The polarisation of society has historically led to mistrust, segregation and discrimination. Taking the mentality that you are either with us or against us makes it difficult to resolve any problem, especially when tensions run high.
Confrontations in Hong Kong have certainly escalated quickly. The violent clashes in the northern town of
Sha Tin on July 14 that sent at least 22 people to hospital now seems a distant memory. Since then, police have uncovered
TATP explosives, the national emblem at the liaison office has been
desecrated, and at least 45 people were injured by a white-clad mob armed with sticks and metal rods in
Yuen Long.
We may feel the need to adopt a side to make sense of things. But we may then fall into the trap of having to adhere to the chosen side in the face of contradictory information. And when we take mental short cuts in our reasoning to quickly make sense of things, we do so at the risk of accuracy.
Such mental short cuts are often aided by a media outlet’s
portrayal of a group or situation. Reporting may not always be factual and may cater to market audiences. Instead of maintaining conflict mitigation and social cohesion, some outlets may widen divisions in serving their agendas and commercial incentives.
These problems are compounded by people’s preference for information from outlets that align with their political views, and also by
technology designed to deliver information that reinforce personal habits. Further dissemination of such information may obfuscate key issues and obscure the causes of real problems.
The problem is not limited to media outlets. Recently,
two lawyers from different sides of the divide made remarks that appeared to condone the use of violence. But in a lawful society, violence should never be a solution and
defending your home should be no excuse for violence either.
To add fuel to fire, some social media users may unknowingly be spreading hate and promoting discrimination. It is commonplace for users to publicly share the achievement of “unfriending” a certain group of people, or
exposing the personal information of people they disapprove of. Rather than condemn the violence, some users posted comments in support of assault. The normal expression of opinion has degenerated into a dissemination of hate.
To figure out who and what to trust, we have
critical thinking. This is often easier said than done in a world where information is abundant and our attention span for news can last mere seconds. Choosing what is credible, making independent choices and decisions all require an active effort against cognitive laziness. It also requires courage to stand up against peer pressure and groupthink.
When our beliefs are challenged, we feel the need to eliminate or reduce our cognitive dissonance. People who cannot resolve this cognitive conflict could end up in depression. Even before the senseless violence in Yuen Long, nearly one in 10 people in Hong Kong were found to have
suspected depression. Research has also shown that people in a negative mood are more likely to focus on the potential downsides of a decision rather than the possible benefits. This negativity can snowball and burden all sides of our divided society.
My point is not to levy criticism on anything or anybody in particular, but to make the point that we, as Hongkongers, must be the gatekeepers of our own minds. Be vigilant with the information you are exposed to. No matter how brilliant you are, you are almost guaranteed to make bad decisions when you have inaccurate information.
It is up to each and every one of us Hongkongers to prevent the breakdown of our society, and to heal this divide — together as one, together as human beings.
Franklin Koo is an accredited mediator, lawyer and author of Power to the People: Extending the Jury to the Hong Kong District Court
