• mustGo [any]
    hexbear
    126
    2 months ago

    "Hong Kong used to have freedom, Now it’s lost all that. So why wouldn’t I go to mainland China, where at least things are cheaper?” Xi’s efforts to crush dissent in Hong Kong have weakened its distinct identity from China and instilled a new sense of political apathy.

    What freedom? Really all the west has to offer is vague and empty phrases and a slight feeling of smug superiority.

    • SkingradGuard [he/him, comrade/them]
      hexbear
      90
      2 months ago

      Really all the west has to offer is vague and empty phrases and a slight feeling of smug superiority

      100% this. Everytime a hog or a lib says we have freedom, I ask them "What freedom, exactly?" It's just vibes and vague platitudes

    • Krem [he/him]
      hexbear
      45
      2 months ago

      It was literally a colony, governed by unelected foreign officials from the other side of the world. No HKer was ever a governor, it was always anglos. Very democratic, very free

    • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
      hexbear
      32
      2 months ago

      Lured by cheaper prices in Shenzhen, Yip moved across the border into a bigger apartment in November and now has a 1.5-hour commute to work in the Central business district on Hong Kong island. The research associate at a financial firm laments the shrinking space for speech in his former home, but doesn’t believe politics should get in the way of a good life. "People may oppose the central government or have concerns about political freedom, but how does these concerns affect your everyday life? The truth is that it doesn’t,” he said.

    • BeamBrain [he/him]
      hexbear
      23
      2 months ago

      and a slight feeling of smug superiority.

      It's literally just this. They liked being honorary Aryans.

    • @SSJ2Marx
      hexbear
      13
      2 months ago

      That's pretty much the cope I would expect. China needs to up its soft power game in order to really win hearts and minds the way western countries have.

      • Frogmanfromlake [none/use name]
        hexbear
        2
        2 months ago

        It seems like China believes that selling things and the power of their economic success is all they need. Genshin Impact and TikTok are steps in the right direction but they need more.

    • Evilsandwichman [none/use name]
      hexbear
      10
      2 months ago

      its distinct identity from China

      This is the part that sucks; they've lost that cultural quality of being British boot lickers and are gaining the average Chinese cultural trait of having pride in oneself and in their country's accomplishments.

  • Gorb [they/them]
    hexbear
    92
    2 months ago

    Rip to the ones moving to the UK what a wild decision. Have fun with our "democratic" government and crumbling infrastructure i guess

  • Teekeeus [comrade/them]
    hexbear
    91
    2 months ago

    "Hong Kong is at risk of getting marginalized,” Roach said. "It still has the talent, the institutional heritage, the rule of law, and you hope that all of that remains enduring features of Hong Kong in the years ahead. But many are asking questions about those very attributes.”

    anglo named roach

    • CloutAtlas [he/him]
      hexbear
      23
      2 months ago

      Buddy comedy of a Cuban exile and an Anglo in HK hired to help the US and the HK Rioters in 2019 but are so inept all of their attempts backfire and end up helping the CPC

      Coming to cinemas near you: Roach and Gusano! Rated PG-13

  • CyborgMarx [any, any]
    hexbear
    84
    2 months ago

    In 2019, Leung joined a Hong Kong movement to boycott Chinese-owned restaurants like many protesters opposing President Xi Jinping’s encroachment of the former British colony. Now she and her peers regularly go out of their way to the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen for cheap food and massages

    Lucky fuckers

    • CloutAtlas [he/him]
      hexbear
      39
      2 months ago

      The idea that you can just hop on high speed rail and within an hour arrive in another basically identical metropolis but also it's 200% cheaper and you don't need to learn another language or apply for a visa and can just go home at any stage would be a goddamn dream scenario for most people on the planet.

      And they wanted to reject that and go back to British rule so as to protect some guy that murdered his GF in Taipei from being extradited to the mainland? God damn western brainworms suck.

  • BelieveRevolt [he/him]
    hexbear
    82
    2 months ago

    What, they don't like the freedom of paying ridiculous amounts of money to live in a closet in Hong Kong? surprised-pika

  • @TRexBear
    hexbear
    80
    edit-2
    2 months ago

    deleted by creator

    • @PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml
      hexbear
      30
      2 months ago

      They’re experiencing Shenzhen, it’s not exactly the face of socialism.

      But still miles better than what they were told to expect, so at least some of them will attibute the improvement to also this which they were told to be afraid of. Maybe even some of them will add 2 to 2 that they were used.

    • bleepbloopbop [they/them]
      hexbear
      27
      2 months ago

      Yeah the wording lacks nuance, it's a meme, but the general gist is right. Whether it's specifically socialism that they're experiencing isn't the point, its that they have been told to fear the mainland, and when they go visit they find it's not so different from home after all, and actually much better in some ways. They're experiencing China, which includes shenzhen, as much as it includes beijing, or the countryside.

    • Awoo [she/her]
      hexbear
      64
      2 months ago

      The capitalists invested in China are incentivised to support it.

  • Adkml [he/him]
    hexbear
    30
    2 months ago

    God if this isn't a summary of the actual reason a lot of socialist projects fail.

    "Were not participating because it won't work because people are selfish" - liberals

    socialists sacrifice, labor and struggle to make the dream a functional reality

    "Hey we'd like some of those benefits you guys have created also were still not going to admit it worked and try to undermine you by being selfish assholes" - liberals

  • Fishroot [none/use name]
    hexbear
    19
    2 months ago

    This is the same story with anti china taiwanese protesters during the sunflower movement. They just figured out there are more opportunities in the mainland.

    You really can sell the capitalists a noose to hang themselves with