ISABEL ESCODA
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Multicultural society a study in sociology
HONG KONG
It’s long been known by those of us foreign residents
of Hong Kong that too many of the natives among
whom we live are a rather gloomy lot.
Unfortunately for us fun-loving, bahala-na Pinoys, there
aren’t many lovable local individuals with whom we
can become fast friends. If we do find some congenial
ones, they’re usually like-minded gweilos and
gweipors like us.
Perhaps because many of us find the Cantonese
tongue a stumbling block in building relationships,
this is why it’s hard to communicate with non-English
(or non-Tagalog) speakers.
And the difficulty often lies in too many master-and-
servant attitudes prevailing in Hong Kong, where stern
employers use a few English words with a lot of sign
language, and obsequious Pinoys respond with some
Chinese words like “Pengyau,” “Oongoi,” “Waaah!”
etc.
Such a situation simply doesn’t foster peace and
harmony among the different races who have to live in
close proximity to each other. Hence the dearth of
happy scenes among Chinese, Pinoys and other
Southeast Asians around the territory.
Recently, the South China Morning Post ran an article
about the state of unhappiness among the locals.
“We’re good at hating, whether at work, home or
school,” was the headline in a survey carried out by
City University. The report highlighted the fact that
most people’s interpersonal relationships have been
deteriorating.
The condition is not quite as virulent as SARS, or as
threateningly dangerous as bird ‘flu, but a minor
pandemic of hate is apparently circulating in Hong
Kong. Most of those infected are young people who
detest their classmates, parents and friends.
Among adults, the dislike is targeted at colleagues at
work, bosses, neighbors and strangers. This latter
category undoubtedly covers Pinoys, as well as the
assorted foreigners who live and work in the territory.
My first experience of this local dislike for foreigners
was as a newcomer when I’d ask for directions and
would either be ignored, waved away
unceremoniously or stared at as though I didn’t exist.
Much of the prevailing hatred, according to the
university professor of Applied Social Studies who led
the survey, is attributed to stress that produces
intolerance which in turn results in disputes.
He said Hongkongers generally don’t know how to
handle interpersonal relations properly, with most
ignoring their relationship problems, which he warns
will only make them worse. This depressing
nastiness is obviously out of proportion with the overall
economic well-being of what’s been touted as “Asia’s
World City.”
A well-known political cartoonist (gweilo, as it
happens) once featured a cranky-looking Chinese
woman saying to her maid, “Filipinos are happy even
though the outside world thinks their country is poor
and unstable,” with the perky Pinay replying,
“Hongkong people are miserable even though the
outside world thinks the country is rich and stable!”
Other observers have commented on the fact that a
developing country like the Philippines seems to be
populated by unusually bouyant people who hardly
ever commit suicide.
In contrast, Hong Kong’s suicide rate has been
growing, with more and more young people killing
themselves over pressure at school and problems at
home.
An Australian friend once asked me where the Pinoy’s
happy-go-lucky trait comes from. Fancying myself an
amateur psychologist, I like to trot out my own theories
whenever I’m asked this question: this inborn
cheeriness is due in part to the mysticism inherited
from our ancestors who believed in spirits, anting-
antings and the like, plus the religion drummed into
us, first by the Spanish colonials, and today by
American-style Pinoy evangelists who promise heaven
on earth – if followers pay tithes so the preacher can
build himself a mansion in Baguio, or better still, in
Arizona.
We live in a hopeful religious fog, hence the tendency
towards a seemingly irrational sunniness.
Never mind if we sometimes turn zany – like that Jun
Ducat who recently held some kids hostage so he
could get on TV to rail against poverty; or the yearly
crucifixions by imitators of Christ; or the attempt by a
congressman during President Garcia’s time to pass
a bill banning typhoons.
Compared to the serious sullen Hongkongers, Pinoys
are a jolly jovial lot.
HONG KONG
It’s long been known by those of us foreign residents
of Hong Kong that too many of the natives among
whom we live are a rather gloomy lot.
