elected by the people, while the Chief Executive’s position, which has deciding power over the government’s staff, is only elected by a select committee of 1200 elites. This renders the probability of ethnic minority representation little-to-none.

Andrews told me he feels that if Hong Kong had a more democratic political structure, many of these issues could be tackled, as politicians representative of ethnic minorities or at least more competent politicians would now be more likely to be voted in.

“Segregation” To Andrews, another critical game-changer was education. I wholly agree, as anyone else would, for education is one of the most impactful factors in determining one’s success. And in Hong Kong, existing mechanisms in the education system are inherently injurious.

In the late 1800s, Hong Kong’s British population grew rapidly.

Needing schools to teach the children of the British, the colonial government demanded that schools begin teaching with English as the primary language of instruction. Fast forward to the 1970s, as talks of return to China grew, so did discussion for returning to Chinese as the language of instruction.

However, there remained a large ethnic minority (Caucasians included) population in Hong Kong and an ever-increasing number of expatriates, and hence a sustained demand for schools that taught using English. As a result, English Medium of Instruction (EMI) schools were created, to run a different curriculum from the majority Chinese Medium of Instruction (CMI) schools. Today, there are around 100 EMI schools in Hong Kong, consisting of a variety of local, private, and international schools.

However, EMI schools have their downsides. As most communication happens in languages other than the local spoken dialect of Cantonese, students end up not learning how to speak Cantonese properly. This is made worse by how the government has pushed for education to be more focused on Mandarin, leaving ethnic minorities forced to pick up the Cantonese dialect from locals instead of properly learning to speak it. While international and private school students are generally privileged enough to lead successful lives overseas or in expat circles without fluency in Cantonese, most ethnic minorities are forced to default to manual and high labor jobs that have meager wages to offer, all thanks to the language barrier brought about by the “segregation” of schools, as Andrews described it. As a result, parents would likely be unable to provide

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proper education for their ethnic minority children, creating a vicious cycle of poverty.

Andrews added on to this, stating that much of the issue came from admissions systems for kindergartens. Andrews felt that kindergarten was critical, as it would be a phase in the lives of children where they would learn Cantonese, essentially deciding whether or not these children would end up in EMI or CMI schools. Often, non-locals would end up unable to pay for kindergarten tuition, or are just flat-out rejected under the rationale that they would be impossible to teach. As a result, they would end up unable to enter CMI schools, now subjected to the aforementioned cycle of poverty and marginalization. Education systems will have to be assessed and likely reformed in order to bring the people of ethnic minorities into the light.

Society’s players On March 17th, 2009, Dil Bahadur Limbu, a man of Nepalese descent, was shot by a policeman twice and killed.

Allegedly, when asked to present identity documents, he had picked up a wooden chair. The police force also alleged that the policeman had been punched in the eye and that he had attempted to use non-lethal means of pepper spray to subdue him. They also claimed that Limbu had a criminal record and a history of mental illness. Inspections showed no traces of pepper spray on Limbu’s body and no blunt force injuries on the policeman, and little other signs of a physical altercation, save for two bullet holes in Limbu’s body. The coroner’s court ruled it a lawful killing.

No independent commission of inquiry was set up, and the case was closed. The media reacted brazenly, with the Sing Pao Daily headlining their report with “Police Kill ‘Savage’”, and Apple Daily saying that “Limbu was used to curry so he could handle pepper spray”.

Ten years later, it seems that little has changed. On May 7th, 2020, a Southeast Asian man was subdued and killed in a fashion similar to George Floyd, roughly a week earlier.

Yet this was entirely different—it made little news. The police claimed that he had been “smashing things up” and that he “resisted arrest”. No inquiry was set up, and yet again, the case was closed. News media, in the wake of 6 months of protests, continued pushing their own agendas, as pro-democracy media like Apple Daily decried police brutality and pro-Beijing media like Ta Kung Pao continued to push racist tropes and narratives in support of the police.

What changed in the two situations? Not the police, for they have only grown more corrupt since 2009. What has changed is the people. After facing half a year of police brutality themselves, locals began to empathize with the long challenge that has faced Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities, a significant starting step in bringing Hong Kongers of all types together and ending day-to-day racism. The media’s portrayal, too, made a difference: as short-lived as the engagement on the ethnic minority struggle in Hong Kong was, it was a start, and it shaped the perspectives of many locals towards ethnic minorities thereafter.

Struggles to stay afloat

Ethnic minorities in Hong Kong have also had to deal with monetary disadvantages, something that Andrews felt was still quite overlooked in Hong Kong. In 2018, a government report showed that almost 20% of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority population was living below the poverty line, a figure up from several years earlier. As bad as it was, Andrews argued that it was worse than described, rationalizing that expats accounted for quite a bit of this figure, which potentially distorted the statistics to conceal the true economic struggle of Southeast Asian Hong Kongers.

Andrews mentioned that the severity of the situation likely owed to the hand-me-down system of inequity facing minorities described earlier.

A massive step forward for everybody In the aftermath of the brutal attack of Jimmy Sham, many on protest forum LIHKG discussed revenge against ethnic minorities. Amidst threats of attacks against the Kowloon Mosque or Chungking mansions, two hubs for the ethnic

minorities of Hong Kong, Andrews and a friend decided to visit Sham in the hospital to act as “ambassadors”. Not long after, some thirty others had joined Andrews and his friend in visiting Sham at the hospital. Only two were allowed in to speak to Sham, and when they came out, their reports were positive, as Andrews recounted: “Jimmy Sham said he didn’t see the ethnicity of the person or the color of their skin. He just wanted us to make sure that we protected the mosque and Chungking mansions”.

“The next day, things were calming down, but the threats were there. The threats were so unbelievable, that even Chungking mansions, which is usually not afraid of anybody, where people are in fact afraid to come in, issued a notice to all shop owners telling them to close their shops on Saturday. For the first time, a lot of minorities were calling each other, saying should we stay indoors, let’s not go to the mosque, let’s not go to Chungking, and I’m just thinking: this is Hong Kong! What is happening? Since when do these things happen?”

That Saturday, 350,000 people came out for a march that was supposed to be led by the now-hospitalized Sham.

Andrews and his friends were amongst them: they placed themselves outside Chungking mansions, handing out water bottles to marchers as they passed by, acting as “peace ambassadors”.

The reaction, to Andrews, was unforgettable and amazing: “People were like, wow, this is amazing, in this crazy politi-

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cal atmosphere, these guys are still willing to stand outside and be peace ambassadors, and I can tell you, that day was one of the most beautiful in race relations in Hong Kong.

I would never imagine in my life, that outside Chungking mansions, where local people would never have walked in, never would have wanted to go beside this building, they were coming and taking our water bottles, shaking our hands, hugging us. You could see that while we were all going through this crazy time in Hong Kong, we were standing outside there brave enough to say, ‘we are all Hong Kongers.’ Even though there was someone who thought, let’s create another race riot, yet we did a 香港 thing. We did this with the Hong Kong spirit.”

“ You could see that while we were all going through this crazy time in Hong Kong, we were standing outside there brave enough to say, ‘we are all Hong Kongers.’ ” Ironically enough, that afternoon, the police inexplicably doused the Kowloon mosque with blue-dyed water from a water cannon, later claiming they had done so to “protect” it. For the first time in 4 months, leader Carrie Lam apologized for something, personally traveling to the mosque to speak to Muslim leaders. For the week after, in Andrews’ words, ethnic minorities were “trending”, with many people wanting to find out more about them, and others presenting them very positively.

The next day, LIHKG woke up and began labeling ethnic minorities as “手足” (comrades, allies), saying they were going to “懲罰” (punish) the shops in Chungking mansions. Andrews recollected his reaction, “Shit! They’re going to come and punish us now for real, why?! We have no more water, we are screwed!” It was not until a friend called in and explained that “懲罰” meant patronization that they realized they were in for a treat. That whole week, shops at Chungking were packed with locals. “We couldn’t even find seats at the restaurants, it was filled!”

On the 25th of October, many began organizing to come in en masse after work. Andrews took this head-on, organizing tours for people to walk around and explore Chungking mansions, and advertising them on all sorts of social media. Forty-five minutes before the first tour was scheduled to start, the lines stretched a hundred and fifty meters down the street. For the next five hours, an assortment of about a dozen tour guides held tours for all sorts of people, elderlies, children, and so on. The event, which funnily enough coincided with Divali that year, granted Chungking mansions a packed and festive atmosphere. Andrews said, “truly remarkable”.

“And it’s a massive step forward for everybody”, I prompted, to which he replied, “Absolutely. This is a massive step forward for everybody. This is something where the government should be calling us up and partnering with us

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on this. But they didn’t. Because they see us as all ‘yellow’ and opposition.”

However, these events brought the inevitable and dangerous topic of politics into play. As Andrews’ ambassador actions had been seen as support for protests, he began to be labeled as “yellow” by the media. Though Andrews supported democracy, he rightfully argued that eliminating racism in Hong Kong was a bipartisan topic and one that should have received bipartisan support, and that his work on improving relations between locals and ethnic minorities should have nothing to do with his political stances.

“Now, people keep asking me, are you yellow or blue? You know, back in the day, they just say, you are black. The media also always comes in and asks, which restaurants are yellow? And I reply, no one is yellow or blue around here.

The only thing that is yellow is the curry”.

“To this day, I am still being labeled as yellow. And I don’t mind that, but they will label you as not approachable, not to be worked with, and that for me is the painful thing in Hong Kong. We need to work with opposition. In order for society to work, we need to sit down together. We need to work together. And I want to do that.”

A dabble into politics In a bid to win a majority in the Hong Kong legislature through the now-postponed election, the pan-democratic camp organized a primary election to narrow the final set of candidates who would run. A new face popped up, one of a different color than any other candidate: Jeffrey Andrews’ face. He was the first person of Southeast Asian descent to contest in Hong Kong’s legislative council elections.

He suffered a loss. But to him, that was no issue. He was plenty happy about his choice to run in the first place.

He argued Hong Kong had long lacked ethnic minority representation, hence this social issue in the first place. He felt that it was problematic when ethnic minorities had to rely on local politicians who would never work in their best interests, and always for their own political agendas. On the other hand, if ethnic minorities could have their own representation in policy-making bodies, they would have the power to swing things in their own favor.

He was also very satisfied with the campaign that he had run. In his eyes, he had gotten his name out there, he had woken up Hong Kong, and reminded everybody that ethnic minorities existed and mattered.

“Yellow” and “blue” are the two defining colors for opinions on Hong Kong’s democracy movement, with “yellow” people being pro-democracy and “blue” people being pro-establishment

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“The blue side in Hong Kong represents the elites of ethnic minorities, while the yellow side tries to represent grassroots ethnic minorities. But there’s no genuine voices here.” He added gleefully and confidently, “my campaign has done a lot. It has opened up the conversation, they’re forced to think, now we’ve got to listen to these guys. It’s only a matter of time before they take one of our seats.”

“People tell me I’m crazy, they say, ‘Jeff, this is suicidal [for entering politics]. You can’t go back.’ But I don’t want to go back. I want to keep going forward.”

Going Forward And to Andrews, this next step forward would be dialogue.

He contended that in order for society to progress in the fight against racism, both sides had to sit down together and fight to end racism. He brought up Carrie Lam’s “community dialogue” session, where she tried to speak with people from society in the wake of social unrest.

He argued that there were no ethnic minorities present, essentially rendering it useless as the dialogue failed to represent all sectors of the Hong Kong community. He felt that Carrie Lam should have strived to show authenticity in the dialogue by allowing all communities to represent themselves— “I think all sides need to sit down together, and not the sham of dialogue that Carrie Lam held.”

He also brought up the legislative council, whose chamber had recently descended into complete anarchy after a set of quarrels went violent. He pointed at the government, which, as explained earlier, had been completely inefficient and ineffective in helping ethnic minorities. Instead, he told me this: “We need government, ethnic minorities, local politicians, and young leaders to sit down and talk things out.”

He told me about his own work during social unrest. After being fed up with being bashed online, he organized multiple dialogue sessions himself, where he gathered many people who loved Hong Kong and got together to talk. One of his dialogues was attended by a government official—who he said was “very high up, second or third in command”— who dropped by and provided lots of inputs, ideas, and insights, which Andrews felt was great. This official admitted: “We are so poor in communications. We are so bad in public relations. We are still stuck in the old ways.”

Andrews told me, “They did realize that it was crucial to sit down and have dialogue. That was great. But that was last year. Where are we now? No dialogue, no nothing, we have a Legislative Council that is not really functional, we have an election that is postponed for a year, we have COVID, we have the National Security Law, it’s… I don’t know. I love Hong Kong too much, and I will never give up on it, but I don’t know. It’s exhausting.”

In 2016, Jeffrey Andrews received a commendation from then Secretary of Home Affairs Lau Kong-wah, for his work with ethnic minorities. On January 6th 2021, a mere 5 years later, Andrews was arrested under the National Security Law alongside 52 other candidates and organizers of the pro-democracy primary election from the year before, deemed a “subversive” plan to win a majority in the legislature. But as expressed to me, Andrews’ intentions going into the election were not to “overthrow the government”, as many pro-Beijing officials have claimed, but instead to make history as the first-ever ethnic minority candidate, making groundbreaking progress in a bid to increase the representation of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong’s government. Though society has progressed to become increasingly accepting of ethnic minorities, Hong Kong’s political atmosphere has changed, for the worse, leaving us with a grim outlook towards whether pioneers like Andrews can effectively bring racial equality to Hong Kong.

Andrews works with the service Christian Action in Chungking mansions to provide for disadvantaged ethnic minorities. CIS has worked with Christian Action quite a few times in the past. In August, a fire broke out and destroyed much of the community service center. You can find out more and support them here: https://tinyurl.com/ yyctvhpl

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GLOBAL CRISIS

GLOBAL UNEMPLOYMENT Outlook of Hong Kong, US, UK

By Illeana Li | Photography by Aidan Keough | Layout by Maegan Wang

Having tallied over 50 million infections and 1.3 million deaths, the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been spreading across 191 countries globally , with its first cases being detected in late 2019, as economies struggle to cope with the grave consequences.

COVID-19 has had one of the most devastating economic impacts and unprecedented challenges in history.

In April of 2020, the unemployment rate reached a staggering 14.7% in the US, with a record-breaking level at 25.5%, marking the highest level of unemployment recorded in history since the Great Depression. The US Labour Department announced that 20.5 million Americans had lost their jobs in April alone, as a result of businesses shutting down or reducing operations in order to comply with the health restrictions set in place to

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cope with the new global economic environment. Unfortunately, analysts predict that the road to recovery will slow down the global economy for years to come.

Hong Kong recorded its highest unemployment rate in just over 15 years, reaching 6.4% as a result of the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The closure of Hong Kong’s borders, affected local businesses, especially those involved in the tourism sector who suffered from the biggest hit, as it reached an unemployment rate of 11.7%. Responding to this, the Hong Kong government has commented on recent financial instability in the labour market, however, warns the labour market of continued pressure.

From July to September of 2020, around 11,500 to 259,800 people

became unemployed. The sectors that rely on the influx of visitors suffered the worst as unemployment in the retail sector, and food and accommodation services increased to 11.7% (by 0.8%). This surpassed the unemployment rate of the same sector as the city struggled through the economic impacts of SARS in 2003, which recorded an increase in unemployment rate by 0.4% to 6.3%.

Law Chi-kwong, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare commented on how the third wave of coronavirus in Hong Kong caused employment to worsen. Half of employees’ income for a period of six months had been agreed to be paid under the ‘HKD 81 billion wage subsidy scheme’ with a limit to a maximum of HKD 9000 per month. Due to the closure of borders to visitors of HK, the local tourism industry is completely weakened.

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W d s s a 1 u M K c fi a K H f

T U l w A c l e p f u O e r A 7 o t h d o A i d

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T u J w p m m t T b h

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GLOBAL CRISIS While rules implementing socialdistancing heavily affected food services, with unemployment standing at 15.2%, the recreation and entertainment sector standing at 11.4%, and in construction, where unemployment reached 10.9%.

Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary, raises concerns over the government’s financial stresses while the administration points out Hong Kong’s reserves being reduced to HKD 800 billion in the record deficit for 2020-21.

seekers aged from 16 to 24 years were able to be employed. 2.6 million claimed out-of-work benefits in October 2020 than there were in March (1.4 million people more), some of these people are still working, but for shorter hours or lower earnings. The Bank of England estimates the peak of unemployment occurring from April to June of 2021, where unemployment is forecasted at 7.7%, and after considering uncertainties around that prediction, the country braces for unemployment to reach 10%.

The unemployment situation in the US similarly paints struggles in the labour force, where unemployment was seen in one in every seven Americans.

While the main contributor for unemployment is layoffs on a temporary basis, where employees are out of work for a short period of time, another issue America faced was the fear of instability and uncertainty by women or minorities.

One in six women is unable to seek employment while the employment rate for the Black community in America was 13% compared to 7.3% for white Americans. In terms of statistics, since the number of temporary layoffs recorded in April having been at 18,000,000 plus, a decrease to a still staggering number of 6,160,000 layoffs was seen in August. However despite an overall improvement in recent months, a deep, sharp contraction is predicted

The Bank of England estimates the peak of unemployment occurring from April to June of 2021, where unemployment is forecasted at 7.7%, and after considering uncertainties around that prediction, the country braces for unemployment to reach 10%.

Recently, PFIZER and BioNTech have announced that their COVID-19 vaccine candidate achieved a 90% success rate. What does this mean for the global economy? A team of economists from Deloitte commented on how the vaccine candidate has catalysed share prices to soar, not only for Pfizer but also for companies in the airline, hospitality and aerospace industries; while retailers of home

improvement and services providing food delivery experienced a fall in their shares. However, beyond this effect, issues surrounding age, risk factor, ethnic background, location… are still uncertain and needed for more work before additional predictions of the economic effects the vaccine can be given. The increase in shares of airlines demonstrates that investors expect an increase in employment in these industries that are operating below capacity currently. Hence, economists foresee an acceleration in global economic growth in order to return to the activity it was prior to the effects of the pandemic, however, a temporary increase in inflation may also occur.

In order to address the economic fallout, there is an urgency to resume economic order by strengthening solidarity and cooperation between countries, in order to develop reforms to combat economic damages in the long-term. However, addressing the health crisis and dealing with the short term economic challenges are policymakers’ urgent priorities.

Ultimately, it is imperative to rebuild a resilient global economy and trade post COVID-19 recovery.

amid fears of global recessions, as Americans’ voices concern over longterm, permanent unemployment.

The UK faced a 0.7% increase to an unemployment rate of 4.8% from July to September, where 1.62 million were unemployed. These figures are predicted to increase in the coming months as infection rates rise and major parts of the economy are forced to shut down during lockdowns again.

The youth of the UK are recorded to be one of the hardest-hit as 174,000 fewer job

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GLOBAL CRISIS

Mediterranean Refugee Crisis: A Risk Worth Taking ong : Kristen K

By

Illust

Over the past decade, there has been a sharp increase in the influx of refugees fleeing across various territories from the Middle East, South Asia, and North-East Africa. The Mediterranean Refugee crisis began to garner international attention by 2014 and reached its peak in 2015, with over a million refugees arriving in Europe. Although the number of refugees has declined since then, there are still numerous people fleeing to Europe annually. During the first quarter of 2020 alone, some of more than 16,700 refugees crossed the Mediterranean and arrived in Europe.

The European Migrant crisis led to devastation, with thousands losing their lives each year during their harrowing journeys. According to data from UNHCR, since 2014, more than 20,000 people were estimated to have died or gone missing.

Prior to 2015, there was a steady flow of refugees fleeing to various areas of Europe, though numbers were lower than they were in the second half of the decade. Refugees mostly came from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan, as well as various African nations, often as a result of civil wars, political instability and natural disasters. In 2015, the number of Mediterranean refugees spiked. Overwhelming tensions in multiple Middle Eastern regions displaced over a million people, causing them to flee to countries in Europe such as Italy, Greece, and Spain. This brought various disputes between European countries, particularly EU member states, as they argue over the allocation of migrants to different locations.

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In 2018, over 1,800 people were confirmed to have died. These refugees often encountered boating accidents as they crossed the Mediterranean Sea, drowning in sea waters. Due to the increased surveillance in the Mediterranean waters, smugglers are forced to take riskier, dangerous routes that are more prone to strong waves and storms, decreasing chances of success.

Most of the Mediterranean refugees come from Syria. Located on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Asia, it has one of the largest percentages of refugees. For instance, in the year of 2015 and 2016, Syrian refugees dominated nearly 35% of all Mediterranean refugees. The main cause of this massive flow of refugees out of the country is as a result of the Syrian Civil War. A continuous onslaught of gunfights, bombings, and chemical weapon assaults have prompted many people to flee the country.

Poverty is another severe concern. Statistics have shown that over 80% of Syrian citizens live below the international poverty line, with fewer than a dollar a day to survive. The unemployment rates rose to 55%, while child labour is prevalent all across the country. In 2010, prior to the civil war, the Syrian economy was prospering, with a GDP per capita of $2,807, compared to the current expected GDP per capita of $870 in 2020. Due to the civil war, Syrian people are deprived of healthcare and children are inaccessible to education. Therefore, many Syrians choose to take their chances in a foreign country rather than suffer from certain privation. Aside from fleeing to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Turkey, many people choose to cross the Mediterranean Sea into European nations such as Hungary, Greece, and Germany.

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GLOBAL CRISIS

However, the threatening, treacherous journey has led to countless injuries and drownings during the passage to Europe. For example, the death of three-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi born Alan Shenu - drew international attention after photos of his dead body were released on the internet. Alan was originally travelling to Europe with his family, other refugees, and smugglers in the hopes of eventually reaching Canada.

However, a vessel malfunction caused the boat to capsize and resulted in the subsequent drowning of nearly all the refugees on the boat. This tragedy is simply one of many that have not been accounted for, clearly demonstrating the potentially fatal voyages desperate Syrians embark on.

Another common source of refugees in Afghanistan, located in Central Asia. Data shows that Mediterranean refugees of Afghan nationality are in high numbers. In recent years Afghan refugees have overtaken Syrians as the largest percentage of refugees entering Europe. According to a UN Refugee Agency report, approximately 2.7 million Afghan refugees still live outside the country as of July 2020. Due to the current war in Afghanistan which began in 2001, following the attacks in New York on September 11th, millions have fled the country. The war between the Taliban and Western forces from the US, UK, and more have led to bombings and violent confrontations, forcing many people to seek asylum across the Mediterranean in Europe. fghans are internally displaced, and around 2.5 million are still refugees, unable to return to Afghanistan.

Due to the perilous nature of the virus, countries all over Europe are shutting down their borders, making it even harder for migrants to seek asylum. According to Maurice Stierl, a Leverhulme early career fellow at the University of Warwick, in an interview with the Cairo Review of Global Affairs, European nations have “used the pandemic as a way to systematize human rights and maritime law violations...denying and obstructing various NGOs...with claims that they are helping smugglers”. This means that more migrants are being stranded at sea, leaving them with a lower chance of survival, especially with the wildfire spread of Covid-19. Without any action, this will ultimately lead to further spikes in the death toll of both the refugee crisis and the pandemic, especially with the migrants in already precarious conditions. Furthermore, this may serve as a poor example to other similar crises around the world, with developed nations struggling to deal with the high numbers of refugees to use the pandemic as an excuse to turn them away.

Though the refugee crisis has de-escalated, much still needs to be done. Organizations such as UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders, as well as UN humanitarian agencies, have offered assistance to these refugees with access to goods and services such as food, clean water, and healthcare, while NGOs are helping refugees in their escape to Europe in an attempt to reduce the devastating numbers of lives lost. Unfortunately, the exodus of refugees still proves to be too much for these relief organizations to handle. Information campaigns and more organizations need to be enacted in orIn recent months, the Covid-19 pandemic has der to draw more attention to the situation and, subsequently, put an end to the vicious cycle of the complicated the Mediterranean Refugee crisis.

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GLOBAL CRISIS

新冠前与 新冠后的世界

By James Song | Photography by Tallie Lin and Emma Hu | Layout by Kaitlyn Wong & Airla Fan 新冠病毒为这个世界所带来的 变化是人类历史中的一个重要 转折点；在此次疫情过后，我 们重生的世界将会变成一个 怎样的模样？以色列的历史 学家、《人类简史》作家尤 瓦尔·赫拉利（Yuval Noah Harari）便说过：今天我们为 了应对病毒所作出的决策将会 在未来的数十年中大大影响整 个社会的机制。我们的社会会 不会逐渐开始虚拟化？各国之 间的关系会不会急剧恶化，致 使全球化开始倒退？又或者是 用来执法以及处理疫情的监视 工具被用来压制公民的自由以

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及揭露他们的隐私？这次病毒 次危机？” 新冠肺炎的面世 为我们全球机制带来的变化值 一方面在真实生活中限制了人 得我们认真思考、体会。 们的行动，致使全球化开始倒 退，却又在外交方面恶化国家 无疑，在政治层面，新冠肺炎 之间的关系：极右派主义国家 为任何一个国家的政治体系带 支持民粹主义，排除异己，并 来了巨大的改变 。然而，每个 且 拒 绝 与 其 他 国 家 合 作 ， 致 国家所采取的回应各有不同， 使 科 学 研 究 交 流 受 到 阻 碍 。 那么到底对人类社会的发展有 然而，一些国家选择与其他深 怎样的利弊呢？ 受病毒肆虐的国家合作，一起 抗衡病毒，不管是哪一方面， 那么到底对人类社会的发展有 都 将 会 为 人 类 社 会 的 医 疗 系 怎样的利弊呢？就像赫拉利说 统、政治系统、经济体系带来 的：“究竟在疫情期间，我们 巨大的变化。如果以更加微观 选择实现民粹主义以实施国家 的角度去看待新冠肺炎的话， 孤立还是全球合作一起攻破此 我们自身更加能够体会到这个

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GLOBAL CRISIS 变化：不管是在工作，还是学 习，我们会不会在疫情后继续 以网络的形式上学工作？我们 的社交方式会发生怎样的变 化？要知道，人类是群居动 物，然而在互联网的普及下， 网上的沟通与交流与真人面对

掌握。不管怎样，我们可以看 到新冠肺炎早已令我们的社会 再一次向虚拟化踏出了重大的 一步，而相信许多其他的公司 也会效仿，实在是难以相信。 那么，在监控疫情的同时，政 府是无法避免得取许多人的个 人资料的。那在这种情况之 下，我们又怎样确定政府会否 在疫情过后继续收集个人资料 呢？赫拉利提出的另外一个观 点便是「我们到底是选择中央 专制，集权，还是选择赋予公 民自由？」在此次疫情之中，

面的交流又会有什么样的不 同？就像比如说微软，在这次 疫情过后，便允许一些员工永 久地在家里工作，并且观察对 于公司来讲员工之间远距离的 交流会不会令团队之间的合作 受到阻碍或影响，又或者是公

亚洲的许多国家，例如中国以 及南韩，便积极收集个人资料 以更加方便地观察疫情的发 展。自然，为了严格的监控， 个人资料会被地方政府收集， 但是这也令我们的个人资料暴 露出来，根本没有隐私可言。 危险的技术——不成熟的技术 在特殊情况便快速地实施，所 有的借口都是特殊情况特殊手 段，致使整个国家的人们都成 为了实验对象。虽然短期内这 些措施合理，但是「风险在 于，临时措施有持久下去的惯 性」，使得我们的生活将会发

司的运作以及组织会不会更难 掌握。不管怎样，我们可以看 到新冠肺炎早已令我们的社会 再一次向虚拟化踏出了重大的 一步，而相信许多其他的公司 也会效仿，实在是难以相信。

生巨大的改变。 新冠肺炎的到来对于人类社会 的发展是一个重大的转变；我 们无法确定这个转变是好是 坏。然而，我们的社会将会在 疫情过后变得面目全非，所 以，在见证了这一切后，我们 将如何面对世界的巨大改变？ 我们又将如何应对我们新的生 活方式？我们又怎样对疫情所 带来的政治危机做出行动？看 来，我们对于我们的未来还是 一无所知⋯⋯ 校話

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GLOBAL CRISIS

Rethinking

Incarceration

By Conrad Cheng | Photography by Aiden Keough | Layout by Kaylee Zhang

Prisons in most parts of the world are punitive institutions, where prisoners are confined to austere concrete cells fortified with metal bars. Prison life is generally mundane, as guards enforce strict discipline while imposing pronounced hierarchies on inmates.

