Satanic Capitalist

(source: dw.com | 2 mar 2022)

Hong Kongers living in Taiwan were recently reminded of the emotions associated with the protests after the island began to run a documentary film in dozens of movie theaters on February 25.

“I hope audiences can appreciate the film without a fixed political stance or a lot of stereotypes,” said Kiwi Chow, the director of the film, in a recorded message to the public in Taiwan.

The film, whose name is derived from the second half of a now-banned slogan in Hong Kong, chronicles the monthslong protests that transformed the semi-autonomous city.

It documents how the initial protests against a proposed extradition bill that could potentially allow residents in Hong Kong to be tried in Chinese courts evolved into mass demonstrations against police brutality and the government’s failure to fulfil its promises.

It was reportedly filmed and directed by a group of anonymous filmmakers in a collaborative fashion.

In an interview with DW last December, Chow described the experience in 2019 as “a collective trauma” for all Hong Kong people.

He said since the Chinese government imposed the controversial national security law (NSL) on Hong Kong, people no longer have outlets to go through those traumas.

“Someone once thanked me for making the film, because he said it reminded him that his experiences in the 2019 protest were real,” Chow said. “I think one thing this film can achieve is to witness and preserve history, especially after we realized that certain histories in Hong Kong may not survive after the NSL came into force.”

This article is longer than what I’m posting here so you don’t have to scroll long, but I REALLY recommend reading it because there’s a lot of analysis on and factual evidence of US mainstream media focusing on stories that make US capitalism look good.

“Haitians are revolting against a corrupt political system and their President Jovenel Moïse, who many see as a kleptocratic US puppet. In Ecuador, huge public manifestations managed to force President Lenín Moreno to backtrack on his IMF-backed neoliberal package that would have sharply cut government spending and increased transport prices (FAIR.org, 10/23/19). Meanwhile, popular Chilean frustration at the conservative Piñera administration boiled over into massive protests that were immediately met with force. “We are at war,” announced President Sebastián Piñera, echoing the infamous catchphrase of former fascist dictator Augusto Pinochet. Piñera claimed that those responsible for violently resisting him were “going to pay for their deeds” as he ordered tanks through Santiago. (See FAIR.org, 10/23/19.) Yet the actions that have by far received the most attention in corporate media are those in Hong Kong, where demonstrations erupted in response to a proposed extradition agreement with the Chinese central government that opponents felt would undermine civil liberties and Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous status. A search for “Hong Kong protests” on October 25, 2019, elicits 282 responses in the last month in the New York Times, for example, compared to 20 for “Chile protests,” 43 for Ecuador and 16 for Haiti. The unequal coverage is even more pronounced on Fox News, where there were 70 results for Hong Kong over the same period and four, two and three for Chile, Ecuador and Haiti, respectively.

This disparity cannot be explained due to the protests’ size or significance, the number of casualties or the response from the authorities. Eighteen people have died during the ongoing protests in Haiti, 19 (and rising) in Chile, while in Ecuador, protesters themselves captured over 50 soldiers who had been sent in as Moreno effectively declared martial law.

[...]

On Ecuador, the State Department has been more forthcoming, issuing a full endorsement of Moreno’s neoliberal austerity package...

[...]

In other words, don’t expect any angry editorials denouncing US client states like Haiti or Ecuador, or arguing that the Chilean government’s repression of its protest movement shows the moral bankruptcy of capitalism. Indeed, corporate media (e.g., Guardian, 10/8/19; CNN, 10/8/19; USA Today, 10/10/19) emphasized the violence of the Ecuadorian protestors...”

August 2019 - Protesters fight riot police in Hong Kong. [video]

Hong Kong protests: China flag trampled in mall unrest

Haunted Houses No Longer Taboo for Desperate Hong Kong Homebuyers

In Hong Kong, units in which people have died due other than by natural causes are considered haunted. Apartments where suicides, murders and accidental deaths have occurred are typically sold at a 10% to 20% discount, according to Perry Fong, a director at Centaline Property Agency Ltd.

“This is generally a taboo in the market, since it is dominated by locals,” said Fong. “Foreigners are less concerned, and may buy them for the lower prices.”

Even though Hong Kong is one of the most westernized cities in Asia, buying a haunted home is unthinkable to most local residents. The houses are regarded as having bad feng shui, which is a major concern for buyers.

Full Article