Young, idealistic and increasingly intolerant in Hong Kong

I recently read about an incident at Dartmouth College in the US. Student activists occupied administrative offices overnight and presented the president with a long list of demands. They were about inclusion, and may be quite radical (like "gender-neutral bathrooms"). The article underlined how intolerant the protesters were - insisting they were right and refusing to debate or listen to alternative views.

Things are a bit like this at universities in Hong Kong. We hear plenty of reports of activist students making unrealistic or quite extreme demands. One example is the claim that all students have the right to vote on senior university appointments.

Students have a right to make constructive suggestions but, in this case, they misunderstood how recruitment works in universities or other organisations, where applicants do not expect an open election to posts.

I realise that in Hong Kong generally, the establishment lacks a popular mandate and therefore trust. But what surprises me is some students' attitudes. They do not seem interested in discussion or in listening in an atmosphere of mutual respect. They insist they are right, and that is the end of it.

A businessman - or a parent - knows this is not an effective way to negotiate or persuade. You have to listen and try to understand others' positions and produce constructive arguments to make progress towards agreement.

Of course, these students are probably not typical of most young people on Hong Kong campuses. Universities are places of learning and research, where most of us would expect openness, tolerance and respect for new or different ideas. Naturally, that can lead to disagreements. But it seems there are a few who are so eager to rebel and argue against authority that they become intolerant.