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I have to say, these protests in Hong Kong have really surprised me. This is my own prejudice speaking (as an American-born Taiwanese), but my wrong assumption

I have to say, these protests in Hong Kong have really surprised me. This is my own prejudice speaking (as an American-born Taiwanese), but my wrong assumption about young East Asians was they'd be too distracted, disaffected, and generally uninterested in politics to have rallied like this.

idlewords 7y ago
Do you see this as a cultural difference between Taiwan and Hong Kong, or a misreading of the younger generation?
- mtgx 7y ago
  From what I've seen it's the millennials, the ones who are supposed to be disinterested about everything, who employ a high-level of activism. Millennials seem set to ruin one more thing: government corruption. The progressive revolution you see in the U.S. is also due to them.
  - H8crilA 7y ago
    It is always students that protest the most. Remember tiananmen square? Remember protests in Soviet Union satellite countries? Framing it as a millennials problem omits the actual pattern at work. It is also not surprising. Who has the most incentive for long term sensibility in nation management? People that have many years left to live. On top of that students often live in ideological bubbles that are ripe with underutilized manpower.
    - pas 7y ago
      Most of millennials are long out of school. The pattern seems to be more about had that particular age cohort (generation) already tried protesting? If no, they will try it. It usually doesn't succeed, they will then never try it again. Plus the students as you mentioned.
      - H8crilA 7y ago
        Interesting idea - each cohort wants to protest at least once.
tyc85 7y ago
Seeing it another way, assuming you did not read the young generation incorrectly: even the uninterested youngsters have a bottomline and cannot stand what the Chinese government is doing anymore. As a Taiwanese, I am more optimistic than your are regarding the thinking and passion of young east Asians.

idlewords 7y ago

Do you see this as a cultural difference between Taiwan and Hong Kong, or a misreading of the younger generation?

mtgx 7y ago
From what I've seen it's the millennials, the ones who are supposed to be disinterested about everything, who employ a high-level of activism. Millennials seem set to ruin one more thing: government corruption. The progressive revolution you see in the U.S. is also due to them.
- H8crilA 7y ago
  It is always students that protest the most. Remember tiananmen square? Remember protests in Soviet Union satellite countries? Framing it as a millennials problem omits the actual pattern at work. It is also not surprising. Who has the most incentive for long term sensibility in nation management? People that have many years left to live. On top of that students often live in ideological bubbles that are ripe with underutilized manpower.
  - pas 7y ago
    Most of millennials are long out of school. The pattern seems to be more about had that particular age cohort (generation) already tried protesting? If no, they will try it. It usually doesn't succeed, they will then never try it again. Plus the students as you mentioned.
    - H8crilA 7y ago
      Interesting idea - each cohort wants to protest at least once.

tyc85 7y ago

Seeing it another way, assuming you did not read the young generation incorrectly: even the uninterested youngsters have a bottomline and cannot stand what the Chinese government is doing anymore. As a Taiwanese, I am more optimistic than your are regarding the thinking and passion of young east Asians.