Opinion | Our youth are special … but no more so than others before them
Alice Wu plays down talk of a gap between today's Hong Kong youth and older folk; in truth, every generation sees itself as different
Are we at a complete loss when it comes to grappling with the so-called generation gap that has been all over the news lately? What's with the call to create a "youth" subsector in the nominating committee for the 2017 chief executive election, or for the students to organise themselves into political parties?
I guess it beats creating temporary work opportunities for young people - an actual recurring idea in policy addresses of the past.
The fascination with this "new generation" began in late 2009 when protests over the Guangzhou-Hong Kong high-speed rail project brought the so-called post-80s generation to the fore as a "new civil force". Scholarism head Joshua Wong Chi-fung, in his October 29 op-ed in The New York Times, basically laid out his generation's views - a mini manifesto and declaration of war against older folk.
This overemphasis on the generational divide smells a tad too self-important and indulgent. It's like the never-ending race to claim the "greatest generation" title.
Generation clashes are nothing new, and every generation finds a way to speak up. What they say may be different, on issues reflective of the times. We all have to face our own realities, which change. That's why the very people who chanted the mantra of "trust no one over 30" change it, as they age, to "trust no one under 30".
If every generation is so special, then there's not much that's really special.