Trying to take stock of changes in our lives

First of all, it must be

media

In the past, a hundred flowers bloomed, no matter what political stance, no matter what color, everyone could read whatever they liked. Once you get used to it, the newspapers and magazines you read also express your personality and attitude. The newspaper owners naturally have their own ideas and principles. .

However, a few shares, acquisitions, personnel changes, the situation changes, and the media are almost all included. People with lofty ideals moved to the Gangshang, and all the time, the playground was one after another, and everyone could still receive different messages and comments. In the end, the media that could not acquire the United Front were buried in the streets, and there was no voice of dissent. And online platforms are also closed one by one, or the host can go away to continue the show. Now these Internet stations that can speak uprightly or scold and scold, the hosts (personally I don't like the word KOL very much) are not in Hong Kong. Everyone is still watching on time, except for the same voice, heating around the fireplace, and feeling comfort, there is only a little sigh. Maybe there are too many similar programs, and gradually you will feel similar, superficial and repetitive.

At least, I have this feeling. I used to watch it regularly every day, but I gradually lost interest in it. I only watched it when I had time and a topic that I was particularly interested in. One of them that I pay more attention to is the Jianli Earth Channel hosted by Dr. Shen Xuhui. He has developed over the years and has included multiple branches, almost like a TV station. Therefore, I believe that not many people can fully watch all his films, and I only occasionally see what appeals to me.

When I browsed recently, I found that a character interviewed some familiar noodles. I clicked in and saw it clearly. It turned out to be a pair of Hong Kong documentary directors' partners. They had already gone to the United Kingdom to be interviewed in Bibang. They messed up the Hong Kong International Documentary Film Festival. I was in Hong Kong at the time, and I met Zhang Hong while watching a movie. We knew each other when we were students. I was also very supportive. It seemed that there were ten films in the exhibition that year, and I went to see eight of them. Over the years since then, I have watched it grow, with more films and more diverse themes. Later, some of them became more and more shrinking. It seemed that the film source was difficult to find. Later, it was rumored that the main sponsor also canceled the sponsorship. Coupled with the epidemic situation, it was suspended for a year. And the next step is to see them being interviewed in the UK.

During the interview, they mentioned the difficulties they faced, among which was someone reporting that their film festival was showing a documentary about June 4th. In fact, this should have been seven or eight years ago, and the films they choose to broadcast have various themes and come from different regions, but they will still be attacked because of a film that was broadcast many years ago. censorship, broadcast legally, and without any gossip. Now, after so many years, people with ulterior motives can turn over old accounts like this, isn't it chilling? And these suppressions are not aimed at big gongs and drums. They just put pressure on the main sponsors to stop sponsoring. When such a small and small-scale event loses its main sponsor, it is almost broken and unsustainable. , that is, those high-ranking officials and parliamentarians who often hang on the edge of their mouths, "Dry you in the shade"! The purpose is to make you retreat, disappear automatically, and the public will not pay too much attention.

educate

This kind of thing must be happening all the time, and the Legislative Council has been fully perfected. All government resource allocation is in the hands of these people. If there is any doubt, funding will not be approved. And institutions that are maintained by government funding have to do what they want and try to avoid projects with sensitive issues. During the movement, some universities applied for expansion funding, but some legislators rejected the funding on the grounds that they supported the student movement. The current university executives have reshuffled their cards, and they have all surrendered. In the face of funding being seized, all the student unions and these organizations are disbanded. Can there still be any dissenting voices? Some of the Chinese political, economic and cultural research projects that have been in place for decades have all been disbanded. The faculty members who are regarded as democratic parties will not be renewed if they are not incarcerated, and it is almost impossible for them to seek employment in any local academic institutions.

At the beginning of my return, I was very excited about the seminars held by various universities, especially some large ones. The speakers were well-known internationally, and I participated with great interest. CUHK, HKU, HKBU, PolyU and City Waiting, leaving a lot of footprints, but also a little bit bored. At that time, it was relatively liberal, and scholars from the mainland or Taiwan were on the same stage, expressing their own views, which was a manifestation of freedom and openness. I don't know how, when Zhang Tiezhi resigned as the editor of "Outside the Numbers" and returned to Taiwan, he was once again preparing to come to Hong Kong to participate in a seminar, but he was refused entry. Since then, it has intensified. After the local offices of the two sides were closed, the exchange between Hong Kong and Taiwan has ceased. possible. However, the reopening of the university today is completely closed. Only teachers, students and staff are allowed to enter and exit with their certificates. Outsiders are not welcome at all (some campuses remain open, but there are no public events, so who will enter?) Of course, these academic exchange activities are also It's too early. In a closed academic place, a university without a student union, and a campus where opinions are not allowed, our education can still talk about trees and people.

