S ome foreign media, including Time Magazine, have described the current democracy uprising in Hong Kong as a revolution. But democracy leaders say their civil disobedience protest is a democracy movement, not a revolution. I have also called it a revolution. The exact meaning of a revolution is an attempt by large groups of citizens using force to overthrow a government and replace it with another one. The word "uprising" has a similar meaning although an uprising usually involves fewer people than a revolution. The large groups of citizens who joined the civil disobedience protest have not used any violence so far but they want to overthrow Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and force the central government to cancel its political reform decision. To me, that is a revolution, but a revolution without the use of force.
I also think the civil disobedience protest could evolve (gradually change) into anarchy. That has already happened in some parts of Hong Kong. There is anarchy when there is political disorder, lawlessness (people not following the law), and a government that is unable to govern. Protesters have blocked the central government offices and the chief executive's office. The government is, therefore, unable to govern properly. There is now political disorder in Hong Kong. Civil disobedience protesters are not following the law. They have even prevented civil servants from going to work. It is anarchy.
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「佔領中環」已經成為一個誤稱（misnomer），它變得名不副實（misnomer），因為根本沒有人在佔領中環。他們佔領了金鐘、銅鑼灣、旺角和尖沙咀，就是沒有佔領中環。因此「佔中」已不再是個對確的名稱（misnomer）。Misnomer這個字解作錯誤或不當的用詞。例如，喚梁國雄為長毛，早已是不恰當的稱呼，因為他已不再長髮披肩。若他隨着年華老去（ages）而變禿頭（go bald），那叫他長毛就更名不副實（misnomer）。To go bald就是脫髮而變成禿頭。Age可作動詞用，解作變老。釀酒師也會讓某些酒變陳舊（age），令它們更為醇厚。
有些外國傳媒，例如《時代雜誌》，把現時香港的民主起義（uprising）說成革命（revolution）。但一些民主領袖則謂，他們的公民抗命示威只是一個民主運動而非革命（revolution）。我也把之稱為革命（revolution）。Revolution的實質意思，是一大群的公民以武力嘗試推翻政府，並以新的政權取代。Uprising也有類似的意思，不過uprising通常比revolution牽涉較少的人。眾多的公民參與了公民抗命示威，至今也沒有使用任何暴力，他們要推翻特首梁振英，及迫使中央政府收回其政改決定。於我而言，它仍是一場革命（revolution），不過是一場沒有使用武力的革命（revolution）。
我也想過，這場公民抗命或會轉化（evolve）成無政府狀態（anarchy）。這在香港某些地方已經發生了。Anarchy就是出現了政治騷亂、目無法紀的人（lawlessness），而政府又未能管治。示威者已封鎖政府總部和特首辦。因此，政府已未能真正的管治。香港也存在政治動盪，公民抗命的示威者不服從法紀，甚至阻礙公務員上班。這就是anarchy。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=303989§ion_name=wtt&kw=126