Big ideas like ‘freedom’, ‘social fairness’, ‘justice’, and ‘democracy’ are thrown about but never elaborated on or discussed. The introduction is nothing short of an attempt at indoctrinating youth into an absolutist mindset that fails to encapsulate the complexity of the political and philosophical landscape. With Joshua Wong as the embodiment of this generation and at the helm of this movement, the youth of Hong Kong need only to demonstrate their rights in a highly visible way to “achieve justice and democracy in any society.” (p.xi)Īi’s introduction works well to set the tone for the book: one-dimensional and propaganda-like. This new rebel desires not to be involved in the capitalist culture “fixated in profit above all else.” (p.xi) Instead, they only demand and require freedom, freedom from the “dark forces” of China (p.xii). Ai describes a new generation of rebels characterised by rationality, principles, and clear objectivity. The book’s introduction begins with Ai Wei Wei drawing observations from the Umbrella Movement of 2014, and the Extradition Bill Protests of 2019. I cannot recommend this book to anyone who wishes to be intellectually enlightened by the great mind that is Joshua Wong. Though I am grateful for Wong for increasing political awareness in Hong Kong and sharing to the world the issues that exist in Hong Kong’s culture and society. Despite a handful of attempts to appear moderate and fair in this book, too many instances seem to say otherwise. Throughout the book, Wong zealously attributes every issue present in Hong Kong to a lack of democratic representation within the city, and though I admire his fervour, there is not a single moment dedicated to asking himself ‘why?’ There is no attempt to further understand his own actions of the actions of the opposition. Instead, I was treated to a muddled piece of literature which focused more on how to take action rather than why, and establishing the foundations of a cult of personality.Īt its core, Wong’s message is there but only as a shallow message strung together by convoluted points.
I expected to be told what the greatest threat to global democracy was and why I should act now, in a well thought through, logical, and methodological structure. My expectations for the book were not high.
Ng with an introduction by renowned artist Ai Wei Wei is a 2020 publication, which at its core, aims at calling the international community to action against what Wong believes to be the greatest threat to ‘global democracy’. ‘ Unfree Speech: The Threat to Global Democracy and Why We Must Act, Now’ written by Joshua Wong and Jason Y.
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