Contextual Essay
My digital artifact is a little bit different from what I was originally planning on doing. I decided to change from my previous DA because I have spread this project over many subjects and wanted to do something along the same lines but also slightly different. When I came up with this idea for my DA, I just knew that I had to do it. My project is based on Week 8’s topic of China and Soft Power. I am also very passionate about demonstrations and human rights violations that are occurring in Hong Kong and wanted to try and do something about it. This opportunity could not have come at a better time for me. In this video, I am trying to show the public, the violence that the Hong Kong Police are executing upon their own citizens. I paired this footage with the song “Black Mammoth” by Fit For an Autopsy as it is not only one of my favourite deathcore songs, it was also created to fight another injustice happening due to poor/corrupt government, this time, in North Dakota in the USA. The meaning of the term Black Mammoth is referring to a Mammoth ( a great and wonderful creature) being completely covered and weighed down in Oil. This is in reference to the injustices happening in North Dakota which are based on the government’s greed for oil and their lack of care/sympathy for the native tribes.
The lyric “Tragedy Reigns Forever” is a recurring lyric in the song and perfectly encapsulates the Hong Kong situation. What is happening over there is in no doubt, a tragedy, and, if the people of Hong Kong are not supported in their fight, this tragedy will reign forever and will come into our homes next. The tag line “Hear Hong Kong now or be Hong Kong soon.” has started to become a very popular warning spread by the demonstrators. This is very evident in the protests that have just started in Chile which, despite not stemming from the same reasons as Hong Kong, have been bolstered by the people of Hong Kong. The Chilean protestors have shown solidarity with the Hong Kong protestors and have learned from what they have done and put those tactics into play int heir own protests (e.g How to nullify tear gas, etc).
All of the clips in this video were sourced from the subreddit r/HongKong. This subreddit has been the HQ of all people who are interested in the protests and for those people involved in them. I also used the website standwithhk.org/.
Bibliography
Reddit.com. (n.d.). Crazy Hong Kong Cop of the Day, October 13th, 2019. (Chasing After A Senior Citizen For Not Removing Flu Mask, Tackled to the Ground After Attempting to Protect His Eyeglasses) : HongKong. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dhay2i/crazy_hong_kong_cop_of_the_day_october_13th_2019/ [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Reddit.com. (n.d.). Second day of the anti mask law in effect, the police removed a reporter’s mask by force, despite the Secretary of Security’s assurance to the press that reporters at work are exempt from the law. : HongKong. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/de3qp6/second_day_of_the_anti_mask_law_in_effect_the/ [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Reddit.com. (n.d.). Police snaps first aider’s arm : HongKong. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dbqx9e/police_snaps_first_aiders_arm [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Standwithhk.org. (n.d.). [online] Available at: https://standwithhk.org/ [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Reddit.com (n.d.). Video shows moment shots fired at Tsuen Wan.. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dbqsfl/video_shows_moment_shots_fired_at_tsuen_wan/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Reddit.com. (n.d.). Who is more violant? : HongKong. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/cutlyk/who_is_more_violant/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Wesley-Smith, P. (1991) “Sovereignty and the Status Quo: The Historical Roots of China’s Hong Kong Policy. By Kevin P. Lane. [Boulder: Westview Press, 1990. 167 pp. HK$332.00.],” The China Quarterly. Cambridge University Press, 128, pp. 857–858. doi: 10.1017/S0305741000004562.
Reddit.com. (n.d.). HK police rage charged into crowd to assault woman who said to him “your wife is making you a cuckold right now” : HongKong. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dl4h9b/hk_police_rage_charged_into_crowd_to_assault/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Reddit.com. (n.d.). Hong Kong police throws tear gas grenade at journalists : HongKong. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/d1b4kg/hong_kong_police_throws_tear_gas_grenade_at/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Reddit.com. (n.d.). CityU Student Union Editorial Board just put out this badass fucking video taken from the first person perspective of journalists (Credits to: Facebook page of Editorial Board, CityU SU) : HongKong. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dlicps/cityu_student_union_editorial_board_just_put_out/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Reddit.com. (n.d.). Video of police shooting protester. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dbqunq/video_of_police_shooting_protester/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
Standwithhk.org. (n.d.). [online] Available at: https://standwithhk.org/ [Accessed 25 Oct. 2019].
My Blog 
Leave a comment