If the highest universities can only do this, the primary and secondary schools are even worse. In the past, the previous education officials reorganized primary and secondary schools, and the power of the principals was high. In the name of patriotism, exam-based leadership, schoolchildren and teachers committed suicide every day, but the leadership still focused on patriotic education and flattering culture. Everyone thought that praising the virtues of the new leader's Mother secondary school was nothing but flattery. Who knew that his previous Mother Primary school was even better, and a big billboard of "Next Screening" was put up in the school. It wasn't really low. In Hong Kong today, it's a competition to see who can be lower!

Banned Books Banned Movies Banned Songs Banned Words

As early as not long after Huang Zhifeng and Li Zhiying were replaced, the library was discovered and the books of them and several other authors in similar situations were removed from the shelves, and it was impossible for citizens to borrow them. The incident is questionable, is the library one step ahead, or has the government ordered the ban? And how is it defined? Because the arrest has not yet been tried, let alone convicted, even a future conviction does not have to completely erase all traces. And what is the mechanism? If convicted in the future, will the book be put back on the shelves after serving the sentence? What's the point if it's only removed from the shelves in the library and still available in the market? Of course, today's bookstores in Hong Kong have become the world's third-largest business. If they want to obliterate any book, who will care? However, that is also the consistent method of the Communist Party, to erase the past existence of some people, like chalk words, and completely disappear.

In the last two book fairs, booksellers have been banned, many of them from Taiwan, and then some local ones. Authors were even refused to attend the autograph meeting to greet readers. I believe that future symposiums will also strictly select guests. The banning of movies is even more normal. When "Ten Years" came out that day, it could be screened in theaters for a few times. Later, it won the best movie, but no drama dared to play it again. Today, almost all of the local socio-political themes cannot be released, and Taiwanese films are also particularly targeted. Sometimes the reason is that there is an accident when President Tsai Ing-wen is mentioned in a dialogue, because it does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country and does not recognize their president. And the latest "handling" method is not to issue a license before the screening time, there is no disapproval, but it is not approved in time. This kind of action is especially effective for some films that are screened at film festivals, because the film usually only shows one scene, at most two There is a limited number of theaters, so if you miss the filming period, you will "retreat" without explaining the reason. It's just this kind of behavior, is it actually blocking others, or is it cutting itself off from the world?

The opening of the M+ Museum has also shown everyone that a group of people with no artistic accomplishment can point to the collection, and the museum will take it off the shelves without protest. And I believe that many world-renowned artists should be blacklisted, and it is impossible to enter Hong Kong again. Then, the government finally decided to set up the Cultural Affairs Bureau. I believe its function is to censor rather than promote culture.

The forbidden song has been mentioned in another article, you can read it. The forbidden language is confusing. Once the National Security Law was passed, the slogan of time became forbidden. When someone was searched by the police and found a card with these eight characters, they were arrested and charged, but the law did not There is no such order. Even "come on, Hong Kong" was warned not to say, in the marathon, wearing clothes with this word, was asked to change shirts. If these words are tattooed on the body, they are actually asked to cover it with tape. In order to make a few words, you can go as far as you can, but after all, it works. Everyone dare not shout slogans and use words indiscriminately.

judicial

According to a recent report, about 3,000 people are currently in jail for more than a year without trial or sentence, and more than half of them are under the age of 25. This is the best description of Hong Kong's judicial system, which is poor by any standard. In the past two years, after the implementation of the National Security Law, there have been designated judges, which has already made people feel biased, and it is impossible to choose a lawyer, and the government-appointed lawyer will defend you (confession) for you. Such a "one-stop" service is the new Hong Kong. A new direction for the rule of law.

