The WTO in Hong Kong and the Green idealistic rant
It's sort of weird to see demonstrators converge on a city like Hong Kong. I mean, HK has seen its fair share of public demonstrations, especially those on 6/4 since 1989. But anti-globalization in HK? The idea seems weird, and is probably motivated by pre-conceptions I have of HK as an ultra-capitalist state grown by the people who escaped a regime that initially seeked to restrict, if not supress, free market. Well, we'll see.
Also, what is wrong with globalization, other than a bit more competition to handle? I also had that thought wandering in my head that the cause of poverty is the responsability of each and every citizen of industrialized countries, in that they don't have capital, b/c of market laws that don't somehow allow easy redistribution of riches (just think of the people who make a living from reinvesting and interest on capital, while some other are really working their asses off in factories in the Pearl River Delta).
Another uninformed/naive view that I have is that the addiction on oil is everyone's fault. Until people here in North America can give up their personal oil-driven (really) vehicules, none of them can complain about War in Irak b/c of oil, b/c those are the same people who complain when their oil prices go over the roof. It's a somehow easy-to-make conclusion, b/c I don't drive (while still relying on people who do, and on public transports that obviously run on gas - hey doesn't even the city train run on gas?), but it makes sense. The alternative is as Clinton recited, to depart from our dependence on old energy sources like, to developping new renewable sources of energy (which reminds me, and the whole past week being bombarded with news from the climate change meeting that I went to Expo 2005, which was apparently on the topic of sustainable development and "Nature's Wisdom", other than being that giant merchandise-ridden out-of-nowhere theme park). So if you're going to vote Green Party, I'll be taking the bus.
And it *still* wouldn't be taken as a serious excuse for not getting a driving license - 'cause you know someday they're going to have affordable green cars in North America...
Those kids who're going to HK don't know how hot it gets in South China, that before they know it, they will be spending their afternoons indoors, shopping. But right, it's December, and December in humidificator-HK can be rather cold, brrr.
(Edit: Heh, well, I guess it's not exactly true.)
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