Ah Yellow, The Political Incorrect Colour
What would happen if the colour yellow disappeared from the universe?
An American oldie that goes like this,
If you’re going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
And if you are going to Hong Kong, make sure the flower is not yellow. As a matter of fact, don’t wear anything visible yellow, especially around your face. So no yellow face mask, no yellow baseball cap (or hat), nor bandana, and definitely no yellow T-shirt.
What happened most recently was that the Hong Kong Post Office is about to release a set of commemorative postage stamps for the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR. One of the stamps used a picture of a flag-raising ceremony at a local school. However, some sharp-eyed citizens pointed out it was a photo they had posted on the government website before, except some alternations were made. The most significant one was the students’ sports uniforms were all changed to white from the original yellow.
Here, just study the two pictures below, and try to spot the difference.
Well, photoshop is very handy and powerful these days, everyone who posts pictures on the web will use it to enhance every aspect of the picture. Just to be perfect, right? So, replacing the high-rise building with a blue sky is a good move, who would want to be reminded of our lousy living conditions, especially on such occasions. A high-flying flag sure looks a lot more exciting. The colour of the students’ shirts, however, has very little difference. Unless you really have a thing with the colour yellow.
This is not the first time the colour yellow made the news. When a LegCo member became a mother and she chatted with reporters about dressing up her newborn baby, she mentioned she will not buy any clothing that was yellow. She is outspoken and post-government, obviously.
Back in 2014, during the Umbrella Movement, yellow umbrellas is the symbol and that’s how this all started. A thing about yellow developed and the phobia that followed. When the CE was going to meet with the LegCo, one member walked into the room wearing a yellow tie. Nobody really care but when one guy mentioned, “Is a yellow tie you are wearing?” The group turned silent and looked at the guy with a “How dare you” look. The guy was really uncomfortable and his face turned red. He quickly took off his tie and put it into his coat pocket.
No, there is no law against the use of the colour yellow. There is no guideline stating how we should handle the colour yellow in different circumstances. It’s all just self-censoring. It’s what kills the spirits and creativity when people can only be concerned about what should or shouldn’t be done. It’s just pathetic. At least they didn’t be so stupid to alter the yellow stars on the national flag. How silly would that be?
