Hong Kong was my home base for the last year and a half; I just missed these protests. It is really a shock to see the main streets filled with people; streets I used to walk or ride buses through nearly every day.
Hong Kong is a hugely underrated, beautiful, vibrant city with extraordinarily friendly people, almost no crime, and one of the best transportation systems in the world. There's almost no place you can stand within Hong Kong that doesn't have an incredible view of something. It's also becoming a major hub for technology businesses this decade.
I wish them the best of luck; it would truly be a shame if China is able to exert more major control and turn HK into yet another unlivable Chinese megacity.
Don't forget that Hong Kong is also a major financial hub, with the 6th(?) largest stock market in the world, and when the HK-Shanghai Stock Connect goes live in the coming weeks it'll be the second largest exchange in the world. Many western banks also do business in Hong Kong.
The worst thing that would happen to Hong Kong is for the financial sector to leave - HK currently enjoys an average income 5X higher than mainland China, and higher than many western cities even.
Awesome footage. I wasn't aware of the scale of this protest.
My only nitpick, if that drone malfunctions (or the batteries run out) and falls down, it'll kill someone.
It is irresponsible, but I think you're overstating the risk. This looks like footage from a gopro (due to the wide angle shots). This only requires a small drone to carry, like the DJI Phantom. The total weight for the phantom and camera is going to be something like 2.5 lb, and that weight is spread across a device that is rather large.
I wouldn't want to get hit on the head by one, of course, but I don't think it would be possible to kill someone since its terminal velocity is going to be pretty slow.
Maybe I'm crazy, but in my judgement, the risk of occurrence for the ultra-bad (somebody dies) is low enough that its outweighed by the good (the world gets to see dramatic and illustrative views of how big a protest this is). Even the minor-bad (somebody gets cut or bruised) is still pretty low occurrence risk (its so slow and low that the crowd see, and is waving at the drone)
We used to be chased by wild cats, twice our weight, in tall grass, and now we limit use of anything that might even scratch someone else. Society's great and all, it provides a good support net and enables a lot, but its trend towards conservatism is frustrating sometimes.
It's hard to grasp what's really happening over there over paragraphs and few photos, but this video delivers the atmosphere in a very effective manner.
Hong Kong is an island and the part they occupy seems to be very inclined. Even if they manage to bring tanks in somehow, all they'll get is many expensive high-rises damaged, roads destroyed and many tanks lost (since they're trivial to immobilize).
First thought that occurred to me while watching. Even if Americans wanted to march in a protest of similar scale, it would be physically difficult. There would be nowhere to park all their cars.
You are missing a very important cultural difference: something of this scale in most American cities would be accompanied by theft, vandalism, murder, rape, burglaries and all sorts of other displays by culturally deficient members of our society.
I have been in large protests in other parts of the world where the cultural contrast is nothing less than astonishing.
I've lived in Hong Kong. It's a wonderful place full of wonderful people. To express no sympathy for Hong Kong's people--and to imply that no sympathy is deserved because some unnamed "globalist set" seems to like the place--is shameful.
[+] [-] STRML|11 years ago|reply
Hong Kong is a hugely underrated, beautiful, vibrant city with extraordinarily friendly people, almost no crime, and one of the best transportation systems in the world. There's almost no place you can stand within Hong Kong that doesn't have an incredible view of something. It's also becoming a major hub for technology businesses this decade.
I wish them the best of luck; it would truly be a shame if China is able to exert more major control and turn HK into yet another unlivable Chinese megacity.
[+] [-] Mikeb85|11 years ago|reply
The worst thing that would happen to Hong Kong is for the financial sector to leave - HK currently enjoys an average income 5X higher than mainland China, and higher than many western cities even.
[+] [-] Kenji|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jewel|11 years ago|reply
I wouldn't want to get hit on the head by one, of course, but I don't think it would be possible to kill someone since its terminal velocity is going to be pretty slow.
[+] [-] araes|11 years ago|reply
We used to be chased by wild cats, twice our weight, in tall grass, and now we limit use of anything that might even scratch someone else. Society's great and all, it provides a good support net and enables a lot, but its trend towards conservatism is frustrating sometimes.
[+] [-] dosh|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lnanek2|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] guard-of-terra|11 years ago|reply
Will look like authoritarism fail.
[+] [-] turar|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] robomartin|11 years ago|reply
I have been in large protests in other parts of the world where the cultural contrast is nothing less than astonishing.
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] rayiner|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tvanantwerp|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pkinsky|11 years ago|reply