A ‘stereotype’ is a perception, for quicker and easier self-reference, about a person or group of people, likely relates to the negative feelings about them. Such a prejudice is often based on the past bad experience and rooted in the idea that these types of people are less trustworthy or more unreasonable than others.

Examples of political stereotypes are that most young people in Hong Kong are irretrievably anti-government, those who have foreign passports in Hong Kong do not like China or that the pro-establishment apple-polishers are sincerely nationalistic.

Scholars explained these 3 levels: ‘stereotypes’ are about how we understand a person and they are classified as a ‘cognitive bias’. We may think against him but we do not show any negative emotion. ‘Prejudice’ is the next higher level of ‘emotional bias’. It is the display of concrete negative emotions against the person that we do not like. For example, we tell ourselves, “These people are trash!” Nevertheless, we will not convert our emotions into any hostile conduct. Discrimination is the worst form of behavioural bias because it is transformed into overt behaviour against the man that we have stereotyped and felt bad about. The typical instance is that certain restaurants in 2019 did not allow people who were supportive of government to eat there. Some companies do not employ young people who once took part in street demonstrations.

The social disturbance in 2019 was a series of demonstrations and violence in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill on extradition. The event caused our society to turn topsy-turvy. After 2019, people in Hong Kong have been still unfriendly politically to each other. They basically stereotyped each other into the following ‘colour labels’ according to the perceived, but often over-simplified, political inclination:

(1)   ‘blue’—if someone may be pro-government;

(2)   ‘yellow’—if someone may be anti-government;

(3)   ‘red’—if someone is considered as a communist zealot;

(4)   ‘green’—if someone is politically neutral; and

(5)   ‘blue’ or ‘yellow’—if the political stand of someone is situational upon the nature of issue in question.

We are all the colours of life. When we live together in harmony, we make this world more beautiful. But, when colours are in conflict with each other, beautiful sadness is just a myth. Sadness turns our features to dark clay, not shiny porcelain.

In Taiwan, people often condemn each other politically. Those who support the 2 opposing political parties often label each other as ‘green’ and ‘blue’. I never expect such a ‘mindset’ war to take place in Hong Kong. We have now followed the development of Taiwan by now getting very personal, indulgent in stereotyping and daggering are digging deep in our daily human interactions.

We pray that people in Hong Kong will not stereotype, criticize, point fingers or pre-judge. Judging other by simple ‘political colour’ labels is easy. Ironically, it also distracts us from the responsibility of judging and criticizing ourselves.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”      

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