As for other general court trials other than national security, they are currently dealing with the backlog of cases over the past two years. Almost every week, people are convicted of rioting crimes, and deterrent sentences are everywhere. And the voices of criticism and fighting in the society are very loud, and they are stubborn and reported, and there is no such thing as a day. The voices of dissent have long since disappeared, and everyone can only choose to lie down. But the arrests of dissidents are still being staged, and even the most moderate and rational ones will never let go. Every day, they are creating the effect that the country is in jeopardy and the country is in jeopardy, presumably to rationalize their excuses for constantly adding new weapons and equipment. As for other cases, the sentences were relatively mild, and at most everyone dared to be angry and not dare to speak. I once heard an internet station host say that it is very difficult to convict a commercial bribery case. Do you still remember the short-chunk incident at Hung Hom Station? Do you have any impressions of how the event was handled? Who is responsible, who suffers, and who makes compensation, has long been forgotten. Breaking the law is breaking the law, but it depends on who breaks the law.

When Huang Zhifeng was imprisoned for the first time, he slammed the treatment in prison after he was released. Only then did everyone realize that Hong Kong's prisons, operation and various regulations were seriously out of step with the times. When a large number of people were detained due to the National Security Law, and a large number of people were imprisoned for rioting, the conditions of the prison cells, the cold in winter and hot in summer, and various measures to keep people in prisons in difficult situations, were further exposed. Of course, the easiest way to solve the problem is the person who asked the question, so the related organization to assist the inmates was disbanded, and the situation in the cell remained the same. A place's civilization, the prison situation is the best reflection.

During the campaign, some smart lampposts were dismantled and inspected in detail. They could have various monitoring functions. The government only responded that there were no plans to further enhance various functions. However, even the existing sky eyes in various public places have played a huge role. After a major case occurs, these devices are of great help to the detection work. Don't forget that the reporters of Hong Kong and Taiwan's "Clanging Collection" used the CCTV clips on the roadside to restore the truth of the night of 721. The authorities then plugged this loophole, prohibiting any form of search by the media and the public, and all kinds of CCTV clips can only be used by the relevant departments. Seconds clips are always missing, not conclusive evidence.

falsify history

Originally it was no longer news. In the past, it would still be carried out quietly and quietly, but now it is loud and evil, and the world is shouting and ordering, who dares not to obey. Now it is changed almost every day, and some books have been removed from the shelves and blocked, and the newly published ones have been changed to a unified caliber, and the minions of all parties are waving their flags and shouting with great momentum. A person with a trace of conscience, who dares to exalt the truth? Who has dissenting voices?

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

Social differentiation/surveillance

The epidemic is the main reason for suspending social movements. Those in power naturally know it, and use this as a reason to suppress all activities that may gather people. As soon as the gathering restriction order came out, it was limited to four people. Except when the fifth wave was severe, it was changed to the limit of two people, and it has never been relaxed. Now it is a little more relaxed in other aspects. For example, dine-in can be used for eight people, but the gathering restriction order is still maintained for four people. How can the two laws be implemented at the same time? Obviously, the restriction of gatherings of four people is an inevitable part of local life. In addition, the current implementation of safe travel in and out of most places is probably aimed at making everyone get used to it. I believe that in the near future, the mainland's red code yellow code system (why mobile phone Real-name registration?) It will definitely be applied in Hong Kong. As long as you press a button, some people will obediently isolate themselves at home, and they will not drive away!

If the society was divided early, why did those in power ever do the work of resolving the conflict, and they just kept deepening the contradictions, and some social institutions or private clubs in the city, I don’t know if it was their own idea or forced, before some cases that have not yet been tried and convicted , has unilaterally canceled the membership of some people. Whether it is to fully reveal one's own color, or to make a show of some colors, or simply to show allegiance. For the general public, it is natural that they cannot feel the taste of being canceled, and they do not think it is a big deal. It is this kind of small action, which seems trivial, especially in the big environment, it is already unruly, and everyone doesn't care. In the bookstore library, there are millions of books, and if a few are missing, you will gradually become unaware of the same thing. Movies, music songs, and exhibits, some of which are not publicly displayed and exhibited, have a slight impact. Over time, everyone does not know what is missing, and life is just as happy.

“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”

I wrote a long story, and I believe those who still have a heart for Hong Kong must know and have experienced it. In writing it down, in addition to being a record, it also re-identifies those changes, confirms those that must be adhered to, and also lets other Hong Kong people know that we are not alone. After all, in such a big age, it is quite painful to be a sober person.

“You are a slow learner, Winston.”

"How can I help it? How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four."

“Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane.”