In contrast, Norway is one of the few countries that are rethinking incarceration, establishing a more humane criminal justice system with the end goal of reintegrating every inmate back into society.

Norway’s correctional system started its reform in 1968 with the

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creation of KROM (The Norwegian Association of Penal Reform), which advocated for the abolition of juvenile imprisonment and forced labor camps, opening the door for more sweeping systemic reform. In 1988, Norway officially abandoned the traditional correctional system, instead focused on rehabilitation through education and therapy.

Norway’s effort in reintegration was further bolstered in 2007, when new legislation mandated assistance for inmates in finding jobs and housing prior to their release.

While the majority of the world has continued to pivot in the direction

of deterrence and retribution, Norway places a strong emphasis on ethics and views the restriction of freedom as an adequate form of punishment, accentuating the concept of “restorative justice.”

Not only are prisoners treated with respect and dignity, they are seen as equal members of society. With a maximum sentence of 21 years (and possible 5-year extensions if the inmate is deemed unfit for release), the overwhelming majority of prisoners are eventually released into society, hence the emphasis on preventing future crime through rehabilitation.

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GLOBAL CRISIS

With this correctional system in place, Norway boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the world, with only around 0.5 homicides per 100,000 in 2017. To put this into perspective, the United States’ homicide rate stands at 5.3 per 100,000, while the United Kingdom recorded 1.2 in the same year.

Furthermore, Norway’s recidivism and incarceration rates also rank among the lowest in the world, measuring at 20% within 2 years of release and 49 per 100,000 respectively. In comparison, the United States incarcerates 689 per 100,000, while the United Kingdom imprisons 142, with 29-32% of them reoffending within one year of release. (The United States recidivism rate was not included in the comparison as its “recidivism rate” is defined as the rate of rearrest, instead of re-offense.)

Home to a wide range of violent criminals, Norway’s newest prison — Halden Prison — encapsulates the country’s successful criminal justice system. Despite being a maximum security facility, Halden has been constantly referred to as the “most humane prison in the world”, preserving its humaneness through dynamic security, ingenious architecture/design, and prison life that resembles normality.

One of the major aspects that sets Halden Prison apart from traditional facilities is the reconceptualized role prison officers play. Instead of “static security,” which involves preventing inmates from carrying out bad intentions, Halden adopts “dynamic security”, which attempts to prevent

bad intentions from forming at all.

Personal relationships between inmates and prison staff are pivotal in upholding dynamic security.

Officers do not carry weapons and mingle with inmates. They socialize and participate in activities together, ranging from shared meals to band practice sessions, promoting mutual trust. With more prison officers than prisoners, staff are encouraged to form healthy bonds with inmates, performing the role of mentor, career advisor and role model. Their ability to perform these roles boils down to the training of staff. While it generally takes 12 weeks to train a prison officer in most parts of the world, Norwegian counterparts go through 2 to 3 years of training. Officers are put through a rigorous application process that requires proficiency in both English and Norwegian. This highly selective program covers law, ethics, criminology, English, social work, and reintegration, while providing 1 year of real-life training.

Up to 12 times the duration of a prison officer’s training in the UK, Norway’s lengthy training process is what allows officers to play a role in rehabilitating inmates as “good neighbors” when they are eventually released.

Another key feature of Halden Prison is how normality is preserved through prison life that models life outside and innovative design. One of the biggest let-downs of the conventional prison model is that inmates have no way of readapting to real life before their release, essentially setting them up for failure in society. They make few decisions in prison and follow a stringent

schedule. In contrast to the 23-hour confinement practices in maximum security prisons worldwide, inmates in Halden have access to a music production studio, a grocery store, and common areas 12 hours a day.

This enriches them with mental stimulation and decision making opportunities just like they will have in post-prison life. Policies such as the “Daddy In Prison” scheme even allow family members to stay with their incarcerated loved one in a chalet within prison grounds once every three months.

Not only do schemes like this ease the psychological burden of incarceration, mitigating self harm and poor mental health, they also create a strong incentive for inmates to uphold positive behaviour and undergo a transformative change for good. From county jails to maximum security facilities, Norway’s prison system also preserves the right to education, as stipulated in Norway’s constitution, by allowing inmates to complete degrees. Even Norway’s most notorious criminal, Anders Breivik, a mass murderer who killed 77 people, was granted permission to study political science at the University of Oslo.

Inmates spend the remaining 12 hours of the day in their “cells,” which resemble college dorm rooms at first glance. The rooms do not contain any surveillance equipment, instead containing a private bathroom, television, and mini-fridge, providing them with the responsibility and freedom to take charge of their “own space.”

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GLOBAL CRISIS The extent of mutual trust between inmates and officers is so great that inmates have keys to their own rooms and can move freely unaccompanied by officers. “Potential weapons,” such as metal cutlery, glass dishes, and knives (which are secured to the wall), are also freely accessible in the kitchen. When asked about the level of violence by BBC’s Emma Jane Kirby during a visit, prison governor Are Hoidal seemed surprised, stating that he did not remember the last time violence broke out. According to prison data, there has not been an escape attempt since the prison’s opening in 2010, and the isolation cell equipped with a restraining bed is yet to be used. Instead, Halden officers have found that prisoners respond more effectively to softer forms of punishment, such as restrictions on television privileges.

Complementing humane prison life is the meticulously conceived architecture/design. Halden prison is laid out in a campus design, where facilities are split between a few buildings, allowing inmates to commute from one place to another, mimicking travelling in real life. The main prison building mainly consists of two materials, galvanized steel, a “hard material,” and untreated larch wood, a “soft material.” These materials embody Norway’s philosophy of acknowledging punishment while promoting rehabilitation, as hard materials represent detention, while

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soft materials symbolize growth. All Norwegian state buildings, including Halden Prison, spare 1% of the construction budget for art. Prison sanctioned graffiti and photographs of Parisian streets are just a few of the artistic instalments at Halden Prison.

Moving beyond the prison exterior, birch and pine trees dwarf the 24 foot wall, cohesively interweaving with man-made structures. Inmates look out into a blueberry forest with the prison wall as the backdrop from the windows of their rooms.

This way, inmates can alleviate the burden of psychological stress, while constantly being reminded that they are still in prison.

However, facilities like Halden Prison are by no means cheap and have been criticized for their high cost. The prison itself costs around 250 million USD, and spends around $93,000 per inmate per year, compared to the $31,000 in the United States. Nevertheless, according to the New York Times, America could still save approximately $45 billion per year if they incarcerated citizens at the same rate as Norway, outweighing the potential costs of “humane” prisons. This estimation does not even take into account the property damage and economic loss caused by criminal offences.

and murderers deserve to be treated so well? Norway’s criminal justice system ultimately boils down to respect and most importantly their unwavering belief that there are elements of morality within every human being, no matter how criminal one might appear on paper.

By no means is Norway’s remedy to crime a one-size-fits-all solution.

However, Norway’s success leaves us pondering whether preserving the inmates’ basic dignity and treating people with respect is that radical at all. In such unprecedented times, when some of us seem to have forgotten that people are human beings, the universal values embedded within Norway’s criminal justice system are what allow us to achieve strength through our common humanity.

The New York Times calls the correctional system of Halden Prison “radical humaneness” for a good reason— it goes against human intuition— why do rapists

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GLOBAL CRISIS

Pandemic of Plastic Pollution

By Michelle Qiu | Illustrations by Miah Cheung | Layout by Nicole Wu Plastic pollution is no doubt a term that we are all too familiar with. Whether it’s through the myriad news reports about the worsening of the crisis or the Green is Gold unit in Hangzhou, we are constantly made aware of the harmful effects of plastic on our environment.

But it doesn’t end here –– even though we’ve talked about the chemical structure of plastic and why it can’t be broken down for millions of years, even though we know that plastic is accumulating in our oceans, there are still too many factors in the world compounding on the issue and it is crucial to see it as an evolving rather than a static one.

The recent pandemic in particular has dealt a heavy blow to previous efforts in battling against plastic pollution. A spike in the consumption of face masks, hand sanitisers and other personal protective equipment has had serious implications on how these products, many of which contain plastic, are disposed of after a single use. This article will explore how plastic pollution has been exemplified during this pandemic as well as the steps that can be taken to try and counter these damages.

As an extremely versatile and affordable material, plastic is present in virtually all of our everyday products, thereby significantly increasing our quality of life and at the same time our dependency on the material. They are just too convenient –– it is hard to imagine life without single-use plastic bags or takeout deliveries. However, they are just as difficult to get rid of as they are easy to obtain. Plastic can take up to 1000 years to decompose, and even then they are not com-

pletely gone, just broken down into smaller microplastics roaming free in our environment. Despite this, our production and consumption of plastic has only seen an upward trend, with more than 300 million tons of plastic waste generated annually. This means that plastic is appearing at a faster rate than it is disappearing, piling up in our environment and, as is the case with more than 8 million tons of it, spilling into our oceans.

Plastic, once inserted into the ecosystem, can be deadly for both wildlife and humans. Marine animals in particular suffer from the effects of consuming small pieces of plastic by accident or getting entangled in larger pieces. There are currently around 51 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean, and these have caused millions of animals each year. More than 50% of sea turtles, for instance, have ingested some form of plastic, and more than 100,000 marine animals including whales, dolphins and seals are killed by plastic each year. These are all animals that play a paramount role in the marine food chain and ecosystem, and in turn have an impact on humans as well.

Plastics are not just present in the stomachs of marine organisms, but in the diet of humans as well.

Bioaccumulation is a process in which substances such as chemicals or microplastics accumulate in an organism from a lower trophic level, and the quantity of that substance is compounded as it travels up the food chain.

This means that if small filter-feeding organisms ingest plastic debris, that plastic will be consumed by primary, secondary and tertiary consumers respectively and eventually make their way to the top predators. At the

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GLOBAL CRISIS and eventually make their way to the top predators. At the top of the food chain, humans are now exposed to dangerous levels of these substances, many of which stem from plastic, in our everyday diet. For instance, a recent investigation revealed that three quarters of fish in the world’s longest river, the Nile, contain microplastics. The Nile is a crucial source of water and food for millions of people, and this data is particularly significant to those who rely on a diet of Nile fish. Furthermore, the river empties out in the Mediterranean Sea, in which it has the opportunity to spread and contaminate more of our oceans.

Hong Kong’s oceans have seen an 11-fold increase in microplastics. Current efforts involve the Environmental Production Department, who launched a two-phase plastic-free campaign in partnership with the dining industry to reduce disposable plastic. This involves more than 700 restaurants across the city and it is estimated to have reduced the pieces of plastic disposables in landfills and oceans by 1.2 million within two months. While all of this definitely indicates a step in the right direction, there is still much more to be done. In addition to addressing the disposal of plastic, the governOn a more hopeful note, there has been significant ment should also focus on the problem at its root, efforts by governments and organisations around namely the habit of businesses to provide excessive the world to counter the damage. As the issue of amounts of plastic packaging around food items in plastic pollution garners more attention, those in supermarkets and such. Recycling is another direcwith authority are now scrambling to take action before it can snowball into an irreversible one.

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, announced in mid-2019 that Canada aims to ban single-use plastics by 2021. Major US cities, including D.C., Seattle and San Francisco, have also announced plans to ban or fine plastic straws and tion to take –– Hong Kong’s recycling system is in other plastic items. Similarly, large-scale companies desperate need of improvement as only 30% of the are also more conscious of their contributions to city’s solid waste was recycled in 2018. the issue. In 2018, an initiative called the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment involves 250 In addition to these pre-existing issues, the coronaorganisations, including H&M, Nestle, L’Oreal and virus has also led to devastating effects on plastic Coca-Cola, who aim to reduce their waste and pol- pollution. Drastic increases in the use of PPE and lution by establishing a circular economy for plas- inadequate waste disposal is one of the leading tic. Starbucks, too, are planning to phase out plastic causes of the problem. For example, a 370% increase straws by the end of this year. of medical waste production in China has been recorded, and in February Wuhan citizens produced Moreover, Hong Kong itself is a major con- 200 tons of medical waste on a single day. These are tributor of plastic packaging. Over the past 3 years, unprecedented numbers far larger than what waste 58

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GLOBAL CRISIS processing facilities are designed to deal with. Unfortunately, this doesn’t just occur in China. As the virus circulates around the world, people are spending more time outdoors and therefore increasing littering of single-use masks and packaging. Furthermore, governments have backtracked in the progress they had made to address the crisis in order to help businesses and ensure food safety –– Massachusetts and New Hampshire are encouraging use of SUPs (single use plastics) in food packaging and grocery shopping, while banning reusable shopping bags due to health concerns.

Indiscriminate use of these medical and plastic items are prevalent across the world, and admittedly there is little to be done about the issue when PPE is a crucial part of preventing further spread of the virus. However, there are still steps that we as students can take which, if we commit to them and educate others around us about it, can go a long way. With plastic bags, in the case that they must be used, avoid those that have labels in the little recycling triangle numbered 3 (PVC), 6 (PS) and 7 (polycarbonate). Notice and make use of recycling bins at school and in public facilities, and try to make healthier, more sustainable meals at home instead of ordering takeout delivered in layers and layers of single-use type 3 plastics. When you do order out, check if there is an option to forgo plastic cutlery. Wearing reusable face masks, disposing of single-use ones currently and purchasing items with sustainable packaging are also practical steps to consider as the virus persists. Be reminded that this is by no means an exhaustive list; there are plenty of helpful resources online if you are looking for a way to address a specific aspect of your life that has not been mentioned.

In short, there is still a long way to go before we can hope to reverse at least part of the damage we have made to our environment through proliferating plastic use and disposal, even more so with the current situation and the focus on mitigating the virus even if it means exacerbating the issue of plastic pollution. As we recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19, it is important to make sure our planet is able to recover from all the plastics suffocating its oceans as well.

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How Trump Can Win Again An Analysis Written in October

By Colin Chau | Illustrations by Kaylee Zhang | Layout by Alyssa Merwise

We all know Donald Trump—the brash, straightforward president with zero reservations when it comes to expressing his opinions. Many opponents of President Trump ask: “How did he even win in the first place while losing the popular vote?” Well, that’s at least what I asked myself from 2017-2018, when the consequences of Trump’s election became apparent.

First of all, you have to understand the US electoral system. Unlike many other commonwealth nations, US elections are not parliamentary—meaning the election of the President is not dependent on who wins a majority in Congress, the two part federal legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Instead, the President is elected through the Electoral College. This system of government is quite confusing, but I’ll give the basic rundown. Each state is allocated a certain number of “Electoral Votes”, calculated by the number of House of Representatives seats they have (which is calculated by population) plus the number of Senate Seats they have (always 2 per state). In all but 2 states, the winner of each state gets all the electoral votes for that state, making it a winner takes all system. For example, California has 55 electoral votes. In 2016, Clinton got around 62%, and Trump got 32%. Clinton was able to snag all 55 electoral votes as she got the most votes, thereby alienating the 32% who voted for Trump. The flaws of the Electoral College are numerous, but it nevertheless is the system that paves the path to presidential victory. All in all, in 2016, Trump won 306 electoral votes and Clinton won 232, and 51%, aka 270 electoral votes are needed to win.

Now that you understand the basic gist of how the Electoral College works, it’s time to explain how Trump won in 2016 without winning the popular vote (the total number of raw votes a candidate wins). This can be broken down into 2 categories: demographically, and geographically.

Firstly, let’s talk about demographics. Below is an exit poll showing the approximate percentage of voters in a certain demographic that voted for either Trump or Clinton in 2016.

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Now, out of these 7 categories, Trump won 2 of them.

But as you can see, those two categories made up 71% of the electorate. As we can see, Clinton bested Trump with wide margins in all minority groups, performing the best among Black women. She also did acceptably among Hispanics and Latinos, a crucial part of the Democratic voting bloc. However, this still doesn’t explain how Trump won the election. For this, we must dive into even more complicated demographic statistics.

Trump destroyed Clinton among White people with no college degrees. Why is this significant? Let’s take Wisconsin, the tipping point state in the 2016 election for example.

As you can see, Wisconsin is extremely white, and therefore rural, compared to the rest of the country. In fact, most of the Midwest, save for Illinois, has demographics similar to this. Many of these whites live in rural areas, and work as agricultural workers/farmers. Many of these workers inherited a family business, and started working at a young age, not having the sufficient financial/timely resources to go to college. Only 30% of Wisconsinites have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher, explaining why Trump was extremely competitive in the Midwest. These farmers/rural whites, who make up a large component of those who don’t have a Bachelor’s degree, were very interested in Trump’s emerging populism and his very straightforward/“honest” rhetoric, and generally are at odds with the “coastal elites”. This resulted in him capturing multiple crucial Midwestern states, giving him the presidency. Other than that, disaffected Sanders supporters were also a key reason for Clinton’s defeat.

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A a R R S p a

N t u ( O

A U o t T j t 2 v F p i h w w ( h s c t

N T l a d O

n

. % p e g c w n

h e r

d , s , e g y s y e t y y e m g s

PERSPECTIVE Although this is hard to quantify, it’s simply the truth as seen from numerous polls: Democrats outnumber Republicans. Even though they do outnumber Republicans, Clinton, being too confident, didn’t court Sanders voters well at all. In fact, she basically made no policy concessions to them, thereby reducing their will and incentive to vote for her.

Now to talk about Geography. This is a bit more simple than talking about demographics as it’s slightly easier to understand. Below is a map of the 2016 election by state (where dark red indicates states that were flipped from Obama to Trump):

As we can see, the majority of flipped states were in the Upper Midwest. Many of these states are still relying on industry and farming to power their economy, and their workers and farmers were in agreement with Trump—that Mexican immigrants were stealing their jobs. These states are extremely White and quite rural, two demographics that swung heavily to Trump in 2016. Clinton was also unable to channel the Hispanic voting bloc as well as she could’ve, as she didn’t take Florida and Arizona, two states with high Hispanic populations. In theory, considering Trump’s narrow wins in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, if Clinton had put in a little bit more work in those three states she would have won the election outright. However, this was just not the case. Clinton, due to a medley of factors (including misleading polls and the media expecting her to win), didn’t campaign hard in these Midwestern states—after all, they had gone to the Democratic candidate every election since 1988. But was it a fluke that they didn’t this time? Only time will tell.

There are a couple glaring things that you can see in the “Race” section. Firstly, Biden is only losing Whites by 5%, as opposed to losing them by around 20% like Hillary Clinton did. This puts him in a strong position.

But if you look at the other demographics, Joe Biden’s situation suddenly doesn’t look so good. For example, he is only winning Hispanics and Latinos by 28%, as opposed to Clinton’s 35%. He is also only winning Blacks by 68%, as opposed to Clinton’s 80%.

There are a couple potential reasons why certain minority groups aren’t supporting the Democrats as much as they used to. Primarily, Joe Biden has not done enough to outreach to minorities, especially Hispanics. In the 2020 Democratic Primary, Hispanics voted for Bernie Sanders by a margin of 2 to 1, meaning that Hispanics didn’t really like Biden to begin with. Additionally, Hispanics are a large, diverse group, and more specifically, support for Biden has waned in a few sub-demographics. One such group would be Cuban Americans, a large portion of the US Hispanic community. Historically, Cubans immigrated from Cuba to the US to escape Castro’s communism, and thereby developed a fear of the left.

Trump has been trying to paint Biden as a “socialist”, and it seems to be working in this capacity. As of right now, the Democratic Party’s main objective is to recapture relatively White midwestern states, such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, not necessarily to outreach to states with growing Hispanic populations, such as the rapidly bluing Texas and Arizona. Hence, it seems that their vote share will be reduced in minority demographics.

Now, time to discuss how Trump could win in 2020.

This time, there are three interrelated paths that could lead to his victory—geographical, demographic, and voter suppression. First, let’s take a look at demographics. Here is a poll from YouGov taken in early October:

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“

If you are still trying to decide between me and Trump, you ain’t black

”

Furthermore, Biden has made a series of well known “gaffes” and mistakes while speaking. In the summer, Biden was on a talk show, where he was trying to convince the host to support him. When the host asked Biden why he should support him over Trump, Biden exclaimed “If you are still trying to decide between me and Trump, you ain’t black”. Of course, this comment was quite insensitive, and seems to indicate that he believes he “owns” or “deserves” the black vote. Considering African Americans were crucial to delivering him the Democratic Nomination, he probably should’ve treated them better. Polls show that young African Americans aren’t excited about Joe Biden, possibly depressing turnout among that group.

Now to discuss voter suppression. Voter suppression seems quite straightforward—suppressing voters in order for your party or group to gain from it. It also seems very illegal and undemocratic. Well, over the years, Republicans have not shied away from participating in blatant voter suppression, which for some reason, is still legal. Generally, voter suppression exists in the form of purging voter rolls, a form of de-registering inactive voters that in theory, could’ve wanted to vote that year.

The most known example of voter suppression was in Georgia during the 2018 midterm elections. During the Georgia Governor election, a Democratic rising star, Stacey Abrams, challenged the Secretary of State, Brian Kemp. The Secretary of State is charged with overseeing Elections, among other duties. You might see why there was a conflict of interest here. Before the election, Kemp removed 300 thousand, mostly Black inactive voters from the voter registry. Abrams then proceeded to lose the election by only 50 thousand votes. The purged voter rolls could have made all the difference, and put Abrams in charge of the state. Now to 2020.

Republicans have tried their hardest to suppress the vote in key states, most notably in Texas, a state which is rapidly turning blue due to immigration. Firstly, the governor disallowed “a fear of contracting COVID 19” as a valid reason to request a mail in ballot. This forced people to either vote early, or vote on the day, which could give rise to a spike in COVID infections. Then, he decided to force every county to only have one ONE early voting ballot dropbox. Harris County, a county with over 4 Million residents, would have the same amount of ballot drop boxes as Loving County, a county with 134 residents. This is clearly inane and outrageous, but as the legislature is controlled by Republicans there is no way to stop them. Other than that, mail-in ballots are

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also a point of interest. Louis Dejoy, a Trump donor, became Postmaster General during Trump’s turn. When the topic of Mail in Ballots came to the forefront, he started to deactivate Federal post office sorting factories right before the election. Doing this could result in voters not having their ballots counted, misplaced, or at the very minimum delay the results of the election due to the influx of mail in ballots and lack of adequate sorting equipment. Luckily, due to national pressure, he was stopped. But there’s no knowing what the Trump campaign is going to do next The previous two points tie in to this last one— Geography. Here is my 2020 Presidential Election state by state ratings map, with dark blue being safest for Democrats,dark red being safest for Republicans, and grey indicating states where no candidate has an advantage. There are many shades in between.

As you can see, Trump has already lost in this map. But there are a couple ways he could win that tie up with my demographic and voter suppression analysis. Firstly, we assume that he wins all the tossup, grey states, which is not out of the realm of possibility. Then, we can say that due to voter suppression Trump wins Arizona, which has had cases of voter suppression in the past.

Now all it takes is one Midwestern State to flip, such as Pennsylvania, to hand Trump the Presidency. Trump’s base is still strong and energized, making this possibility viable.

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I h b t f a a b w w

PERSPECTIVE In conclusion, even though Trump is the underdog for his reelection, don’t count him out. He still has a loyal base of supporters that would crawl over broken glass to vote for him. A second term Trump victory could further escalate the COVID pandemic, leading to more and more deaths across the US. Other than that, Trump’s authoritarian tendencies are quite concerning, as can be seen from the BLM protests, bringing in question whether there will be a truly free United States if he wins.

Author’s note from November: Wow, this prediction actually got close to happening. Trump almost won the election by turning out rural whites in the Midwest and gaining ground among minorities, such as Hispanics and African Americans. With a Biden win, hopefully the US can turn around, and again become a country to look up to.

