Various Thoughts

Just finished Mass Effect 2 and I’ve got to say, it is an exceptional game. If you haven’t played it yet and you own a 360, get your ass in gear and beg, borrow, or steal a copy. If you haven’t played it and own a Wii, move along, because we don’t like your kind here.

That being said, if you haven’t finished the game, jump to after the picture, because I’m about to indulge myself in some ***spoilers***.

One of the things I really liked about ME2 was a sense of the massive scale of the universe which Shepard and Co inhabit. Bioware and EA did an exceptional job of tying up loose ends from the first game (if you loaded a character from the original). The little notes and interactions from the NPC’s in the first game delivered a level of believability that not many games have these days. Lets face it, did anyone walk away from their encounter with the reporter in ME1 and not want to smack her in the face? Getting that opportunity in ME2 was a delightful surprise.

More on that vein is the continuation of the storyline. The subtle (and not so subtle) prodding that your decisions will have an impact on the way that ME3 plays out. That’s one of the reasons I chose not to wipe out the Geth, and why I saved the Collector’s ship instead of blowing it up – how will those decisions play out when the reapers finally arrive in the Terminus systems? I’m hoping that they mean I get a lot of extra support from the sentient species. The scope is truly incredible and I’m eager to see what the developers throw at me next – I like space operas, and this is a space opera of gigantic proportions.

I was a bit vexed at the planet scanning system that they included, it was such a waste of time… I did start to get into it when I got the scanner upgrades, but could do without it in the sequel. Additionally, much of the RPG aspect of the game has been removed, this was seriously disappointing. I don’t know whether EA or Bioware were to blame, but the game has changed into a linear shooter masquerading as a sandbox RPG rather than the true RPG it was in the original. It still plays well and is thoroughly engrossing, but I miss getting all the gear and having all those options. I will return for the third enstalment however, Bioware knows that by showing me the armada of the Reapers i am certain to return. Maybe this time we can jump to the meat instead of marching around the galaxy picking up a ragtag group of misfits...

Hell, maybe they'll even let Shepard vas Normandy live past 10 minutes into the game, and save us all the trouble of having to start over.


Anyway, Mass Effect 2 was excellent. I’m having a bit of an internal struggle to decide whether it was better than Darksiders, but am going to restrain my judgment until I’ve played Dante’s Inferno and BioShock II… 2010 has already been a great year for gamers, and it is looking like it is going to continue – I can’t wait. For those of you interested in Dante’s Inferno (made by the same crew who did God of War), go to Digg.com and press Ctrl+U; it looks like the source code has been jacked – clever hacking or clever advertising for technically aware nerds? I do like it, whatever the reason.

(Click here to see Ben “Yhatzee” Croshaw’s reaction to some very clever marketing on the part of the DI team)

__________________________________________________________________

After my massive geek out over the last couple weeks with Scifi books, video games, and general nerdiness i have started reading Kafka on the Shore by Murakami (it counts as "literature" right? I think it works as my pennance for space opera goodness). Only just getting my feet wet, and reserving judgment until i have finished, but can already feel my enthusiasm for the book going the way of Catch 22.

When i first picked up Catch 22 i absolutely hated it. It took 7 years and a second reading to convince me this was the funniest thing i had ever read, and now i go back to my well worn and dogeared copy about once every 6 months...

Kafka on the Shore is weird, no doubt about that, but i will just have to see how it plays out. Murakami does go well with the musical intonations of Less than Jake though, who would have thought that combo would work?

____________________________________________________________________

And on to local news....

Christina Chan will be talking at the FCC today on the "post 80's generation Hong Kong". I have already given my thoughts on the topic, but it will be interesting to see how she goes about it. I have a feeling that it will boil down to an indifferent government, vested interests, and kowtowing to Beijing being detrimental to the growth of our fair city - but she can be fairly out there on occasion. I know that it should be a good chat though - will she talk it up as a "Student Activist" or look for a more serious approach and title herself as an "Analyst"?

***

Tony Chan is being investigated on charges of fraud following the startling conclusion that he forged signatures on documents he submitted to the court when trying to get his hands on Nina Wang's fortune... Did anyone reasonably believe otherwise?