Unfortunately for us fun-loving, bahala-na Pinoys, there
aren’t many lovable local individuals with whom we
can become fast friends. If we do find some congenial
ones, they’re usually like-minded gweilos and
gweipors like us.
Perhaps because many of us find the Cantonese
tongue a stumbling block in building relationships,
this is why it’s hard to communicate with non-English
(or non-Tagalog) speakers.
And the difficulty often lies in too many master-and-
servant attitudes prevailing in Hong Kong, where stern
employers use a few English words with a lot of sign
language, and obsequious Pinoys respond with some
Chinese words like “Pengyau,” “Oongoi,” “Waaah!”
etc.
Such a situation simply doesn’t foster peace and
harmony among the different races who have to live in
close proximity to each other. Hence the dearth of
happy scenes among Chinese, Pinoys and other
Southeast Asians around the territory.
Recently, the South China Morning Post ran an article
about the state of unhappiness among the locals.
“We’re good at hating, whether at work, home or
school,” was the headline in a survey carried out by
City University. The report highlighted the fact that
most people’s interpersonal relationships have been
deteriorating.
The condition is not quite as virulent as SARS, or as
threateningly dangerous as bird ‘flu, but a minor
pandemic of hate is apparently circulating in Hong
Kong. Most of those infected are young people who
detest their classmates, parents and friends.
Among adults, the dislike is targeted at colleagues at
work, bosses, neighbors and strangers. This latter
category undoubtedly covers Pinoys, as well as the
assorted foreigners who live and work in the territory.
My first experience of this local dislike for foreigners
was as a newcomer when I’d ask for directions and
would either be ignored, waved away
unceremoniously or stared at as though I didn’t exist.
Much of the prevailing hatred, according to the
university professor of Applied Social Studies who led
the survey, is attributed to stress that produces
intolerance which in turn results in disputes.
He said Hongkongers generally don’t know how to
handle interpersonal relations properly, with most
ignoring their relationship problems, which he warns
will only make them worse. This depressing
nastiness is obviously out of proportion with the overall
economic well-being of what’s been touted as “Asia’s
World City.”
A well-known political cartoonist (gweilo, as it
happens) once featured a cranky-looking Chinese
woman saying to her maid, “Filipinos are happy even
though the outside world thinks their country is poor
and unstable,” with the perky Pinay replying,
“Hongkong people are miserable even though the
outside world thinks the country is rich and stable!”
Other observers have commented on the fact that a
developing country like the Philippines seems to be
populated by unusually bouyant people who hardly
ever commit suicide.
In contrast, Hong Kong’s suicide rate has been
growing, with more and more young people killing
themselves over pressure at school and problems at
home.
An Australian friend once asked me where the Pinoy’s
happy-go-lucky trait comes from. Fancying myself an
amateur psychologist, I like to trot out my own theories
whenever I’m asked this question: this inborn
cheeriness is due in part to the mysticism inherited
from our ancestors who believed in spirits, anting-
antings and the like, plus the religion drummed into
us, first by the Spanish colonials, and today by
American-style Pinoy evangelists who promise heaven
on earth – if followers pay tithes so the preacher can
build himself a mansion in Baguio, or better still, in
Arizona.
We live in a hopeful religious fog, hence the tendency
towards a seemingly irrational sunniness.
Never mind if we sometimes turn zany – like that Jun
Ducat who recently held some kids hostage so he
could get on TV to rail against poverty; or the yearly
crucifixions by imitators of Christ; or the attempt by a
congressman during President Garcia’s time to pass
a bill banning typhoons.
Compared to the serious sullen Hongkongers, Pinoys
are a jolly jovial lot.
We live in a
hopeful
religious fog,
hence the
tendency
towards a
seemingly
irrational
sunniness.
Never mind if
we
sometimes
turn zany
hopeful
religious fog,
hence the
tendency
towards a
seemingly
irrational
sunniness.
Never mind if
we
sometimes
turn zany
Compared to HK, wer'e a jolly jovial lot
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