[takoyakiballs]

Originally Posted by meemiathai

I think they discriminate their own people worse.

Back to the OP, are you male or female? Are you from the Philipines? I am sorry that you are right that racism does exist here in HK. But I don't think it is bad enough to really affect your daily life.

Yes, I am from the Philippines. I'm male by the way...I almost thought I look like female when my collegue compared me with my fellow DH citizens......Days abroad never gone very bad because of racism. I guess it's because I have learned to control and not retaliate easily.

[Krad]

Originally Posted by climber07

To most in the US that kid was just an American crazed teeneager.


At the same time you have a risk of being ripped off by paying "gweillo" prices.

Not quite true, there was a bit of backlash against a lot of Koreans in the area for a while, still a bit of it going on. Not quite Rodney King level, but a lot of Asians in the Virginia area were really uncomfortable with their situation for a time.

And trust me, the "gweilo" prices practically don't exist anymore. At most, a few dollars higher than normal. And the side benefits you get outweigh those.

[takoyakiballs]

Originally Posted by KnowItAll

>>

If you're senior enough, report him to his boss by simply asking if this is the company policy.

Fix issues like this, which are in your control pro-actively.

What Max suggested... plus ask the guy for his name and his supervisor's name and proactively go to the management office and report him.

Rest... sometimes you just cannot let it get to you and have to move on.

Thanks for the advices...most of all, I believe that last line from KnowItAll..I worried about one thing in facing that office encounter head-on since I still got no perfect view of HK locals, in general, on how they deal with issues like this, even in the professional set-up. I'm pretty much sure though that my poor colluegue is more than a shallow & racist..i suspect that insecurity is an issue too as I'm sure that I am paid higher than him...I would like to believe that generaly, Hongkongers are pragmatic rather than racist. If this is true, many should be happy & recognizing Filipina DH as a vital part of how HK society has survived and developed for years..unless, they are not really happy about themselves and their country...

[lionrock88]

Originally Posted by Star Gazer

Should have told her to ask the Korean, if she worked in a launderette.

great suggestion. fight racist behavior with racist behavior... not.

[ricw55]

*deleted should have read hte post

[oklah]

Originally Posted by takoyakiballs

If this is true, many should be happy & recognizing Filipina DH as a vital part of how HK society has survived and developed for years..unless, they are not really happy about themselves and their country...

Yeah, I would agree with what you said about people just not being happy with themselves. Insecurity in my opinion leads to so many external conflicts. As everyone has pointed out in this thread, dont let it get you down.

Cheers,
Henry

[Boris]

Quote "I was sitting with my legs criss crossed on one of the benches in the lobby, "
Is not racism, but the fact that having " dirty shoes " in a place they are not designed to be is -- HERE -- not accepted. It would be only natural for them to say not to do it. It goes to the very asian way of removing shoes before going inside your house. All callers will automatically go to remove footware.

On the other point. It was of course meant to be a joke .
In poor taste maybe if you didn't have a ( friendly ) relationship with them but I would say they where trying to seem friendly to you. Of course, if they do it again, you should slap them down because its got to be seen as inappropriate.

People see racism here a lot when really its a very liberal place. We are a mongrel but transient mix in HK. You just have to balance it with an understanding of different cultures and the way they expect to be treated according to their customs.

FYI
I was once given an earfull by saying to a Sikh friend that I trusted someones judgement because they had Christian values. He took it to be an elitist racial slur on Hindus , Moslem and non white faith. Of course I meant nothing of the kind and it was, for me , a natural turn of speech. So we have to be aware of cultural boundaries.

If your a Phillipino in HK they only see the " obvious " . You, like other races with cultural stereotypes, have to put up with people who imagine they have the education but in fact are insulated by not travelling to, living with and understanding by interaction, those with whom we share the planet.

As an Englishman I have a genetic hatred of the French and Germans but have some great friends from those countries who play on my genetic weakness at every turn. The Belgians try to get in on the act but NO ONE takes any notice of them !

The Americans you have to have a lot of pity for. For they are hated on a cyclical basis, dependant upon the educational abilities of the head of state. Racism? No. I think its called Republicanism.

[takoyakiballs]

Originally Posted by climber07

I've observed plenty of open racism in Asia (Japan is one of the worst). But it's very prevalent in Hong Kong.

When I was in Tokyo on business trip during the Virginia Tech shooting int he US, earlier this year, I couldn't belive the media which was focusing on the Shooter and making a strong point to mention that he was Korean (as that was the most important factor in his violent behaviour). To most in the US that kid was just an American crazed teeneager.

I agree that racism in Japan is one of the worst..it's scary if HK is more worse..but probably not, given the fact that we dont have so much communication problem and too much cultural misunderstanding here...I got plenty of those when i was in japan..there, in & out of professional world, the original roman motto "be roman if you are in rome" is a pass to survive, if you want/need to stay there...that is why japanese culture is said to be the most peculiar among asian's...in my observation, it looks like westerner & europeans suffer more difficulty with the japanese rather than asian origin foreigner in japan

[takoyakiballs]

Originally Posted by oklah

Yeah, I would agree with what you said about people just not being happy with themselves. Insecurity in my opinion leads to so many external conflicts. As everyone has pointed out in this thread, dont let it get you down.

Cheers,
Henry

thanks to that, henry!

[takoyakiballs]

Originally Posted by Boris

Quote "I was sitting with my legs criss crossed on one of the benches in the lobby, "
Is not racism, but the fact that having " dirty shoes " in a place they are not designed to be is -- HERE -- not accepted.

On the other point. It was of course meant to be a joke .
In poor taste maybe if you didn't have a ( friendly ) relationship with them but I would say they where trying to seem friendly to you. Of course, if they do it again, you should slap them down because its got to be seen as inappropriate.

Yeah, your right, scolding me having sitted that way is not itself an act of racism...racism comes when the guard scolded me while he practically allowed the other guys of different skin color to do more dirt than the way i did...if i really did.

the other point, indeed it went like a joke, a kind of which implies a hidden rebellion due to the guy's uncomfortable feeling being a local HK serving someone allegedly belongs to the race lower than him...im in doubt that he represents the thinking of the majority among local HK though. I'm here ready to make friends too, anyway.