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SCMP: Don’t believe the absurd conspiracy theories

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  1. #1

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    SCMP: Don’t believe the absurd conspiracy theories

    Any opinions on this SCMP article? I'm pro-protestor but this seems a welcome, balanced counterpoint.

    https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion...y-people-could

    Note the author is a "convenor of Hong Kong’s Executive Council", no idea what that means.

    And as ridiculous as these "secret death" conspiracy theories might be, they are nothing compared to the pro-China crap floating around. For example, someone was telling me Li Ka Shing is financing the protests as part of some exit plan to get his assets out of Hong Kong. There's much more where that came from.


  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by monomono:
    Any opinions on this SCMP article? I'm pro-protestor but this seems a welcome, balanced counterpoint.

    https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion...y-people-could

    Note the author is a "convenor of Hong Kong’s Executive Council", no idea what that means.

    And as ridiculous as these "secret death" conspiracy theories might be, they are nothing compared to the pro-China crap floating around. For example, someone was telling me Li Ka Shing is financing the protests as part of some exit plan to get his assets out of Hong Kong. There's much more where that came from.
    Some opinions under the Bernard Chan thread.

    Seems an unnecessary reminder that the government has lost legitimacy, so nobody can take it at face value.

    There have always been somewhat credible allegations that the police have agent provocateurs at work. Do take a look at the latest indications that the police have lied and broken the law. That is why even the more far-fetched allegations about police actions aren’t as readily dismissed now.

  3. #3

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    Yes, not everything the protesters say or believe is correct or represent irrefutable facts. One must always have an independent and critical mind to assess the claims and counter-claims of both sides. But it seems to me on balance, in terms of credibility, the democracy activists and the protesters appears more believable than the police. This does not mean everything the protesters say is true or everything the police say are lies, but the protesters' statements, some of them at least, appear more realistic.

    As for conspiracy theories, I suppose one can feel free to indulge in them if they wish, just don't present them as truths. For example, I heard rumours floating around that Carrie Lam is in fact a closet pro-democracy activist. Why? Because she was once a social worker and knew personally some of the early pro-democrat fighters. According to this..."theory", the crisis was Lam's plan all along to force democracy from Beijing. Manufacture this extradition bill to highlight the incompetence of the current governance structure and demonstrate the need for greater representative government to Beijing. Well...hats off to Lam if that is what she really wanted. But there is just one small problem with this theory, there is not a single shred of evidence that Lam as the CE has any inclination to want universal suffrage. None of her public statement and actions indicate any kind of desire to "explain" HK to Beijing. The leaks in private statements that we got, that Lam admitted she caused "unforgiveable havoc", does not support the theory of Lam being a closet democrat in any way, only that she made a mistake. So, we can't call this theory credible. But there are many such theories out there.

    At the end of the day, just be careful to distinguish what is true (or at least credible) from propaganda.