A cursory look at the police public relations bureau news summary on Thursday would make you think Hong Kong people are getting mad as hell and are taking it out on each other.

Early in the morning, a fight broke out between two passengers on a crowded KMB bus from Choi Hung to Ma On Shan. A muscular man, 26, apparently occupied two seats while there was barely any standing room aboard. A 45-year-old squeezed into one of the seats and the two men started shouting and elbowing each other. On hearing the commotion, the driver stopped the bus and alerted police. To the cheers of disgruntled passengers, police arrested the younger man, though everyone had to switch to another bus.

Shortly before lunchtime, two middle-aged couples fought each other with broomsticks and a chair. Because of declining business, a man, 57, and his wife, 45, operators of a hair salon in Tuen Mun for more than a decade, decided they wanted to lease only half the shop. When the landlord, 62, and his wife, 60, showed up to reclaim a portion of the shop, they were upset that it had not been restored to its original state. The tenants told them not to complain as they were serving two customers. The couples fought until police arrived and arrested all four. The two customers had to wash out their shampoo themselves before giving statements.