Feverish Student Power of Hong Kong: Hotheads in Hardhats

By Terry Nettle

This book discusses how feverish student power in Hong Kong is running amok.

Rage and anger among the students about a wide range of long-standing social issues is feeding on the prejudice and distrust of a large section of the society. And this is distorting perceptions, inflaming emotions and fomenting unrest. In many way, mass protests are degenerating into mobs and are getting out of control.

The writer noted that the seemingly perpetual protests in Hong Kong is causing chaos and uncertainly, Both peaceful protests and violent protests are becoming frequent. If this continues unabated for a considerable length of time, this can have serious long-term consequences for the city as a financial and commercial hub. In the end, both the protesters and the citizens of the city will be the victims of their creation and tolerance of such a seriously confrontational political culture.

This writer examines the roles of mass media and social media and the many factors that impacted the Hong Kong student protests, and looks into how the many deep-seated problems can be resolved and how the culture of perpetual protests can be changed.

The book also considers the chequered world history of student protests and student power and reviews their outcome and effectiveness as a political tool, and the lessons to be drawn.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Terry Nettle
• Release date: Jul 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393981527

Book preview

Chapter 1  City of Perpetual Protests

Hong Kong is at a crossroads after 22 years of living and striving under the one-country-two-systems or OCTS agreement between UK and China signed in 1997. It is now a city of perpetual protests. The anxiety about the imponderables at the end of OCTS and the impending reversion to full Chinese rule in 2047 is reaching fever pitch.

Feverish student power is running rampant. Rage and anger among the students about a wide range of long-standing social issues is feeding on the prejudice and distrust of a large section of the society. And this is distorting perceptions, inflaming emotions and fomenting unrest. In many way, mass protests are degenerating into mob action and are getting out of control.

With the many and frequent mass protests, Hong Kong is becoming a city of perpetual protests. The sense of discontent and anxiety among many young people is encouraging them to see protests as useful ways to vent their frustrations and to draw public attention to their problems.

While it may be legitimate for these people to voice their concerns, mass protests have become such an acceptable and useful way for them to express themselves largely because of the ease of organising protests in Hong Kong and the tolerant attitude of the authorities. As a result, Hong Kong is developing into some sort of a festival city of protests where protests are being treated almost as if they are favourite pastimes, leisure activities and weekend outings.

If this continues unabated for a considerable period of time, this can have serious long-term consequences for the city as a financial and commercial hub. In the end, both the protesters and the citizens of the city will be the victims of their creation and tolerance of such a seriously confrontational political culture.

An important question that needs to be asked is: are the protesting students hotheads who have lost their bearings? Or are they revolutionaries in the making?

Chapter 2  The Power and Influence of Mass Protests

One might ask, why mass protests? Obviously, it is an