A part of me wants this thread deleted. I regret making it in the first place.
But a part of me wants this thread alive considering the slight possibility of PAP intervening if riots results in loss of police and civilian lives.
Is it depressing that it's too political or that it seems that you are deluged by the overwhelming media coverage in support of the riots? Am I misunderstanding you that you hope that the riots can be put down by PAP?
The HK mess has brought out some of the worst of people in numerous circles and gaming communities that I'm a part of. I'm starting to understand why there is no mainland intervention; it really is the only way to show that the news and media were lying all along. All other roads lead to far worse outcomes. I couldn't even scroll through my Twitter/YouTube feeds yesterday without people posting pro-riot messages and images (mostly due to Blizzard and the player being banned). The vast majority have probably no idea what's going on over there, aside from something they read in the news. I get the sense of a lot of fear going around, perceived injustice, and too many happily jumping on the bandwagon.
As a fellow new poster, I know what you are saying, many posters in this thread have said it too. I usually don't post in forums or anything because frankly, my opinion doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. However, many of the posters here have skin in the game, themselves, family, friends, or history in Hong Kong. This thread is basically to vent the frustrations at what we read.
Being Chinese, or even tangentially supportive of China due to the current government there almost makes you a persona non-grata. I don't like using this term or playing race cards too often, but in this case it is what it is, "White Privilege" (or at least "Western Privilege").
How many of the people in your online communities have actually been to China, or have friends from HK or Mainland China? They think it's some political BS, "Good fight against bad communists" or some crap like that. It's not that abstract right? Friends who own restaurants lay off all their employees, family worrying about their savings circling the drain, seeing videos of people destroying the communities that they grew up in. This is the real cost, and they don't understand it. Our friends and family (or ourselves) were perfectly happy with the status-quo, but it has been shattered now.
What are these "erosion of rights", "encroachment on freedom" that is constantly parroted about? There is not a single concrete example, at best the case of the bookseller is used, but if that's the only one you have in 20 years, then I think we can consider things safe.
But everyday, we hear these idiots yammer on about it over and over again like they know what they are talking about just because they read something in the news. The analogy I make is, "Do I go telling black people in America how to feel about cops?".
Someone posted their experiences putting together plastic flowers to earn money for their family. I've heard many similar stories from my own family and friends. Hardships from the bamboo curtain times, everyone had their share of suffering. Judging from the average "activist" from my University days, they definitely cannot understand this aspect in the least.
It goes even further than this, but I want to keep it in context of HK as much as possible.
Mod edit, with specific off topic example removed as it is judged to deviate too far from the thread.