***

Saw an article in the SCMP yesterday about potential smoking legislation. Apparently when you ban indoor smoking, all the smokers will move outside. This has caused the weedy folk out there to complain about having to breathe "foul air". I hate to break it to these sad acts, but with the amount of particulates floating around in the air of our city, you don't have to inhale second hand smoke to get cancer - just go outside and take a deep breath of PRC pollution... Any opinion which chooses to go after smokers in such light, while ignoring the rampant pollution issue is severely misguided, not to say idiotic. Yes, there is an air quality problem, but it really isn't caused by smokers - there just happens to be several thousand pounds of CO2 being emitted every day across the border... It's all good though - Donald and his masterminds have come up with the exceptional environmental policy of "wind".

The article also mentioned Tax increases on tobacco, an issue i've touched on before. Again, it is retarded; the idea that raising taxes will stop the issue, but having no factual soundness on which to base the argument. An "academic" is at heart here, but can she really be an academic if she has done no studies and can present no solid conclusions to her hypothesis? I shouldn't be surprised though - that is how we ended up with the cross border high speed rail link after all.

And today, another article about smoking... this one focused on the facts that teens have access to tobacco. This has an exceptionally simple solution - Card tobacco purchasers no matter their age. Problem solved. I should totally be on a government advisory board.

Thats me done for this week.... Let me know your thoughts below.

Space Goodness

Currently in the midst of Mass Effect 2. If you haven't checked it out yet i suggest you do so... Unfortunately, no new posts until i have defeated the game, so check back soon.

It smells like tuna

When Amina Mariam Bokhary crashed her car in Happy Valley last night, she was not a happy camper. Neither were the police.

Ms Bokhary, who has a history of mental illness (she suffers from Bi-Polar disorder and Depression)and was quite probably under the influence of either alcohol or narcotics, managed to ram her car into the front of a bus on Stubbs Road and when police arrived at the incident, Ms Bokhary tried to flee the scene - an act which ultimately culminated with her slapping an officer in the face and being led off in handcuffs. However wrong her actions may have been, the issue i have with the above incident is with regards to the amateur theatrics on the part of the officer she slapped.

Watch the video... there is a full 5 second gap between the time that Ms Bokhary slaps (0:30) the officer, and the officer going down like a sack of shit. My immediate reaction - this guy is a fucking pussy. What would have happened if he had actually been punched in the face, rather than receiving, what can only be described as, an extremely effeminate slap? More to the point, what good would this sad excuse for a man be in the event of an actual physical confrontation?

There is no doubt that Ms Bokhary was in the wrong, but there was also no need for the officer receiving the "love tap" to fall to the floor squealing like a stuck pig. From his reaction you'd think that he was knifed in the gut instead of being slapped in the face by a woman - something which most men will have experience with; even if they don't admit it. Apparently Ms Bokhary is stronger than the average woman because the copper was last seen departing the scene in an ambulance...

This over reaction to, lets face it, not a terribly dangerous "physical threat" is fairly common practice among our boys in blue. Who can remember the incident where a police officer shot a homeless Nepalese man in the head because, wait for it, he was threatened with a chair....

The Corporate Voice; A First Amendment Fail

I realize that this is slightly old news, the decision was passed down last Friday (the 22^nd of January), but after a weekend of excess and bewilderment at the reform consultation process, I didn’t have the time to give this the attention which it deserves.

In case you aren’t watching the USA as you would a train wreck, I’ll give you the rundown on the situation:

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America states that “all men are created equal that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness”

I know that is a bit of a mouthful, but it does make a lot of sense. Men are created equally, they pursue certain rights, and they form a government to ensure that those rights are secured. If that government does not help, or support the people in their attempt to secure those rights, the government shall be abolished. Fair enough?

One of the corner stones to this “all men are created equal” idea is that it has, for the last 100 years, pertained solely to individual humans. Corporations are treated as an individual for tax and liability purposes, but they are not given equal status under the First Amendment of the US Constitution – the amendment which guarantees freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. Anyone who has ever dealt with a corporation knows that not all business are created equally. Whether it be a failed product (I’m looking at you Xbox 360), flawed customer service (PCCW), or just simple stupidity; everyone has companies which they will choose to work with because they are better than the competitors. That’s business – provide the best service/product possible, or go bust. But they aren’t people, the Corporates are not equal to me, or you, and the USA has long acknowledged that.

That is, Corporations were not given that equal status until recently – when the US Supreme Court overturned crucial parts of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, and established that a corporation is indeed equal to an individual when it comes to freedom of speech.

With the Supreme Court decision, the five conservative Justices have essentially decided that corporations should have the same opportunity to voice opinions as you, the everyman; that you as an individual will have the same ability to contribute to the campaign and political process as a multi-national billion dollar mega company. Is it a wonder that this formerly great nation is going to the dogs?

