In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman wrote that the telegraph was the first technology to beat the challenges of distance and deliver information across the country faster than a train could carry. This was not necessarily a good thing. It meant that bits of news could travel immense distances yet mean essentially nothing to those receiving it or perhaps worse, risk being completely inaccurate. Today the Internet is like the telegraph on steroids. As photos and videos of violent clashes between police and Hong Kong citizens flash around the world—much in the way images of Chicago violence must do the same—the protests cannot be understood without context.
Her immediate family is still in Hong Kong and she visits every year. She became interested in the protests this June after attending a rally at Daley Plaza. She says the protests are peaceful and organizers are careful to alert those assembled to get out before police clear the area.Credit: Hillary Johnson for Chicago Reader
The movement gathered energy and purpose as it focused on five fundamental issues now codified as the “Five demands and not one less.” The demands include an investigation of police brutality, especially after the October 1 shooting by a police officer of a teenage protester at point-blank range. The bullet missed his heart by just three inches. The demands also ask for the removal of the extradition bill, the retraction of that statement that the protests in June were riots, the withdrawal of criminal charges against protesters, and universal suffrage.
Johnson (above) worries about what will happen to his friends and kung fu family in Hong Kong. “Ving Tsun people have always been involved with standing up for what is right. It’s an essential part of our training and the code of conduct we follow called Mo Duk or Jo Fen. These principles arise from Buddhist practices from the Shaolin temple. VIng Tsun people always will protect those who need help and protection from bullies.”
