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Old 6th Mar 2022, 22:21
  #326 (permalink)  
Sam Ting Wong
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: one country, one system
Age: 55
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Originally Posted by CovidRefugee
I never really understood why the expat community accepted the casual racism that is rife in Hong Kong. Look at how Philippinas/ Indonesians DHs are treated by the 'locals'. Modern day slavery sanctioned by their HK government that would never be so overtly tolerated elsewhere.. Indeed look at how the 'locals' used to treat the mainland Chinese. The looks of disgust in Citigate as their rich relatives from the North hoovered up useless luxury goods. After the global disaster that China has caused why anyone would be a proud nationalist is beyond me.
I made a very different experience in my many years here. I found the people of Hong Kong extremely hospitable, modern, efficient and well organised ( minus last 2.5 years). I was always treated with respect and fairly.

Compare the society to any other international community. Where is it better? Where in the world do you have less tensions, less hate crime, less violence between locals and foreigners? Additionally, I have definitely seen more arrogant impatient gweilos treating locals with contempt than vice versa.

The helper issue can be seen from different angles. A large number of poor and unskilled workers are able to work and provide for their empoverished families. Would they be better off without the job? Yes, there are cases of abuse, but you need to put that into perspective. There are 300 k foreign helper in Hong Kong, compared to that the case numbers are very low. Many locals have been trialed and sentenced for abuse of their helper, I am pretty sure not very common in many of the other host countries. And speaking of abuse and extortion: how many of US pay their maids minimum wage and only give them the minimum leave? When has your helper last seen her family?

"Unfriendly" faces at Citygate? I wish where I come from this would be the only reaction to foreigners..

I think we would be well advised to be a bit more self-critical. None of us bothered to learn Cantonese, 99% of us have no real social contacts to locals, we do not integrate well. Nevertheless we ask foreigners in our home countries to adopt our values, to learn the lingo, to assimilate.

Proud nationalists? Many brave locals are now in jail or in exile, millions protested in the streets over the last years. Hong Kong people are the victims not the culprits in this dirty game.




Last edited by Sam Ting Wong; 6th Mar 2022 at 22:32.
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