A good protest gone bad
Hong Kong is no what Thoreau had in mind when he advocated Civil Disobedience.
A good protest is a terrible thing to waste.
What started out in my mind and probably in others as a well intentioned, typical protest by Youth from another country(er, part of another country), has spun out of control yet again.
The Hong Kong Youth I have discussed before, in another post from not too long ago. They are nothing if not both intelligent and hopeless. America would do well to take them in, the better to utilize the engineering and math talent so wantonly going to waste 8000 miles from where I write this. Nevermind the Ambition and Passion for a cause, that every Society needs in order to nurture and replenish its own Spirit.
When I went to Hong Kong, it was via bullet train from Guangzhou. I took the taxi, as it was too early to take the subway, and PAID the price, a ghastly 200 RMB. What was I to do? Coming back, the subway only cost $1.
Guangzhou has 3 train stations, if not mistaken, and I took every damn one of them while in that burgeoning city, so full of youth and people in a hurry. Like China, Guangzhou is no different. A City, A Country so like America cum 1957. Or 1991. Or maybe 1999. Confident and sure of it's place, the sky the limit. No clouds to intervene.
The train made a few stops including in Shenzhen proper(Futian, my old hunting grounds), until I arrived in Hong Kong. I was surprised NOT to go through customs until I arrived in Hong Kong. For a moment I thought it was Hong Kong customs, as they were wearing white. Alas, it was indeed Chinese customs, and I zipped through in no time at all. Only to walk a short distance and come to Hong Kong's customs.
From there I entered a world of air conditioning seemingly permanently set at 55 F, and amongst the stifling heat and AC I of course soon found I had a damn cold. Which took a day or two to get over.
On Hong Kong Island, I walked empty streets, no hint of disturbance in the air. It wasn't until I left that protests broke out.
I saw the usual; the clanging calls of Christianity. Even a Mainland Chinese Protest group singing patriotic Chinese songs in support of China. I wonder if they appreciated the power to protest? Probably not.
Here and there, I took pix. I saw many a protest banner on the wall, and many a patriotic banner as well. Indeed, it seems as if Hong Kong is in a Civil War. With not only itself but with those newly arrived groups from Mainland China that simply called Hong Kong home.
Afterwards however, my buddy suggested I delete my photos. I asked why? He told me he had his phone briefly confiscated twice, while going to Chinese customs. Customs was apparently on the lookout for contraband.
I deleted my pix, but not after an up and down conversation with myself. My phone wasn't looked at.
Having observed the protests from afar a few things have become apparent.
First of all kudos to the Chinese Government for (so far) not having stepped in. It is truly a sign of power and maturity to have not done so.
Second, and more importantly, I'm a bit disappointed in how these protests have in my view deteriorated into violence. What am I talking about?
There is no need for the Hong Kong Youth to burn subway stations, or set them ablaze. None.
There is no need to attack the Hong Kong Police.
Remember John Wayne in Stagecoach? His opening scene? What does he say?
"You may need me in this Winchester, Curly......" (52 second mark)
The Hong Kong Youth will need the Hong Kong Police should the unthinkable go down.
Throwing molotov cocktails, closing down airports. Setting subways on fire. Great business for the taxi's, but these Youth lose the hearts and minds of everyone else, including the expats that live there.
But attacking the police is nuts. It's crazy. Want to lose the moral high ground? Attack the cops. The Hong Kong cops are normal people. Struggling with their daily lives, and coping with change, just like everyone else in Hong Kong. A few live in China to afford better housing. They all have worries for their children. Etc. And they probably sympathize with many of the aims of these Hong Kong Youth.
Do you think the Hong Kong Police want to be out in the streets, sitting ducks for projectiles and gas cannisters and every other damn thing falling out of the sky? These people were trained to walk Wan Chai and Admiralty and Nathan Road and Mong Kok. These quite frankly isn't what they signed up for. And yet you guys harass these cops everyday. To the damn breaking point at that.
Someone is gonna get killed. And when that happens, its a whole new ball game. Nothing that took place before that will even count, or even matter. No one will remember the peace before, only the violence after.
The Hong Kong Youth walk a damn fine line. There are no PLA troops in the streets. No machine guns or tanks. Just flesh and blood Cantonese with a badge, wondering when the dam is gonna burst and everything goes off the rails.
