今日看完陳雲的文章「鴉雀無聲度新歲」，發覺原來不只自己無過年feel，連市面、甚至新界村屋也是一樣。我想除了憂鬱沮喪的城市氣氛外，愈來愈多港人無得放新年假期，也是原因之一。新年是一家團聚的節日，就算農民工都會千里回鄉，可是，香港的零售店、食肆早已取消新年休息的傳統，初一、二員工照樣要返工，連帶做清潔的阿姐都要返工，令到港人在新年反而不能團圓。
鴉雀無聲度新歲 陳雲
陳雲所說的香港這種憂鬱沮喪的城市氣氛，與The sound of silence的描述十分相似。
The sound of silence是Simon and Garfunkel在1964年創作，歌曲透過描寫一種關於大眾沉浸在沈默的異象（Vision），來批判社會只知道盲目崇拜物質偶像（Neon god they made），不知道、也不敢正視社會的真實面（例如地下鐵與廉價公寓中的窮人）。
沉默變成一種聲音（sound of silence）讓大眾以為一切都還是正常，但當時美國社會正值動亂不安的年代，發生了冷戰、越戰、美國黑人民權運動、甘迺迪遇刺等重要事件。
The sound of silence
Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
'Neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.
"Fools" said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you."
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence.
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls."
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
The sound of silence寫給1964年的美國人，但想不到47年後的今日，香港人也是處於這種silence。
The sound of silence(香港版)
Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains within the sound of silence.
異象早已在香港降臨。
近幾年來，香港的一切，包括經濟活力、本土文化和自然生態等等，
已一步步被地產霸權、人民幣和「融合」概念蠶食，
但大部分的港人仍安於現狀，不願多想多談。
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
'Neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
政府、政黨常高談闊論，但言之無物，
主流傳媒亦成為權貴的宣傳機器，新聞報道淪為廣告，
而大部分人對這些資訊不經思考，全單接收。
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.
香港的唱片公司、歌手仍有出新歌，但盡是沒有「聲音」的歌，
與民情脫節的流行曲注定被樂迷唾棄。
"Fools" said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you."
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence.
人們選擇沉黙，不願正視現時香港嚴峻的社會問題，
亦不會去抵抗醜惡的異象。
只是這種沉黙將如癌症般，慢慢成長，
至末期時已是回天乏術。
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made.
民主黨口說民主，但暗中與北京進行枱底交易，
部分學者則大力宣揚「擴大民主成分」、「路徑依賴」等混帳概念，
兩者以此塑造出「假民主」(neon god)，蒙騙港人，
扼殺了真民主、真普選。
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls."
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
「先知的話語是寫在地鐵的牆上以及廉價公寓的大廳裡」
在任何一個社會，窮人的境況都是反映了該社會的真象，
拾紙皮維生的老人、一天工作12小時以上也不能養家的基層，
就是香港社會的一面鏡，照出社會陰暗但真實的一面，
表面繁榮富裕的城市，內裡是如何勞役、剥削人民而得來，
窮人每況愈下的慘況也映出了權貴以外的港人未來。
2008年，導演張經緯拍了《歌舞昇平》記錄片，
記下綜援家庭的生活，看完放映後，
旁邊的內地記錄導演問我：「我覺得佢地都唔慘，有屋住有飯食」，
我答：「是的。但佢地對生活無期昐，好似無左希望咁，過得一日得一日。」
《歌舞昇平》的各人(除了2位少年)給我有一種意志消沉的感覺，
片中他們說自己生活已算是不錯，臉上卻沒有滿足感，
片尾以他們望着新年維港的煙花作結，然而花火再燦爛也跟他們無關。
想不到，現在香港就是滲著這種消沉的城市氣氛------The sound of silence。
