Is 'hands up' in Hong Kong really the same as in Ferguson?
On Sunday images juxtaposing scenes from the Ferguson, Mo., and Hong Kong protests spread on Twitter, many linking the 'hands up, don鈥檛 shoot' symbol as an act of solidarity.
But what is being lauded as a rather poignant exhibit of cross-cultural borrowing could be confusing the individual message of each movement's use of the symbol 鈥� and could also just be wrong.
that the young pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong are "using the same 'hands up, don't shoot' gesture that became a symbol of last month鈥檚 protests in faraway Ferguson."
However, besides the gesture being a classic symbol of surrender to authority, its use in Hong Kong 鈥� where protests have been ongoing for weeks 鈥攎ay have developed independently.
that protesters in Hong Kong didn't purposefully mimic the 'hands up' sign, but rather followed the instruction of leaders to "signal their peaceful intentions to police."
Asked about any link between the gesture and Ferguson, Icy Ng, a 22-year-old design student at Hong Kong Polytechnic University said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think so. We have our hands up for showing both the police and media that we have no weapons in our hands.鈥� Ng had not heard of the Ferguson protests. Another demonstrator, with the pro-democracy group Occupy Central, Ellie Ng said the gesture had nothing to do with Ferguson and is intended to demonstrate that 鈥淗ong Kong protesters are peaceful, unarmed, and mild.鈥�
Further, some say the cultural translation perhaps doesn鈥檛 run as deep as the visual appeal.
How Hong Kong appropriated the iconic gesture is "less complicated" than how Ferguson has employed the symbol, .
African-Americans are exercising the sign as a symbol of police brutality and racism, and it鈥檚 because "even in the act of total submission, given the cop and the zip code, it won鈥檛 save your life."
about the Ferguson 'hands up' position says that "the symbolism that emerges as standing for the systemic dehumanization of young black males is the gesture of extending one鈥檚 arms to the sky, communicating to the man that one is not a threat and that one is unarmed... white culture can鈥檛 physically see or 'read' black youth 鈥� not with all that fear and ignorance, and the consequent stereotypes in the way."
Whereas Hong Kong鈥檚 edition of the sign seems to be functioning as simple symbol of defiance.
the loud claims of appropriation a case of "cultural chauvinism" 鈥� "an honest mistake born out of the presumption that the world revolves around American domestic affairs." 聽
Even if the narratives behind the use of the same hand gesture are confused, some in Ferguson aren't bothered by the distinctions and have thrown their support to Hong Kong:
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