ABSTRACT
One needs to first understand the cultural meanings of the referent object and the infringed freedom before one can understand audience acceptance of the security appeal. Building on Lau Siu-kai’s work on minimal political participation (1982) and Lam Wai-man’s (2004) work on the coexistence of political activism and depoliticization, this chapter suggests that the mainstream depoliticization culture has continued to affect the repertoire of contentions in recent years. Preoccupation with stability and prosperity, functional understanding of political participation, and scepticism of political activism continue to constrain the Umbrella Movement as they constrained activism 50 or more years ago.
