Like Tree86Likes

Why is Hong Kong becoming so sad?

Closed Thread
Page 3 of 11 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... LastLast
  1. #21

    Join Date
    May 2015
    Posts
    3,015
    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    The author sums it up with this.

    As the controversy over electoral reform so dramatically demonstrates, the issue of choice and complexity lies at the heart of the experience of living in today's Hong Kong.

    So many are unhappy, tormented and even despairing because they do not want to settle for anything less than the best. Schwartz calls these people "maximisers", who kill their chances for happiness by having unrealistic expectations.


    It is time Hongkongers learned to be "satisficers", realists who see the world as what it is and who are happy to say "that's good enough".
    Pfffft.

    Easier to say for most of us who are somewhat successful, live in a decent flat, earn a decent living and have the option to leave.

    But for the millions of Hong Kongers living in cramped public housing and struggling to get by, I don't think they want to be told "that's good enough". Learn to be a "satisficers". What is that, straight out of the little red book?

    It's not about settling for less than the best, please...it's about standing up for your rights and demanding fair wages, decent housing and a better quality of life for you and your family.
    TheBrit, z754103, shri and 3 others like this.

  2. #22

    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    12,323
    Quote Originally Posted by Open Casket:
    It's not about settling for less than the best, please...it's about standing up for your rights and demanding fair wages, decent housing and a better quality of life for you and your family.
    And the chances of that actually happening are about zero, so all those people fighting will spend their entire lives depressed.

    Ever spent much time in a REALLY poor country? Nepal (pre earthquake)? Rural Philippines? The folks there are so much happier than many stressed "richer" folks in other places. And they have next to nothing, but just don't have much expectation of any of those things changing.

  3. #23

    Were HK people happy prior to the handover say the 80's and 90's before the Chinese economy liberalised and HK was still necessary as a middleman for trade? Were people here happy being British colonial subjects then? Before Thatcher shut the door on them?

    If one day the Master deems HK unnecessary that Shanghai can serve as the financial center then what will happen here? What would these people do? Would having a freely elected leader for one of a many Chinese cities mean anything other than a hill of beans?


  4. #24

    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    3,921
    Quote Originally Posted by Open Casket:
    Pfffft.

    Easier to say for most of us who are somewhat successful, live in a decent flat, earn a decent living and have the option to leave.

    But for the millions of Hong Kongers living in cramped public housing and struggling to get by, I don't think they want to be told "that's good enough". Learn to be a "satisficers". What is that, straight out of the little red book?

    It's not about settling for less than the best, please...it's about standing up for your rights and demanding fair wages, decent housing and a better quality of life for you and your family.
    In other words, its the "Let them eat cake" comment. It reflects a disregard (or outright disdain) for the majority in Hong Kong.

    In the past, locals accepted their lot in life in hopes their children can have a better chance in life. But as it turns out, the children are realizing the door to upward social mobility are shut to them. They are merely waking up from drinking years of kool aid fed to them by the elite.

  5. #25

    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    3,921
    Quote Originally Posted by jonastainine:
    Were HK people happy prior to the handover say the 80's and 90's before the Chinese economy liberalised and HK was still necessary as a middleman for trade? Were people here happy being British colonial subjects then? Before Thatcher shut the door on them?

    If one day the Master deems HK unnecessary that Shanghai can serve as the financial center then what will happen here? What would these people do? Would having a freely elected leader for one of a many Chinese cities mean anything other than a hill of beans?
    So in order to remain prosperous and "relevant" to Beijing, HK must accept gross inequality, unaffordable housing and a cartel-dominated economy?

    Besides, I don't buy this idea that CCP will abandon HK and shunt it aside by developing Shanghai. That is simply scare-mongering by the pro-establishment to force their opponents to toe Beijing's line.

    Remember, Hong Kong is as a model for Taiwan when "one country, two systems" was first proposed. Imagine the kind of message it will send to Taiwan if under Chinese administration, HK falls into hard times. It will only demonstrate the failure of "one country, two systems" and Beijing's incompetence in ruling over a diverse and vibrant city. That would reflect Beijing's utter failure more than Hong Kong.

  6. #26

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    14,624

    HK is a depressing place filled with depressed locals, depressed FDH and depressing expats - just look at us.

    So why are you guys even surprised.

    You want a good life, you leave HK.

    Oh wait...


  7. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Cho-man:
    So in order to remain prosperous and "relevant" to Beijing, HK must accept gross inequality, unaffordable housing and a cartel-dominated economy?

    Besides, I don't buy this idea that CCP will abandon HK and shunt it aside by developing Shanghai. That is simply scare-mongering by the pro-establishment to force their opponents to toe Beijing's line.

    Remember, Hong Kong is as a model for Taiwan when "one country, two systems" was first proposed. Imagine the kind of message it will send to Taiwan if under Chinese administration, HK falls into hard times. It will only demonstrate the failure of "one country, two systems" and Beijing's incompetence in ruling over a diverse and vibrant city. That would reflect Beijing's utter failure more than Hong Kong.
    I hope you are right. But remember historically why Hong Kong exists in the first place. Why HK is a free port and how these tycoons made their fortunes in quotas and shipping. Hong Kong has served that purpose and much of that is over. Does HK have enough high paying industries to meet the expectations of 8 million people? We want CCP out of HK but can HK stand on its own the way it is?

  8. #28

    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Posts
    474
    Quote Originally Posted by jonastainine:
    Were HK people happy prior to the handover say the 80's and 90's before the Chinese economy liberalised and HK was still necessary as a middleman for trade? Were people here happy being British colonial subjects then? Before Thatcher shut the door on them?

    If one day the Master deems HK unnecessary that Shanghai can serve as the financial center then what will happen here? What would these people do? Would having a freely elected leader for one of a many Chinese cities mean anything other than a hill of beans?

    1 HK people is much happier during 1980s-90s , at that time air is cleaner, rents and property price is much more affordable , and there is no Mainland tourists snapping up the daily necessities and Mainland pregnant occupying hospital .....

    2 lol Shanghai become financial centre...... if Shanghai is really a financial centre, why not those state owned banks go to IPO in Shanghai, why Alibaba want to go IPO in HK so badly
    it is non sense to say
    Shanghai is a financial centre since RMB is not freely convertible and Mainland had rule of law
    Open Casket likes this.

  9. #29

    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    3,921
    Quote Originally Posted by jonastainine:
    I hope you are right. But remember historically why Hong Kong exists in the first place. Why HK is a free port and how these tycoons made their fortunes in quotas and shipping. Hong Kong has served that purpose and much of that is over. Does HK have enough high paying industries to meet the expectations of 8 million people? We want CCP out of HK but can HK stand on its own the way it is?
    Well one reason there is a lack of new industries to generate growth and employment in HK are the cartels. Not only do they stifle competition within their own fields but they also indirectly discourage new industries by making rents so expensive. Its pretty hard for new start-ups or non-serviced based industries to develop when the land here cost so much.
    Skyhook likes this.

  10. #30

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Pampanga, Philippines
    Posts
    29,768

    I am dubious about a lot of these "happiness" index reports. For example I was looking at the UN one and part of it is GDP per capita. The richer the country is the happier its people (so Switzerland comes out as the happiest country). This is not my experience, some of the happiest people have been poor and some of the most miserable have been well off. Another factor looks at the level of support which includes the welfare system. In the Philippines for example, which would score zilch on the welfare system, there is a great deal of family and community support which is not measurable. Happiness can not be reduced to number crunching.

    HK_Katherine likes this.

Closed Thread
Page 3 of 11 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 ... LastLast