2015年1月2日 January 2, 2015

《撐起雨傘》，成為本年叱吒樂壇頒獎禮「我最喜愛歌曲」。頒獎之時，一眾觀眾撐傘支持，台上台下一片歡呼之聲，彷彿有值得慶祝的喜慶之事。此情此景，若非親睹，還以為出自那些玩弄黑色幽默的荷里活B級電影情節。The song ‘Upholding Umbrella’ won the My Favourite Song of the Year award at the 2014 Commercial Radio Ultimate Awards (in Hong Kong). During the award presentation, a group in the audience held up their umbrellas to show support. The cheers from the audience made it sound like there was something worth celebrating. It was like a bad joke in an unwatchable movie.

手術成功，但病人死在手術床上。《撐起雨傘》成為「我最喜愛歌曲」，而雨傘革命卻可恥地輸得一敗塗地。我實在想不出有什麼慶祝歡呼的理由，除了矯情。The surgery was successful, but the patient died – is what this award means: ‘Upholding Umbrella’ won the favourite song of the year award, but at the same time Umbrella Revolution was crushed. I can’t think of any reason that we should be cheering at the award ceremony, except mawkishness.

雨傘革命歷經七十九日，不但普選上無半點寸進，迎來的更是鋪天蓋地式的白色恐怖，還有對投身革命一代人無可磨滅的挫敗感。港共政權撐過革命而屹立不倒，唆使特務兵團任意拘捕巿民，羅織罪名，更是有恃無恐。當此生死存亡之際，本係臥薪嘗膽，徐圖後計之時。只有毫無醫德的醫生，才會為醫死病人的成功手術慶祝；也只有追逐光環的無恥政客、矯情作態的和理非港人，才臉不紅氣不喘地撐著傘，唱著《撐起雨傘》，白事作紅事辦。The 79-day-long Umbrella Revolution led to zero progress on political reform in Hong Kong, but instead gave birth to white terror on a massive scale, and infected the generation who dedicated themselves in this revolution with a huge sense of failure. The Communist HKSAR regime is still standing. It continues to mobilise its pawns to arrest citizens on groundless charges. At this moment of life and death people should be reflecting on the failure and planning their next move. Only weak people with no backbone would celebrate the failure of a revolution – just like a doctor celebrating the success of an operation in which the patient died. And only shameless politicians who seek nothing but fame (to secure their victory in the next election, in the hope that the majority of Hong Kong voters will blindly vote for them who ‘stood alongside the pro-democracy protestors’), and peacefulness-obsessed and politically idiotic Hongkongers would celebrate by joining in with the singers on-stage. They were celebrating at a funeral!

商業電台作為一間主流媒體，固然有維穩任務，但叱吒903走的路線，又要懶係貼近後生一輩。捧紅《撐起雨傘》，既能清洗商台逐漸老化維穩的形象，又能博得支持民主，支持群眾運動的美名，又能討好雨傘革命的中堅──年輕一輩，何樂而不為？總之一個字：「型」，合晒叱吒903刻意營造的形象。撐《撐起雨傘》，是一招高妙的商業盤算。As part of the mainstream media, Commercial Radio of course had to be part of the propaganda machine. However, it is taking this further by pretending to support the younger generation. By making ‘Upholding Umbrella’ popular, the trite images it evokes can be revived again and again, garnering them support from the people who support democracy. The radio channel also benefits by being seen to support the people’s movement, at the same time warming up those who are neutral to the movement. It’s a sure win approach! Supporting ‘Upholding Umbrella’ is a strategic business move.

重點係，《撐起雨傘》背後所代表的精神，本質上已不是革命，而是維穩。縱觀整首歌，就是一貫和理非的套路：面對催淚彈，面對警棍，就只有「一起舉傘，一起的撐」。雨傘革命期間你唱《撐起雨傘》，fine，還可以勉強話係代表和理非式革命路線；雨傘革命之後，和理非路線一敗塗地，極權的猙獰面目在全世界的鏡頭面前一覽無遺。此時此刻，還在《撐起雨傘》，不是在抗爭，是在維穩。The important thing to understand is that the spirit of ‘Upholding Umbrella’ is that of maintaining the status quo, not fomenting a revolution. The song endorses the tried and failed protest culture in Hong Kong: peaceful, rational, non-violent and non-verbally-violent (PRNN): When one faces teargas and police batons, one only needs an innocuous and inoffensive umbrella to defend oneself. Following the Umbrella Revolution, PRNN has once again been proven to lead to nothing but failure, and the totalitarian regime’s true identity has been exposed to the world. At this point, praising ‘Upholding Umbrella’ as if it was a victory song is not only to be blind to the struggle Hongkongers have endured and will continue to face but, far worse, to endorse the (pan-democrat) propaganda and to support of the status quo.

雨傘這個圖騰，何韻詩頭上那圈光環，是殖民主派，是《蘋果日報》，是左膠的續命丹。《撐起雨傘》，只是整個殖民主派的殖民產業鏈的其中一環，而商台今次亦參與其中，分一杯羮而已。稍不留神，香港人又會被雨傘這個圖騰再耽誤三十年──莫講三十年，我們已經沒多少時間胡混落去。港共毀滅香港的日程早已搬上枱面，香港的存亡，就繫於未來三五七年。The Umbrella is a totem of the movement, and it is the halo the singers of this song will wear forever: The tonic that ensures the pro-China-colonisation camp’s (i.e. many of the pan-democrats) and Apple Daily’s everlasting dominance of the democratic theme (in Hong Kong. ‘Upholding Umbrella’ is only a by-product of the pro-China-colonisation industry. Commercial Radio merely took part in this by chance and benefited from it. If we are not careful, the umbrella totem will impede the democratic process of Hong Kong for another thirty years. The survival of Hong Kong will be determined in the next three to seven years, and we have no time to waste.

相對於《撐起雨傘》彷彿停留在三十年前《凝聚每分光》的模式，至少我們從謝安琪那首表面上看似情歌的《獨家村》中，看出了微言大義，讀出香港大勢所趨的政治觀念。《獨家村》詞如歌名，開宗明義，就是要港中區隔，就是要透過割裂，保持自身高貴的獨立和原則。不作表態式的舉傘姿勢，不求取寵式的造作矯情，只是守護著自己的獨家村，不求妥協，不求折衷，不怕世人誤解，不懼外人誣衊。The sprit and core of ‘Upholding Umbrella’ have not moved away from the touchy-feely and tried and failed begging style protest: it tries to move others by emphasising the unjust and highlighting the humble demand a group of weak, peaceful and rational victims (highlighting the contrast between themselves and the powers-that-be). However, besides column inches, nothing can be achieved. Hongkongers will forever indulge in the forceful emotions of self-pity about this failed revolution because the song is the totem that represents the ‘awesome nature’ of Hongkongers. Kay Tse’s song Village of Solitude, however, offers a completely different perspective. The song may seem like a love song, but if you study the lyrics, you can see it is a metaphor for Hong Kong’s political situation. Village of Solitude is about the importance of Hong Kong splitting from China in order to preserve and safeguard the independence and principles Hong Kong stands for. Unlike ‘Upholding Umbrella’, which is not about making a political stance, Village of Solitude is not about only pretentiously expressing emotions, but a strategy of realpolitik: safeguard our village of solitude without compromise and surrender, and don’t be afraid of being misunderstood or being defamed.

「各走各路如試煉　不知你或我更安然　無悔未曾可將你改變　都不被你污染」 The song ended: We will go separate paths from now – it’s a test, but no one would know whose path leads to a better future. I won’t regret for the fact that although I couldn’t change you, I didn’t lower myself to your level.