Easy Talk

1. FADE IN.

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. INT. SLEEPING ROOM - DAY

6. 
   

7. Waking up, PETER grabs his phone to surf the web.

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9. PETER (V.O.): The older interviewee demonstrated his quality and potential when young. He performed very well in his studies. Through practice in his legal field, he became very experienced.

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11. Pausing.

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13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The younger interviewer was also very well educated and won a prestigious scholarship. Through practice in his journalistic field, he became very experienced too.

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15. Pausing.

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17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd) : But is it meaningful to have a talk on TV explicitly on Hong Kong politics, but implicitly on world politics?

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19. Pausing.

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21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To talk is a civic culture. For the governing institution, it's a form of public engagement. For the media, it's for their audience's consumption.

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23. Pausing.

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25. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But questions loaded with misinformation or prejudice don't lead to any constructive exchange of interpretative frameworks.

27. Act 2

28. 
    

29. FLASHBACK

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31. INT. STUDY - NIGHT

32. 
    

33. Peter is watching TV.

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35. We hear: ...a draconian national security legislation, ... death of one-country-two-systems....suffocating the life of Hong Kong's special status.

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37. PETER (V.O.): The interviewer sets the negative and emotive tone of the talk.

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39. We hear: ...blatant violation...

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41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The interviewer is attempting to undermine and belittle the interviewee so that the interviewee may overreact and appear to be unreasonable.

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43. We then hear: Let me finish. You can't bully me into accepting your position...

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45. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Not just the interviewer, but the interviewee has to be heard. The interviewer interrupts the interviewee again and again.

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47. We hear the interviewer saying:...ten years to life imprisonment....even death...,and the interviewee responding:...I resent that...you are not listening...questions on a false premise...

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49. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A false premise is an incorrect proposition that forms the basis of an argument. Since the assumption is incorrect, its conclusion is false.

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51. Pausing.

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53. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But those who have holes in their reasoning can't tell why a logically valid conclusion is false.

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55. We hear the interviewee demanding:....simple questions based on facts...,and then the interviewer interrupting the interviewee again by reciting others' opinions.

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57. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That isn't a question, but the usual language of the implicit anti-China political groupthink.

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59. We hear: ...I have not finished.... You should be ashamed of yourself... You don't give me an opportunity to answer...

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61. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He's absolutely right in saying that no country should bow to political blackmail based on lies or misinformation.

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63. We hear: Your problem is, of Hong Kong, or of Beijing... countries aren't listening...

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65. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The interviewee reiterates his point that no responsible government would succumb to lies and misinformation...International criticisms are totally unjustified.

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67. We hear: ...defend Beijing come what may...

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69. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The interviewer is attacking the interviewee as a person instead of attacking his argument.

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71. We hear:... reciting of political rhetoric against the interest of Hong Kong and China...don't cut any ice with me.

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73. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's cool. But those who are anti-China no matter what would like to hear the echo.

74. 
    

75. As the TV talk ends, Peter is reflecting.

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77. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I studied Philosophy, theories of Logic, Knowledge & Ethics are mandatory subjects.

78. 
    

79. Pausing.

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81. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But in politics, few would take reason, knowledge and morality seriously.

82. 
    

83. END FLASHBACK

84. 
    

85. Act 3

86. 
    

87. INT. SLEEPING ROOM - NIGHT

88. 
    

89. Putting aside his phone, Peter lies down in bed.

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91. PETER (V.O.): Any unmediated public talk is like a moral trial in which the prosecutor-judge cross-examines a defendant unfairly, stating the prosecutor-judge's bias and prejudiced verdict.

92. 
    

93. Pausing.

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95. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Such a talk isn't hard, but easy. What's worse is that, it's unfair and undemocratic in nature.

96. 
    

97. Pausing.

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99. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): For potential interviewees to such an easy talk for the interviewer, they should avoid it, as it makes the interviewee angry, and any hopeful gain is limited.

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101. Pausing.

102. 
     

103. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Before retirement, I was duty-bound to take such interviews too. I had to keep cool, not wanting to rock the boat.

104. 
     

105. Pausing.

106. 
     

107. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In the pursuit of domination, human groupings like to bewitch others if they don't affiliate with their group values and identity.

108. 
     

109. Thinking.

110. 
     

111. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When a person or an entity can't control a person, or political entities like Hong Kong, China, or China, the former will try to control how others see the latter by feeding others with lies and misinformation.

112. 
     

113. Reflecting.

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115. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To talk about politics is literally meaningless.

116. 
     

117. Peter sleeps.

118. 
     

119. THE END

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121. FADE OUT.