Hong Kong's Jealousy

Rowel L., 14, Island School

Jealousy is a powerful emotion, one that fuels political, social and economic battles. It is, however, an unavoidable part of being a human being. Life shall forever be about the survival of the fittest, and it is blatantly obvious the ‘fittest’ are the richest and, by extension, the most powerful.

            It is natural to crave and long for what we don’t have, and for many of us, what we don’t have is an abundance of wealth. And so we covet. We covet the riches of others. Most recently, we have begun to covet the riches of the affluent mainland Chinese.

            However, it is impossible to say jealousy is the only cause of our hatred for the rich mainlanders. Another factor may be the increasing limitation of our resources and goods. These mainlanders sweep into Hong Kong with their bulging bank accounts and take away millions of dollars worth of jewelry and luxurious fashion garments in a single purchase, all without making a dent in their leather wallets. As many overseas luxury brands choose to open stores in Hong Kong, the high number of mainland Chinese buying the products seems to limit the exclusivity.

            Secondly, there is the assumption the rich mainland Chinese are ill-mannered and rude. It should be noted that different cultures have different customs and behaviors. The first generation of rich mainland Chinese have suffered from extreme poverty during childhood and may have lacked early education. The second generation is overindulged by their parents and grandparents, and many believe their family’s wealth is enough to gain respect.

            Another notion is that the rich mainland Chinese are over-flamboyant and ostentatious. High-end luxury items are seen as a status symbol by the Chinese but many Hong Kong natives agree that mainlanders are too extravagant with their show of wealth.

            Of course, nothing is black and white. Whilst jealousy plays a certain part of the Hong Kong people’s loathing of the rich mainland Chinese, I do not believe it is the sole reason of their hatred.

Guns in the United States

Ho Fai Tung, 14, St. Marks School, Mass., USA

“A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.”

-George Washington

When George Washington fought for the independence of the United States of America, he did so on the foundation of freedom and liberty for its people. He managed to break free of one of the largest empires in human history. This would not have been possible had the citizens of American not been armed and able to fight. Whilst guns have been responsible for many acts of violence, it has been shown throughout history that guns have been responsible for a lot of good as well.

Weapon ownership has been a controversial topic for a long time, escalating in recent history with the invention of automatic firearms and high explosives. I believe that the many positives of weapon ownership outweigh the negatives of it. The historical reason for owning a weapon is self defense; it was the reason that our ancestors created the most basic of fighting tools. On a larger scale, this includes the defense of people or an ideal, such as those of George Washington. His revolution would not have been possible if not for the firearms that he and his forces possessed.

In the modern day, this must be emphasized further as the advancement of technology means that governments have an unprecedented amount of control over their citizens. It is a common pattern that the worst dictatorships in history are also the ones with the most control over the weapons in their empires. Many countries have guns to thank for their freedom, such as in Mozambique, where the national flag shows two AK-47s as a symbol of their rebellion.

There are those that would argue against gun ownership by stating the acts of violence that have recently been committed through those means. However, could this not have been prevented if there was an armed person with good intentions and training to stop them? If guns were to be outlawed, this would effectively give the government complete ownership and control over its people. Not only that, but it would also give more control to the criminals who know how to illegally acquire guns, allowing them to commit whatever atrocities they wanted until the police arrived after the average 15 minute response time. If guns were to be eliminated, the average citizen would be forced to live in fear of oppression from both the government and the hardened criminals.

The quote above has been proven correct many times throughout the course of human history, with examples of successful armed revolutions and unsuccessful unarmed protests. Many countries that are now free are in this state due to weapons. In the event of gun illegalisation, the government would have even more control over the people than it already does and armed criminals would roam freely as long as they could get away within 15 minutes. This is not the kind of country that was envisioned when George Washington founded the United States and it is only the people who are ignorant to these dangers that believe that gun ownership is negative for society.

A Typhoon

Daphne C., 8, St. Paul’s Co-Ed

Help! A typhoon is coming, and as a little bird I feel scared. I live alone on the tree beside the library. I have many friends such as my friend eagle, parrot, pigeon and squirrel.

        One day, I was gobbling up a delicious lunch of hamburgers when a gush of wind blew towards my tree. I felt scared and my jaw dropped. I saw my lunch fly into the sky. I felt so sad and hungry. Then the pouring rain and the lightning made me jump. I tried to fly away and looked for someplace dry. As I flew, I could see branches falling onto the ground. My friends were scurrying across the street, trying to sneak into KYP because it was nice and dry inside. I followed them inside and I learned English in KYP and soon the typhoon was over and I felt very relieved. I said by by to all the teachers and I flew back to my tree feeling jubilant.

The Importance of Libraries

       Isabella M., 10, HKIS

       All over the world we have a great resource that we can use in our everyday life called the library. The library is used by many people for free because some people can’t afford the money to buy a computer, books and more. Hong Kong public libraries should not be closed because you don’t have to spend any money, it is a good source of information and has free computer use.

        Hong Kong Public Libraries should not be closed because you don’t have to pay any money. Many people around the world don’t have the money to buy certain things such as clean water, food and shelter. We should have libraries because if we want to help those people who want to learn then they can learn by using the computers and books to help them with their lives and get the education they need. The library is an important place because we can help those people in our society by letting them learn with the resources in the library.

        Hong Kong Public Libraries should not close because the library has good sources of information. If we need to learn anything we can just go to the library and rent a book to do something for our work. We can use the library to read and research anything for book reports, projects, book clubs and more. If people want to have a good smart learning environment then we can all do this by letting those people who need the opportunity to learn.

        Hong Kong Public Libraries should not be closed because they have free computer use. In Hong Kong there are many helpers who don’t get to contact their families and friends. So, a solution for them is to use a computer in one of the public libraries and then they could contact anyone they know. In the public library there are many things we can do, such as entertaining kids on the computer, doing their school work and reading books. People think that if we keep this up we can be a super smart world and make sure everyone gets an opportunity for learning in any possible way.

       For my conclusion, this makes me realize that no matter where you are in the world you can always go to the library for your education, entertainment, research and more.

Appearance-Based Discrimination is Wrong

        

Avantika M., 11, Island School

         Recently in South Korea, a survey showed that 42.4% of job-seekers have not been hired because of their looks, making them discriminated based on appearance. This is a problem; for example, if two people apply for a job, and one is smart but not so good looking and the other one is beautiful but not very smart, the job would go to the superficial airhead princess instead of the smart hardworking deserving person. Looks-based discrimination should be illegal all around the world. Nobody should have to suffer this and face poverty because someone prettier got the job.

        This is completely wrong because say a person gives a resume to a bank and he is a straight A+ student, has lots of credits, and overall is a good human being but then a prettier person comes and this person is an average D student, has no credits but is gorgeous. Is it fair to give the prettier one the job? No, it is totally stupid and rubbish. There are a few things that make up a good businessperson: intelligence, the ability to use teamwork, diligence, and a hardworking attitude. A person’s looks should not be depriving them from getting a good job.

        On the other hand, lots of people do business face to face; in fact, job interviews are face to face, so if the person were ugly it would be disturbing to work with him. Imagine constantly having to work with someone ugly compared to someone pretty. The person will try to avoid working if his or her partner is ugly and will actually want to work with a prettier person.

        However, if companies only hired people according to their looks, then the work would not be getting done and it would just pile up. “Studies indicate that, in general, beautiful people are paid more than their plainer-looking counterparts.” This means that pretty people are getting paid more than the actual people doing all the work. And looks should not affect anything if they have good ideas and are a benefit to a company.

        Going back many years when there was discrimination against black people, it has taken people a very long time to get over that. Now people have moved on and accepted everyone for who they are, not depending on their looks. But why has the world taken a step back when people should be walking forward? Again, we are discriminating against people according to their looks. This has gone too far if it is being compared to racial discrimination. This is very antediluvian, it has been stopped n the past, and it can be stopped again.

        42.4% of people have not been hired due to their looks in South Korea. The problem is that the prettier person gets the job and not the smarter person with the correct values on how to work. This needs to stop immediately or at least as soon as possible because smart people should not have to suffer from poverty due to their looks.

The Freezing Twister in Old England

Valerie P., 12, HKUGA College


     Lynn Benicia was a 14-year-old who lived in England in 1677. She often went to hunt with her father during Sundays and, occasionally, Wednesdays. She was the best swimmer and fisher in her village and a skilled archer as well. When there was trouble, Lynn was a person the whole village could rely on. When her father passed away, he left her a laurel wreath he made in the woods, causing Lynn to burst into tears. One day in winter, Lynn was hunting with her usual kit when an unusual sound came creeping towards her. She recognized the sound. It was the same sound that destroyed her village 10 years ago. It was a tornado, larger than she had ever seen.
     Lynn ran for her life, scooping up random little animals on the way, shouting for the villagers to go down to the cellar. The sound was terrifying, haunting Lynn about what happened 10 years ago. Trees whistled sharply in the air as if the god of wind was orchestrating a death march upon the village, striking terror and recalling the frightful memory that is believed to be buried underground. Lynn took the animals to her mother, and then scooted the weeping children into a cellar nearby as the tornado confronted her.
     The tornado broke trees, sucked houses in and, of course, created gales of wind towards Lynn making her lose balance. The tornado was at least a meter wide, and as high as the visible sky. The tornado was gunmetal grey with a hint of snow within. Wisps of water vapor swirled around it as if a river was sucked in (Lynn wondered if the river near the village was really sucked in).
     She shuddered, as she realized that a few animals in the forest were escaping from the tornado’s wrath. She then took a deep breath, and charged towards the tornado after blinking back a silvery tear.
     The animals were pushed towards the village in her friend’s arms while he was staring at her, unable to do anything at all. She touched three fingers to her lips then stretched them towards these survivors as She was hurled in thin air.
     She closed my eyes as she felt the cold air swirling around her. Those sharp blows of wind felt like shrieks of laughter… No, they didn’t sound like laughter, they sounded like prayers. And the loudest one of all was her father’s voice. She heard him pray about her mother, about Laura, about the village elder, Woodring, about the healer, about the fishermen, about the farmers… about her.
Lynn closed her eyes. Her father saved her precious life.

No More Shark's Fin Soup

Jessica L., 10, F.I.S.

Shark’s fin soup is a dish that goes back many years in China. Lots of people eat it because it is an old tradition, but it harms the shark species and affects the species which are linked to sharks. People cut off shark fins and throw the animals back into the sea to die. This practice is killing millions of sharks because the dish is very popular in China. The Hong Kong government should ban shark’s fin soup because all animals should be treated equally, sharks are already endangered, and tradition should not be a priority.

Humans are actually animals, evolved from apes. We are animals, except that we have developed more than sharks. Why do we have to push the other species around us to the brink of extinction? People might say, “But we are the best species and we have the right to stomp sharks out.” Just because we are the best does not mean that we have the right to stomp others out. As executive Chinese chef Ip Kwok-fai says, “It is not hard to create alternatives to shark’s fin soup.” Alternatives might just be made out of something simple and good.

If sharks are endangered, why do we still harm them? We are being selfish and cruel to this species by killing them for food when there are thousands of equally good-tasting alternatives. Some people might wonder, “Well, lots of species are endangered. Why should I be caring particularly for sharks?” The truth is that we need to care for all of these endangered species. We cannot just care for one. “Shark’s fin-free supporters are a minority in Hong Kong,” says Toby Kwan, marketing manager of the LH group. However, we can change that if we stop eating shark’s fin soup.

Tradition is important, and that is true. But is it as important as having a species disappear before one’s eyes? Young couples these days only order shark’s fin soup to not be embarrassed in front of their parents. “I need to impress my parents,” people might say. But wouldn’t their parents be more proud if they supported part of a movement to save a species? “Actually, they ended up being very supportive,” says corporate banker Arthur Chan Yat-long, who asked his parents about not having shark’s fin soup at his wedding.

Lots of species are endangered, partly because of us humans. We have killed other species that are endangered for fun. If we lose these species, the world will not be the same. There will be no sharks patrolling the sea, no giant pandas at safaris. It should be our job, as the greatest species, to tend to these smaller species. We have our own part to play.

"Impossible" Children

After a discussion about recent research regarding psychopathy in children, we asked our students to tell us if there is such a thing as an “impossible” child.

Jeewon S., 13, HKIS

There is a wide boundary when it comes to labeling a child as “impossible.” Children all throw tantrums and make impulsive decisions at least once. There are, however, exceptions. To the most extreme point, an “impossible” child would be one who showcases no emotion to another’s pain or one who can’t control his or her temper.

        The classic problematic child horror movies are turning into reality. New research hasshow that children, especially those who have callous-emotional disorder, are more susceptible to becoming “psychopaths” if they already aren’t. Callous-emotional disorder results in people whose amygdalae (a part of the brain) don’t respond to other people’s emotions like misery, fear or happiness. Thus, the children commit violent actions and don’t care about the consequences or outcome.

        In the world, very few children can be categorized as “impossible”. A lot of parents don’t realize that they were once, too, headstrong children. They expect children to comprehend their high expectations and get mad if they fail to do so. More parents need to realize that there is no such thing as an angelic, perfect, cherub-like child, and lower their standards to have a better bond with their children.

        To understand a child, to truly form a genuine connection, parents need to observe and understand. And in the rarest cases of child psychopathy, parents should have as much patience and guidance and help them learn the consequences of their impulsive actions. But who knows: there is still hope and possibility for troublesome children to mature into well-behaved adults.

Secret Messages and Sorceresses

You are a military general living in the year 1850, back before the days of computers, email, instant messaging, TV, iPods, iPads, etc.

It is wartime, and you need to deliver an important message concerning a battle! How do you deliver the message?

Tiffany L., 7, CIS

        I use a special wooden pair of shoes, go on a horse and gallop to the sea. Then I use a clicking sound to get a trained dolphin from the sea and then I ride it to the other side. My horse gallops back to its stable. I get up on the other side, mount another horse and gallop on, carrying the letter all the way. I soon get to a forest and I take out my compass. I need to head east to get to the place I was supposed to deliver the letter to. I go as fast as I can, since the water is starting soon. We can’t afford to lose a heartbeat. I soon get out of the forest and then find a river. I back up my horse a pace or two and I make it leap across the river. This is what the letter said:

“Dear Eastern Army,

Please help us defeat the army of bandits. They outnumber us. If you help us, we will give you a reward.”

I return home safely with a lot of warriors and defeat the bandits.

Jasmine Y., 9, CDNIS

I live in a peaceful little cottage in the woods, far away from where the war is going to start. But while the war is going on I need to send a message to my pen pal. One day in the middle of the war I quickly think of a way to send a message to my pen pal. I write down the message I need to send:

Dear Liu Kai Lin,

I have something important to tell you. There is war and it is coming close to Beijing. Use the special lucky charm I gave you to keep you and your family safe. Bring everything you need and you may come to Hong Kong.

From, Yu Jia Min

After I write the message I quickly get the guest room ready. Then I fly back to Beijing on an airplane and take a secret passage to my pen pal’s home. Then I give her the message and after she reads it she and her family show me a shortcut through the war to Hong Kong without anyone getting hurt.

___

You are a good witch who must travel to the ends of the earth to rescue a friend who has been kidnapped by an evil sorceress!

Lauren M., 9, GSIS

The sorceress’s name is Wooloomooloo. She has pimples all over her face, black eyes, black fingernails, a black cloak and snakes in her hair. One time, she made people listen to her by casting a spell on everyone except me because she knew I would do this so I turned myself invisible.

        I went to the sorceress’s castle and saw my friend trapped there. Then, I saw the sorceress coming ready to do something bad to her. Just before she did something I got my invisibility cloak and told it to hold Wooloomooloo on the floor while I got my friend. After that I shared the cloak with my friend and flew off. She went with me to my home and ate the food that was from the magic gem to celebrate.

Hillary Y., 7, IMS

This all happened on a stormy summer night. The sky was dark and the birds stopped singing because a good witch was kidnapped. So, I was sent out to find her.

The prophecy says that the good witch is kept far to the east guarded by lots of monsters and fire. I searched for days to find the cave so I looked and looked for a long time until I heard a voice in the distance.

“Help. Help. Come to rescue me before I get fed to birds!”

The sorceress’s name was Erin. Her hair was blue. Her skin was red and she was awarded with “the most evil witch of the century.”

I ran to save my friend but first I cast a spell to make myself invisible and crept inside to save my friend. However, the sorceress was there so I crept behind her and I crept away with my friend.

Talking Germs

We asked our students to pretend they were germs and report back to us about what kinds of things happen in the germ world. Here are the conversations they told us they had:

Wing Lam N., 9, HKGUA Primary School

 

Me: Where do you think we should hide?

Chewy: Let’s go into people’s bodies and make them sick.

Spiky: But how?

Flying Bullet: Fly into their mouths.

Me: No, let’s hide in that food. Then, people will eat the food and we will be inside their bodies.

All Germs: Good idea!

Jasmine Y., 9, CDNIS 

I said, “Hi, why don’t we go down to the germ playground in Germ Land?” My friend said, “Sure! I’m happy to go there.” So we headed down to germ playground and we went on the swings. I said, “Isn’t this a sunny day? I think it will be a good time swinging.” My friend agrees. Germs talk basically about good and bright things.

Jiawen W., 8, Chek Kiang

Me: Should we play games?

Germ: Yes!

Me: What shall we play?

Germ: Let’s play hide-and-seek!

Me: Ooh la la!

Nok Yan C., 9, DGS

Me: What is your name?

Germs: I am Sports Germ, and he is Talent Germ, and she is Sleepy Germ. We’re good for human beings.

Me: I want to be a good germ too!

Germs: We can’t help you.