Misused like

As Facebook allowed users to like a sharing, they start to use it as read. In Hong Kong it becomes noticed. The original idea may help user to have a light weighted feedback. But it also degrades the quality of response.

In fact, it also happens in other certain circumstances. Economic measures or the concept of utilitarian may help us on quantitative judgement. We can project our work on this dimension to understand more on efficiency but many people take it as the only one dimension. Therefore the mindset is distorted with such reduced measurement.

Logic Problem

National education is to foster the sense of belonging of nationals. However, Hong Kong government is trying to start national education in grammar schools where you can find some citizens whose nationality is not Chinese. It would not make any sense because they do not have any relation to the mainland China, from tribal to cultural. It would not make any sense to simply ask the residents to love the country.

In this international city, there is a wide variety of nationalities among Hong Kong citizens. However, only the residency could be identified and the rights of residents could be protected by the Basic Law of Hong Kong. On the other hand, the permanent  residentcy did not transferred to the nationality, Chinese, automatically. These can tell us the big difference between residency and nationality.

It would make much more sense if civic education can be maintained in Hong Kong. It would avoid racial conflict if we can avoid the tribal-centric national education.

By the way, it is interesting that the Hong Kong Government has run civic education for a long time when there are only residents and permanent residents in the legal framework.

Civic education does not only foster the sense of belonging but also prepare people to carry out their roles of citizens. It has to foster their virtues, development their knowledge and polish their skills for political participation. It also implies that the political system allows citizen participation. Every citizen needs to know the history of the city, the structure of government and the political system. Therefore, the history of Hong Kong as the foundation of civic education should be a mandatory subject in schools.

Reference:
http://wongonyin.mysinablog.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=3661983

Politician technique

Redefinition is one of normal practices for politicians when they want to deny something. Uncertainty and skepticism always go together. Politicians can create uncertainty easily because of incomplete reveal of information. When there is an uncertainty, skepticism can be applied. When there is a doubt, clarification and redefinition can be performed. Redefinition helps to distort the understanding of the public such that to rationalize the politicians' actions and mistakes.

On the other hand, redefinition is also one of normal practice for negotiators when they want to provide an alternative (peaceful) understanding on certain situations (dilemma). Conflict is aroused because of difference between parties' understanding and stubbornness. Uncertainty introduces doubts, which change our mind, which moves us to take new actions.

Idea behind Choice

After reading a news about the rich wife, Ms Yeo Peck Leng in Hong Kong trying to establish a new school for her children, I am shocked by her choice of teaching materials. She picked simplified Chinese because she want to align the choice of institutions around the world. They picked simplified Chinese and Putonghua only because it is official language of mainland China which has fast-growing economic power and it is also an official language of United Nations. They treat language as a tool only. They would not care about the linguistic defects and separation of cultural identity.




The rich wife should prefer the children to learn traditional Chinese in order to understand the original Chinese culture, beauty of Chinese characters, the formation of Chinese characters, and to develop cultural identity. It is because Cantonese is one of mother languages in her family.




If she can state the idea of utilitarianism, she just makes not a very bad choice. In fact, unfortunately, she just follows without proper thinking.