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美 國, 我怎麼可能不感到羞恥？

By Emily Shen | Illustration by Mia Cheng | Layout by Nathan Wu 對於一位像我一樣經常幫父母跟親戚 搶帳單的女兒，見到其他人討論如 何平分帳單，便覺得是怪事；對於 一位像我一樣把幾乎每一位大人稱 呼為「叔叔」或「阿姨」的青年， 聽到其他人以「Mr.」、「 Mrs. 」或 他們本名問候長輩，便感到驚訝。 當然，以上的例子都比較誇張，但論點 在於：作為一位出生於傳統的家庭，並 且在亞洲長大的華裔，雖然有美國護 照，我卻不曉得是否認同自己的美國身 分。龍應台曾寫過可以以恥感找到歸屬 感。她對於如何看待自己的身分寫道： 「這份羞恥，使我知道我是台灣人。」 （《親愛的安德烈》）我對她的話感同 身受：看到現在美國在疫情肆意漫延下 的境況，我感 到羞恥，這使 我知道我是美 國 人。然而，新 的問題出現 了：現在的美 國是我想認同 的國家嗎？ 根據個 人經驗，我發 現美國與亞洲 文化的差別之 一就是個人與 社會的關係。 美國文化以自 由、民主和人 權為標榜，強 調個性得以

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發展。而亞洲文化則以責任、順從和傳 統為目標，強調社會責任及和諧共處。 當然，兩個迥異的觀念自然各有利弊， 很難比較。但我們由於出生於某個社會 之中，必定對這個社會群體有著不可推 卸的責任。這種社會責任在這次的疫情 下顯得特別重要。儘管大多數的國家都 積極正面地處理疫情，但美國政府卻人 浮於事，草菅人命。負面新聞在全世界 不絕於耳：不戴口罩、不保持社交距離 ⋯⋯。打個比方，美國反對戴口罩的人 一直堅信這次疫情是一個陰謀（Vox） 。但事實證明：全球已經有超過一百萬 人因為病毒而去世（Worldometers）， 這不可能是陰謀。還有人覺得戴口罩侵 犯自由，堅持口罩無效，甚至會引起反 作用——令呼吸困難，以此荒謬的論調 拒絕戴口罩（Vox）。但科學證明：戴 口罩不只是 為了保護自 己，更是為 了保護他 人，這是 疫情傳播 期間表示 基本尊重 和禮貌的 必要方法。 很 多 人 用 同樣的理 由，不遵 守社交距 離和隔離的規例。 我最近看了一個特別使我難受的視頻：

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PERSPECTIVE 幾十個大學生，雖然已經都檢測呈陽性， 卻還一起舉辦聚會。這些學生看起來一 點都不羞恥、慚愧或後悔，反而不知所 「錯」。為自己的慾望，而犧牲其他人 民的安全，拋棄應負的社會責任：這難 道是美國所認同的「自由和人權」嗎？ 之所以很多人—尤其亞洲留學 生—現在不想或害怕去美國，除了美國 的疫情沒有得到有效的遏止，就是因 為疫情引起種族和國家之間的緊張局 勢，改變了部分美國人對待亞洲人的態 度。自從特朗普第一次把新冠狀病毒稱 為「Chinese Virus」，亞洲人就開始忍 受不知所以然的咒罵。這種叫法造成美 國人兩極分化，使那些不了解真相的 人，在媒體和政客的煽風點火下，不知 不覺責怪中國人把疫情帶到全世界。 我爺爺住在美國科羅拉 多，幾個月前因身體檢 查去了醫院。迎接他的 不是護士的笑容，而是 一聲咒罵：「Go back to your country!」這正如 一位歌手所說：「（一 個人就算原本）以為（ 他）是個驕傲的美國人 / 一碰到種族問題，（ 就）發現自己是外國人」 。我爺爺已經在美國住 了50多年，對亞洲僅存 的是兒時的記憶。這樣 的 粗 言 穢 語 確 實 令 他 驚 愕 。 我有一位土生土長的亞裔朋友，在紐 約外出的時候，突然無緣無故地被一 名男子推向馬路，使她差點倒在馬路 上。雖然那只是一個「意外」，但令 她產生心理障礙，現在選擇留在家裡 進行網上遙距學習，儘量避免外出。 美國其實由多個種族組成，但社會上卻 普遍存在著種族歧視問題。很多美國 人自認清高，只是從膚色上來判斷一 個人的背景，加上這次疫情的首發地 在中國，政客們又把這種病稱為「China Virus」，令歧視中國以及任何黃皮 膚的人的浪潮達到頂峰，無論對方是否 是美國人。我難道會認同一個由遷移 者建成卻無端歧視亞洲人的國家嗎？ 而且，亞洲人和華人不再想去美國的原因

不僅僅是因為民眾層次的反華歧視，還有 日趨加劇的深層次制度性反華情緒。在政 治層面上，有些政客為了拉票，利用了疫 情和中國的議題來怪責和激怒人民。例 如，美國共和黨「試圖把責任歸咎於中 國，來轉移人們對政府備受批評的新冠病 毒應對措施的關注」（NYT），其中包含 特朗普稱的「China Virus」，使人少怪他 而多怪中國。參議員湯姆 · 科頓（Tom Cotton）曾直接責備中國：「中國導致病 毒在世界範圍內肆虐，他們應該為此付出 代價」（NYT）。亞洲學生曾經由於有申 請者過多而受到逆向歧視，但是我們現在 想申請又無法做到。中美之間的關係日益 緊張，美國政府在特朗普的指導下做出了 取消一千多個中國學生的簽證（Business Insider）、停止讓富布赖特（Fulbright） 者去中國和香港（The Standard）留學等等的決 定，令亞洲學生猶豫到底 是否該去美國升學。美國 之所以變成了沒有學生想 去的地方，就是政治引起 的問題讓社會氣氛變得愈 來愈不安。我得認同如此 對待自己種族的國家嗎？ 在我尚未定型的世 界觀裡，我一直認為 美國是一個最寬容、 最自由、最民主的國 度。我卻到目前為止 一直不知道如何看待自己的身分，如何 看待我中國文化背景與美國護照和國籍 之間的衝突。但隨著這一次新冠病毒的 事件繁衍的種種現象，一種恥辱令我 找到了歸屬感，使我知道我是美國人。 English Summary: In comparison to other first world countries, the United States has been largely unsuccessful at handling the coronavirus and has, therefore, repeatedly become the center story of the news and media. As an American-born-Chinese, Emily (‘22), in speculating the possible factors for America’s current situation, questions her cultural identity as an American.

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我們在香港 2020年春天開始， 一場新型冠狀肺炎 疫情席捲了全球。

By Yang Yi Zheng | Photography by Katrina Poon | Layout by Zoe Zheng 一月底從中國武漢開始，再到亞洲、歐洲、美洲，直 到全球，整個世界按下了暫停鍵。香港也不能倖免， 熱鬧喧囂的大都會一瞬間安靜下來。這百年不遇的疫 情給生活在香港的人們帶來哪些影響？他們又如何面 對？疫情之後，他們的工作、生活發生了哪些變化？ 我有幸採訪到了漢基校長Mr.Lynch、我的同學Rhys 和Benjamin， 我的爸爸媽媽和我最喜愛的PIZZA店 的老闆，Danny。就讓我們走近這些疫情中堅守香港 的人們，聽一聽他們的心聲。

一對一的交流時間，令老師對同學的幫助更有針對 性；二方面，ZOOM 可令同學們輕鬆邀請外國教授 網上教導，大大拓展學習的範圍。第三，ZOOM也 大大增進了老師們之間會議溝通等方面的效率。

逆境中學習

在疫情中有些人失去了生命，令 人無限傷感；但人們也會從中 反思自己的行為、學習相關的知 識，最終人類還是在進步。」

這次疫情令我們停課四個月，學校自成立以來也是首 次遇到，那麼校長和老師們在此期間做了什麼？同學 們是如何繼續學習的？疫情之後，又有哪些新的習慣 會被保留下來？ 隨着我的問題，漢基校長Mr. Lynch打開了話匣子： 這次疫情對學校產生的是大型影響，出乎我們每個人 的預料。學校管理層從香港政府公佈疫情的第一天 起，就堅持每日到校，及時匯總情況、商議對策。疫 情期間，最大的問題就是學生的安全以及如何繼續 學習的問題。我們密切關注武漢、國內以及全球各地 的疫情進展情況，先後作出了停課兩週、停課至復活 節、停課至5月底的決定，以最大程度保護學生的安 全。與此同時，學校管理層積極商討使用各種網絡平 台展開網上教學，並在最短的時間內完成了相關技術 支持工作，保障漢基的學生在新學期開學的第一天就 順利開始了網上學習。 復課之後，最重要的是確保大家在安全的環境中上 課。為此，學校為大家測量體溫、準備酒精洗手液並 要求大家佩戴口罩。學校在課堂安排上避開午餐的 聚集時間，並與家長保持密切溝通，盡力確保學生 的健康安全。現在，對環境清潔時刻保持警惕已經 成為一種習慣：學校會保留疫情期間的部分防護措 施，務必令漢基的學生在一個清潔、安全的環境中學 習。ZOOM的教學形式也會被適度保留，因為在幾 個月的網課中，大家發現ZOOM 增進了老師和同學

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為同學們付出了這麼多努力，校長個人對這次疫情的 感受如何呢？「我覺得有些悶啊，哈哈哈。但我在復 活節時找來一些過往世界發生疫情的書，讀過之後我 認為：任何一次疫情最終都會結束，

昔日之寶貴 疫情發生以來，大家被迫居家學習，幾個月的時間見 不到同學，也不能一起運動，兩位受訪的同學 Benjamin 與 Rhys 都非常盼望能早日回到校園。 Benjamin：疫情開始時， 我在匈牙利，每天騎着單 車在我們的小鎮上轉悠，上網課時我要克服與香港的 時差；後來我們的小鎮出現越來越多的感染者，我們 回到香港，接受14天的隔離。在那之後，又過了幾個 月，我才第一次見到我的同學。這段日子漫長又沉 悶，希望它再也不要回來。 Rhys：我不喜歡上網課，我喜歡回到校園，和我的 朋友們一起上課、一起午餐、一起運動。而且網上體 育課沒有什麼運動，而是大量寫作。現在好了，我們 回來了，一切又回复了。 疫情之後，我們都很注意衛生了，少去人多的地方、 常常佩戴口罩、常常洗手。另外，居家上網課，見不 到老師、同學，確實很悶。但我們也獲得了一段安靜 的時光，可以用來閱讀和學習新技能。

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PERSPECTIVE

執筆之時，香港已開始從疫 情中慢慢恢復。一場肺炎， 我們每個人都經歷了很多、 感受了很多，積極面對變 化、不放棄、不退縮，是我 們在這場曠世疫情中學到的 最寶貴一課！ 工作與生活

我的爸爸媽媽從事金融投資工作。回想起來，疫情期 間，他們不但無法休息，反而百倍壓力、日夜工作。 那麼，疫情給他們帶來哪些影響？他們怎樣應對？ 爸爸媽媽對我說，疫情將全球經濟帶入冰河期，封國 封城、工廠停工、航班停飛，人人居家沒有消費，經 濟自然是一落千丈。最直接的體現就是資本市場的巨 幅下挫與激烈震盪。我們全部採用遠程辦公、視頻會 議，工作是一分鐘不敢耽誤。但疫情帶給經濟的創傷 卻非勤力可以完全彌補，要隨着時間慢慢修復。 但是，在爸爸媽媽眼裡，疫情也帶來一些好的一面， 他們在家辦公、我在家上課，每天早晨一起早餐，晚 飯後從容地聊天，也很溫暖。但我們還是希望疫情的 肆虐早日停步，希望社會與經濟早日恢復往昔活力！

隨機應變

疫情之中，受最大影響的就是餐飲業。就如我最喜 愛的家門口PIZZA店子，從疫情剛剛爆發時的門可羅 雀，到不久之後的車水馬龍，他們的生意更好了，這 引起了我的巨大好奇。 PIZZA 店老闆Danny為我解開了答案：疫情剛剛發 生時，一個客人都沒有了，每天開工就是我們幾個面 面相覷，愁到不行。那些原料很快過期，就要忍痛丟 掉；新材料還是要進，因為怕萬一有客登門，開不了 餐。這樣過了兩週，幾乎就要關門大吉。 就在走投無路的時候，家中的小朋友啟發了我：兒子 每天在家中上網課，餓了就叫外賣。我就想，為何我 的PIZZA 不可以以外賣的方式服務客人。於是聯繫 了香港幾家外賣公司，取消堂食、專心外送。開始之 後才發現，原來人們早已習慣這方式，生意也漸漸有 了起色。依仗在這個社區經營多年，街坊鄰居口口相 傳，幫我過了難關！ 聽了Danny的話，我也陷入深深思考：小小餐店本來 只有三張台，就只作三張台的生意，疫情中無客上 門，店員在店裡一坐一天，眼看無法支撐下去；不得 已發展外賣生意，現在依然無客上門，但各個忙到飛 起，因為全部點了外賣，訂單接到手軟。看來變化是 不可怕的，關鍵在於我們面對變化的態度。

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PERSPECTIVE

The Invisible Driver of our Social Lives

By Julia & Melle | Illustrations by Grace Xiao | Layout by Andrew Fan

Has our society ensnared us in a hive mentality? Will we soon become mindless robots lacking the power to voice personal opinions?

It is safe to assume that each of us thinks of ourselves as individuals with independent thoughts, not to mention different personalities, hobbies, and backgrounds. But, this may not be the case. Though we often are not aware of it, all of us have experienced the pull of group conformity, from the desire to dress like our friends, to enjoy the same interests, or even to deny our own opinions to better align with the group. At any age in our lives, this is an inclination we will regularly turn to.

But if conformity is simply following new trends and imitating how your friends behave, how much harm could it cause? How hard can it be to voice your opinion?

Unfortunately, we frequently misperceive how the typical person behaves under these circumstances. Our dependency on conformity and obedience in the past has led to numerous disturbing acts, such as atrocities and even genocide. If we take the Holocaust as an example, it is believed that many of the soldiers were under the pressure of conformity. A significant study of the interrogations of the members of the Reserve Police Battalion 10 revealed 90% of the men were horrified by what they did. The defining element that compelled many of the men to follow Hilter’s commands was to prevent isolation, ostracism, and not to be perceived as “weak”. The inherent desire to conform provoked many to commit acts of murder and violence. The desire to avoid social rejection appears to have been a primary motivating force for many of them. “While the men of Reserve Police Battalion 101 were willing to shoot those Jews too weak or sick to move, they still shied for the most part from shooting infants, despite their orders. No officer intervened.” Historian Christopher Browning argued that, because of the overwhelming pressures of conformity, the identification of men in uniform with their comrades urged them to follow orders, as the act of separation or rejection meant leaving one’s comrades and admitting to being “weak”.

Why do we feel so compelled to exist as a group instead of as individuals?

From a young age, we are trained to obey authoritative figures, like parents, the police, and teachers, and to follow “norms”. For example, in adolescence, gender identity is strengthened through social sanctions. Social sanctions enforce a standard of behavior that is deemed socially acceptable, like what is appropriately feminine and masculine.

The existence of “norms” within social groups is critical in grooming us in behavior, as violating them typically results in disapproval or ostracization. This creates a sense of dependence on validation from a superior, which in this case is the acceptance of the group.

Psychologists have identified two primary reasons for conformity. One is normative influence, which is conformity based on one’s desire to fulfill others’ expectations and gain acceptance. The second reason for conformity is informational influence. Informational social influence is where a person conforms to gain knowledge, or because they believe that someone else is ‘right’. A famous study conducted by psychologist Solomon Asch has yielded eye-opening results on the extent to which social pressure from a majority group can push a person to conform. In this series of famous experiments, Asch asked participants to complete what they believed was a simple perceptual task. They were asked to choose a line that matched the length of one of three different lines. When asked individually, participants would choose the correct line. When asked in the presence of confederates who were in on the experiment and who intentionally selected the wrong line, around 75% of participants conformed to the group at least once. This experiment is a good example of normative influence; participants changed their answers and conformed to the group to fit in and avoid standing out. It also shows informational social influence because the individual believes they are incorrect, and thus gains the seemingly ‘right’ or agreed knowledge from other people.

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PERSPECTIVE adolescence include misperceptions of peer weight norms, overconsumption of alcohol, as well as smoking, bullying, etc. Take the perceptions of weight norms for adolescents as an example: due to the existence of fat-shaming, they want to fit in and embody the perceived “thin ideal”. Furthermore, many studies have shown that adolescents overestimate their weight, causing them to aim for unrealistic skinniness, which can create a dangerous push towards extreme dieting or even bulimia.

From Asch’s study, we can conclude that our will to conform is so strong that what is meant to be a simple and straightforward task can cause us to doubt what we believe to be true and obvious. Because of this, it’s easy to suggest that a growing sense of conformity will give rise to groupthink. Groupthink denotes the psychological phenomenon of individuals setting aside their personal beliefs or opinions to reach a consensus within the group. This causes members of the group to reach premature conclusions, make biased decisions, and ultimately catalyze destructive consequences.

Once groupthink emerges, a group may not have any available space to express individuality or differing opinions, whether that be because of the individual’s fear of judgement by others in the group or because they simply do not know what thought or opinion is counted as their own anymore. There is hardly any diversity. Thus, conformity can be quite frightening when the group acts like one singular entity rather than several distinct members.

So should an individual avoid joining social groups and encounters altogether?

Obviously, no. That would be a very naive and reductionist approach to this problem, not to mention highly improbable, given the sociability of human nature. Interacting with people and forming groups (even without our awareness of it happening) is inevitable. In reality, conformity isn’t entirely dangerous; in fact, it can be beneficial, especially when an individual is assimilating to new surroundings or situations — something we humans do constantly.

Take my Year 8 experience as an example: As a new student to CIS, I had no idea how the cafeteria system worked when it came to lunch periods. I observed that students occupied two waiting lines in front of what looked like a cafeteria-style buffet, and once their plates were filled, they would make a U-turn and file into a third line to pay for their meal at the counter. The first two waiting lines confused me, as I did not know which line was the “right” one for me. Seeing that more people waited in one line than the other, I chose to line up at the former.

The observation that people lined up in certain areas to get their lunch meals informed me that I should also line up in those areas in the future, as that was how the system worked in CIS. Subconsciously, I realised that filing into the line with more people would give me a higher chance of being “right” in my student position. This is a demonstration of informational conformity (discussed previously), because even though I conformed to the students in the line without notice, this helped me gain an understanding of the appropriate behaviours in a CIS lunch system. I was able to make sense of things through informational conformity and adapt to a new environment --- an undeniably important skill in life! Although this way of thinking is logical, it turned out to be unnecessary as there was no “right” or “wrong” line to choose, according to the cafeteria system. But given the ambiguity of the situation, informational conformity nonetheless acted as a protective mechanism to avoid embarrassment from doing something wrong in the scenario that there is a wrong choice. It is often a subconscious process of evaluating the probability of situations and the severity of the consequences to an individual.

Conformity was also a way in which I could reach a place of comfort in the midst of change by “blending” into the group, thus figuring out my place as a new student while tweaking my behaviours to fit CIS culture. The feeling of belonging is something that gives us momentum and courage to take risks and go beyond with our ideas, which I’ve seen happen many times in school whenever a classmate runs for the Student Council Executive, leads a new team of students, or starts a CAS project. Where does the feeling of belonging come from? Our friends. Our classmates. Our go-to people during lunches and breaks. These are the people other than ourselves who can constantly validate our uniqueness and security in the group. Hence when we talk about normative conformity, gaining a sense of belonging can be quite empowering, not only for the group as a whole but also for ourselves, as long as it does not result in the extreme scenario of groupthink. You could say that we are employing normative conformity to discover people who will create that sense of belonging for us, people who would typically be our friends.

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PERSPECTIVE It should be made clear that desiring to belong to a group does not signify weakness e. We should recognize that by being in a group, we have a support circle for us to fall back on when we do not succeed at tasks, when we are emotionally distressed, or when we need an outlet for stress. Together, members of a group can achieve much more than individuals can through collective thinking and creativity.

If that is not enough reason to value conformity, consider the very biological makeup of your humanoid self. Humans release oxytocin during group interactions which triggers the release of serotonin, the “happy hormone”, according to the Stanford University of Medicine. Who wouldn’t want to feel free joy from being with people? Our own biology recognizes the benefits of conformity and responds to it by releasing these hormones, just like it did hundreds of years ago. w Look at yourself in the mirror. What you see is a human being who, if alive during the early human periods, would have wanted to be in groups (or tribes as we call it) to ensure survival. Take Aristotle’s word for it: “man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human.” If we were still living like our hominid ancestors, conformity would not have been a choice because there is very little chance of survival without belonging to a group. “Alone, we can do so little; together we can do so much,” as Helen Keller puts it. Perhaps normative conformity in modern society is the result of our evolutionary history.

Now that we’ve discussed the advantages and detriments of conformity, how do we maximize the benefits?

First, we must avoid dampening the advantages of conformity by understanding that the dangers of conformity arise from a sense of uncertainty. Therefore, the first step is to build our own self-confidence such that we are resilient and not easily swayed by changes around us. Selfconfidence allows us to hold onto our strong beliefs and values while interacting with a group, instead of replacing or abandoning them for the sake of uniformity. In a society where everyone is biologically influenced to follow norms, imagine the unique capabilities your self-confidence can offer to a group! Having just one person dissenting from the majority can dramatically reduce the overall pressure to conform.

The second step is to be aware of who is in the group.

Humans are highly influenced by the people who surround them everyday, especially those close in social proximity (e.g our parents). Therefore, it is smart to be selective when choosing a group so as to prevent any negative social influence in the group. However, this mainly applies to smaller groups where we have the freedom to choose our own social circles. In the case of larger social circles such as the school community, group selection is not in our control. Instead of being unrealistically selective, we should be aware of the often unexpected perks and quirks which different groups can provide, and give everyone a chance. Balancing cautiousness and acceptance is crucial to a thriving social group.

Thirdly, set and maintain boundaries of when to conform. While extreme conformity could wreak havoc upon our social identities and behaviours, it is critically interwoven into the fabric of society. So, in what situations would it be best to conform, and how can we recognize these situations? A simple example of when to conform would be formal occasions where unfamiliar etiquette is crucial to show respect. At CIS, we aren’t required to bow to teachers at the start of the lesson, as this isn’t part of our international school culture. However, in Hong Kong local schools, it is usually necessary to do so as a sign of respect and formality. Even though we may be unaccustomed to such behaviour, in the eyes of those who are exposed to it on a daily basis, refraining from such custom is disrespectful and can aggravate someone’s first impression of you.

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PERSPECTIVE Misunderstandings often occur between different cultures; thus it is usually appropriate to conform to the customs and behaviours of another culture during travels and formal gatherings. Situations when we should not conform tie back to the discussion of self-confidence earlier on. If the opinion of the group conflicts with our own, we must think back to why we hold our own opinion, and if personally justified, stand up for ourselves. Note that this does not apply to formal occasions where respect plays a dominating role, but rather to easygoing rendezvous where differing opinions are acceptable and innocuous. There may even be times when we realize that the group’s opinion is actually more reasonable than your own and you may change your belief not because of peer pressure but because of logical reasoning. Therefore, learning to hear others out is also imperative.

Think of conformity as a double-edged sword. It can toy with our uncertainty and entice us to abandon our customary beliefs and behaviours for socially accepted conventions, diffracting our social identity, abusing our comprehension of the self, and leading to cognitive dissonance, or it can add clarity to our understanding of an ever-changing world as we adopt, accommodate, and assimilate to behaviours in diverse groups throughout our lives, which grants us the privilege of forming valuable relationships with other human beings and establishing a new comfort zone in which we can experience life in a new light. Ignoring the severity of the former and aiming for the latter would be like disregarding yin while replenishing yang — a terrible idea.

Yes, social interactions are complicated. But having a clear grasp of this double-edged sword allows us to be aware of the delicate balance between exploiting and modifying our social identity, and allows us to recognise when to be persuaded and when to stand firm.

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PERSPECTIVE

2020 畢業班

By Yi-Mei Liu Photography by Aiden Keough Layout by Nathan Wu

九年級 -- 寄宿學校 像很多其他的九年級學⽣， 欣桐在第⼀學期費了很⼤ 的⼼⾎去考進她理想的寄宿 學校，終於考上以後，就已 經開始為九月份開學做好準 備。但現在，因為美國正處 於緊急情況之下，很多學校 都決定把校園關閉，進⾏網 上授課，對欣桐這樣的國際 學⽣來講⾮常不⽅便。「我 ⽗⺟也很不放⼼，其實不想 讓我去的。但我為這件事花 了多少時間，費了多少勁， 不去真的是可惜。現在只能 等著學校做決定，」她說。 她嘆了⼀口氣：「我在CIS 最後⼀學期該有的美好記憶 就這樣被奪走了，⼼裡是難 受。但再次碰到這麼⼤的事 件的機會真的是很少，這幾 個月也就變成了我在CIS最 難忘的記憶之⼀。」 ⼗三年級 -- ⼤學 我們漢基的前⼥領袖⽣郭慧 74

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⼼跟欣桐⼀樣，本來打算要 去美國升學，現在也不知所 措。在年初她⼀直在為IB考 試緊張做準備，擔⼼疫情對 成績的影響，突然發現不⽤ 考了，⼼裏忐忑不安，情緒 複雜。另外訪問的兩位13年 級同學深感同受，⼀⽅⾯感 到輕鬆很多，另⼀⽅⾯感覺 就像是錯過了⼀個珍貴的⼈ ⽣經歷，失去⾼中⽣活重要 的⼀部分。慧⼼現在考慮安 排⼀段空檔年。從⼀個更樂 觀的⻆度來看，這次的疫情 給她⼀個機會去追求她的愛 好：⾳樂。被問到疫情如何 影響了她對做⾳樂的夢想 時，她就回答說以前已經決 定把⾳樂放到⼀邊，先上好 ⼤學：「這跟你說的有點相 反，如果我是在疫情之前， 我就從來沒有考慮過做⼀ 年的gap, 但後來因為疫情， 我也覺得做⼀年的gap 也不 錯。」

⼤學 -- 未知？ Hana 是2016年的漢基畢業 ⽣，今年從耶魯⼤學畢業。 「我們這⼀年級真的是慘， 」她告訴我。「所有的倒霉 事都碰上了：因為⾮典我們 Reception 只上了⼀半，因為 豬流感六年級也沒上完，因 為學校裝修，我們畢業典禮 都沒法在校園中舉⾏，現在 ⼜在⼤學的最後⼀年碰上疫 情，真的是像被詛咒了。」 她現在正在收拾她的東西， 準備在這麼⼀個沉悶的基 調之下離開她住了4年的地 ⽅。Hana 這樣的⼤學畢業⽣ 可以說是最慘的：她正放著 春假時，突然⼀下被通知以 後都得上網課。那時，她⼤ 多數的朋友都在全球各地， 沒法回來取他們的東西，沒 法回來道別。她不知道什麼 時候才能再次⾒到她的朋 友。「加上這次疫情的突 然，我們都覺得我們缺乏種

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PERSPECTIVE 封閉感。」網課上的也⾮常 費勁，尤其是課程都被改成 【pass/fail】以後，更是難以 擁有任何幹勁。很多正在找 ⼯作的同學現在都沒戲了， 她準備參加的建築界職業招 聘會也被取消了。她其實還 算幸運，明年在台灣還有個 研究⽣獎學⾦，但連那都還 未被確認會否舉⾏。「感覺 像是什麼都被暫停了，」她 說。

face and how CIS alumni have coped, whether it be taking a gap year or pursuing new paths.