Thoreau would shake his head at what is going on. So would John Wayne.
A good protest is a terrible thing to waste.
What started out in my mind and probably in others as a well intentioned, typical protest by Youth from another country(er, part of another country), has spun out of control yet again.
The Hong Kong Youth I have discussed before, in another post from not too long ago. They are nothing if not both intelligent and hopeless. America would do well to take them in, the better to utilize the engineering and math talent so wantonly going to waste 8000 miles from where I write this. Nevermind the Ambition and Passion for a cause, that every Society needs in order to nurture and replenish its own Spirit.
When I went to Hong Kong, it was via bullet train from Guangzhou. I took the taxi, as it was too early to take the subway, and PAID the price, a ghastly 200 RMB. What was I to do? Coming back, the subway only cost $1.
Guangzhou has 3 train stations, if not mistaken, and I took every damn one of them while in that burgeoning city, so full of youth and people in a hurry. Like China, Guangzhou is no different. A City, A Country so like America cum 1957. Or 1991. Or maybe 1999. Confident and sure of it's place, the sky the limit. No clouds to intervene.
The train made a few stops including in Shenzhen proper(Futian, my old hunting grounds), until I arrived in Hong Kong. I was surprised NOT to go through customs until I arrived in Hong Kong. For a moment I thought it was Hong Kong customs, as they were wearing white. Alas, it was indeed Chinese customs, and I zipped through in no time at all. Only to walk a short distance and come to Hong Kong's customs.
From there I entered a world of air conditioning seemingly permanently set at 55 F, and amongst the stifling heat and AC I of course soon found I had a damn cold. Which took a day or two to get over.
On Hong Kong Island, I walked empty streets, no hint of disturbance in the air. It wasn't until I left that protests broke out.
I saw the usual; the clanging calls of Christianity. Even a Mainland Chinese Protest group singing patriotic Chinese songs in support of China. I wonder if they appreciated the power to protest? Probably not.
Here and there, I took pix. I saw many a protest banner on the wall, and many a patriotic banner as well. Indeed, it seems as if Hong Kong is in a Civil War. With not only itself but with those newly arrived groups from Mainland China that simply called Hong Kong home.
Afterwards however, my buddy suggested I delete my photos. I asked why? He told me he had his phone briefly confiscated twice, while going to Chinese customs. Customs was apparently on the lookout for contraband.
I deleted my pix, but not after an up and down conversation with myself. My phone wasn't looked at.
Having observed the protests from afar a few things have become apparent.
First of all kudos to the Chinese Government for (so far) not having stepped in. It is truly a sign of power and maturity to have not done so.
Second, and more importantly, I'm a bit disappointed in how these protests have in my view deteriorated into violence. What am I talking about?
There is no need for the Hong Kong Youth to burn subway stations, or set them ablaze. None.
There is no need to attack the Hong Kong Police.
Remember John Wayne in Stagecoach? His opening scene? What does he say?
"You may need me in this Winchester, Curly......" (52 second mark)
The Hong Kong Youth will need the Hong Kong Police should the unthinkable go down.
Throwing molotov cocktails, closing down airports. Setting subways on fire. Great business for the taxi's, but these Youth lose the hearts and minds of everyone else, including the expats that live there.
But attacking the police is nuts. It's crazy. Want to lose the moral high ground? Attack the cops. The Hong Kong cops are normal people. Struggling with their daily lives, and coping with change, just like everyone else in Hong Kong. A few live in China to afford better housing. They all have worries for their children. Etc. And they probably sympathize with many of the aims of these Hong Kong Youth.
Do you think the Hong Kong Police want to be out in the streets, sitting ducks for projectiles and gas cannisters and every other damn thing falling out of the sky? These people were trained to walk Wan Chai and Admiralty and Nathan Road and Mong Kok. These quite frankly isn't what they signed up for. And yet you guys harass these cops everyday. To the damn breaking point at that.
Someone is gonna get killed. And when that happens, its a whole new ball game. Nothing that took place before that will even count, or even matter. No one will remember the peace before, only the violence after.
The Hong Kong Youth walk a damn fine line. There are no PLA troops in the streets. No machine guns or tanks. Just flesh and blood Cantonese with a badge, wondering when the dam is gonna burst and everything goes off the rails.
Thoreau would shake his head at what is going on. So would John Wayne.
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