My Take | What future? It’s the end of Hong Kong as we know it
- Despair has replaced reason as young people trash their own city while their elders cheer them on
The government robs me. The police brutalise me. The system fails me. China wants to jail me.
So, I am going to burn down Hong Kong. It’s not ideal but it’s the only option. That’s how the rioters justify their ultra violence and how a supportive public explains away their insanity.
“Context matters,” sympathetic observers say. “I don’t condone violence but …”
I think they exaggerate. We are not a failed state or society, yet. But we may be getting close. And the more rioters burn down, the worse it gets – for everyone. You won’t save your city by destroying it.
Beijing will let us stew in our own juice. Your rebellion means nothing on the mainland; it only causes popular resentment against you because you make it known that you hate and despise mainlanders and all things Chinese.