這三位學⽣本來都擁有⼀個 充滿光彩的未來，前途清 晰。從中學、⼤學畢業本來 是件喜事，⼀個隆重的時 刻，⼀個新的道路的開始。 但世界如此的混亂，而他們 計劃好的道路都被堵住了， 只能瞎著走⼊霧中。誰都沒 有想到會有這樣的⼤事降臨 在我們的⽣活中：像欣桐說 的，這場災難真的是史無前 例。對我們漢基學⽣來說， 擁有⼀個清晰的前途是理所 當然的。上完漢基就去上寄 宿學校。，上完寄宿學校就 上⼤學。，上完⼤學就去找 ⼯作。到了現在，我們才發 現⼀切都很容易被打亂。新 冠肺炎是⼀個⼈⽣的考驗， 能透露出⼀個⼈的真正個 性。我們的世界本來就充滿 著對未來的不確定，新冠肺 炎只不過逼著我們學到這⼀ 點。當前途未明，我們必須 學會適應，這樣才能成長。 誰知道，也許我們在適應的 過程中，還能發現新的道 路，新的機會，新的體驗。 English summary: It has been a year of disruption for many, students are no exception.

In this article, Yi-Mei (‘24) writes about the challenges that the graduating class of 2020

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PERSPECTIVE

二十一世紀我們需要的 萬眾一心

By Querida Lai | Photography by Erin

自工業革命以來，人類在各項產業的分工合作越趨 重要。每一項建設和產品，都是眾人齊心合力的結 果，小到一件玩具，大到一台汽車，都是「萬眾一 心」的結果。到了二十一世紀的現在，更是如此， 但是人們說了上百年的「萬眾一心」，真的有做到 嗎？

Lau | Layout by Alyssa Merwise

於1.5度以內，並列明三大重點：一，所有國家需設 定減排目標；二，已開發國家提供綠色氣候基金， 所謂『資助』開發中國家，一同緩解氣候變遷的問 題；三，國家需要公開申報及檢討結果。 到了今天，事情發展變得越來越荒謬，美國用協議 帶來「不公平的經濟負擔」的理由，宣布要在今年 十一月美國大選之後，退出協議。特朗普說要把美 國變成「能源超級大國」，看來也是天馬行空的想 法，只是想退出對自己無益的事情而已。

香港也是協議的成員之一，是應當為此做出貢 獻。但眼下七百多萬名市民，有多少會身體 力行做到源頭減廢，更遑論進一步過上環保生 活？當然，政府有做到表面的呼籲，列出的措 施簡直多不勝數，亦在每年的報告說要「進一 步」，可是我看到的就是「原地踏步」。報告 寫的「只要我們能上下一心，從小事做起，也 能為整體帶來改變」，但又有多少人會為了遠 在千里之外的北極熊放棄開空調？就連平時所 用的交通工具，人們在步伐急促的香港都會寧 願節省等候的時間，不跟人在人山人海的公共 交通工具上擁迫，氣候問題在個人生活品質 前，根本不值一提。

用氣候問題來做例子吧，遠在1996年人類已經察覺 到氣候問題日催嚴重，所以訂立了《京都議定書》 ，致力把全球排放量減半。條約「規範38個締約方 及歐盟，以個別或共同的方式控制人為排放之溫室 氣體數量以期減少溫室效應對全球環境所造成的影 響。」同盟國都看似十分贊同這個有意義的聯手行 動，更說要什麼「共同減量」，提出各種各樣看似 可行的方案，例如「植樹造林」、「交通減量」、 「工業減量」等等。但是在二十年後的2015 年， 問題不但未見起色，更變得越來越嚴重。當務之急 下，195個聯合國成員國再次承諾會努力解決問題， 簽署《巴黎氣候協定》，希望能協力解決愈發嚴重 的全球暖化問題。協定期望能把全球目標升溫限制

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PERSPECTIVE 其實氣候問題就正正能反映出人類的自私。不 得不承認「人心齊，泰山移」，但又有多少人 是真的能實行呢？常說的「萬眾一心」，不過是 空談而已，要真正行動的時候，又有多少人會付 出呢？「萬眾一心」之所以困難，可貴在於它需 要犧牲。人難免都會優先考慮自己的利益，但是 其實很多時候我們也可以看到人有捨己救人的表 現。

有多少人會付出呢？

2003年沙士肆虐香港，有很多人都敵不過病魔喪 失生命。但是在這個人心惶惶的緊張時刻，我們 卻因此看到捨己為人的表現。當時應當放假的心 肺科醫生謝婉雯堅持冒險回醫院搶救病人，但最 後也不惜染病，與世長辭。為了素不相識的病人 而犧牲生命，又有誰能做到？或許正在看文章的 你會覺得太遙不可及，根本不可能，但是其實我 們在日常生活就能看到為了做到「萬眾一心」而 犧牲的例子。在假日大熱天時，不少小朋友都會 站在街道上賣旗，慕求賺到的一點點錢能幫助有 需要的人。哪怕是很小的事，都稱得上犧牲。 雖然我們從各國的表現都只能看到人性自私自利 的一面，但是從謝醫生犧牲生命的大愛，到街上 小朋友一份單純的心意，都可以看到人性中有一 種閃爍著的光輝。把每人一點點的微光涓滴成 河，我們必定也會做得到「萬眾一心」。

萬

眾

一

心

把每人一點點的微 光涓滴成河，我們 必定也會做得到 「萬眾一心」。

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PERSPECTIVE

隔離二十八天

By Leo Li | Photography by Claire Fang | Layout by Maegan Wang

2020年7月9日，香港突然爆發的數十例感染患者就像 是推倒了媽媽的最後一道心理防線。對香港疫情失去 信任的她果斷地實行了我們四口人回大陸的計劃。之 前在策劃回內地的行程時我們都已經做好了最壞的打 算——全家都被強制隔離十四天。但後來又聽說我們 一家符合居家隔離的標準，所以媽媽才決定試一下我 們的運氣。完全出乎意料的是，我們這一天順利地過 了人山人海的深圳灣口岸，申請了居家隔離。在民警 的護送下，晚餐時間時我們就回到了空蕩蕩的家中。

「以我而言，在 家中隔離十四天 的過程不算漫 長，不算短暫。」 ]

一開始想到暑假整整的兩個星期都要在家裡度過不免 會感到不快和鬱悶。但隨著一天天過去，每一天除了 早上要做家務以外，剩餘的時間都能拿來做自己的事 情，例如複習令人難堪的SAT。以我而言，在家中隔 離十四天的過程不算漫長，不算短暫。實話實說，一 旦在家裡有了規律，在暑假期間花兩個星期來居家隔 離反而不會完全感到毫無意義、枯燥。

圳的期間內，除了隨時要戴口罩以外，在日常生活中 幾乎沒有受到任何影響。 隨著暑假的結束，我們並沒有馬上回港，而是選擇留 在深圳在網上開課。原因是當時香港還在控制第三 波的疫情爆發，家人也不放心讓我和妹妹弟弟三個 學生回港上學。在深圳繼續呆了三個星期後，香港的 疫情終於得到了控制，校方不久後也宣布了正式開課 的日期。9月8日，我和弟弟妹妹各自拉著沉重的行李 過關，回香港。途中，我們深深地感受到了香港與大 陸在隔離措施上的差別：一旦繫上了（為居家隔離） 特製的藍芽手環，一切的回港人士都可以自行選擇隔 離的地方，甚至可以自由選擇去往隔離地點的交通工 具。到達地點時，只需在手機上的隔離軟件完成程序 後就能開始「隔離」。整個過程看似漏洞百出，但是 以香港目前的每日低於個個確診病例來衡量的話，事 實顯明香港的防疫是相當有效的*。 第二次居家隔離時，繁重課業之下居然也有空閒時 間。我就乾脆利用這一部分的時間來瞭解新冠給世界 帶來的影響。俗語說：「無知是福」，瞭解世界各地 的防疫措施讓我大跌眼鏡甚至懷疑人生。最讓我百思 不解的就是美國在整個期間對疫情採取的行動。不但 對海外回國的人不採取隔離措施，在一天全國確診病 例超達六萬宗的情況下還選擇開學，隨之而來的後果 可想而知。

7月23日，居家隔離結束後，我們終於嘗到了自由的 滋味。走在深圳的大街上的我們驚訝地發現居然有一 半路過的行人選擇不戴口罩。在這半年來，全國實行 了史無前例的抗疫措施，限制了幾億人的出行，無數 的商店和生意因此倒閉。現在看來，那些嚴苛、甚至 殘酷的措施換來的是民眾期盼已久的安全感。只需要 在手機上出示健康碼，在大陸就能自由出行。我在深

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PERSPECTIVE 根據BBC的報導，在8月2日到9月5日期間十八到二十 二歲的人群確診病例增加了55%。火上加油的是，在 美國各州各地都有成百上千的人群出來遊行，抒發對 政府的隔離措施的不滿，並要求政府部門解除封鎖， 放鬆州與州之間的交通限制。社交媒體上還瘋傳著有 關反口罩的「凱倫」的貼文（Karens），令人恥笑又 無奈。這些人難道不能理解病毒所能給世面帶來的影 響嗎？病毒之所以能在如此短暫的時間內傳遍大街小 巷，就是因為人群的密集和粗心大意。設問如果美國 民眾能在疫情期間都選擇克制自我主義，限制自己的 行動，病毒帶給社會無論是經濟或心理上的影響是否 會大大降低呢？ 讓人欣慰的是，在另一個角落的新西蘭，最近向世界 宣布了自己抗疫的成功。據世衛報導，新西蘭之所 以能有效地降低確診病例，除了發達的醫療設施和 理想的地理條件以外，整個國家還實行了適當的犧 牲——在3月26日實踐了嚴格的「全民居家隔離」防 疫措施，全國進入封鎖狀態。這個抉擇給新西蘭的經 濟帶來了前所未有的打擊，可不到三個月的時間內， 此國就沒有再一次性出現超過十宗病例。更值得注意 的是，雖然新西蘭現在已經解除了封鎖，完全脫離了 疫情爆發的危險，但民眾依舊配合地佩戴口罩，時時 刻刻地保持戒備。

中

留 三 個 的 課 李 大 ） 隔 工 序 是 事

為什麼其他國家不能這樣做呢？如果每家每戶都能互 相配合，默契地實行全民隔離，為了社會的安全和未 來做出一點個人犧牲有何困難？ 的確，家庭收入會 由此下降、人權自由也許會受到侵犯、世界經濟或許 會長遠地受損，但真正更具有毀滅性的是新冠病毒在 地球上每一天的存在！ 從這二十八天的隔離中，我不禁感嘆，要是各個國家 從老百姓到政客能都夠放下自我，互相理解，齊心合 作，那世界會不會逐漸開始走向跟新冠告別的那一 刻？

時 界 地 思 但 病 果

「 如 果 每 家 每 戶都 能 互 相 配 合 ，默契 地 實 行 全 民 隔離， 為了社會的安全和 未來做出一點個人 犧牲有何困難？」 校話 XH issue 23_Master layout .indd 79

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PERSPECTIVE

By Rachel Jiang | Photography by Ashley Gatt | Layout by Nicole Wu

团结为力 群雁无首不成形，羊群出圈 看头羊。 那日，杭州烈焰当空，沉重的步伐踩在炽热的柏油路 上，一条长长略显得弯而看不到头的小路在烈日的暴 晒下，清晰可见，但却让人举步维艰。那场的足球赛 就以此为开端。 那时的我们对于这场次的比赛，没有任何信心。上一 次比赛中，我们对自己场上的发挥感到失望，此时觉 得单凭借自己的实力并不可能取得本次的胜利。这种 内心压迫感的存在让我们甚至感受到有点儿影响我们 在场上的发挥，所以我们并没有用尽自己的全力去打 这场比赛，大家开始肆无忌惮的放纵起来。对于这次 的团体活动，我们根本就没有团结一致，将这次的团 体赛变成了所谓的个人赛。 随着口哨声的响起，比赛开始了。对手们都在努力的 将球传到网中，而我和队友都在各自抢着对方的球， 时间一点点的过去，比赛过半，我们队没有抢到任何 的球，也没有拿到任何的分数，而对方的分数却遥遥 领先。这时，我已经开始逐渐地慌张起来，我怕没有 拿到比赛的胜利，也无法达成当初我们队伍的目标。 从而我决定，我们要振作起来，为了当时的目标一起 奋斗。在比赛的中场休息，我和队友们商讨着对方的 弱点，以我们的强项去攻对方弱点来追回前半场的比 分。我们每个人都在努力地记住自己的任务，努力讨 论着如何赢这場比赛。 下半场的比赛马上开始了，我负责将球运送到队友那 里，再配合队友的需求将球射入球门中。在我们一起 合作之后，球不断成功地进入对方的球门内，很快我 们就追回了比分。我这才知道原来团结在一起的力量 永远比一个人的强大，无论是自己的实力有多强，

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团队的实力肯定大于个人的。就好比一只筷子容易 折断，但是一把筷子就不会。在面对这第一场的足球 赛，我们最后终于一起努力，朝着共同的目标前进， 最后得到了大家都满意的成果，并且通过这件事也强 化了队员的关系，大家也都学会了团结的力量。 就如这次的疫情，在去年的时候，武汉肺炎席卷而 来，让大家都陷入恐慌的状态，不知如何是好。大家 都恐怕自己会被传染，争先恐后地购买口罩以及消毒 的工具，避免出家门。然而，武汉仍面临了病毒大规 模的爆发。可是，武汉的人们团结起来，一起前去面 对，一起去解决，封城任何人不得进出武汉，后来武 汉的病情就有所的减少。从而可见团结才会有更多的 力量。大家团结在一起就到一份力气就多一分的方 法。 所谓的群雁无首不成形，羊群出圈看头羊，正是如 此。人们往往会忘记团队的重要性，都是觉得个人的 利益应该放在第一。殊不知如果没有了团队，那么从 何而来的个人利益。从这次的杭州比赛中，我意识到 原来团队合作真的很重要，因为它不单只是一种赢得 比赛的方式，更多的是一种精神。 English summary: United we stand, divided we fall. In this article, Rachel (‘23) recounts a football game in Hangzhou which taught many about the value of team spirit and unity, in sports as well as in face of challenges.

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易 球 ， 强

而 家 毒 规 面 武 的 方

如 的 从 到 得

n n m

PERSPECTIVE

從內地到⾹港 ⼀個專訪

作為9年級的同學⼼翼採訪13年級的⼼怡， 我彷彿看到了多年後的⾃⼰。 1 從⼩到⼤ 盯著電腦屏幕，再⼀次地開始了網上採訪。從⼼ 怡那⼀邊，傳來了她熱鬧的家庭，⽽我隱隱約約 地聽到⼀個說著普通話的聲⾳。 出於好奇，我問，「你是從內地來的嗎？」她說 她在哪兒快待了⼗⼆多年，近三年才搬到漢基。 瞬間，⾝為在北京只上完幼兒園的我，親切感無 可⾔喻地浮上⼼頭。我接著追問她的故事。「我 媽媽在內地當過中⽂⽼師」，她眼裡閃著敬佩的 光芒，「在成長的過程中她⼀直引導我讀書、背 詩。所以很⼩我就閱過經典的名著。」 原來，你媽媽為你打下了中⽂基礎，從此你就受 著中國⽂化的薰陶，沈浸在內。難怪，你是校話 中⽂欄⽬的作家，樂於參與中⽂辯論隊，當中⽂ 義⼯⽼師... 「來⾹港後，我媽媽辭職來陪我，為 了督促我在這⽅⾯的培養，不要把⼀美麗的語⾔ 丟下。」.

2 ⼊鄉隨俗 在學校的第⼀天，她是無⽐焦慮的。⾝處陌⽣的 地區，像⼀⽚隨⾵飄揚的葉⼦，不確定接下來會 發⽣什麼。「我想，就快點結束吧！」可是⼼怡 逐漸發現，她習以為常的「應試教育」在⾹港變 成「多元化，各⽅⾯素質的培養」。 從內地來，她花了時間適應普通話到英語的環 境。「我覺得教育系統的有效性因⼈⽽異」...... 我看著她露出那麼燦爛的笑容，明顯地感受到了 她的傾向。 3 經驗之談 講到了讀語⾔A時的困難，⼼怡語重⼼長。 「我⾃⾝很⼤的問題就是了解時代背景。作品的 ⼿法和⾵格都跟它息息相關，是永遠分不開的。

By Angela Li | Photography by Katrina Poon | Layout by Airla Fan ⽽帶⼊這些知識會助於你理解作者的⽤意。」 學習是⼀個漫長的旅程，在路途上最重要的是積 累、積累和積累。 勞逸結合。 這之間的平衡，細膩且難以掌握。「我不能長時 間地集中精⼒，所以會期間休息，⽐如說打遊戲 啊！」說到此刻，她滔滔不絕，以前緊湊的眉⽑ 都放鬆了。「這些東西我絕對不能放棄，不然我 會瘋掉的！」 調整⼼態，盡⾃⼰所能。 ⼼怡⼀開始給⾃⼰的壓⼒，我深有體會。太希望 取得好成績，但越費勁，越感覺「⼼有⼒⽽⼒不 ⾜」。到了後期，她越逼迫⾃⼰，反⽽越累得喘 不過氣。 設定⽬標。 「這兩年我不斷地調整、改變⾃⼰想要攀登到的 標準」。是把⽬標設到遙不可及的⾼度？讓⾃⼰ 緊繃，落後？還是換⼀種思維，轉為實際的⽅ 向，⼀點點地進步？「我忽略了學習時很多的快 樂，如果能再重來，我⼀定會更好地計畫，在挑 戰⾃⼰的同時照顧好⾝⼼健康。」 “趁年輕，做些⾃⼰喜歡的事情” 臨⾛之前，⼼怡忠告了我這句她學長所說過的 話。「我⼀直沒有理解此道理，直到讀完DP以 後」，她語氣羨慕，「你才9年級，珍惜這個⽚ 段吧！長⼤後，真的沒有像這樣能夠發覺⾃⼰興 趣的時間了！」 總之，不論是⼼怡對中國⽂化的熱愛，還是在學 習上積極的態度，還是對於改變強⼤的適應能 ⼒... 每當你遇到的⼀次艱難、⼀次考驗，你都要 敢於追求、嘗試，全神貫注地⾯對。

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CULTURE

A i c n s t y b t i c

Subconscious Social Conditioning

B c r s o t t e d

By Tiffany Li | Illustration by Michelle Qiu Layout By Zoe Zheng

WE ALL KNOW SOCIETY (BOTH LOCAL AND GLOBAL) INEVITABLY AFFECTS US, SHAPING THINGS LIKE OUR IDENTITY, HABITS, AND VALUES. BUT HOW DOES IT DO SO? The effect society has on us is called social conditioning: Individuals within society are ‘trained’ through interaction with their environment to act in a certain (usually more socially acceptable) way.

To understand the mechanisms through which we are conditioned, let’s take a quick look at the psychology—more specifically, at classical and operant conditioning, two ways of using cognitive connections to train behaviour.

Many of you may be familiar with Pavlov’s dogs, a phenomenon of classical conditioning. In classical conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus causes an unconditioned response; in other words, a natural reaction occurs to some prompt. With Pavlov’s dogs, the unconditioned stimulus was the food, which caused an unconditioned response of

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salivation. Eating inherently causes salivation, which is why the reaction is unconditioned. However, Pavlov then introduced a neutral stimulus: the bell. The ringing of a bell doesn’t inherently provoke any salivation reaction. However, we can associate the neutral stimulus of the bell with the unconditioned stimulus of food.

Pavlov did this by ringing the bell each time he presented food to his dogs, therefore causing the dogs to connect the bell with food. Eventually, the bell became so intertwined with the concept of food that just ringing the bell could cause his dogs to salivate.

Through this process of conditioning, salivation became a conditioned response to the ringing bell, the conditioned stimulus.

It’s worth noting that with classical conditioning, the more often the neutral and unconditioned stimuli appear together, the stronger the

association will be between the two.

Classical conditioning (or attempts at it) is one of the ways society and our environment affects our behaviour. One instance of classical social conditioning is marketing for products: companies attempt to associate their product, the neutral stimulus, with some positive, unconditioned stimulus such as beauty or wealth. This is why we always see ‘gorgeous’ models in ads for designer brands: being beautiful makes us feel good, and ads are classically conditioning us to associate beauty with some brand. Buying products from that brand would then make us feel indirectly beautiful and therefore good, so we are hence encouraged to buy that product.

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CULTURE A less sunny instance (though marketing can be plenty insidious) is the formation of trauma triggers through classical conditioning. In this case, the conditioning is not intentional: during the traumatic event(s), a neutral stimulus that just happens to be present is associated with the traumatic unconditioned stimulus. For example, if you were in a car accident and some song happened to be playing on the radio, you may associate the song with the pain and fear you felt during the accident. The song itself could then trigger your distress, which would be a conditioned trauma response.

Besides classical conditioning, there is operant conditioning, which is more complicated but equally relevant. In operant conditioning, there are two types of stimuli: positive and negative. Positive means the addition of an element to the environment, while negative means the subtraction of an element. Within these categories there is reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcement encourages repetition of a behaviour while punishment discourages it.

A toy as a reward would be positive reinforcement.

It is positive because the toy is an element added to the environment. Since the toy is pleasant, the person receiving it is encouraged to repeat the behaviour that earned them the toy, making it reinforcement. Meanwhile, a stern lecture would be a positive punishment. Since you are adding the element of beration to the environment, it is positive. Lectures aren’t pleasant, so they discourage the one being lectured to repeat their behaviour and therefore are punishment.

Allowing someone to not do a chore would be an instance of negative reinforcement; it’s removing (negative) something unpleasant that was previously present in the environment, therefore encouraging behaviour that led to such removal (reinforcement). Withholding an allowance, on the other hand, would be negative punishment. The allowance, a pleasant element, is being removed (negative) as a result of some behaviour, which discourages the repeat of that behaviour (punishment).

The timing of reinforcers and punishment in operant conditioning is significant. If the timing of rewards and punishments is random or unpredictable, they’re much more likely to effectively condition behaviour. Think of gambling: it’s addictive because it’s unpredictable.

You never know whether the next game could be your lucky one, so you never leave. The hazards of operant conditioning are clear in this case.

Now that we are familiar with the mechanics of conditioning, we can more informedly scrutinise the instances in which society conditions us. And these instances are myriad, though we may hesitate to admit it.

Our personal tastes, values, and habits are all influenced in some way by social conditioning.

But just how deeply does social conditioning run?

Within the field of study of human behaviour, this is a hotly debated question. You may have heard of “nature” versus “nurture”, which is just another way to ask: to what extent are we determined by our biology (nature), and, to what extent by our environment and experiences (nurture)?

Convincing arguments can be made for both extremes.

Perhaps we really are wholly products of our environments.

After all, it’s been shown by the University of Wurzburg that babies cry in accents affected by their mother’s native language, which suggests ‘nurture’ affects us from the moment we are born. Or maybe we are entirely decided by our DNA; phenomena such as extraordinarily similar twin studies by the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research show the extent to which our biology determines our destiny. All in all, it’s incredibly hard to separate nature from nurture, both in studies and in our daily lives.

One area where this lack of separation affects nearly everyone is in the discussion of gender. There do exist differences between sexes, such as reproductive organs, to name the most obvious. But where do we draw the line between nature and nurture? The lack of ability to distinguish innate sex traits from social conditioning opens the door to potential bigotry and discrimination.

An example is seen in female athletes such as Castor Semenya having to take medication to lower their naturally higher testosterone levels in order to compete as “women”.

Testosterone can be increased through lifestyle, as Healthline states, and helps build muscle mass, “[making] exercise more efficient”. Here, a testosterone-boosting lifestyle is arguably a result of conditioning (‘nurture’), and therefore not a natural, innate sex trait. However, these female athletes were faced with the argument that since testosterone is a hormone associated with males and innate “maleness”, having high testosterone makes you a male even if you have female sex organs. If higher testosterone levels make you stronger and fitter, and women supposedly should not have high testosterone, what does this say about how we view, and make, women?

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CULTURE In cases like this, ambiguities between nature and nurture are useful to those who argue innate differences in ability or behaviour between the sexes in order to perpetuate misogyny.

However, even if we cannot completely separate nature and nurture, we can look at studies conducted on very young participants. These participants have not yet been so deeply influenced by society, and in them we can isolate and examine the effect of “nature” as much as possible.

One such youth study conducted by the University of Guelph examines operant conditioned gender differences between boys and girls in injury rates, risk-taking and self-evaluation of ability. It found that boys were allowed to take more risks while girls were instead discouraged and restrained. As a result, boys were more likely to take risks and evaluate injuries as a result of bad luck instead of lack of personal ability. In these results we are able to see how by ‘nature’, young boys and girls may not indeed have such a disparity in behaviours such as risk-taking. However, through the mechanism of operant conditioning, they are ‘nurtured’ to behave differently.

This study has large implications on gendered behaviour being conditioned rather than innate. It also reveals how social conditioning can shape society on an almost incomprehensibly large scale, with behaviour possibly passed down through countless generations such as in the case of gender.

Another area where social conditioning is incredibly relevant, even more so in light of recent events, is police bias and race stereotypes. One such controversial stereotype, especially in the U.S., is the one of black males being dangerous or criminal. Is this really factual? Perhaps it is simply due to classical conditioning: if society exposes us often to negative traits alongside mention of ‘minorities’, we will start to associate ‘minorities’ with those traits.

As The Sentencing Project notes, the media often reports crimes by people of colour against white victims at above the representative rate, causing audiences to overestimate the frequency at which these crimes occur. This then leads audiences to associate criminal behaviour and violence with people of colour. Here the insidious possibilities of social conditioning are highlighted. In discussions of police shootings especially of black men, we often hear the term “implicit bias”. Implicit bias against black men commonly refers to subconscious associations of black men with danger and criminality, which then cause police to act more aggressively towards black men. As we see all too often, this subconscious bias sometimes has fatal results. This shows how our conditioned associations may become so ingrained that they sink into our subconscious, such that we are unable to control behaviour caused by conditioned biases. We may not even recognise that certain behaviours are, indeed, due to such biases.

