• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

When housing becomes unaffordable for the next generation

by Terry Xu
03/12/2014
in Current Affairs, Economics
Reading Time: 5 mins read
13

By Property Soul
Just came back after spending five days in Hong Kong. During the daytime, we didn’t go to any popular sightseeing place except meeting up with friends and relatives. In the evenings, we went back to the hotel to watch the news on TV about the Occupy Central pro-democracy movement.
A visit to the occupied zone
With clashes between the police and protesters, we had to avoid passing by the Mongkok area. The original protest site in Admiralty was occupied by aggressive leaders of the Umbrella Revolution. To get a glimpse of the Occupy Central supporters, we decided to pay a visit to the peaceful protest zone in Causeway Bay.
occupy_central2Causeway Bay was still bustling as usual even without Chinese tourists flocking there. We managed to find the closed-off area at Yee Wo Street. Both sides of the road were decorated by posters with slogans written in different languages. There were not many tents there but they were set up neatly in one area. The protesters had built many facilities, including library, study centre and discussion area.
In the early evening, the occupied part of the road was empty like a ghost town, save for a few people chatting on the chairs. The busy pavements on both sides of the road was a big contrast – with people hurrying home, meeting up with friends, or heading for the big sale at SOGO.
Confession of a protester
The camping site reminded me of a confession from an Occupy Central supporter on facebook:

I am a typical boy from public housing. My parents have high hopes on their only child. They hope that getting a good education for me can drag us out of poverty …
In September, I didn’t join other tertiary students to boycott classes. I am worried about my education and results. I don’t want to disappoint my family. If I can’t graduate, I can’t find a job. I don’t want my parents to be in debts with my college grant loan. I don’t want to see our dream of upward mobility dashed.
After the teargas incident on September 28, I decided to come out after some thinking. I am scared. But I cannot pretend that I don’t see anything. This society is really terrible with developer hegemony (monopoly/domination) and serious disparity between the rich and the poor.
On the day I decided to go, I had done my calculations. I would be fortunate to earn a salary of HK$17,000 (S$2,800) from my first job after graduation. But when I thought about paying the grant loan and supporting my retiring parents … I might have to supplement my income with part-time tuitions. However, I couldn’t afford to buy myself insurance, let alone buying a property.
… No matter how hard I try, even if I work 24 hours a day, my family will never get out of poverty. History tells me that this is not an individual’s problem. It is the system that has problems.

Our next generation is a totally different generation
My parents are baby boomers whose main concern was to fulfill the basic needs of everyday life.
I belong to the Generation X who were taught from young to follow rules – study well, get a good job, and work hard to improve our lives. We don’t talk about dreams. It is a luxury. We talk about increment, promotion, upgrade and social status.
occupy_central3We learn from the Occupy Central that Generation Y are not easily contented with just allowances, peers, social media, computer games or high-tech gadgets.
Our Generation Y grew up with everything well provided. They don’t have to sacrifice for the sake of the family. When they know that even if they work equally hard, they will never match their parents’ achievement, why will they still toil day and night at a workplace they don’t really like?
They are free to chase their dreams – to fight for what they think is right or, to live a life they truly want. They are individualistic, entitled and vain. They like to break rules and are not ready to compromise.
What will Generation Z become?
As we strolled past the protest zone in Causeway Bay, I wondered what the future holds for Generation Z. I ended up having the following conversation with my nine-year-old.
Me: Do you think it is right for Singapore students to ‘Occupy Starbucks’? Why?
Child: No. Because they should go home to do their homework and revisions. Other people cannot sit if they occupy the seats the whole day.
Me: Do you think it is right for Hong Kong students to Occupy Central? Why?
Child: No. Because these are public areas. It is inconvenient for others.
Me: If one day you find injustice in the society, what will you do?
Child: Don’t know.
Me: Will you sit in the coffee shop and complain?
Child: Mommy, that’s what old uncles do.
Me: Will you sit in front of the computer and send hate comments or attack someone under an anonymous identity?
Child: No. I am not a coward.
Me: Will you find who’s responsible, meet the person face-to-face, and say exactly what you think?
Child: But I am scared.
Me: If one day, even though you have a well-paying job after you graduate, you still cannot afford to buy an HDB flat, and you can’t get married and start your family, what will you do?
Child: Then I won’t get married. We will stay with you and daddy. Me and my sister too.
It seems that my efforts of teaching the kids to develop their independent thinking, to be independent and fend for themselves are all going down the drain …
 This article is first published at propertysoul.com. (All images property of propertysoul.com)

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

457 civil society organizations call on ASEAN to move beyond the Five-Point Consensus
AFP

Myanmar junta sets out tough new rules for political parties

27/01/2023
Thai ruling party names deputy PM as main election candidate
AFP

Thai ruling party names deputy PM as main election candidate

27/01/2023
Mrs Teo says SG continues to invest in training local talent while MNCs transfer staff to work in SG
Labour

Mrs Teo says SG continues to invest in training local talent while MNCs transfer staff to work in SG

27/01/2023
One third of Amazon ‘degraded’ by human activity, drought: study
AFP

One third of Amazon ‘degraded’ by human activity, drought: study

27/01/2023
Luxembourg court sets aside Sulu heirs’ attachment order to enforce US$15b claim against Malaysia
Court Cases

Luxembourg court sets aside Sulu heirs’ attachment order to enforce US$15b claim against Malaysia

27/01/2023
Philippines to appeal ICC resumption of drug war probe
AFP

Philippines to appeal ICC resumption of drug war probe

27/01/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
13 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

457 civil society organizations call on ASEAN to move beyond the Five-Point Consensus

Myanmar junta sets out tough new rules for political parties

27/01/2023
Thai ruling party names deputy PM as main election candidate

Thai ruling party names deputy PM as main election candidate

27/01/2023
Mrs Teo says SG continues to invest in training local talent while MNCs transfer staff to work in SG

Mrs Teo says SG continues to invest in training local talent while MNCs transfer staff to work in SG

27/01/2023
One third of Amazon ‘degraded’ by human activity, drought: study

One third of Amazon ‘degraded’ by human activity, drought: study

27/01/2023
Luxembourg court sets aside Sulu heirs’ attachment order to enforce US$15b claim against Malaysia

Luxembourg court sets aside Sulu heirs’ attachment order to enforce US$15b claim against Malaysia

27/01/2023
Philippines to appeal ICC resumption of drug war probe

Philippines to appeal ICC resumption of drug war probe

27/01/2023

ASEAN governments must stop using ‘lawfare’ against critics, Southeast Asian MPs say

27/01/2023
Low Yen Ling says MTI and MAS don’t expect persistent inflation but they now say inflation projected to “stay elevated”

Low Yen Ling says MTI and MAS don’t expect persistent inflation but they now say inflation projected to “stay elevated”

27/01/2023

Trending posts

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
32

...

Ho Ching breaks silence over Temasek’s write down of its US$275 million investment in FTX, says it “can afford to be contrarian”

US regulator questions VCs’ due diligence work prior to investing in FTX; Ho Ching says Temasek can afford to be contrarian

by The Online Citizen
24/01/2023
28

...

Indian rupee falls 60% since signing of CECA while Singapore becomes top investor in India

by Correspondent
25/01/2023
49

...

When housing becomes unaffordable for the next generation

by Terry Xu
03/12/2014
13

...

“党籍不会过期失效”  前进党称已就党籍终止知会卡拉

AGC asked to explain purposes of 68 private letters of inmates illegitimately forwarded to prosecutors

by The Online Citizen
21/01/2023
16

...

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

by The Online Citizen
26/01/2023
32

...

December 2014
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Nov   Jan »
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz