Reminiscences

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions Ideological possession is dangerous and it happens among the radicals on both left and right ends of the political spectrum. To put it in a layperson's terms, it refers to the blind and uncritical embrace of any ideas or beliefs, which leave no room for disagreement or even discussion. This phenomenon is commonplace in democratic as well as authoritarian societies.  Radical individuals resort to name-calling and other forms of insult whenever they are challenged. In even more extreme scenarios, it escalates into violence. I don't know how much you know about Hong Kong politics and what happened in the past 4 to 5 years. If "colors" still matter, I belong in what is known as the "yellow" camp. I value freedom of expression and freedom of thought.  However, that doesn't mean that I am friends with whoever with similar politics, or that I would condemn all people ...

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions We often hear people say "The enemy of our enemy is our friend." This seems to make good sense. In fact, it is a strategy frequently used during wartimes: countries that might not be on friendly terms form alliances to fight against a common enemy and these allies are "friends" against the bigger enemy. During peacetimes, this strategy is frequently used in politics. During the US Presidential Elections, for instance, some candidates, recognizing that they are losing out, typically withdraw from the race and express support for a remaining candidate whose position aligns with theirs more and/or whom they believe would benefit themselves (more) should he become the President. When only very few candidates are left, voters, fearing that their most dreaded candidate would win, typically vote for a strong contender whom they might not like very much in the hope that the latter ...

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions "Hate speech" isn't quite the same as "hate." Considering that "hate speech" is often abused by people without any legal knowledge, who tend conflate the term with "hate," the other day I preluded my lecture on hate speech with a short examination of "hate." I discussed a poem by William Blake, titled "The Poison Tree," which I emailed the students before our meeting. When people confront their hate and find outlets, the emotion is relieved. When people buries the hate, it does not disappear: it continues to grow. The person harboring the hate may even enjoy cultivating the feeling. The poison tree serves as a symbol of cultivated hate that would lead to disasters than if the hate had been confronted and relieved/released at an early stage. *** Hate as a human emotion is natural and moral.  To get rid of hate is to deprive humans...

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions In recent years, an increasing number of scholars believe that the embrace of Western civilization reinforces a white supremacist worldview. To the extent that Western classical education has a history that promulgates racism against non-white people and cultures, they argue that classics—a discipline involving the study of Greek and Roman literatures and cultures—needs to be reinvented, decolonized, or worse still, abolished altogether.  In my opinion, this trend must not be taken too far given the abundant values that many classical plays hold to different cultures and nationalities around the world. *** Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles’ play Antigone serves as a great example of how a “white” classical play is still tremendously relevant to contemporary world. Introducing it in a post-imperial/colonial classroom does not at all reinforce white supremacy. Rather, it exposes students ...