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But all hope is not lost. There are ways to measure, and even counter, conditioned connections and biases. One such measuring method is the Implicit Association Test.

This test has many variations, but essentially it measures how strongly (quickly) someone associates certain groups of people with certain traits. Although this test has flaws, it can be a rough indication of the implicit biases one possesses.

Once these implicit biases are known, work can be done to counteract harmful or undesired conditioned biases. It takes continual effort and awareness—after all, you are attempting to combat connections that have formed over an entire lifetime. But it is possible, and important at that, especially considering how bigotry can manifest as socially conditioned connections.

To counteract classical conditioning, we have to first identify what associations society has conditioned into us. For example, we may have frequently been shown media where people with mental illnesses are portrayed as dangerous. Here, mental illness would be the neutral stimulus, and danger the unconditioned stimulus provoking an unconditioned reaction of fear or discomfort. As we see more and more media showing dangerous mentally ill people, we will start to have the conditioned response of discomfort and fear towards the conditioned stimulus of mental illness. After identifying this association, we can then make an effort to expose ourselves to situations in which the neutral stimulus is present either by itself or with an opposite unconditioned stimulus. For this example, we could expose ourselves to media where mentally ill people are portrayed as calm or nonthreatening (opposite to the previous ‘dangerous’ portrayal). With enough of this opposite exposure, the connection in your brain between “mentally ill” and “dangerous” will be weakened.

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CULTURE Another method to counteract classical conditioning, especially with the association of negative traits with certain groups of marginalised people, is simply to practice empathy. And by practice, I mean literally: make it a point to regularly put yourself in another’s shoes.

Imagine yourself in their situation, being treated the way they are treated, and feeling their emotions. This reminds us that no matter how different that group of people may be from ourselves, they are fundamentally alike in that they are human as well. This empathy can help somewhat disassociate those negative traits from those groups of people.

Undesirable operant conditioning, on the other hand, can be counteracted by first noticing situations in which you are being operant conditioned undesirably. You can then try avoiding or reducing the frequency with which you encounter such situations. For instance, you might be scolded every time you answer a question wrong in math tutoring. In this situation you are We should also be being positively punished, which conditions you aware of how we may to avoid repeating the behaviour of answering questions and/or doing math. A simple way to be responsible for avoid such conditioning, which leads to you procrastinating on math homework, is to perhaps conditioning other people. switch to a more supportive tutor.

We as social creatures

We should also be aware of how we may be responsible for conditioning other people.

We as social creatures inevitablyare are impacted impacted by, If avoiding situations is not possible, you caninevitably by, try consciously conditioning yourself in certain and impact, those around opposite ways. Maybe every time you tell yourand impact, those around parents about your hobbies, they tell you to focusus. us.It’s It’sour our responsibility responsibility on homework instead, and take away your phone tomake makethose those impacts impacts as as (negative punishment). This conditions you toto become discouraged in pursuing your hobbies positive as possible. positive as possible. despite your passion for them. To counteract this demoralisation, you could instead talk to friends, who might provide the positive reinforcement of an inspiring conversation about your hobbies. Such encouragement to repeat the behaviour of discussing and pursuing your hobbies would then be able to cancel out your parents’ discouragement of that behaviour.

It’s important to note that not all societal conditioning is negative; our moral compasses and interests are arguably conditioned into us. But it’s crucial to always try to be aware of the effect that social conditioning has on us. Our behaviour and our perceptions of the world are shaped by the associations our brains make. Without examining these associations, we can end up making connections that are harmful or aren’t necessarily true, and we can behave in ways that might not be beneficial to either us or others.

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CULTURE

藝

另 線 了 作

情

By Zoe Zheng | Illustration by Isabelle Zee | Layout by Kaitlyn Wong

愛德華·霍珀（Edward Hopper）是美國最知名的藝術家 之一，在全球各地廣受讚譽。作為一位現實主義者，他繪 製了從電影院、餐館到新英格蘭燈塔的美國特色題材。 人物的靜止姿勢和早晨的獨特光影使一個孤僻的小鎮喚醒 了人類虛無飄渺的期待。 在Cape Cod Morning這幅油畫中，一位女人望向窗外，被 遠方的東西所吸引。她被深色的百葉窗和窗戶的陰影立面 所包圍。 房屋側面 明亮的陽光與佈滿畫布部分的藍天、 樹木和金色草叢形成鮮明對比。 這幅畫並沒有故事，單 憑女人緊張的姿勢來營造一種焦慮的期待感。整個畫面對 半分割的比例不斷暗示著她的內心空間與周圍世界的紛紛 不一。 這幅畫恰巧地隱喻了目前的疫情生活，作品里的女士憂愁 地看著窗外沉默寂靜的森林，她跟我們大部分人一樣，孤 獨地在家中隔離，逃避疫情。疫情已持續大半年，原本繁 忙人山人海的市區在限聚令下變成一片死寂 。

中 記 醫 畏 他 雕

展 題 了 征 程 除 更 藝

福

線 疫情期間，許多活動都要暫停，相信很多人很久 沒有去過藝術展覽了。幸好，世界各地的藝術家 並沒有放下工作，而是藉不同方式安慰人們的心 靈。

無論你身在何處，都可以把畫 展帶到身邊。

展” 在位於福州的福建省海峽民間藝術館開展。 藝術門類的作品有大概500多件，包括：石雕、 玉石雕、木雕、根雕、陶瓷、剪紙、漆線雕、木 版年畫、書法、篆刻、中國畫、水彩畫、農民畫 等。

因為我們需要在家躲避疫情，人與人之間的關係 變得越來越疏遠，

鬧劇不斷，憤懣、無力、絕 望、寂寞和孤獨這些情緒， 難以排解。 與此同時，除了前線醫護人員英雄拯救世界的行 為，藝術家或藝術組織如何採取行动給社會提供 幫助呢？ 有藝術團體舉辦了藝術展覽，以抗疫為主題，藝 術家透過作品，反思周遭的人和事。 4月8日，“守望相助 萬眾一心——抗疫藝術作品

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這裏的抽象石雕呈現了一位帶著口罩的人，這口 罩嚴密包圍住他的整個頭，代表市民利用過量的 保護裝備來支援他們對冠狀病毒的恐懼。

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CULTURE 另外的幾副藝術作品描繪了前 線醫護人員的付出，藝術家為 了紀念他們的努力和汗血而製 作了這幾幅畫。

中國工藝美術大師鄭幼林接受 記者訪問時表達在疫情期間， 醫護人員勇敢擔當奉獻、大無 畏的精神感動到了自己，於是 他只用了12天就創作出一件石 雕作品。 展覽中其他藝術家創作的抗疫 題材線描組畫藝術作品，展現 了福建支援湖北醫護人員从出 征至戰勝病魔凱旋的全個過 程，令人印象非常深刻。 除了組織藝術展覽，藝術機構 更進一步為社會付出，舉辦了 藝術品的線上慈善拍賣。

2020年2月，昊美術館及 HOWStore聯合一條、現代傳 播、ART021發起倡議，以上海 宋慶齡基金會作為受捐機構， 攜手國內外80餘家重要藝術機 構及100餘位藝術家共同發起 “風雨同舟”藝術抗疫慈善拍 賣。在此次徵集中，昊美術館 及HOWStore捐出100萬元以上 (共計30件)的藝術作品作為拍 品，同時也邀請到藝術機構、 藝術家捐出作品，在2020年3月 2日至5日進行了線上拍賣。 部分名作包括： 杨泳梁《太古蜃市 － 断流》

Pablo Picasso 巴勒羅·畢加 索《陶瓷盘》（1956）

面對新冠肆虐的新現實，藝術 界人士反應迅速，為了支持社 區而竭盡所能採取各種行動。 平民百姓通過欣賞、分享他們 的傑作也能同樣出一分力， 創造萬眾一心的社會，風雨同 舟，一起對抗疫情。

福建省展覽其中的一幅畫描繪了醫務人員與疫情的戰鬥的畫面，畫裏利用了灰白色調，象徵了前

線醫護員工的經歷之沮丧和不安，抒發他們見證人們被病毒奪取生命時的無奈和憂傷。

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CULTURE

Performative Performative Activism: Activism: A A Barrier Barrier To To Social Social Change?

Change?

By Mirjana Vujovich | Photography by Daniel Yang | Layout by Kaitlyn Wong & Airla Fan

Perhaps the Internet was a mistake.

I jest, of course; its growth and development has led to incredible achievements and progress for humanity, but spending a large part of my time embroiled in the virtual world has certainly gifted me with a sense of jaded weariness. I’ve spent far too many hours contemplating online discourse, relating to topics from the omnipresent body positivity movement to trivial fandom infighting. As such, I have long since learned that certain engagements are often fruitless. I’ve accepted that, inevitably, I will see statements and assertions that infuriate or simply just baffle me with their stupidity. And yet, there are moments when I still do a double take at the sheer audacity of it all.

One such moment occurred around late May, when ostensibly self-made billionaire Kylie Jenner was asked to speak up more about current global issues and use her platform. Her response? “I did.” On its own, this

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would not be cause for concern. At the time, in the days following the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement was at its peak, and plenty of celebrities of Jenner’s ilk had shared resources and statements on the movement, as well as on systemic racism in the United States. Even so, nobody is technically obligated to do so; the joys of democracy ensure that every citizen can express themselves as they see fit.

However, Jenner’s decision to assert that she had spread awareness effectively was more than slightly flawed. What she “did” was simply share a chain post on her Instagram story. Her sister Kendall had tagged her, and so she reposted it without comment. Later, Kylie would make a permanent post on her feed, but where others had publicized petitions or organizations to donate to, this post was simply a tribute to the late Mr. Floyd. As days passed, Kylie Jenner seemed to be more focused on Forbes’ decision to revoke her billionaire title

than racial injustice. Again, she was by no means required to take action, but her fervent belief that she was doing so despite refusing to actually say or do anything meaningful is indicative of the greater issue at hand: performative activism.

Unfortunately, Kylie Jenner is not the only public figure out there who is complacent in her empty words.

In the wake of quarantine and isolation announcements, Gal Gadot gathered a dozen or so of her most famous friends to string together a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine”.

It is assumed that this was supposed to be uplifting, perhaps a beacon of solace amidst the newfound loneliness. Instead, it came across as (ironically) tone-deaf. The singing itself is questionable at best, but more concerning is the satisfied manner in which these figures serve up their rendition. COVID-19 invoked a deadly pandemic that took millions of lives, and no IGTV video, no matter its (arguably limited) musical value, is bound to compensate for that.

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One might argue that the video was borne out of good intentions, which is highly likely, but regardless, there is something unsettling about it all. Perhaps it is the millionaires relaxing at home in their mansions while the working class faces mass unemployment. At the end of the day, most would agree that both Jenner and Gadot’s actions were, to some extent, performative; no matter how well-intentioned they were, it is doubtful that they will bring about any meaningful change.

It seems unfair to dismiss such incidents so simply, though.

What is performative activism?

Is it not enough to want to make a change? The term “performative activism” itself gained popularity in the late 2010s in association with numerous social movements; it refers to activism by an individual for the sake of social capital–or “clout”– rather than genuine devotion to a cause. Therefore, it follows that not just the likes of the Kardashians and Hollywood A-listers, but anyone, can be a performative activist. This includes the likes of corporate social responsibility on steroids; think the plethora of statements issued by companies from Amazon to Uber.

Even the fruit snack company Gushers weighed in, stating that “Gushers wouldn’t be Gushers without the Black community and your voices”.

However, without these corporations pledging to donate a portion of their (significant) revenue, their statements don’t mean much.

The phenomenon of performative activism amongst ordinary people, too, has proven true most recently. I’m sure many of us have scrolled through post after post of black squares and the same #blackouttuesday hashtag, or even seen people taking “aesthetic” videos at protests for their Instagram feeds. These types of actions are deemed performative because, although they do seem to

raise awareness for a cause (in this case, Black Lives Matter), they don’t actually benefit anyone except the person whose actions are praised and given attention.

For example, the black squares that filled Instagram feeds on June 2nd were, for the most part, of pure intent.

Blackout Tuesday originated as a movement to shed light on systemic racism and police brutality against Black Americans, in response to the previous killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery (among others). The silence, represented as a “blackout” by completely black posts on social media or a black screen on television, was intended to allow viewers to reflect and to “provoke accountability and change”. However, by reducing the content of the information shared to a hashtag or two, this was not achieved.

Furthemore, it may have even been counterproductive; while many were out protesting in the face of dubiously-ethical arrests, the #blacklivesmatter hashtag became clogged with black squares. Instead of informing users of the pertinent cause, the incessant stream of posts, many of them hashtagged incorrectly, led to an inability to find relevant information. The efforts of “real”

activists were thus hindered, with their causes bastardized. Again, it is highly unlikely that those who participated in such surface-level activism (dubbed “slacktivism” by some) intended to cause harm. Many were probably not aiming for true activism either, simply following along with the current trend. That is exactly where the problem lies. Not only does this brand of activism accomplish nothing productive and possibly even cause harm, but it renders genuine causes trendy, decreasing the potential for constructive change to be made. Additionally, for those with larger platforms— namely, celebrities and corporations— spreading misinformation or simply failing to mention important aspects has greater potential to cause harm.

With the world’s eyes (or at least a significant portion of them) affixed to their profiles, the probability of an ill-informed slip-up leading to undesirable consequences is dangerously high.

It’s clear that ordinary people are capable of as much performative activism as the next movie star or Insta-influencer. However, the distinction between the behavior of a layperson and that of a celebrity or corporation is the potential impact of the respective parties. The nature of fame, at least as we know it, is such

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For example, when megastar Taylor Swift encouraged her millions (over 100) of Instagram followers to vote via a post, 169,000 new registrations were documented in the following 48 hours. Of course, as everyone knows, correlation does not necessarily equate to causation, but the fact that more than half of those registrations came from 18-29 year olds points to a strong likelihood of a connection; Swift’s largely young fanbase was almost certainly influenced by her powerfully-worded message.

However, this means nothing if it led to no concrete impact, one might argue. Swift endorsed 2 candidates: Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives.

Although Bredesen lost the Senate race to Marsha Blackburn, following previous party lines, Cooper won the 5th Congressional District with ease; though he had previously won in 2016, the margin increased from 25.1 points to 35.6 points. This does not prove with certainty to be Swift’s doing, but it is clear that her words were not meaningless. Therefore, celebrities evidently have the ability to influence their audience, as well as wealth on their side. Does it not follow that they should wield that power for good? Without dwelling too much on political particulars and which sides should be taken, it follows that speaking up, at the very least, is

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the right thing to do. Obviously, no legal requirement ensures this, but in striving towards a better world, it seems that these individuals would be able to do good through the use of their platform.

and trolls, also reaffirmed Swift’s support for the LGBTQ community; the lyric video featured a subtle nod to the organization GLAAD and the song makes digs at the perceived homophobic masses.

One might protest that entertainers should, as the Dixie Chicks were instructed after speaking up against former President Bush, simply “shut up and sing”. However, that argument is reductive, treating celebrities as one-dimensional figures with no capacity for intelligent thought.

As members of the public at large, they have every right to voice their opinions. With the addition of their measurable influence, and without starting a discussion on whether their fame itself is deserved, the discussion

However, it was when the music video portrayed said masses as uneducated rednecks that it was called into question. By reducing homophobia to a problem only perpetuated by caricatures of stupid “hicks”, not only did Swift paint poorer rural communities as awash with hate and idiocy, she also depicted discrimination as only coming from ignorant bigots in the make of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Neglecting to address more insidious and nuanced issues is not a crime, but it’s far from proper activism. Others took issue with the numerous celebrity cameos, from Ellen DeGeneres to Adam Rippon to all five of the “Queer Eye” stars.

It seemed to some as if Swift was making up for depth with name-dropping, showing her LGBTQ+ friends off like accessories.

Though that may have been a bit of a stretch, and those who worked on the video sang her praises openly, it’s undeniable that the video had its issues. To be perfectly honest, I’m barely scratching the surface. Though as a fan of Swift, I’m inclined to defend her, there are many more questionable aspects of the entirety of “You Need to Calm Down”.

of social and political discourse among these figures is undeniably beneficial; it increases awareness greatly and is likely to inspire real and positive change. However, there comes a point where it’s difficult to draw a line between performative activism and genuine attempts at doing the right thing, to distinguish between actions steeped in intentions of benevolence and those compelled by conformity.

When Taylor Swift released her 2019 summer hit “You Need To Calm Down”, she was met with both applause and backlash from people across a wide range of backgrounds.

The song, intended to serve as retaliation against online haters

To begin with, there is the issue of whether Swift’s allyship itself is performative or not. A particular revised lyric from Picture to Burn that I’ll decline to mention comes to mind as evidence of Hillary Clinton-esque side-switching, cashing in on the dollars of whichever stance is popular at the time. However, one would be hard-pressed to disprove that Swift meant well. She performed at the

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Stonewall Inn with Hayley Kiyoko that same month, and repeatedly (even in the music video) urged her fans to sign her petition for Senate support of the Equality Act. The effects of Swift’s words, again, were proven: GLAAD saw an overnight spike in individual donations, many valued at $13, the “Taylor Swift number”. Perhaps she may have come across as performative, but it’s more likely that she has simply changed as a person, as people do. All things said and done, although there may be performative aspects to the entire affair, the song and video had positive impacts on the whole. If anything, this only shows further how difficult it can be to distinguish between what’s performative and what isn’t.

Many people believe that doing or saying anything at all in the way of activism is helpful. For instance, Kylie Jenner’s Instagram story may have caused a younger fan to look up the Black Lives Matter movement if they had previously been unaware of it.

Perhaps the overwhelming number of “aesthetic” shots taken at protests inspired some to actually go attend one, albeit not for the right reasons.

Then, it may even be possible for these events to incite genuine passion or motivation, rendering “performative activism” a stepping stone for others to learn and grow from. The likelihood of this actually happening is difficult to determine, though.

Furthermore, it would be naive to assume that Instagram posts and tweets are comparable to a person’s real-life actions. Although social media is ubiquitous in the 21st century, and its prevalence has grown even further with worldwide selfisolation policies, it certainly is not the be-all and end-all of anything.

Making donations, one of the most concrete and measurable ways for the wealthy and powerful to enact change, is not always an activity that is publicized; in fact, if one makes an effort to announce each donation made, that calls into question their motivations for doing so in the first place. Intent, after all, is the ultimate determinant of whether activism is performative or not. Regardless, it cannot be disputed that raising awareness is better than nothing. Still, exactly how much better is it?

And of course, for the rest of us ordinary folk, there isn’t a whole lot we can do. Although systemic change is often driven by the masses, it’s hard to find the same impact in our actions when compared to those of followerstudded stars. For individuals without the advantages gifted to Swift and her peers, our donations are comparably peanut-like and our attempts at advocacy lack the same effects. Some cynics might lament that, then, anything one does can be deemed performative, yet I would beg to differ. In small ways, we can make changes that go beyond copy-

and-paste statements. We can use our minds and creativity to spread more powerful messages.

We can put our money where our mouth is, and buy, when possible, from businesses that speak to us. We can talk to people that we personally know, like our uninformed great-aunt, and try to kindle change starting on an individual level. It is, frankly, blatantly clear that each and every one of us—whether a “nobody” or a “30 Under 30” member—is capable of more than a retweet.

Moving forward in today’s landscape, it seems that there is no one way to decide whether something is performative or not. Instead, maybe it’s better to view activism as a continuum rather than a binary of genuine versus performative. Though intent is at the core of evaluating these actions, individuals can still engage in misdirected behavior. At the end of the day, it would be foolish to thank them for doing the bare minimum, but perhaps vilifying them is not constructive either. Performative activism may not always be extremely harmful—at least outwardly—but its results are never wholly positive, and we as a society should aim to rectify this. With no way to truly determine intention, it is best to examine the impact of actions and hence work towards positive change. That might mean telling your friend to delete their ill-informed repost, or unfollowing Tyler Joseph for his painfully ignorant platform tweet. Changes originate on an individual level, but society is, at its simplest, a collection of individuals.

There is no template for how one should act, especially, as I’ve learned, on the Internet. But personally, I want to see a better world, and I think it’s time for a reassessment of our own activism.

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ake ews FaeeNews “House On October 2nd, the White dropped a bombshell:

By Myriam Lynch | Illustration by Veda Lee | Layout by Zoe Zheng

President Donald J. Trump had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

While it had taken the Trump administration some time to assess the situation and how to reveal it to the world, it only took minutes for people to spin a web of conspiracy theories around this revelation.

Despite the fact that President Trump is the embodiment of carelessness when it comes to the coronavirus, refusing to wear a mask and promoting crackpot treatments like bleach injections and hydroxychloroquine, many speculated that he was only pretending to be sick in order to amaze his followers with a “miraculous” recovery and prove that the coronavirus is “very much under control”. Others theorized that his (fake) illness was a ploy to avoid the next debate or a ruse for delaying the presidential election. His infection was quickly confirmed by reputable journalism outlets, but in the “post-truth” world in which we now live, where conspiracies, lies and fake news are effortlessly propagated on social media, it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish between truth and lies, especially when we rely on our emotions and personal beliefs to decipher the news, rather than trust to facts and evidence-based arguments.

Fake news crashed on the scene in 2016 with Pizzagate, a purely fictional story invented by QAnon followers about a pedophile sex traficking ring created and led by Hillary Clinton from a pizzeria on Capitol Hill, a story whose lasting endurance is almost as crazy as the lies themselves. In fact, “pizzagate” has now become a verb, as in “Hunter Biden was pizzagated” by outlandish allegations that he was also involved in a child abuse scandal. QAnon is now spreading another fiction: that COVID-19 was invented by Democrats to undermine Trump’s administration. They “proved” their point when the President tweeted from Walter Reed Hospital,

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“We will get through this TOGETHER!”, which QAnon followers interpreted as a secret message: that COVID-19 is Hillary’s fault and Trump’s followers must now unite To anyone with a foot still in reality, reading fake news is a leap down the rabbit’s hole of one preposterous theory after another. But during a pandemic, when the world is unrecognizable, daily life has been overturned, and everyone fears a silent killer, it’s easy to see the allure of that kind of thinking. In fact, there is hard science about why people fall for fake news.

Psychologists have identified several phenomena that explain our gullibility. One is the illusory truth effect, or the idea that the more we are exposed to a piece of information, the more we believe it. The illusory truth effect assumes that even if you are able to debunk the fake information, the information has already taken hold in your subconscious in ways that will affect you without your realizing it. Another reason fake news circulates so freely is due to naive realism, which is the tendency to believe in one’s own objectivity and reasonableness, and to question everyone else’s.

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Fake news also circulates due to sheer laziness, as when we blindly put our trust in our news sources, without fact checking or researching other sources.

In today’s politically hyperpolarized United States however, it appears that confirmation bias is driving most fake news. This means that if you’re a Trump supporter, you’ll believe the doctored video of Joe Biden falling asleep in an interview that was circulated

by Trump Supporters on Twitter, where it received 2.4 million views before it was finally taken down. Similarly, if you’re a Democrat, you may just as easily be tempted to believe the screenshot of a fake email from the Trump administration asking supporters to donate money for his recovery.

Fake news has become so widespread. Indeed, we are probably all guilty of having spread some ourselves, intentionally or inadvertently - that there are now a number of distinct categories for it. Knowing the difference between these types of fake news can help us understand what kind of “news” we are seeing. The first distinction is between disinformation and misinformation. While both refer to the act of spreading false information, in the case of disinformation, this action is intentional and often with the purpose of misleading others. However in the case of misinformation, the person sharing the unfounded content is unaware of the inaccuracies.

Another, slightly more worrying kind of fake news is

malinformation, which is false information created with the intent to cause harm. The three categories can be difficult to distinguish from each other, and often they overlap. One of the many examples of fake news spread

by President Trump - his referring to the coronavirus as both the “China Plague” and the “Kung Flu” - can serve to illustrate the nuance. These terms fall under both the misinformation category and the malinformation category. By calling the coronavirus the “China Plague,” not only was the President trying to mislead Americans by blaming the state of the economy and the 234,000 deaths in the US on China, he was also trying to fuel racism and xenophobia, and his statements can be linked to the rise of racism against Asian-Americans in the US. Teenagers’ fake news might be driven by other motivators, however. We can be impatient with critical analysis and prone to rely on social media feeds for news rather than turn to established news sources. Due to their algorithms, social media feeds only show us what we want to see, or media that confirms our beliefs, or even media that will scare us or appeal to our emotions.

The same can be said for our friendships; we surround ourselves with people who believe the same things as us, meaning that we are never exposed to opposing information. It would be helpful, to combat fake news, if every one of us would take a moment to think about where we get our news, why we go to those news sources and how our emotions are ignited by what we read.

Perhaps the biggest problem of fake news today is that there is just so much of it, and like COVID fatigue, we are all exhausted by fake news and need a healthy dose of reality. In a speech given to the Anti-Defamation League in 2019, Sasha Baron Cohen said, “Democracy, which depends on shared truths, is in retreat. Autocracy, which depends on shared lies, is on the march.” He continued by describing Facebook as “the greatest propaganda machine in history” and arguing that had Facebook been around in the 1930s, it would have allowed Hitler to post political ads as another example of the “diversity of ideas” that Facebook welcomes and defends. A big part of the fake news phenomenon is of course social media and platforms like Facebook and Twitter that have resisted policing fake news, and not just flagging it, but taking it down. However, COVID-19’s most famous patient, who has already changed so many norms, not usually in good ways, may have caused social media giants to adopt more rigorous standards for what can be spread online.

Now that FB and Twitter have deemed that calling for Trump’s death from COVID-19 on their platforms is hate speech and removed those posts, many people hope that death threats and rumors about themselves will be similarly policed.

