Age of change for the fading generation still clinging to power

What is it about the self-titled post-1980s generation protesting against the express rail link? Their grandparents had a certain outlook that was a product of their own time and upbringing. The next generation, the protesters' parents, saw the world somewhat differently and, in turn, influenced the young people today about how they see the world and themselves. Each generation passes on a new set of 'social genes' to the next. And, as each generation passes the zenith of its influence on society, there is a transition point where their children take up the mantle.

That midway point has been reached and influence is now passing to those born in the 1980s. This may present difficulties to their parents, as they see their influence usurped by a younger crowd with sharply different ideas and attitudes.

Let's look again at the grandparents' generation, now in their 70s and 80s, who lived through the second world war. Many were refugees from the mainland who had a hard struggle to give their families a better life. Stability was paramount; this provided the conditions to settle down.

The parents' generation, born in the 1950s, benefited from the grandparents' efforts. The parents rode the crest of Hong Kong's socio-economic rise in the 1970s. Many had the benefit of an education, and their entrepreneurialism helped them accumulate wealth. While stability was still important, opportunity made the real difference to one's ultimate achievements.

The 1980s was an unsettling period. The Sino-British negotiations over Hong Kong's future led to a decade and a half of angst. Making money was important because it provided choice and a sense of security. The post-1997 period influenced how the parents and their children born in the 1980s saw life in Hong Kong.

Both the parents and their children began to see what they considered to be institutional decay in government. Rightly or wrongly, family chitchat has been about the decline of competence in public affairs, creating a widespread sense that Hong Kong is on the decline, which is deeply frustrating.