'Me' generation must rethink their entitlement mindset
Michael Wong urges understanding of Hong Kong's historical and cultural context
As the endgame for Occupy Central looms, now begins Hong Kong's own "reconstruction". Just as the United States was wrecked by its civil war, our city's law and order is in danger of erosion.
The spark that led to the "umbrella movement" is a call for democracy. This can be traced back to the mid-1990s when Hong Kong was awash in wealth and self-confidence.
For 30 years, Asia has enjoyed dizzying levels of economic expansion. Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea, the so-called Asian Tigers, adopted capital market polices to achieve their highest standards of individual and collective wealth ever. Yet even as affluence grew, social unrest brewed. Singapore's recent racial tensions and Taiwan's "sunflower movement" were two examples. Money can't buy love, nor purpose and fulfilment in life.
For thousands of years, Asian communities have lived by core values that dictate all aspects of life: character building, respecting family structures and paternal governance, among others. Social order gave a sense of purpose in life. People were encouraged to work hard.
Soon after the handover, our administration made history and the humanities subjects non-compulsory in schools, considering them subordinate to skills necessary to sustain our economy. Our young now know much more about business management than about the intrigues of dynastic conflicts in feudal China, the collapse of the empire or the rise of modern China.
For youngsters who grew up in the golden 1990s, their parents adopted a relaxed approach to raising them, offering them a degree of freedom hitherto unseen. This demographic is aptly labelled the "Me" generation.
The Me generation commands the world around them. Armed with an attitude of entitlement, they are often bewildered when things happen out of sequence, spoiling their impression of an orderly, subservient ecosystem.
Many people have suggested that the administration has failed to provide young people with a positive view of their future. This perspective only reinforces their entitlement mindset.
In a healthy nation, citizens bear primary responsibility for its survival and development. As John F. Kennedy succinctly summarised, it is our role as citizens to serve our community, first and foremost.
As Occupy begins to draw to a close, three areas need rethinking. First is a need to understand Hong Kong's historical and cultural context. How pragmatic are international and Western standards of governance, lifestyles and morals? It is imperative that we realise that Hong Kong is a unique place in unusual circumstances.
Secondly, we need to change this entitlement mindset. While Hong Kong's socialistic-capitalist system of low taxation and high welfare works, it is worrying that people's expectations have become unrealistic. In the long run, this unhealthy view has to be balanced with alternative forms of "taxation". For example, we could launch a form of national service, not necessarily military conscription but a period of service to earn our citizen's rights and benefits. If properly done, this not only builds character and moral fibre, but also helps to alleviate social welfare pressures.
Thirdly, many of our citizens are sadly caught in a pendulum swing of love and hate for the mainland. Hong Kong, still a dynamo of creativity and resourcefulness, needs to believe in itself. More can be done to build pride in being Hong Kong Chinese, celebrating our heritage and achievements.
Hong Kong has a wonderful reputation as a can-do city, and it's high time we shared this message with our youth.
