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Letters | Hong Kong could be free of panic if we all learned to think critically

  • The panic buying in March was just the latest example of Hongkongers’ knee-jerk tendency to believe what they read and watch
  • Close reading and fact-checking should be essential skills in this post-truth era

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Bare shelves at a ParknShop supermarket at Lei Tung Estate on March 6. Photo: Dickson Lee
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In early March, tens of thousands of new coronavirus cases were reported in Hong Kong every day. The anxiety that gripped the city stemmed from both the explosion of infections and the government’s plans. As rumours spread, many alarmed residents resorted to panic buying, emptying supermarket shelves of food and raiding pharmacies for medication. The actions reflected mass fears of a potential citywide lockdown.

They also reflected Hongkongers’ knee-jerk tendency to believe what they read or watch. I was exactly like this in the past. When I watched a TED talk, for example, I was keen to believe arguments presented.

I once worked on an assignment that required me to analyse Jessica Jackley’s TED talk, “Poverty, money – and love”. Jackley founded Kiva.org, which helps people make microloans to entrepreneurs in need, after living in East Africa for three months, where she saw the effect that microloans had on lifting people out of poverty. After listening to her incredible speech, I was convinced that microlending was a panacea for poverty. But my bubble burst after consulting my writing instructor, who responded: “But three months is not even a semester, right?” I was taken aback but would realise her point.

Sometimes, we trust the information that we receive much more than we should. Having attended universities in both Hong Kong and the United States, I am amazed at how American students are taught to critically analyse information. In writing classes, we are encouraged to adopt the technique of close reading for not just articles, but also videos and social media posts.

By critically analysing the language used and the evidence offered, and then linking them back to the author’s publishing purposes, we sometimes find contradictions and tensions.

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