December 2016 – That which divides us

At home and in the world at large, societies seem to be getting more polarised and many are seeing a pushback against globalisation. Boundaries are becoming more apparent. In this issue’s Periscope, Varsity looks at the boundaries and divisions between different groups of people in Hong Kong society:

Tensions have always existed among people of different generations, but they seem be intensifying in today’s Hong Kong. The young and the old criticise each other over politics and behaviour in daily life – with youngsters labelled as “useless youths”, and taking revenge by creating anti-elderly memes that make fun of older people on social media

Hong Kong prides itself as a “world city”, a home for people of different races, religions and ethnicities but racism exists in Hong Kong, even it’s rarely mentioned. Varsity talks to people of different ethnicities in Hong Kong who share their experiences of discrimination and microaggression

There are also boundaries within local Chinese Hong Kong communities. Indigenous villages in Hong Kong are called “wai”, which means “walls” in Chinese. Most of the physical walls that separated indigenous inhabitants from the outside world are gone, but some of the walls within remain between indigenous villagers and the increasing number of non-indigenous residents who live alongside them