Psychology describes a phenomenon known as learnt helplessness, which traces back to the experiments of Martin E. P. Seligman. The experiments used three dogs, A, B and C. A and B were fitted with shock devices and given an electric shock at regular intervals. B had a panel of buttons in front of it; pressing one would stop the shock. A, however, could do nothing to avoid being shocked. At first A would try to resist and to flee, but after a while it discovered that there was no escaping its fate, and it simply lay on the ground and took the shocks without a struggle. Psychologists call this state despair.
The three dogs were then placed in a box. The floor of the box was electrified and, as before, would shock the dogs from time to time. But the wall of this box was actually quite low; with only a little effort, a dog could escape over it. When B (which had been shocked but could stop it) and C (which had never been shocked) were placed in the box, they escaped without a moment's hesitation. Only A (which had been shocked and could not stop it) stayed lying silently on the ground, taking shock after shock it could in fact have escaped. This — when a sense of powerlessness learnt from the past leads a creature to make no attempt at all, even in situations where it clearly could change its circumstances — is learnt helplessness.
I wonder whether anyone else has noticed: in truth, hasn't the government been trying to turn Hong Kongers into A? Ever since the 2014 Umbrella Movement, the political atmosphere has remained subdued; social movements have sparked here and there, but each was stamped out before the fire could spread. Talk of Hong Kong's future has been pervaded by a sense of powerlessness, of despair. The grassroots have nowhere to turn, and can only nurse their resentment; the social elite work not for Hong Kong but spend all their energy plotting their own escape. The reason behind it all is that we keep thinking: if even the great gathering of will in 2014 ended up achieving nothing, what is there left to do now?
Over the past few years, China has repeatedly forced Hong Kong's hand, much like those electric shocks. Each fruitless struggle seemed to show that there is no escaping the claws of the Chinese Communist Party, and Hong Kongers gradually learnt to be helpless. If this situation carries on, those who remain will end up like A — accepting whatever comes, resigned to anything, sinking into a "you'll take it whether you like it or not" state of submission. This, of course, is exactly what the Hong Kong–Communist government wants to see. Ever since Carrie Lam took office, regardless of how loud the public outcry, she has on every issue gone her own way, refused to give an inch, and put on an air of disdain for hearing the people out. These actions are nothing more than an attempt to manufacture the false belief that no amount of effort on your part can turn back your fate.
In this situation, what Hong Kongers need is one success. This time, the protest against the amendments to the extradition bill looks like the last glimmer of dawn: civil society is united as never before, China is beset on all sides economically and politically, and countries around the world are watching the bill closely. Anyone who cares about Hong Kong's future ought to seize this chance to prove that these "political shocks" are not impossible to resist – these shackles, we can break with blood and sweat.
How all this will ultimately unfold, I am afraid I cannot foresee. When you are up against the machinery of the state, there has never been much room for optimism. The wall is hard to climb, but every time we fail to climb it, the wall grows another inch higher. It is only when you throw yourself at that wall heedless of everything that you may discover it is not as solid as you had imagined.
Let us go to meet the calling of our times.
Graphic: Civil Front
Reference: https://lihkg.com/thread/1159755/page/1
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