In parallel with its severe crackdown on civil society, the Hong Kong govt is increasingly speaking the CCP's authoritarian language. Together w/ @dkopf, we analysed 165K govt statements over 10yrs to chart the authoritarian turn of HK's official rhetoric: https://qz.com/1942410/chinas-authoritarian-language-is-taking-over-hong-kong/

The story began with a simple q: why does the Hong Kong govt sound so...unhinged? Everything is "so-called;" inconvenient facts are dismissed as "rumours;" officials flaunt their "full support" for Beijing; & there's much talk of "legitimate" rights even as freedoms are eroded..

This newly strident official rhetoric appears to be aimed at several goals: reinforcing China’s absolute national sovereignty; refuting criticisms & justifying govt actions; exerting control over civil society; & redefining concepts like human rights to align them w CCP ideology.

@dkopf charted the stark increase in hallmark CCP propaganda phrases, eg "endangering national security," "One China," "restore stability," "internal affairs," "external forces," "collusion." The picture is clear: once a muted technocratic bureaucracy, HK has gone authoritarian.

Why this focus on language? As activists are jailed & ppl flee for exile, it's easy to grow numb to govt statements. But remaining sceptical of official lingo is a way of holding onto a form of reality beyond the reach of the state's distortions. And it's a form of resistance.