I mean, really, with massive unemployment, a seriously shakey economy, and a climate of corporate greed, why would these defenders of the constitution actually think that giving an equal voice to an entity which can hire Madison avenue Advertising firms to create flash publicity campaigns, and then pay the major US networks to air those ads again and again, why would that be “equal” to my voice? Never mind the hordes of unemployed, no home poor that currently exist throughout the country…. How is this equal – there is something here that strikes me both as being blatantly unfair, and maybe even a tad bit corrupt.

This then begs the question, if Corporate entities are entitled to extend their participation in the electorial process, will the USA then be seeing political candidates in NASCAR style jump suits which proclaim their interest groups and backers for all to see? will it get to a point where the American public will vote for their favorite corporation? While it may not be that blunt, the private interests and the lobbyists will have much more control over the candidates who run for public office; because lets face it, if you don't have the private backing, you will be unable to compete with those candidates that do. To a certain extent, this may actually change the act of simple consumerism (aka Shopping) into a de-facto ballot measure - Americans will be voting with their wallets by supporting, or not, the various corporate entities which espouse their views... This is a thought which quite frankly terrifies me.

Can you imagine a USA which has a majority of public officials are funded and branded by Exxon Mobile? Or how about EMI and Sony Music?

On a certain level, i can understand the reasoning behind the decision - Lobbyists are part and parcel of the American political process and this may be an attempt to bring greater transparency to the process by getting the back room dealings and monetary "gifts" out in the open and on the record. But missing out on the fact that this has now given a corporation a larger voice than the average citizen is where the Justices fail.

Although, i don't know why i'm complaining. In Hong Kong we have a significant proportion of our legislature composed of private interests. We call them Functional constituencies. Maybe the American Supreme court judges decided that they would take a leaf out of the book of Hong Kong... although for the life of me, i couldn't tell you why.

Reform Scavanger Hunt

American Idol is once again back in town and in full swing. This means that i have stopped watching TV. It's not entirely the fault of the American Idol crew (although i am heartened by the news that simon is leaving after this season, do i detect the end?), but they do contribute. It's more to do with the fundamental lack of programming on any of the channels that NOW offers me. I know it's an old gripe with me; i'm convinced that NOW is out to make my viewing time miserable, and that a blind monkey with one arm would make a better programming director, but it has had a positive impact. I've hit the books hard in recent weeks... Albeit seriously cheesy scifi, but that still counts right? NOW TV - So bad you'll read.

I did, however, accidentally sit through the first 15 minutes of something called "Dark horse" in the anticipation that it would be a horror movie the other night. 15 minutes of eerie music, ominous advances - blatant horror overtones - before i realised that it was in fact a movie about a black horse. Fair play monkey guy, you got me.... But that was the straw that broke the camels back and inspired this move away from the tube.

I do still watch the ATV news at 7:30; there is no way i'd deprive myself that pleasure. During one of my recent bouts of the giggles (it's nothing Tony, i just love the way Anne-Marie says "CAC Quarante") i noticed an ad from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau touting their public consultation package for Election Reform. As we know, the general idea being floated is that it would be really fun is that we should expand Legco by 10 more seats bringing the total amount of "direct or indirectly elected elections" to 41, at a total of 60% of the chamber, while leaving the existing functional constituencies at their existing 29.

This ad is what raised my ire slightly and caused me to write this post. What i got out of that PSA, upon first viewing, was the fuzzy feeling that we will be expanding Legco by votes. Ever the optimist i waited around for a website so i could go check it out... I found out that the consultation ends on the 19th of Feburary, but couldn't for the life of me have told you where to go to participate as there was no contact information of any sort. No website; Seriously?

Being the proactive sort of fellow i am, i decided to track down some more information, and decided that the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau would probably be the best place to start my search for information. I went to their website. I do, what is best described here as, "internet stuff" for a living; so my perspective on this may be a bit screwy - but why would you give me a website where the main point of focus is this bloke:


I mean, he's no Christina Chan...

I was however, on the website of the government department that was hosting the reform consultation, so i decided to avoid that seriously ugly mug and look for what i went there for - election reform. Scouring through the legions of tiny icons, i eventually spotted it, up the top:

A couple things were running through my head at this point, not least of all was "wouldn't, ELECTION REFORM, in big bright letters have done the trick? Was there really a need to cram all of that in there?" Call me suspicious, but i may have had a feeling like they didn't really want my opinions at this point in time...

