I know many of these yellow kids' parents, who are from middle class. These kids grew up in adequate, some even affluent environment, not to even mention kids studying overseas in boarding schools (both my kids study overseas--they are blue--yet lots of their classmates are yellow). Surely, some of these youngsters are from the disadvantaged strata, but definitely not all. So don't just blame social inequality as the root cause of the riots!!!!
I wonder if you ever visited the UK, Europe, Oceana and the US, and we will even leave India out. These so-called democracies have just as uneven distribution of wealth like here.
As my son said, his yellow classmates suddenly just got this "justice rush" and became "the upholders of morals and equality amongst all". The result, whatever they do with whatever means must be right. That include, beating up anyone who is against them, throwing bicycles onto rail tracks, destroying traffic lights, throwing stones onto highways, and obstructing others to go to work and school.
You are right in the sense that the disadvantaged/foolish youngsters are the ones that commit illegal offences, and the richer yellow kids tend not to go out to do stupid things and yet they still yell support for the criminal kids. This is not really unlike the Civic Party and other so-called democratic legislators calling out the kids to riot and fight.
The big question is, who instill this sudden heroic sense of "FIGHT COMMUNISM TILL WE DIE SO JUSTICE FOR ALL" into these kids? Do you call this brainwash? Do these kids know that the CCP has taken China out of extreme poverty and foreign humiliation in the last 70 years? Do they know the sort of calamity beckoned onto our Motherland before 1949? How come they don't even identify themselves as Chinese?
And do you even think that the so-called universal suffrage can solve the problems of housing in HK? Do you know that 8000 are sleeping on the streets of London every night? And around 4000 in New York? And 160000 homeless in London and 70000 in New York respectively?
This does not make the HK situation right. But what these kids should know that their riots will result in nothing, except jail sentences and criminal records for them. Instead they should be enlightened that the struggle for equality lies upon one's hard work and continual self-upgrading, but not sitting in front of the computer or using their smartphones for hours and hours, being fed incorrect and lopsided information. And the government should proactively provide more chances for these kids who are wiling to work hard. The sad truth is, the HKSAR gov has continued along the previous colonial government policy of laissez faire, and hence the present situation.
Why is the majority of mainland compatriots so happy with the CCP, despite the so-called lack of democracy and previous blatant corruptions? It is because the CCP has really done a lot for the commoners, which the HKSAR has not.