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《十二公民》，便是众生百态 2015年，改编自美国著名电影《十二怒 汉》的中国大陆电影《十二公民》登上了 大银幕——如果只用一句话概括，我会说 这是一部，成本极底，含金量又极高的直 击心灵的国产刑法片。没有高热度的明星 网红，没有炫目的特效灯光，仅有的，只 是一间破旧的仓库，一张长桌，和十二位 演技爆的老戏骨。

文体：电影评论 主题： 每个人心中的成见都是一座大

故事围绕着轰动社会的富二代“杀父 案”展开。刑法大学内的学生设立了模拟 法庭并审理此案件。学生的父亲们组成了 陪审团。他们需要为案件作出最终判决。 初次投票，只有八号先生投了无罪。其余 的十一人都错愕不已，因为在他们看来， 富二代犯下滔天大罪已是事实。面对他人 的质疑，八号先生表现出了他对讨论的重 视，并希望众人能够重新审理案件。在年 轻的嫌疑犯离舆论上的死亡只有一步之遥 时，八号先生凭借一方“固执”与强大的 推理能力，使案件中的疑点逐个暴露并将 其击破，同时，越来越多的陪审员被说 服。最终，伴随着日落的黄昏，电影以十 二人一致同意嫌疑人无罪而画上句号。

山，判定事件，发表言论请保持理智与责 我认为影片中最精彩的，是电影通过十二 任感，因为不经思考的囫囵一举，便可能 位陪审员的人物设定，展现出社会真实情 况的写照，以及对当下人们认识、思考、 伤害他人至深。

处理问题的写实反映。电影中的十二个人 处处不同。他们其中有医生，保安，出租 This riveting review of the Chinese suspense movie 12 车 司机，等等。结合人物的台词，人物背 Citizens comments on the inherent biases in society 后的仇富情节，排外心理，社会对老年人 and how the decisions we make, guided by our preju- 的忽视，小商小贩的艰难生存环境等社会 dices, often holds another person’s future at stake. 问题都被一一暴露。 社会问题必然值得探 讨，但我认为更值得人们思考的是，为什 么在身份差距巨大的同时，即使面对生死 By: Michelle Min 决策，十二人中的十一人在最初还能达成 Illustration By: Felisha Wang 想法上的一致。 其中的原因在我看来，是 Layout By: Adelaide Ng 思想上的懒惰 与对内心成见的屈从。 在《 哪吒之魔童降世魔童》中有一句台词，“ 人心中的成见是一座大山。”在电影中， 96

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十号陪审员就因为自身对外 地人的歧视，主观地认为事 件中富二代与他的河南农民 生父一样“顽劣”，而作为 身份低下遭人使唤的七号陪 审员也因为对富二代的仇富 心理投了有罪票。两人最大 的共同点，便是固执己见， 正如八号陪审员所说，“他 听不见，他什么也听不见” 。一旦人们任由心中的偏见 肆意生长，心胸便会变得格 外狭窄，无法再明辨是非。 愚昧地认为自己句句在理的 同时，殊不知自大的形象在 明眼人看来是多么可笑。 实际上，比身份带来的成见更具普遍性的，是人们的从众心理。台词中多次提 到，面对此案件，社会舆论皆倒向“年纪轻轻的富二代为杀人凶手”这一结论，就连 法律专业的学生律师，也未像嫌疑人的辩护律师一样提供强有力的证据，而是顺应风 向，将富二代视为罪魁祸首。最初的十一人，或许认为自己已经做出了合理的判断， 实际上，他们所依赖的“确凿证据”个个漏洞百出。在现实社会中，特别是网络世界 里，这类事情也层出不穷。人们很容易一窝蜂地倒向一个观点，将零碎的证据与他 人的观点化为己用，争先恐后地表达自己的看法，以凸显自己的“有主见”，并不能 接受其他观点。影片中亦是这样，陪审团之间对不同意见的包容度极低，讥讽和谩骂 几乎充斥着整个讨论。但是，其中的可怕之处就在于，这一时的思想上的偷懒，这一 刻成为的乌合之众，都有可能是将一位无辜的人推向深渊的大手。就像电影里所提 及——“就您举手投有罪的这一票的同时，这孩子在您心里，死了”。 那么，坚持无罪的八号陪审员在电影中起到了什么作用呢？他用行动告诉了我 们，只要身为“公民”，那么肩上就该承担着维持社会公正的责任。因为实际上，没 有人知道所谓真相是什么，但他说：“我不知道真相是什么，也没人知道，但是我们 有合理的怀疑，这在我们的社会里，是有巨大的价值的保护措施”，“谁也不能随随 便便宣布一个人有罪，除非证据确凿，不能”。 在他身上所充斥着的，也是现代不 少教育者所推崇的批判性思维。八号陪审员坚持认为“天底下没有百分之百的事”， 随波逐流只是让自己流向离真相更远的海域。只有放下偏见，认真思考过后做出的判 断，才对得起一个人的公民身份。影片虽已落幕，但观者无一不保留沉默，反思自己 肩上是否已扛起一方职责。

“不到五分钟就得出结论，这是不负责任的” 。

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By Katherine Yin | Illustrations by Michelle Qiu | Layout by Andrew Fan

剖析旅游业受到打击后惊喜的发展

次，全国酒店平均入住率到50%。据网站马蜂窝旅 游的数据，“国庆自驾游”搜索热度比去年黄金周 涨了153%，自驾游定制游订单上涨24%。日本也有 一样的现象，各个国家公园全启了 WIFI 设施，吸 引日本市民到公园里上网，提高人气。临近东京的 OKUTAMA区域以青山秀水作为特色，转向吸引 大批本地游客。星野公司作为一家大型酒店管理公 司，认为目前是关注国内游客的最佳时机，因为他 们别无其它选择。专家预测，即使疫情过后，国内 旅游人次还会保持上升势态。可见，行李箱不必拉 到很远，周围转转，也能遇到惊喜的旅行。 “行李箱”另一个重要的夹层，是这次疫情 中出现的“虚拟旅游”，又称“网上旅游”。它是指 游客通过网上虚拟的三维立体游览环境，感受和体 验旅游景点。最受欢迎的是线上参观博物馆。新冠 肺炎刚爆发的时候，谷歌和世界上2500多家博物馆 一同制作了虚拟游览的一系列体验，当然其中少不 了罗浮宫。罗浮宫是世界上数一数二的人气景点， 蒙娜丽莎画像前常人满为患。这个轻松新奇的方式 令罗浮宫的游览网站每日浏览量超过了四十万，还 省去了排队之苦。此外，凡尔赛宫、圣地亚哥动物 园、古根汉姆博物馆，都开启了类似的体验。不同 国家地区的团队一同合作，为世界不同角落的人制 作了“只要移动手指的旅行”。 不管您有过精彩纷呈的家庭旅行，或是历届的杭州 学生，应该都对旅行不陌生。现在，您家里的行李 箱是不是已经安顿在被遗忘的角落？行李箱上会不 会也开始积起薄薄一层灰尘了？旅游业就像您家里 的行李箱一样，几个月下来呆在遗落的位置，没有 兴奋的游客推动它的轮子。根据专家的预测，1.2 亿从事旅游业的人正将失去他们的工作，全球旅游 业的损失高达1万亿。旅游业关系到千千万万份工 作，支撑着许多国家的经济。今年从4月开始，旅 游业像一个跑不动的人，脚步踉踉跄跄艰难地行 走，直到基本上停顿了。但正是这段时间，展现了 前所未有的一些创新。现在，让我们打开旅游业这 个“行李箱”，看看里面如何体现出“万众一心”。 打开这个“行李箱”，第一个“夹层”就是“微旅 游”，即在自己的地区内消费的旅游方式。在疫情 得到一定控制的国家和地区，政府和企业为了减少 损失，争先恐后地推出了相关计划。现在有一种名 为“无处可飞的机票”，可谓史无前例。香港、台 湾和新加坡的航空公司都在售卖，机票上起飞地点 和目的地列印着同一个机场，乘客只会在原地天空 转圈！不要以为这是个缪想天开的尝试，澳洲航空 推出的这款机票，10分钟内全被抢光。更有甚者， 现在美国和中国的酒店服务90%以上都是自己国内 游客。十月第一周是中国“旅游黄金周”，被称为 2020年“第一次过的国假”，游客达到了5.5亿次人

“行李箱”不可缺一个好用的拉链，“ 旅游气泡”就是那个拉链，与“微旅游”和“虚拟旅 游”两个夹层组成完整的旅行箱。“旅游气泡”是指 特定的地区之间对来访旅行者的防疫安排。提出这 个设想的专家认为这是一个在旅游和防疫之间求得 平衡的好方法。澳大利亚和新西兰正是采取了“旅 游气泡”的政策，两国从中互相受益。新西兰的旅 游业是其经济的支柱，但40%的游客来自于澳大利 亚。两个国家从2020年5月开始了谈判，10月份终 于克服困难，开启了旅游气泡。从事豪华旅行社的 公司Virtuoso体会到，游客们对健康安全等等问题 的担心和惧怕，诸如隔离安排，酒店设施，航空公 司退款改签这些问题，只有通过国家间的合作才可 能解决。“旅游气泡”这个新鲜的概念告诉我们， 一旦做到同心合力，办法总比困难多。 再来拿起熟悉的行李箱，是否开始感恩支撑着行 李箱的“把手”呢？有没有发觉旅游业需要齐心协 力的团结呢？国际间的合作确保了网上旅游的设 施，人们增加国内旅行支持自己国家的经济，还有 各种团队齐心协力为旅游业找出路。虽然今年您的 行李箱上增加不同贴纸的机会不大，但万众一心的 结果，足以让行李箱可以重新移动起来。

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True True Beauty: Beauty: Can Can Visual Visual Perfection Perfection Be Be Achieved?

Achieved?

By Chloe Huen | Photography by Ashley Gatt and Evelyn Kwan | Layout by Airla Fan

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of foot binding, which was favoured in China until of them all?” We all recognise this phrase from around 1949, and the corset-waists from Victorian

England. These constricting customs symbolised the culmination of female beauty and refinement, a quality associated with the elite, the highest and most regal social class. The closer a woman was to the standard, the more desirable she was, which led many to desperately try and meet these ludicrous criteria. Many conceptions were built around changing oneself to look like the elite class of the time period: milky pale skin was always and still is popular throughout Asia and was something Queen Elizabeth I was also famed for, as it intended to contrast the suntanned skin of the working class, representing superiority, elegance and regality.

There are also numerous cultural factors which impact the way we judge beauty;something we deem to be unattractive may be a symbol of beauty to someone else. A set of straight, “pearly whites” is seen as perfect in many countries, but in Japan the “yaeba” (snaggletooth), which people typically see as an imperfection, is heavily sought after. The We often see people pass us whom we consider Japanese believe that it provides an impish cuteness to be beautiful, but what truly leads us to think along with a youthful and endearingly childish smile. a person is attractive? How is it that it only takes It all began with one Japanese girl group, TYB48, half a second to glance at someone and determine and this unique beauty trend spiralled rapidly into whether they are beautiful or not? There are one of the most favourable features in Japan to this various standards and conceptions of “true beauty” day. formed in different parts of the world, and our historical and cultural backgrounds are the various Currently, the ever-growing popularity of discussing lenses influencing our views on what is fashionable “body image” has caused people to question the or beautiful. Beauty standards have existed morality of idealizing unerringly perfect models, forever, constantly evolving and changing. Two who often appear on posters lining clothing shops. examples would be the commonly known concept In recent years, heated opposition emerged Snow White, but what exactly is it asking? Does the word “fairest” mean the most beautiful? Or does it mean the palest? Beauty has always been something blurry, undefined and ambiguous. In fact, measuring beauty has always been about making comparisons.

It’s about choosing the mirror— whom or what you compare your beauty with. If we each personally defined our own objectives and standards, then we would simply see the most beautiful person looking back at us in the mirror. Nonetheless, we do not, as our largely unrealistic conceptions of beauty are formed through culture, history, and our environment. The actual image we see reflected in the mirror does not provide us with any information, yet our interpretation of the image does, akin to how our strictly formed interpretations of true beauty influence what we see both in the mirror and in others.

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CULTURE against the way models promoted a Barbie-like image and encouraged young girls to go to horrific extents in order to match the images. Now, with our increasing awareness towards diversity, plussize models have started to appear frequently in clothing advertisements and as social media influencers as well. It is admirable and about time that we now strive to be inclusive of all types of people, but the growing popularity of plus size models has also received a substantial amount of backlash for potentially glamorising and normalising obesity. This body positivity movement causes people underestimate their weight and ignore health consequences, as people are now more visually exposed to images of plus-sized models.

In truth, people are fairly undereducated about the severeness of obesity. In fact, 30.6% of women and 57.9% of men misperceive their weight; this concerning statistic has increased over time and corresponds to the rise in popularity of plus-size models. Given this fluctuation in the conception of a desirable body, it seems that body image standards are just too hard to meet. The current trend of being “slim thick” in the US appears to reconcile both skinny and full, yet it is practically impossible to achieve this specific body shape, and failing to do so often leads to constant insecurity and low selfesteem, particularly in teenagers. Furthermore, there are numerous shops which promote a “one-size fits all” mantra, forcing people to attain a particular body shape and size if they want to wear what is deemed fashionable. Many people feel burdened, as not only is the ruthless pressure of achieving visual perfection mentally draining and unhealthy, it can also potentially impact people in lethal ways, sparking destructive dieting and self-care methods.

success based on the beauty of those in it, using an algorithm to assess human beauty. The fusiform face area in our brains differentiate what we see as attractive and unattractive and by viewing a face as a collection of pixels, machines have also begun to do this. Identifying and measuring specific parts of a person’s face can determine how far their measurements diverge from those of an average person of their race. Tik Tok evaluates the degree of “fit” one’s face has with the measurements of the ideal averages and provides a final beauty score. The machine identifies standout features of an ideal pretty face to compare and contrast them with individuals in the videos. Researchers have discovered that most people score a 2.5 to 3.5 out of 5 as it seems to be the normal distribution of attractiveness. Unfortunately, this algorithm is mostly based on White and Asian facial features, failing to include darker skin tones. Moreover, the algorithm is not limited to facial features— it even provides measurements and ratings on skin health.

This beauty score cherry-picks what is shown in the “For You” page, and this concept may explain why everyone on the recommended pages seem excessively pretty. As machines remember patterns and trends, “high quality content” will be recognised as the results of the beauty algorithm and score.

There is something eerily harsh about computers rating humans on beauty and this shows that not only are people judging appearances, machines are too. This beauty algorithm promotes unrealistic standards of beauty as it only recommends and

It is no secret that the rise of social media influencers have had a significant impact on one’s self image and beauty standards, and one app in particular, Tik Tok, has been exploding in popularity over the past year.

However, like all things, Tik Tok comes with its fair share of controversy and ambivalence. Tik Tok rates videos for prospective 校話 XH issue 23_Master layout .indd 101

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heightened Eurocentrism in people’s conceptions of beauty, influencing the conceptions of children who wish to mirror the images they admire on screen.

Although change is happening, Western countries have long been seen as the trendsetters and most innovative nations of the world for a long time.

People tend to idolise Western visuals as Caucasians have always been considered more affluent. We have always subconsciously been focused on Caucasian culture, so unsurprisingly, our society’s rigid conceptions of beauty have been led to become distinctly Eurocentric. The most common plastic surgery procedures in Asia are double-eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty, which Westernise features, creating the eyelid crease only 50% of Asian possess, and a taller nose. It didn’t take long for critics to settle on and vilify the idea that these procedures were being done to look more Caucasian, although this may only be true to an extent.

As Asian faces are typically rounder with softer features, larger, double-lidded eyes create better facial harmony, as Asian’s value youthful visuals.

Whether it be intentional or subconscious, mirroring others is something all humans do. In order to evolve, humankind has always learned to create ideologies and rules, determining what behaviour is tolerable and socially acceptable. Powerful, intelligent people have always been seen as more elite, with a higher social status, and humans tend to imitate these types of successful people in order to show respect or admiration. Scientifically speaking and by following the concept that “imitation is the highest form of flattery”, the mirror neuron in our brains is what enables and encourages us to imitate others. Mirror neurons affect our social, empathetic and imitation behaviour; it is salient in our lives as humans need to learn through imitation. We are constantly told to “be ourselves” and “stand out”, but beyond a need to impress, people crave a sense of security and comfort, which blending in with the crowd provides.

People naturally feel less insecure and more hidden in groups, often driven by the urge to seem “normal” and shyaway from the negative judgements carelessly uttered by peers. Dressing or changing in appearance to fit the trends allows one to feel guarded and sheltered, but it snatches away the visual variety in society.

Ever since we were children, we’ve always had the whimsical desire to look like the beautiful, glamorous people we see on television and one of the things most children are heavily influenced by is Disney. The seemingly innocent and cheerful characters mask the significant impact they have on a child’s mind, for they are mostly Caucasian. This leads children to think that what they are admiring on screen defines true beauty and guides them to unknowingly grow to idolise Western-based features. When I was eight, I remember drawing an image of two girls.

Similar to the glittering princess characters I had seen in countless books and films, the girls were surrounded by colourful flowers and birds, and they were both blond-haired and blue-eyed. I remember writing about and drawing Caucasian characters as I believed it would make them seem more attractive; I wanted people to like my artwork and I had believed that drawing them exactly like the characters I had seen on television was the way to do it. Media has 102

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For many people it is quite unsettling to express themselves visually with confidence because although we are taught never to “judge a book by its cover”, the first and only thing people can use to make assumptions about someone is their appearance. Contrary to popular belief, appearance is very impactful in first impressions. Others use facial features and fashion choices to make presumptions about personality traits, lifestyle more. Having always turned a blind eye to this concept, I refused to believe that visuals could play such an important role in a person’s image, that how closely one fit the conceptions of beauty could define them in the minds of others. However, as a matter of fact,

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CULTURE the pressure to conform to beauty standards and the demand to look perfectly composed and put together at all times is immensely high, as we are not only analysed by people but machines and computers as well. Human attractiveness being rated and given a number by artificial intelligence is quite cruel, not to mention harmful towards mental health. It seems as if our own inventions and technology are propelling us to further succumb to the gruelling rules of attaining physical attraction.

Moreover, the desperate craving which people have to fit visual standards is exceedingly dangerous as it is deceptive, creating the illusion that true perfection can actually be achieved. It is no secret that perfection will always be far out of our reach, for no matter how painfully hard we try to grasp ahold of it, perfection only seems to slip farther away.

There are many pressures in our lives which contribute to insecurities, and constantly seeing people who seem better and more attractive drive some people over the edge, turning them towards dangerous extremes in order to reach society’s unattainable image of perfection.

Changing the way we dress or getting a haircut are trivial, temporary ways to cling to the latest trends, but many people resort to making permanent changes to the body. This is risky as trends change excruciatingly quickly and the permanent changes will rapidly go out of style.

Naturally, there are many people who refuse to succumb to the pressures of trends and meeting specific visual standards, choosing to display and express their individuality through appearance and dress. Nevertheless, people tend to view these individuals in two different lights. In the former, individuals who decide to ignore the aesthetic standards of society are looked down on with veiled disdain, as people who follow trends consider themselves to be superior to others, being somewhat “closer” to society’s standards of perfection. At a time where one’s appearance is so heavily critiqued, many believe that being visually perfect automatically corresponds to being more distinguished and closer to being virtually flawless.

On the other hand, people also view individuals who stray from current trends with admiration and respect; even so, this is typically only the reaction when the individual possesses conventional beauty and it may even lead to the individual beginning a

new trend themselves. An example would be the current Instagram trend of thick, bold eyebrows which have been appearing in Vogue since 2014. This trend was heavily influenced by Cara Delevingne, an English supermodel. Thick, dark brows had not been fashionable since the 1980’s but once done on a conventionally attractive model, the trend made an overwhelmingly strong comeback. Similarly to the advertising methods sellers use, the looks and clothing exhibited on a beautiful face are more appealing and convincing, as attractive individuals captivate people and are unfortunately seen as more visually “acceptable”.

Trends are perpetually changing and the idea of “visual perfection” is only becoming more and more unrealistic as new conceptions continue to be formed and created. What makes beauty so

vague is its constantly changing definition, which sequentially influences our view of true beauty. We must consider what our “mirror” is; are we going to keep making comparisons between ourselves and others through the quixotic ideals of a beautiful person? For the most part, beauty does not merely exist on its own but is rather created by spectators— us. People are incessantly unable to reach the standard because their definition and interpretation of truly perfect beauty are completely dissimilar to that of someone else. In essence, to truly appreciate the beauty in both ourselves and the people around us, we must fully accept and become comfortable in our perfect imperfections, acknowledging that perfection is purely a deceptive fantasy. Trying to become the standard of beauty is a never-ending race, where one can sprint their whole life without ever reaching the finish line. 校話

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For decades Hollywood has been known for its lack of diversity: It has under-represented people of colour and told only white stories through white leads, and through the lenses of white production members. BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of colour) as token side characters are no strangers to Hollywood, often utilized as nothing more than side pieces filled with overused cliches and stereotypes for the white lead, with little to no storyline. However, in recent years, films such as Get Out (2017) dir.

Jordan Peele, Black Panther (2018) dir. Ryan Coogler, Crazy Rich Asians (2018) dir. Jon M. Chu, all films with BIPOC leads and stories, have been big hits in the box-office.

Reports done by the UCLA sociology department show that Hollywood has improved over the years to diversify and showcase increasingly more stories of persons of colour and letting POCs take the lead (Hunt, et al). Despite greater representation in front of the camera now, a question remains: Do these stories truly reflect the voices of people of colour? When is Hollywood going to finally be able to represent and reflect the global population as a whole?

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It’s true that Hollywood is stepping in the right direction, casting and writing more leads for people of colour in front of the camera. The 2019 UCLA diversity report found that “people of color accounted for 19.8 percent of the leads in top films for 2017, a significant increase from the 13.9 percent figure posted in 2016” (Hunt, et al). In fact, television is way ahead of film in terms of LGBTQ+ representation. GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)’s Studio Responsibility Index, a report that tracks LGBTQ representation in films, found “pattern[s] of inconsistency”, where representation from film studios “go from worse to doing better or vice versa” says Megan Townsend, GLAAD”s director of entertainment research. She also noted that in TV, there is a “continued forward march with the quality, quantity and diversity of LGBTQ characters consistently improving year to year.”

Despite this progress in representation, films deemed as Oscarworthy are still disproportionately Eurocentric and androcentric. The Oscars, or the Academy, is regarded as the most prestigious award a film,

cast member, or production member could receive for their work on the film. Despite its glory and grandeur, the Academy rarely recognizes the works of international films, making it a very local event, centering on the films Hollywood creates.

Every year during award season, #OscarsSoWhite trends across social media. It’s easy to see why: nominees for lead actors and directors are, more often than not, white. In fact, all twenty acting nominees of the 2015-16 awards were white. New York Times found that “92 percent of top film directors were men and 86 percent of top films featured white actors”, a statistic that isn’t at all shocking to the Academy (Ugwu).

The difference between female and male winners for production roles also have a noticeable gap. Out of only five ever female nominees for the Oscars Best Director, only one has ever won: Kathryn Bigelow for her work on the 2010 film The Hurt Locker.

The gender wage gap persists within the acting realm of filmmaking as well. Forbes has recently released the list of the top ten highestpaid actors and actresses in the world.

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Dwyane Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Sofia Vergara and Angelina Jolie, dominate the list, despite the lack of theatrical releases due to the Covid-19 pandemic (Berg). When comparing the highest-paid actors on the top of both lists, it’s almost not surprising that Dwayne Johnson took in $87.5 million for the 2020 year, just a bit more than double of what Sofia Vergara made, at $43 million (Berg). Though more and more female-led films are on the lineup, and Hollywood is narrowing the gender pay gap, the collective amount the highest-paid actors made remains close to double of their female counterparts, sitting at $545.5 million this year.

The idea that Hollywood is comfortable in their bubble of underrepresentation can easily be condemned. Yet, from the industry’s perspective, diversity is an extremely delicate subject. For example,director Ridley Scott mentions in an interview about his 2014 film Exodus: Gods and Kings,”I can’t mount a film of this budget ... and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such. ... I’m just not going to get financed.” The wrong casting, the wrong dialogue, the wrong scenes could do infinitely more harm than good. To Hollywood, making a generic, trope-filled movie pushes any possible controversy out of the way. After all, history is stacked against Hollywood, and decades of stereotypes cannot be abolished overnight. With the importance of BLM, especially this year, movies centered around minorities are much more heavily scrutinized. In avoiding controversy, the formulaic thought process involved leads to many tropes that pushes diversity into the background.

A common trope in films is using minority characters as life lessons for the main character. The issue with this is that they are not seen as fully established characters, but there to be called upon for enlightenment and

knowledge. Whether it’s educating a privileged character, being taken advantage of, or simply used as a way to show the main character’s change in thinking, they are two-dimensional.

It also creates a narrative of voiceless characters, for in order for them to be heard, a white person has to stand up for them, often talking over their message. There is no empowerment, no spotlight, no shining moment for the POC character except being used as a means of teaching the main character a moral or lesson to be learned. Look at The Greatest Showman, where PT Barnum assembles a circus of “freaks”: a bearded lady, a Chinese acrobat, a dwarf performer… Perhaps the most telling scene was when, after barricading his performers from entering a room of high-class aristocrats, the circus he built burned down and he learned his lesson about ambition ruling him. While it’s classic Hollywood that the main character learns an important message— was using the circus troop as nothing more than a learning outlet necessary?

Minus Anne Wheeler, one of the acrobats who forms a relationship with Phillip Carlyle (a playwright who becomes Barnum’s partner), the rest have no fleshed-out storylines.

Other than the iconic song “This Is Me”, sung by the bearded lady, they are only drawn attention to when the plot requires it. They are there as Barnum’s means of success and

wealth but are given no separate plots that do not revolve him. While there is merit in the argument that since Barnum is the main character, he should get the most screen time, the thought process here is that diverse characters are there to fade in the background until the main character faces conflict.

Furthermore, the idea of the “gay best friend” is a staple in most teen movies. One can argue that any diversity is good diversity, but it’s obvious if a character is simply included to meet a quota. There is a big difference between being a best friend who happens to be gay and a gay best friend. The former has character growth that does not involve their sexuality— they are first a character and then their sexuality.

The latter, on the other hand, is often the one Hollywood chooses. Their defining feature is their sexuality, and they often serve as the protagonist’s sassy friend. They are pushed to the background unless it’s to give advice or make a sassy comment. Look at Mean Girls’ Damian, The Perfect Date’s Murph, and Riverdale’s Kevin. Damian is perhaps the bestcase scenario for this trope. He has an iconic role in pop culture, but he doesn’t have a fully sketched out storyline. His opening introduction of the Plastics and his interactions

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CULTURE with Cady and Janet make him both memorable and forgettable. He shines in the scenes he is in but has no substance. Cady experiences selfgrowth and reflection throughout the film, learning the importance of staying true to herself through conflict and dilemmas, Damian stays in his role as comedic relief, with no subplot to show any character depth.