Clicking on the link i arrived at what i was looking for, got through the non-SEO friendly landing page and landed on, another fucking picture of Stephen fucking Lam. Seriously? Why would you do that to me twice? There can be no other reason for having yet another portrait of that face other than to scare off the punters... could it be that we have discovered the mysterious Asian rickroll.... But yes, there he was again, with his hordes of text; it was as if they really wanted to make this as difficult as possible. Listen buddy, i just spent all day at work, and you want me to read all that?

The point i'm trying to make from this is that if the government truly wanted consultation why wouldn't they have made this easier? I do recognize the fact that the other version of the PSA (here) had contact details, and that i did actually find the site, but how can you make the claim that you want public involvement and then air an ad which gives no contact information? Not to mention your absurdly designed websites - graphics and site structure. But this is overly complicated. There are great statements being made by our officials to include the public more, and to connect to the younger generation, but it looks like they are just going about it in an ass backwards fashion.

Here's a free tip for our glorious leaders, if you want public input make a facebook app or a twitter feed. Make that shit easy. Don't give me reams of information, never mind make it difficult for me to get to that information, you should be making it easy for us to digest. read some Cracked.com and maybe get an appreciation for the list.

Having said that, i did press on. I read that we got the go ahead for reform from they whom hold the yoke in 2007 and that the "Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau has published the Consultation Document on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2012 ("Consultation Document") on 18 November 2009". And still i decided i needed more, so i clicked for the consultation document(PDF)....


and said bugger this, i'm going for a beer.

2009 Darwin Awards

The Darwins are out!!!!

Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.

Here is the glorious winner:

1. When his 38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Provo, Utah, would-be robber Jason Ellison did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped..... Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies..... The deception
wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. A teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer.... $15.
[If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly.... He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window.. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a South Carolina convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away. [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on an Atlanta street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

In the interest of bettering mankind, please share these with friends and family.... unless of course one of these individuals by chance is a distant relative or long lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain lost.

*** Remember.... They walk among us, and they breed!!!***

For more evolutionary awesomeness visit the Darwin Awards website.

Post-80’s – Digital Crusaders in an Analogue Jail

In my mind 1980 was a turning point. Sure there were crazy neon clothes and astonishingly absurd mullets (and disco hadn’t entirely died), but there was also the crush of technological expansion that has resulted in the gadget obsessed 21st century. For me, the 80’s were responsible for ushering in the future – an age of technology and science – a future which we are currently living in.

The Hong Kong media has kicked off 2010 with an unusual focus, one of the continuing stories of interest being run by virtually all HK news media is with regards to what we are calling, locally at least, the “Post-80’s” generation. On New Years Day there was a mass demonstration by, overwhelmingly, young people in front of the Central Government’s Liaison office in western district. The demonstration unfortunately turned into an assault after the activists perceived themselves to be ignored by the government representatives within – never a condonable activity – but this has consequently turned into much hand wringing and wailing within both local political circles and media organizations. The question they all seem to be asking is “Why? Why did our young people act out so?” This question has seemed evermore pertinent in recent days due to the unfortunate events outside Legco on Saturday – but unfortunately no convincing answers by the various “analysts” are forth coming….

Let me provide some illumination.

I am a member of this generation, the Post-80ers or Gen Y, the first digital generation. I distinctly remember the arrival of our first family PC back in the early 90’s, learning how to use MSDOS to install games, there were no pretty pictures or nice user interface here. I remember building the first computer which allowed me to access the internet (with the horrendously loud 56K modem), and the porn that existed there; back in the day www.whitehouse.com was one of the biggest XXX sites on the web. But I also remember learning how to edit videos on a Panasonic linear editor, lining up each shot carefully so that it could be edited into the scene in the right place – a few short years later that Panasonic was tossed out and Digital Casablanca’s were introduced instead.

Being an earlier member of this generation I remember the analogue age; cassette tapes and floppy disks. But the rise of technology came about in such a way that it has always been extremely natural for me to hop on a computer, any computer, and get to work – as if there is some innate understanding of how it all fits together; it’s not mere gadgetry (although that may be a factor) but an association with technology that is fundamentally different from the generations prior to mine… I am not an isolated case.

One of the issues that most concerns the Gen Y group is with regards to Religion and Science. In the last 100 years science has exploded with innovation; even more so since the 1980’s. Global perceptions on science have taken a radical shift in the last 20 years, primarily due to the death of the “God of the gaps” – that being which humanity has used for thousands of years to explain the concepts which we don’t understand.

In the words of Howard Smith (respected astrophysicist): “This god is the one who, for most of history, was invoked to explain the mysterious workings of the world - the creation of the universe, for example, or the nature of life. This god was needed to explain the gaps in our understanding - but during the past decades nearly all such gaps have disappeared.”

Generation Y has grown up in a world where Physicists have locked down fairly convincing answers, in repeatable experiments, pointing to the origins of the universe. Biologists know what makes life tick to such an extent that scientists are now able to create artificial life forms in the lab, and chemistry, geology, and math are also experiencing major revelations. Quite simply, the flood of information about our world in the last 20 years has surpassed any previous scientific breakthroughs; and for the Post-80's child, this information is the lifeblood of existence - we have come into our own tethered to that ever expanding entity known as the world wide web. How could we not thrive on information when we have been taught, and have learned, that the entirety of human knowledge is at our finger tips?

Our need for information, and connectedness, in conjunction with the major scientific developments of the age have made us into fundamentally different beings from our parents. What 45 year old balding journalist can understand the pure, unfiltered joy that we experience in our "random" trawling of teh internets, or the sublime rapture of playing a truly incendiary video game? To generations before video games are just that, games, to us they impart social and moral lessons no less important than film or books - they are a new form of self expression for the serious gamer, and serious gamers are males under 30 (for the most part). There is here a fundamentally different world view.

This worldview demands instant gratification and equitable dialogue - after all, our primary resource is the web, where all viewpoints and ideas are shared equally, no matter how thoroughly retarded they may be. In our view things are actually accomplished on the web, and we can perceive a tool that can be used for the betterment of mankind - should it not become irrecoverably subverted by excessive legislation from technophobic septuagenarian politicians and vested business interests.

And this is where the Post-80's are really starting to loose it. As i've said before, we understand the world in a totally different way, but in a way that makes sense to us in the midst of an ever widening net of technology and understanding. There are very few firm ideals in the Post-80's mind, but there is an overwhelming need to be heard; and heard on whatever topic may come into our minds. Often we are too preoccupied with our own world, and this may be why many news "analysts" refer to this generation as being overwhelmingly apathetic. I can see how this viewpoint might arise in the age of inane twitter posts and degrading language, at least to someone not of the group, but often it is only other twentysomethings and ninetys babys that can grasp the rare jewels of insight - those rare voices screaming in the dark amidst what would otherwise be looked at as a torrent of incomprehensible drivel.

The question then is why, why are those voices of rationality so rare within this age group? The obvious answer would be that Gen-Yers do not posses enough maturity to contribute to society, and probably never will - all that internet and video game stuff has begun to rot their brains. This would be an obvious answer, but wrong. The reality lays in the fact that we are extremely aware of the futility of our actions; it is an "us versus them" mentality where we have the new information and they are working on a set of extremely old rules, but "they" have the power... This is intolerable to the Post-80's individual, who by default has come to accept that new data and insights should always trump the old - especially when the insights make previous assumptions provably false.

But this is not the world view of previous generations, who cling to outdated and irrational ideas as if they were a shield against the personal corruption of the soul. Striving for purity and consistency is all very well and good, but not in an age defined by change - the age of the Post-80's child. Never before in the history of man has a generation been so fundamentally different from it's predecessors. This is no fault of those who came before, but merely due to the way in which this generation encountered the wider world - earlier and faster than ever before. But our ease of understanding, our new socially based outlook (rather than a religious or economic perspective), and our innate connection to technology have put us at odds with our elders (who are not necessarily our betters).

We have seen the religious right fail, time and again, at being the pure, virtuous beings that they claim to be. We have seen the global war on drugs bring misery, poverty, and slavery because big Pharma did not want to loose profits. We have seen the corruption of politicians first hand, and the failure of religion to establish control. In our short lives, we have seen it all. And we don't understand - surely "they" must be reading the same stuff as i am, surely "they" saw that journal article, surely "they" are listening? All too often, "they" are not.

Long answer short: This may be an ever perpetuating case of generation gaps (what is wrong with young people/why are older folks retarded), but the divide is of epic proportions. We understand what is happening, we want to make our voices heard, but we are powerless to influence events while old information and faulty data are continuing to be brought forth as the "truth"... The ultimate ending to this isolation of a radically different perspective will always be violence; as Martin Luther King said "a riot is the voice of the unheard".

To you who are bemoaning the fact that the Post-80's section of Hong Kong were taking steps to empower themselves - it is OUR future after all and you seem to be royally fucking it up - take the time to listen to our voice; that is the first step to understanding and resolving the "conflicts in Hong Kong society".

As ever, let me know what you think in the comments.