The worst-case scenario would be Murph in the film The Perfect Date.

He, like Damian, has no character arc, but worse than that, he has no personality. He’s there to be the token LGBT character and only shows up to help teen drama staple actor Noah Centineo. It is clear that he was there to act as a thinly veiled attempt at diversity. The media’s lacklsture presentation of the LGBTQ community can shape children’s perception into thinking That is not to say Hollywood is stuck in an era of old-fashioned thinking and ignorance. In response to recent backlash (concerning #OscarsSoWhite, for one), the Academy has announced new diversity requirements for upcoming films for Best Picture consideration, starting with the 96th Oscars (2024).

The requirements are intended to reform the best picture category and address the need for onscreen diversity, covering race, sexuality, gender, ethnicity and disability.

The Academy has pushed forward four representation categories, and in order to be eligible for Best Picture consideration, two of the four categories must be met. The standards cover diversity in on-screen representation and main storyline, cast and crew, industry opportunities, and representation in marketing and publicity. The prestigious Academy Awards are voted through memberships, determined by the Academy Board. In 2015, the memberships of the Academy Awards were found to be 92% white and 75% male. This number has lowered to 84% white and 68% male in 2019,

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showing steps in a more equitable direction. Notably, in 2019 Parasite, directed by South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho, won the Best Picture Award, the first-ever non-English film to do so.

Yet,films in the past few years have been actively trying to divert the spotlight from straight white leads.

Take Love, Simon— the first teen gay movie to be made by a major Hollywood studio. The film is cheesy, predictable and overly sweet.

It checks off most of the common cliches in teen romance films: a grand finale where characters dramatically profess their love for each other, fights between friends that get resolved in less than twenty minutes, and a concluding kiss sceneIt’s a simple romantic movie— which furthers the point that LGBT movies should have the same semblance of normalcy. When writing a film that tells the story of a minority, it’s important to make sure that struggle and weakness aren’t overdramatized and included for the sake of conflict.

Love, Simon is groundbreaking in its simplicity and in the security, it gives to any audience members struggling with their sexuality. As the movie aptly states, “Why is straight the default?” . The scene where the kids come out to their parents as straight effectively drove home the point of the movie:normalizing an LGBT romance. It creates a narrative where LGBT characters are in the spotlight, and gives LGBTQ teenagers who relate to the struggles Simon faces.

Or Crazy Rich Asians, the first Hollywood movie in the past decade to have a full Asian cast centred around an Asian-based storyline.

The film is definitely not perfect, and the casting was met with strong controversy due to its focus on the Chinese in Singapore, which peripheralized other racial minorities.

It also faced the previous problem of Oliver, the gay best friend who’s show-stealing scenes hide his lack of character growth. Still, it is a strong

example of the positives of diversity.

The scene where the characters eat at a hawker centre, the Youngs’ dumpling-making scene, and the final mahjong scene between Rachel and Eleanor put the Asian culture into the spotlight, driving the plot forward.

Portraying Singapore through the lens of an Asian director and writer not only ensures the characters are not caricatures but also allows the culture to shine through without being potentially skewed by a Western perspective. Moreover, the overarching idea of the difference between Asian and Asian-American really resonated with me, as I, like Rachel, struggled with finding where I belonged within the two similar yet completely different worlds. When I first saw the film in theatres, it was extremely emotional for me and my friends to see a representation of our culture on the big screen with actors and actresses that looked like us. When diversity is done well, the results are impactful and important.

Similarly, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is another teenage rom-com that tries to break the mould and Vox named it the “best teen romance of the decade”.The main character Lara Jean is Korean-American, but her role transcends the stereotypical trope of a quiet and nerdy Asian girl. At first glance, she fits into the norm of the lead in a teen drama: relatable, funny and slightly awkward. She has depth and charm without being bland and dull. For example, small details like her constantly messy room, her love for the Golden Girls and using baking as a coping mechanism flesh out her character enough that she seems like a ‘real’ person, without being irritably quirky. These minuscule details add to her relatability and down to earth nature, proving that race should not be a defining personality trait. Her value doesn’t lie in her race, but it is still important in the need for diversity.

While her character’s interactions and lines fit into the norm of a Netflix teen movie —a mean ex-friend, fakedating, a dramatic scandal— TALIB

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CULTURE was truly a cultural reset of the traditional movie lead. Lara Jean is mixed, but neither side of her identity battles for control. She drinks Yakult but celebrates Thanksgiving. She celebrates Korean New Year and also loves American movies and shows.

She isn’t the supporting character, she’s clearly in the spotlight. Her character is a step in the right direction, proving that minorities can effectively lead films.

The most recent live-action remake of a Disney classic, Mulan (2020), could have set a positive example with its all Asian cast. However, the film faced backlash due to its largely white production team, filling the roles of director, screenwriter and costume designer, all arguably the most important production crew members when considering a film like Mulan so deeply rooted in Chinese culture and history.

Furthermore, costume designer Bina Daigeler in an interview, explained during the premiere of the movie that she had “gone to Europe and went to all the museums that had Chinese departments”, and afterwards “travelled to China for three weeks” to take a further look into Chinese culture. Critics were quick to point out that they could have hired an actual Chinese designer instead, to pay actual respect to the culture.

Furthermore, Nancy Wang Yuen, a sociologist teaching at Biola University’s School of Cinema and Media Arts, has said that “the idea that a non-Asian costume designer justifies their expertise with research in an European museum feels like a colonial lens; if you’re already a white person, telling a Chinese story and you go to a white museum — that doesn’t cut it.” (Yam). The Asian American community and others have strongly called the studio out for their “performative diversity”, arguing that people of colour should be both in front and behind the camera, to truly represent the culture and identity of the stories themselves.

Inclusivity and diversity in Hollywood has improved over the years, but we still have a long way to go. It is important to include stories of people from all around the world to truly represent the diversity of the people and their stories that only they can tell. If done correctly, diversity can inspire, support and encourage.

When done improperly, it perpetuates stereotypes that are hard to break and impresses harmful mindsets upon viewers. It’s clear moviegoers want to see diversity on the big screen, but with the ball in Hollywood’s court, it’s hard to predict where movies will go in the next few years.

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娛樂之外的社交媒體

By Joyce Sze | Illustration by Mia Cheng | Layout by Kaylee Zhang

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「食物來了...... 先 別吃！我要拍張照發到ins 上。」這可能是當代年輕 人聚會中最常聽到的話了 吧！

從全球最大的社交 平台臉書（Facebook）， 到有著超過十億用戶的 Instagram，還有近兩年 的黑馬抖音（Tiktok）， 社交媒體已成為我們生活 中極為重要的一部分。在 這個虛擬的世界當中，我 們可以肆意地向世界展示 自己：我們每時每刻都在 更新自己的動態，與親朋 好友分享自己多姿多彩的 人生片段；我們還可以接 觸並認識到不同的人，探 索世界的每一個角落，發 現與眾不同的新鮮事物。 但是，社交媒體的作用卻 並不僅限於娛樂。這個由 大數據堆砌的網絡世界已 成為連結我們與世界的橋 樑，讓資訊的傳播進入一 個新世代。

通過社交媒體，一 些需要得到關注的事件 能夠迅速進入大眾的視 線。人們可以通過社交 媒體在網上尋求幫助， 解決現實中的困難。例 如，GoFundMe 是全球 最大的籌款平台之一，11 歲的艾美被確診了癌症， 但因為家裏沒有足夠的經 濟條件，所以家人為她在

平台上建立了一個主頁， 希望能為她收集足夠的醫 療費。結果，大批網友慷 慨解囊，在短時間內籌足 了醫療費，讓艾美能夠順 利完成治療。而在今年， 社交網絡更是改變了人們 看待新冠狀病毒的態度 和方式。許多明星和公眾 人士利用各種網絡平台， 倡導大家提高抗疫意識。 另外，社交媒體對推動社 會進步起了必不可少的作 用。今年席捲全球的Black Lives Matter平權運動， 正是因為乔治·弗洛伊德被 警察謀殺的事件在社交媒 體上被廣泛地傳播，掀起 了大眾反對種族歧視的不 滿情緒。網友們在各種平 台上提供捐款鏈接，讓世 界各地的人們都能在平權 的路上貢獻自己的一份力 量；遊行示威的信息通過 社交媒體上的宣傳，讓更 多人能加入抗議的隊伍。 這些都是社交媒體給社會 帶來正能量的事例，讓全 世界的人們能夠團結起 來，幫助有需要的人，為 正義發聲，改變不公。

暖的環境。Zoom 成為了大 家最熟悉的平台，讓居家 學習和辦公成為了可能。 其次，因為疫情，每個人 都只能呆在家裏，使我們 放慢平時快速的生活節 奏，有了更多時間享受生 活，更能促進與家人之間 的感情。

但不可否認的是， 社交媒體的崛起確實對社 會帶來了一些不良影響。 在這個自媒體時代，人人 都是記者，我們很難分辨 資訊的真假。有時候，我 們甚至有可能受到假新聞 的影響，對事物產生錯誤 的印象和認知。這需要網 民具有獨立思考能力及 智慧的判斷。同時，網絡 監管和實名制的缺失導致 了「鍵盤俠」的現象。在 虛擬的世界中，人人帶著 面具，在不用承擔後果的 前提下，有些人會肆意說 出不負責任的話，不顧自 己的言論可能會帶來的傷 害，後果不堪設想。

雖然社交媒體並不 完美，但我們不能因此否

而 在 疫 情 之 下 ， 社 認它帶給我們的好處。通 交媒體更是成為了人與人 過社交媒體，人們能更迅 之間主要的聯繫方式。即 速和便捷地互相溝通，互 使無法面對面，也不能上 相幫助，讓人們可以團結 班和上學，但我們仍然可 一 致 ， 讓 世 界 變 得 更 美 以 在 社 交 網 站 上 互 相 打 好。 氣，提供精神上的支持， 建立一個充滿正能量又溫

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Alan Turing and AI

By Hanyi Zhou | Illustratiions by Helen Liang | Layout by Nicole Wu

In the 21st century, technology has been advancing at breakneck speed, and at the forefront of these technological revolutions is artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence refers to intelligence demonstrated by a machine, as compared with the inherent intelligence of humans and animals. The original idea of artificial intelligence originated in 1950, when British mathematician Alan Turing published a paper that raised a visionary question: “Can machines think?” Since this seminal idea, computer scientists and engineers have made remarkable achievements in the area of artificial intelligence. Today, AI-enabled virtual assistants have entered our households. Bixby, Siri, Alexa, names that you once could have only associated with your friends, are now popular virtual personal assistants, who help people with simple tasks like shopping, ordering food, and playing their favorite playlists. Self-driving cars have also evolved from sci-fi stories to realities. Companies like Tesla, Uber, and Waymo have produced autonomous vehicles that can make real-time decisions based on road conditions. Many health industries are using artificial intelligence to allow quicker and more accurate diagnosis than humans. Artificial intelligence has also been used in other areas such as finance, logistics, transport and many more. In some areas, not only has artificial intelligence demonstrated intelligence on par with humans, but it has also exceeded the best of the human mind. For example, Alpha Go, an artificial intelligence that was created by Google DeepMind to play the board game Go, beat the world’s best player Lee Sedol with a slashing win of 4:1. Yet, despite these accomplishments, artificial intelligence has yet to conquer a simple challenge that has been posed since its inception––a test known as the Turing Test, which seeks to uncover if machines can communicate like humans, to a point where they cannot be distinguished from the latter.

Alan Turing was a British mathematician known for

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his contribution to the decoding of Nazi German’s extremely complex encryption device Enigma, an accomplishmentestimated to have saved more than 14 million lives. Alan Turing is widely considered to be the father of modern computer science and a theoretical pioneer in artificial intelligence. A few years after he graduated from the University of Cambridge, Turing came up with an idea now known as the Turing machine. The Turing machine consists of an infinitely long piece of tape with a series of cells. This machine is used to determine whether certain mathematical tasks are computable. The Turing machine concept is now widely used in devices we use every day such as computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Alan Turing’s contribution to artificial intelligence is also immense. In 1950, Turing published a seminal paper titled “Can Machines Think?” In this paper, instead of discussing machine intelligence from a theoretical standpoint, Turing proposed an empirical test called “the Imitation Game” to determine whether a machine is intelligent.

The idea is that if a machine can engage in a conversation with a human without being detected as a machine, it has demonstrated intelligence. This is now known as the Turing test.

Although the Turing test has been attempted by many scientists and engineers over the years, it was never an official contest until 1991, when a millionaire named Hugh Loebner created the annual Loebner Prize competition.

The Loebner Prize follows the general idea of the Turing test. The contestants are a group of chatbots designed by engineers to imitate human communication and a group of human contestants. There is a judging panel that usually consists of psychologists, computer scientists, and linguists. The judges engage in text conversations with the contestants. The chatbot is considered to have passed the test if the judges cannot distinguish it from a human. However, starting from 2019, the judging system changed. Rather than being judged by a few experts, the new system invites the public to judge the conversations and attempt to identify which ones are the chatbots.

Although no artificial intelligence has

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ever fooled all judges into thinking it was human, some have come close, such as Mitsuku, a bot built

by Steve Worswick. The bot took the alias of a woman named Millie that lives in Leeds. Another one is Rose, a bot built by Bruce Wilcox that took the alias of a “tall and fairly good looking” woman. One famous chatbot that managed to convince many judges that it was a human is called ELIZA, which took an interesting strategy by mimicking a psychologist. Here is part of the transcript of ELIZA’s conversation with a judge: Judge: Men are all alike.

ELIZA: In what ways?

Judge: They’re always bugging us about something or other.

ELIZA: Can you think of a specific example?

Judge: Well, my boyfriend made me come here.

ELIZA: Your boyfriend made you come here.

Judge: He says I’m depressed much of the time ELIZA: I’m sorry to hear that you are depressed.

Judge: It’s true. I’m unhappy.

ELIZA: Do you think coming here will help you not to be unhappy?

Judge: I need some help, that much seems certain.

ELIZA: What would it mean to you if you got some help?

Judge: Perhaps I could learn to get along with my mother.

ELIZA: Tell me more about your family.

In this extract, ELIZA used a variety of tactics to imitate human communication. One tactic was that she recognized keywords. For example, when the judge mentioned the word “mother”, ELIZA recognized the word and associated it with the word “family” and thus replied, “Tell me more about your family.” ELIZA also echoed the judge’s words. When the judge said “Well, my boyfriend made me come here,” ELIZA echoed the sentence and replied, “Your boyfriend made you come here.” Although ELIZA had already demonstrated a high level of proficiency in imitating human communication, she still only managed to convince a third of the judges.

Despite the numerous attempts to pass the Turing test, no chatbots have ever managed to convince all the judges that it was human. To the contrary, human volunteers have easily scored and convinced judges that they are human.

It seems that after all these years, artificial intelligence has not really mastered the essence of human communication.

But, at the end of the day–– what really is the essence of human communication?

One core characteristic of human communication is our creativity. A demonstration of creativity is the ability to use the same word flexibly across different contexts. That is to say, the same word can have different meanings depending on the context. For example, the word “unlike” has different meanings in different contexts. The word “unlike” originally meant “different from something”. For example, a sentence with this meaning of “unlike” could be “I am unlike my siblings.” However, as social media becomes more prevalent, the word “unlike” has developed a completely new meaning: “disliking something”.

A feature on social media is to “like” a post. By adding the prefix “un-”, the word “unlike” has developed a new meaning, as in “I can’t believe she unliked my Instagram post.” Another example of creativity in human language is the flexibility of making references to a completely different context under the existing context of the conversation.

For example, a popular game among Generation Z is the Mafia game Among Us. In the game, an impostor is hidden among a group of players and players must identify and vote out the impostor to achieve victory. In the game, people that are being suspected are referred to being “sus” and will be voted out. Interestingly, under many recent posts about Trump, people have commented “Trump sus” to express their political stance against Trump. In these examples, while humans have the flexibility to interpret the word’s meaning depending on context, artificial intelligence will have a difficult time decoding these meanings. The flexibility of vocabulary in the human language allows humans to come up with different solutions in different situations, as it gives humans the ability to adapt and use things flexibly. The versatile use of words not only signals how we perceive things around us, but also how we interact with people around us. This idea of using words flexibly is essentially one of the most important factors of human life in general, allowing us to perceive the world around us with nuance and variability.

Moreover, human communication is often indirect, meaning that they say one thing while insinuating something else. This also requires the receiver to make inferences of the senders’ true intention. For example, one might say “I have to wake up early tomorrow morning” at a late-night party. While humans would infer that this means that the person must leave the event earlier, artificial intelligence may only understand the surface meaning of this statement and not realise that the person is implying that he or she must leave early. Although in this situation, implicitness

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is merely courtesy, it is actually one of the key elements of the complexity of the human language. Additionally, artificial intelligence also cannot understand non-verbal cues, such as hesitation. If a person takes particularly long to answer a question, humans might be able to sense that the person is hesitant and unsure of what to say and how to respond. However, artificial intelligence would not be able to sense that and simply make interpretations based on the semantic meaning of the reply. Humans’ ability to sense subtle slips of information is an essential feature of human communication.

cause that may mean that human communication has degenerated to a point where we are indistinguishable from programmed machines.

At the end of the day, the Turing test isn’t just a way to measure the human resemblance of machines, but also a way to test how human we are. We cannot lose sight of the big picture –– we have to hold on to the qualities that distinguish us from artificial intelligence. It is, after all, what makes us human.

Another defining characteristic of human communication is attunement to emotion. Artificial intelligence does have the ability to understand the semantic meaning of phrases and sentences, but it cannot sense emotions or undertones underlying the literal meaning. Some phrases can have different meanings when uttered in different tones.

For example, the phrase “excuse me” could be used when somebody has misheard something, and they might say this in a questioning tone. Another way this phrase could be used is in response to something offensive. In this case, the phrase “excuse me” would be said in a more daring and offended tone. On one hand, while humans can easily identify these tones in communication, artificial intelligence, on the other hand, would view these two examples as essentially saying the same thing, whereas if humans were to interpret it, the meanings would be utterly different. The ability to deepen understanding of the semantic meaning of a sentence, phrase, or word by taking tone and emotion into account is another key characteristic in human communication and language, which artificial intelligence cannot achieve.

Alan Turing’s question “Can machines think?” seems to have a clear answer, “yes”, as artificial intelligence has made striking progress in this digital age. Ray Kurzweil, Google artificial intelligence expert, believes that by the year 2029, humans and machines will be indistinguishable. But will this indistinction arise from AI becoming more human or humans becoming more robotic? As the Turing test has demonstrated, artificial intelligence has yet to master human communication, one of the basic functions humans need to perform in their daily lives. The reason why human communication is so hard for AI to grasp is because the essence of human communication is really about how to build meaningful connections with each other. Emotions let us empathize with others and communicate nonverbally through subtle signals. Creativity enables us to innovate, create new words, and adapt to new situations. Unfortunately, despite decades of evolution and development of these abilities, human communication is at the verge of becoming wooden. We are slowly forgoing our creativity and emotions for emojis and knee-jerk phrases like “LOL”. It would sadden humanity if one day, artificial intelligence does indeed pass the Turing test, be-

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Reunions Can’t Replace

By Tim He | Photography by Finn Peterson | Layout by Kaitlyn Wong Over the past few months, Zoom, an online communication platform, has helped us reconnect with family, friends, classmates, teachers alike. It has made large events possible, from concerts, weddings to academic learning and webinars. CIS is no exception

- we have used Zoom to attend classes and host various activities, becoming a part of our school life.

However, online learning is different from academic learning in real life. How will online learning affect the well-being and academic studies of students?

Pros and Cons of Meeting Online and In Real Life Meeting in real life allows classroom interaction and discussions between students while meeting online, we are often accustomed to the comfort and relaxation at home. In our homes, we do not feel the pressure of having to follow good behaviour, as almost no one is watching us, and we can turn off our cameras in an instant. We can easily get distracted by social media and pop-ups on our computers that hinder our learning, as well as different things going on at home. Students may lose internet connection with the Zoom classroom, and lag out of the meeting due to technical difficulties. As a result, the effectiveness of learning online would be less than that of learning on campus.

no one answers until the teacher is forced to call out a name.

In my classes, one of the most common phrases I have heard is “Anyone want to answer this question? *silence* Anyone? *silence* ”. The lack of conversation during online learning makes classes less interesting.

Online learning may adversely affect the physical and mental health of students. Sitting for hours in front of the computer screen is severely damaging to our eyes. Sitting in front of the screen, students do not move their muscles often. This may be as a result of our unwillingness and sheer laziness as we have adapted to sitting the whole day.

From my personal experience, According to All About Vision, students participate enthusias- having too much screen time tically in class. During online may lead to the risk of computlearning though, whenever the er vision syndrome, the habit of an unhealthy posture, and nearteacher asks a question, almost

sightedness. The mental health of students will also be affected, as students will not have the chance to socialize with classmates and friends during lunch.

Even though online learning has a lot of disadvantages, there are also positives to it. Students are able to catch more sleep and rest by saving the commute to and from school. This affects the learning of students, as students can get more rest through sleep and be more refreshed during class. I remember the days that I woke up bleary-eyed and dazed with sleepiness in the morning, now I can get more sleep. The last and most important positive about online learning is that no one will get infected, as we will not come in contact with each other.

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How Can We Make Online Learning as Realistic as Possible On campus, there are activities in classes where one has to interact with others, often through speaking and moving. However this is missing from online learning. I have seen the teacher try to do more speaking and moving once or twice in advisory.

Speaking activities like word games could be held, where a student relays a line to another student. Moving activities are more challenging due to a lack of space in our homes.

In my class, there was a game where the teacher asked the students to find an item of a certain colour, and the people who find them get points.

Due to the limitations and restrictions of movement at home, it is hard to find pleasure and enjoyment in active, physical online activities.

We can make online learning more realistic by being less reliant on our computers and use pen and paper more. Students should take more notes by hand on their notebooks and textbooks provided from their various subjects, and use worksheets instead of a document online.

I also noticed that students take less notes during online learning, and taking notes can be beneficial for us.

What Zoom Can’t Replace Although Zoom has successfully replaced learning and nonface to face communication, there are still plenty of events and activities that it can’t replace. House Challenge Day, camp trips, Chinese Experience Program, Project Week trips were all cancelled, as there is no way to host such a large sports event online.

Zoom may replace learning, but it cannot replace the true joy and community spirit of being at school - from running to the cafeteria for lunch, debating with classmates face to face, playing football with teammates and many more.

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Artificial Intelligence: By: Tanya Wan Illustration By: Helen Liang Layout by: Adelaide Ng

Humanity’s Destiny or Doom?

You are roused from sleep at seven a.m. sharp on Monday thanks to your neural implant, which has just forced your body to give you a shot of the wake-up hormone, cortisol, as it does every day.

You yawn, stretching and sitting up in the smart bed that has automatic temperature adjustments and simulates zero-gravity for your back pain. As you blink sleep away from your eyes, the latest news, events, and notifications flicker to life on the display of your smart contact lenses.

You scroll through them idly with mind control before padding to the living room. Breakfast has been meticulously arranged by robotic servers programmed with your dietary requirements to cater to your subconscious food cravings and dietary needs.

In the bathroom, as you are washed, scrubbed, cleaned, and dried without lifting a finger, you watch an episode of your favourite television show written, produced, acted out, and directed by AI. In the meantime, your neural implant keeps track of your dopamine levels, taking note of what you liked and what you didn’t through an algorithm so that the next episode perfectly matches your viewing preferences. At eight o’clock, your daily schedule pops up on your smart display, chock-filled with activities and events that will keep you occupied and entertained for the rest of the day. You have no responsibilities, anxieties, or employment. AI has taken care of that.

Of course, this is all hypothetical––but the technology mentioned above is either being developed or has been developed and is constantly being upgraded. Neural implants? Elon Musk’s Neuralink. Smart contact lenses? Mojo Lens. Perfect meals? AI dieticians. It goes on. The future envisioned above is already in the making, for better or for worse. As the late American writer Isaac Asimov put it, “Today’s science fiction is tomorrow’s science fact.” Before the Industrial Revolution, the concept of transportation that did not involve a horse and a carriage appeared ludicrous at worst and fictional at best––that was, until railways came to exist and the world entered a new reality of speedier communication and increased travel opportunities. Neural implants may well be the railways of the twenty-first century.

What’s the difference between railways and neural implants, then? Technology is developing at a faster rate than ever before, with invention and innovation a common refrain amongst the young and idealistic. As humanity barrels towards an uncertain future, desperate to make the world bigger, better, and bolder, it has become willfully ignorant of the potential––and undesirable––ramifications AI presents. Will it peacefully coexist with humanity? Will it turn against its creators and demolish the world order Terminator- or Matrix-style? Or, perhaps worst of all, will artificial intelligence cause the age of human redundancy?

It is common knowledge that automation has already overtaken humans for the most part when it comes to manual tasks. In the vast majority of

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Artificial Inteligence: Humanity’s Destiny or Doom first-world countries, washing clothes, setting alarm clocks, and using clunky paper maps have become a thing of the past, almost completely replaced by efficient washing machines, mobile phones, and Google Maps.

Human logic and ability, as it turns out, can easily be translated into an algorithm and even enhanced by AI. In 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue computer defeated then-world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, using an algorithm that predicted its opponent’s next moves and played accordingly. Until then, AI beating humans in terms of intelligence had been considered nothing more than a distant fantasy, the stuff of science fiction.

it is just the beginning. Inevitably, AI’s next challenge is taking on and eventually replacing the human workforce. According to a recent report by the World Economic Forum, machines will be able to ‘do half of all work tasks by 2025’. As a result, the less skilled and poorly paid will face unemployment, while the more privileged thrive, exacerbating the wealth gap and other inequalities. Thanks to COVID-19, our world has been forced into one where handshakes and face-to-face communication are no longer deemed as necessary.

During the pandemic, apps such as Zoom, Houseparty, and Google Classroom have skyrocketed in popularity, somehow rendering us more connected than Now, instead of having to be ever but removing the need for programmed manually, AI can physical presence. utilise a technique named reinforcement learning to teach In these tumultuous times, techitself how to do things like play nology has dramatically altered board games. A notable example the landscape of nearly every is Alpha Zero, Deep Blue’s suc- field of work. A clear example cessor. Given nothing but a set of this would be virtual learnof basic rules to complex games, ing, which took Asia––and, not its algorithm mastered board long after, the world––by storm. games such as chess, shogi, and Our teachers have not been reGo through reinforcement learn- placed by robots, but videos ing. This technique involves Al- and interactive apps certainly phaZero playing against itself: have helped bear some of the arbitrarily at first, and then tak- burden placed upon them. If ing the varying results––wins, you’re reading this, it’s highly draws, and losses––to develop probable that you have become dynamic, winning strategies for accustomed to the experience every conceivable move. Within of being stranded at home and a mere nine hours, AlphaZero squinting at a bright screen for became a master at chess with at least five hours a school day. nothing but a set of basic rules. For now, it’s far from ideal, but as

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technology advances, there is no denying the potential allure of being able to conveniently attend school full-time from the comfort of your own home.

In Ernest Cline’s sci-fi novel Ready Player One, students, regardless of identity or social class, have access to a quality education taught by AI thanks to VR headsets that transport them into jarringly perfect worlds. Human teachers have become obsolete, unnecessary––relics of the past. But would that truly be such a terrible thing? A record number of approximately 1.6 billion children could not attend school in April 2020 because of the pandemic. In the future, with AI, high-quality and accessible education could be made available to anyone, anywhere, and at a fraction of the cost of their human counterparts.

Education is not the only field that has experienced dramatic technological changes under the pandemic. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, it has become increasingly evident that every field of work––healthcare and hospitality in particular––could use the help of AI. In Belgium’s Antwerp University Hospital, incoming patients potentially suffering from COVID-19 are met with robots that assess the severity of the case presented and assign them to wards as they see fit. And in Arizona’s Phoenix Children’s Hospital, telepresence ro-

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TECHNOLOGY

Artificial Inteligence: Humanity’s Destiny or Doom

bots entertain children and help them to interact with the outside world. In a restaurant in the Netherlands, human servers have been replaced by robot waiters so as to adhere to social distancing regulations––and many other restaurants and hotels have followed suit. AI, after all, is invulnerable to disease and wholly exempt from human error.

with. AIVA (Artificial Intelligence Visual Artist), a company based entirely on AI-generated music, composes emotional, personalised soundtracks for human consumption. Visit their Youtube channel and you will discover stunning music ranging from Romanticism to pop. And it’s not just AIVA doing this––Sony CSL (Computer Science Laboratories) and Jukebox have also developed original music on their own.

The possibilities are boundless.

Writers will not be spared, either. On the inter-

Recent studies have shown that AI’s ability to analyse certain mammograms and retinal images are equal to that of professional radiologists and ophthalmologists, and in 2016, a robot successfully performed intestinal surgery on a pig all on its own. Tedious, routine work legal professionals do on a daily basis, such as reviewing contracts or advising clients, could be done far more effectively through automated means. Supercomputers that evaluate and predict the stock market have reached 60% success rates (40% better than humans), of which the same simply cannot be said for human financial analysts: the data is too elaborate, too overwhelming for our limited minds to digest. Military robots––thankfully teleoperated and not autonomous for the time being––are being developed to replace human soldiers. No field of work will emerge from the twenty-first century unscathed by AI––even when it comes to the arts.

The first to go will be music. Anyone familiar with playing musical instruments can tell you that mathematics is inextricable from the art form: entrenched in all the emotional rhythms, scales, patterns, harmonies, and time signatures is an abundance of pragmatic calculation. It is the pragmatic calculation––and the recurring patterns within––involved in music that AI can convert into algorithms and create new music

net, simply keying in the words “AI write” leads you to a variety of AI writers to pick and choose from, such as AI Writer, AI + Writing, or Kafkai, that write anything in any genre requested for you. Although the samples often contain some strange, convoluted sentences and are badly structured by current human standards, it’s still shocking to see how far this technology has come––and this is only in its infancy.

In dystopian YA novel Scythe by Neil Shusterman, the world is ruled by the omnipotent, all-knowing Thunderhead, who has successfully created ‘a world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery’––and is conscious, conscientious AI. The only meaningful––but certainly not desirable––job remaining for humans is that of a Scythe: ‘gleaning’, or killing, otherwise immortal humans to keep the world population at a sustainable level. The story may seem ridiculous and exaggerated, but it is arguably one of the most realistic portrayals of our future available in the Young Adult genre.

Our Thunderhead––our future God––may well be Google. But what religion, exactly, would this God lead?

In a 2013 New York Times op-ed, the American commentator David Brooks coined the term ‘data-ism’, describing it as humanity’s ‘rising philosophy’, one that held unprecedented––and danger-

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Artificial Inteligence: Humanity’s Destiny or Doom ous––possibilities. Yuval Noah Harari extended this concept just two years later in Homo Deus, declaring that ‘Dataism… heralds a tremendous religious revolution’ through ‘equating the human experience with data patterns’. Every bit of technology you have ever purchased––from that cutting-edge Apple watch to your seemingly innocuous Kindle––collects your data as you use it, discreetly noting down your habits and preferences, adapting the displayed content accordingly, so that eventually, it will feel as though the technology was tailor-made for you.

The algorithm, however, is more than just a tool to increase user interaction. A key conclusion in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma is that: ‘If you are not paying for the product, you are the product’. It’s true. As we speak, your data is being processed, analysed, presented to potential advertisers, and sold to the highest bidder. That’s why the advertisements that pop up as you scroll through your social media feed match your interests so perfectly. On the one hand, your life will be more convenient and accessible than ever before; on the other hand, the word ‘privacy’ will lose all its meaning in the modern world.

There’s just one small issue. In time, if AI continues on its soaring trajectory––it certainly appears that it will––humans could be rendered entirely redundant. The movie WALL-E’s obese, inactive humans with enormous thumbs and eyes perpetually glued to their glowing screens come to mind.

This future may not be as far off as we like to imagine: Homo sapiens as we know it will be transformed perhaps beyond recognition, evolving to match technology and the times. It’s not all bad, of course––AI clearly has the immeasurable potential to bring positive change and improve living standards for people around the world––but there’s always a catch. We simply do not know what, exactly, that is.

It’s said that the only constant in life––in this universe, for that matter––is change. The human species has survived thousands of years in this hostile universe because of its adaptability.

One way or another, we have little choice but to esign ourselves to our uncertain technological fate and continue with our lives. Attempting to stop the development of potentially life-saving, transformative AI out of fear would be foolish and only delay the inevitable. AI may bring us the ‘pink-eyed Terminators’, ‘terrifying limbless chickens’, and abject doom Boris Johnson predicted in his 2019 UN speech; it may also bring us possibilities and futures previously viewed as utopian, the clichéd wishes of beauty pageant contestants: world peace, the cure for cancer, the reversal of climate change, and more.

Then again, this is but speculation. Only time will tell what artificial intelligence truly means for the future of humanity.

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网课期间如何自我管理

By Claire Zhang, Photography by Cillian Hoang, Layout by Nicole Wu and Airla Fan

在上网课期间，同学们的学习生活跟以往大不相同， 在上网课时，老师对于我们的管理没有在学校时严格 了，就算在上课期间注意力不集中，老师也很难发 现。那么在这样的学习环境下，我们如何做到有效的 自我管理，利用好每一分钟呢？ 当我们在第一节课开始前的十分钟起床，熟练地打开 电脑，点击zoom链接时，打开摄像头与老师问好， 看着屏幕中长方形框中的老师和同学，再看看自己身 边摄像头照不到的地方，我们是否想过在这时打开手 机上的社交媒体软件或着昨天没有看完的电影呢？相 信许多同学都有过这样的心里挣扎。在网上学习时， 我们的摄像头只能照到有限的地方，大多数时候只有 我们的脸，并且当我们在电脑屏幕上观看与学习无关 的东西，例如回复社交媒体软件的消息，视频网站的 视频，甚至打游戏时，只要我们的表情平静，神色正 常，举止端庄，丝毫不慌，就不会被老师发现。甚至 有些同学还会时不时的点头装作认真听讲的样子，简 直毫无破绽。我们注意力无法集中还有一个原因：家 是我们最舒适的地方，在家中，我们的床、冰箱，还 有沙发就在身边，这些都会向我们的大脑释放自由、 轻松的信号。 在上了一年的网课之后，我个人总结出了一些集中注 意力的方法。首先，我们要把身边使我们分心的物 品，例如手机、游戏机、零食、漫画书，包括你的宠 物和弟弟妹妹，放在远处，越远越好，最好找一个带 锁的抽屉锁起来。当我们手边只剩下跟学习有关的东 西时，我们需要有意识的把注意力集中在老师讲的话 上，这时，我们最好不要只听老师讲话，因为在学 校，老师会用一些眼神互动、语调的变化来吸引我 们，而在屏幕中这些效果大打折扣。所以我们最好在 听课的同时打开老师在讲的ppt、文档，边做笔记边 听课，并在老师提出问题时第一时间给予反馈，才 能够保证课堂效果。当然，我们也可以找到最适合自

己的方法，例如我刚刚开始上网课时，也总是分心， 那是我实在是想不出来好的方法，就在桌子上贴了一 张字条，用黑色加粗马克笔写上“不要分心”几个大 字，效果确实非常不错，但并不适用于所有人。想要 在网课中提高学习效率，最重要的是找到适合自己的 方法，养成习惯。 除了上课之外，下课后的作业质量也非常重要。作业 时对我们每一天学习的反馈，也是一个很好的练习机 会。然而，在上网课的时间里，我知道有一些同学， 包括我自己，有时会晚交作业，或者在截止日期前一 秒，上课前一分钟上交作业。为了完成作业，我本人 也总是熬夜，导致我一段时间作息絮乱，形成了一个 恶性循环。在网课期间我们完成作业的效率会比去学 校时低一些，这是因为我们的整个身体都放松了，和 我们上课时分心的原因一样。这时就显示出了制定计 划的重要性了。一个好的计划，可以令我们更好的管 理时间，做到劳逸结合。一个优秀计划的第一要素， 就是给予自己充分的休息时间。很多同学在制定计划 时，只关注到如何安排学习时间，却忽略了休息时间 的重要性。合理的休息时间，几乎可以令我们的学习 效率加倍。而在制定学习计划时，我们应该优先确定 哪些事情更紧急，哪些事情我们有更多的期限。总 之，计划几乎可以帮助我们解决所有与效率有关的问 题。大家可以从长远目标开始，在慢慢制定小计划。 而如何坚持计划靠的是我们持之以恒的精神，只要我 们养成制定，完成计划的习惯，在不知不中我们的效 率和专注力就会越来越高的。 在网上学习期间，大家都在尽可能的适应新的学习方 法，因为我们都想为抗疫出一份力。老师和学校都在 尽力帮助我们。虽然我们见不到面，但是我们的心 是在一起的。在网课期间，专注、认真的学习就是对 于“同心抗疫”最大的支持！

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How Has the Pandemic Affected Junior Athletes?

By: Paloma Sze Illustration By: Tiffany Zhao With sports facilities closed and sporting events cancelled in Hong Kong because of the pandemic, junior athletes have been struggling to keep up with their training, fitness, motivation and competitive edge. For many, their sport, whether at the casual or elite level, offered a healthy balance to academics and a sense of community with their athletic peers who share a passion for the sport they love.

With nowhere to train and no competitions to prepare for, maintaining one’s motivation can be tough. Without strong determination and a set routine, isolating at home leads to a feeling of low energy and laziness.

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ually, being inside and isolated from other squash players and my coaches made me become less motivated. As a result, my fitness declined.

Francesca Sutch, a competitive runner and a member of the CIS cross country team, said, “After finally being allowed back into training, not only have I lost some of the progress I’d made, but there was some lack of motivation because of cancelled races and competitions. The pandemic has had a big impact on both physical and mental conditioning.” Like many other junior athletes, Francesca has had to find alternative ways to keep in shape such as running on a treadmill and using a spin bike at home.

The mental component is a very big part of competitive sports and spending most of the time at home has only resulted in additional stress, because of the lack of exercise and also worries about not maintaining skills, fitness and the ability to focus when

Layout By: Adelaide Ng competitions begin again.

Many junior athletes can feel adrift without the regular and often intense training and exertion required in highly competitive sports. In addition, online schoolwork piles up and students cannot get outside as much. Corey Shen, a squash player said, “I found myself always being restless and sometimes having trouble sleeping.” Like many, he missed his sport very much. “I tried different workouts and I would often go on runs, but nothing ever felt quite the same. The satisfaction from smashing the ball or the thrill of lunging to save a shot were things that I missed.” With the closure of sports programs and facilities, juniors lose what was once a very important part of their lives that helped them relieve stress and build mental toughness.

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not being able to compete, he still works hard to maintain his fitness and technique and has the positive outlook that comes from years of dedicated training and focus.

He says, “As an athlete, I feel I shall not be discouraged by these setbacks. I know I am not alone.”

In Hong Kong, our sport’s facilities reopened and closed multiple times, disrupting the routine and regularity that junior athletes need when they train. Due to the lack of practice, it’s easy to feel frustrated and even more demotivated with the amount of progress lost. I remember when I first began playing squash again, my squash racket, something I was always so familiar with, felt unnatural in my hand.

The shots that I played were inaccurate. I found myself not knowing how to approach the ball and I was already out of breath within the first 15 minutes of playing.

To me this was very frustrating, and it took me

about a week to feel familiar with my sport again. I was glad to return to some type of routine again. Looking at this through a more positive perspective, at least Hong Kong has been able to open some sporting and training facilities, although gradually and with restrictions. Some, like squash coach Peter Hill, wonder whether this might give Hong Kong’s junior athletes an opportunity to get an edge on their competitors around the world who have not been able to train at all.

Many athletes and coaches are using online alternatives as a way to make up for the amount of training and practice lost by developing conditioning routines specific to their sport. I have participated in multiple online Zoom lessons that my coach has arranged. Having no coaching supervision created less of a strict environment, and with being at home I felt distracted easily and I found myself not working as hard as I would with a coach present.

With having online learning so frequently, I found myself frustrated that even something like sports had to be taught online.

Before the pandemic restrictions, I would train with other junior athletes quite regularly. I found the time I spent with others much more valuable than when I played by myself. Of course this not only applies to squash, but also every other sport. I would compare myself with my competitors and see what I could do to further improve myself as a player.

Playing with others also improved my mental health, as I enjoy interacting with others. Sadly, with the recent social distancing policies, doing this has been made difficult. We are stronger in numbers, but COVID-19 has made us rethink this saying, as we need to distance ourselves to stay safe.

Although this pandemic has caused junior athletes in Hong Kong to struggle and it has forced them to adapt to new circumstances, this has been a good way to show how important sports is in our life and how much we can miss it and the people The saying “Strength in we play with. We must reNumbers” has become very member to stand together relevant, but also somewhat and remain strong through ironic during the pandemic. these tough times. 校話

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How Teamwork Brings Success

By Kaitlyn Wong | Photography by Daniel Yang | Layout by Alyssa Merwise

The countless plays and shots you are impressed by.

Each team is filled with talented individuals constantly flourishing together. Charged with the desire to be the best, in order to have that success, the key thing they need is trust, support, and communication. As the famous basketball star Michael Jordan once said, “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” This is true for any sport and every team we look up to, where working as one cohesive unit can only be accomplished by having every member on the team cooperate and believe.

Looking back at myself on a basketball team, we were all quite young and unfamiliar with each other, and we didn’t expect ourselves to win any games, let alone any competitions. Our practices were filled with complete silence, and just whispers between close friends. No encouragement or support out loud, with just the coaches voice the only one heard. You would expect that after more drills and practices, everyone would start warming up to each other, but there was always that constant awkwardness in the atmosphere where the most we did was smile at each other. It wasn’t that we didn’t like each other, it wasn’t that we didn’t like the sport, but perhaps it was the lack of being able to feel comfortable and communicate with each other. Without communication, there were no opportunities to build trust.

getting anywhere. Suddenly, someone rushes to the middle with her arm up, not saying anything as she didn’t want to give her position away. The point guard second guessed whether she should pass it to her or not, missing the perfect time to chuck it to her. The ball had hit her shoulder as the person had already decided to go back to her original spot. The opposing team quickly picked it up and started sprinting, all five of us trying to get in front to stop her. Finally, just before she got to the basket, 2 of us shot our arms up on each side of the opposing girl, only for her to pass to her teammate and easily score, as the rest of our team didn’t alert us that someone else was there.

Typical, but fixable. It was just the start of the quarter so it was okay, since they just scored. It was our turn to have the ball so we dribble down again with a mindset of restarting. Although we had so many chances, we kept making the same mistakes, kept making bad passes, and just watched others defend.

We went into our first game without the situation improving, having just one plan in our head which only included ourselves. We didn’t know who we wanted to pass to, who would be able to score, or who would be there for us if we needed help. We were going onto the court nervous, and getting ready for tipoff. “FWEET!” The ball goes up, and fortunately our team gets ahold of the ball first. However, with no communication prior, it ends up falling onto the floor instead of a teammate’s hands. Rushing to get the ball, we got it just as the opposing team wanted to snatch it from us. Slowly we go down the court getting into our positions, passing the ball to each other but not 128 ISSUE 23 XIAO HUA XH issue 23_Master layout .indd 128

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SPORT “FWEET!” The whistle goes again, our team visibly disappointed with zero baskets on the board and not showing any hope. Slumping down onto the bench, we didn’t know what to do. We knew how to play the game, we knew how to attack and defend but nothing was working. All of a sudden, an unfamiliar voice of a young girl chirped up. Surprised that someone else other than the coach was speaking, we all gave our full attention. “Hey guys, I think that we should probably call out more to each other…”

Finally, someone said it! All of us nodded, coming up with plans to say something if someone was behind or in front of them, to be alert for someone cutting into the middle, and to have certain people be ready to get the ball from whoever got the rebound. Our goal being to score at least one bucket, but of course we all wanted to win.

“BZZZZ.” That was our sign waiting for us to try again. We can speak up and do this. Starting with the ball, we dribble down the court once again.

Passing the ball with more strength and confidence, “Here!” someone said, and the assured perfect lob fell right into their palms, finishing off with our first basket. Hearing claps and seeing my team smiling from ear to ear, we did it! But now we were faced with the challenge of communicating for defence.

With our arms wide open, eyes set on the ball, we were ready. Watching the ball go from hands to another set of hands and then another, then a lob to the back. “Behind you!” I turn around, just in time to block someone’s shot. I grab the ball and look out to chuck it to the person we planned on passing it to, watching her dribble down the court and finishing off with a layup. The sound of claps rise again but now with encouraging and congratulating voices from our team. As the game progressed further, we got more comfortable and vocal with each other, finally winning the game.

Not expecting us to win at all, we celebrated and reflected after. Through this experience, we were fully able to understand that communication, support, and trust is what serves as a seal that bridges the entire team together.

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The Rise of eSport During A Pandemic

By Francesca Sutch | Illustrations by Renita Tang | Layout by Maegan Wang

Back in February, which undoubtedly feels like years ago for many of us, we were told by the government that schools, businesses, and public grounds were shutting down to protect citizens from contracting the coronavirus.

The world flew into chaos. New restrictions made everyone crazy, lack of contact and activity made us frustrated, but from all that, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, came esports.

Whether you admit it or not, all of us have experienced some type of negative feeling during this ongoing pandemic. Sadness, anger, depression, the impending fear of oblivion, boredom, the list goes on. Sitting alone at home is painfully sad and tedious, and with nothing else to do, we, as a younger generation, turn to our technology for answers. At first, we tried YouTube, then Netflix, then Snapchat, then finally, the games. League of Legends, Among Us, Animal Crossing, Fall Guys. Slowly, this became our entire lives. Especially to those who have social lives that are based on being in the same team for a sport, these (mind-numbing) games became our only way of communication with the outside world. Though obviously different (don’t come for me), esports and real sports do have their similarities.

The basis of sports is built on the use of teamwork and strategies, two skills that are key to the success of esports.

Sitting at home with headsets on screaming at a screen is not the same as running on a field shrieking at teammates, but similarly, the rush of adrenaline is still valid. Before forced (or not) to resort to esports as a way to stay connected, we have to admit to having tried many other things. After asking around the year for some opinions from known “gamers”, I have come to the conclusion that esports has helped many during these tense times. When

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asked about how esports have fulfilled their sports needs, many have replied with “Esports has definitely fulfilled our social needs, as well as helping us maintain a sane attitude, but the physical health aspect is unfortunately not filled.” Despite this fact, participation in esports has skyrocketed all over the world.

Since 2017, the number of esports users has risen by 22.2% and is predicted to reach 645Million users by 2022.

This can be attributed to the fact that the current culture surrounding esports is growing and so is its popularity. Is this a good thing? Well yes, and no. This is an arguable case.

Obviously, as mentioned above, esports has maintained our mental and social health, in a sense that it is able to connect users in a way that current circumstances just wouldn’t allow, but it is also detrimental to our eyesight or bodily health. As a student who is frequently present during parent talks and complaints about children’s use of technology, I am able to understand the valid concerns regarding the mindset of the newer generation and our reliance on technology; which is the negative side to this argument. Whether you’re are against esports or not, you cannot deny that esport have brought us together, something that is essential in these times.

Whether your new hobby is sewing, or knitting, or painting, or gaming, we as a school community and as a generation that is forced to deal with some (let’s face it) crappy circumstances at such a young age, must get through this together. We must persist through these terrible times by staying patient and understanding of situations beyond our control and do our best to keep a positive attitude because we are not alone in this fight.

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THE “MARATHON MINDSET”

By David Yeung | Photography by Erin Lau | Layout by Airla Fan

His legs were burning. Drops of sweat stuck to his face before flying away in the damp wind.

Despite the breathless wheezes escaping his lungs with each running stride, he could not take his eyes off what was in front - the great city of Athens. A sky of crimson red surrounded him, the clanging of striking swords and screams of falling soldiers filled the air, but his voice was the only thing he could hear. I must get to the city… I must-.

The towering doors were not far now. He burst through them and called out his last words before fatally collapsing to the floor, “Joy, we conquer!”

The stories of Pheidippides, the Athenian soldier who dauntlessly journeyed from Sparta to Athens to deliver critical news about the Battle of Marathon, have been immortalised forever. His astounding feat of absolute determination, nobility, and unwithering strength is commemorated not only in plays and timeless fables, but also in the momentous events of marathons.

Nowadays, as people recognise the parallels between the tedious race and the extensive journey of life, the word “Marathon” has evolved into a beautiful attestation about humanity’s ability to persevere, even through the harshest of conditions and the ups and downs of life.

However, the route to achieving a “marathon mindset” is not for the faint of heart. Life finds a way to throw countless obstacles at us to try to deter us from our goals. In a world of increasing convenience where everything is one tap of a button away, ephemerality and instantaneous gratification have become our societal norms. This is especially evident on social media platforms, full of one-sided pictures, texts, and posts displaying the highlights of life, all with the sole purpose of garnering attention. Fewer people acknowledge the process of how to reach the success shown through their blank screens; instead, they expect to achieve their final goals in an instant. It seems as if many of us have indeed taken Jean Piaget’s notion of “magical thinking”, a belief which most 1 to 7-year-olds have that expectations and thoughts alone can yield results, into their later stages of life. One cannot just “think their thoughts into existence”; immediate

action is the crucial step that brings us one step closer to our desired goals. It is shown that most people resent this step. Who else has experienced absolute reluctance while trying to reach a TV remote inches away?

Although small, these seemingly insignificant trials of our will are able to reflect on us as a whole. The immediate effects of this change have been detrimental: attention span in the Generation Z demographic is plummeting, newer generations are becoming more entitled and spoiled, to name a few.

Despite these emerging distractions in society, we can look towards what Pheidippides did all those years ago and transform it into a mindset. There are a few tips on how to better incorporate this “marathon mindset” into one’s daily life. This starts not with an individual, but with the many like-minded people who come and go each and every day.

The saying “two minds are always better than one” rings true wherever one may go. It serves as a reminder that the people around you are the most useful tools that one can have. A survey done in countless workplaces revealed that employees constantly ranked lack of perspective as one of their top areas of improvement. Teamwork, collaboration, and putting together a joint effort allow for more than one perspective to be put into play, therefore strengthening both the relationships between co-workers and the ability to work harder -- and smarter.

Look at the late great Nipsey Hussle: his mantra of life being a “marathon, not a sprint” has been etched deeply into the minds of anyone who comes across his music.

Nipsey noticed that the treacherous trek of life could not be completed at once, and the beauty of what was achieved could only be seen in every step of the process. What about successful marathoners like Eliud Kipchuge?

To him, running a marathon is more about the “will, grit, heart, and mind” than the physical capabilities of an individual; it is not about running, but a steady meditation of life. Only hard work, determination, and the ability to push through hours of physical pain can mould a champion runner. In an interview following his world record sub-2-hour marathon run, he sent an inspiring message. He thanked his supporting cast for pushing him along his journey, advised the youth of the world that

nothing was impossible with high priorities and concentration, and urged everyone to actively pursue their goals.

Completing these lifelong tasks that come with every step may seem daunting at first, but acknowledging that the race will in fact be hard and challenges will not be solved without putting up a fight certainly does help with some of the initial fear and hesitance.

Expectations set too high often lead to a greater level of disappointment, but setting the right expectations can alleviate a great deal of stress and lessen the mental toll that comes with tackling these unpredictable obstacles.

Steve Magness, a former marathon runner, has a certain life lesson about expectations that he often tells others. He believes that “expecting something to be hard and full of ups and downs is significantly more effective than expecting it to be easy, where The current COVID-19 pandemic has indefinitely placed marathon running into a year-long hiatus. World-renowned longdistance events held in worldwide cities such as Boston, London, and Tokyo have been postponed. The previous clamour that these prestigious races have attracted have been silenced. Even though the gruelling physical process of running a marathon may not be accessible to us at this very moment, we should never forget the marathoner’s mindset immortalised by Pheidippides’ historic run.

Due to the numerous COVID-19, there are many hardships and challenges one may encounter; however, this is just a day in the life of someone who runs marathons.

Step by step, the “Marathon Mindset” is gradually being applied in all walks of life, from understanding the failures of the day as stepping stones to turning it into motivation that fuels progress towards a larger goal.

Whichever path you may have taken, it is imperative to remember that each stride you take is part of a bigger picture, and larger obstacles are yet to come. With this culture of determination and perseverance, every roadblock ahead will only feel like a trivial thing that has to be overcome. In a way, we all are running our own marathons whether we know it or not.

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XH issue 23_Master layout .indd 134

3/6/2021 11:35 PM

XH issue 23_Master layout .indd 135

3/6/2021 11:35 PM

XH issue 23_Master layout .indd 136

3/6/2021 11:35 PM