This article was written by a friend of mine on facebook which I find it interesting to share(of cos I got her approval to share it here)….and I also realize that not only the str8 guys she’s mentioned here but actually it’s like a generation thing whether a st8 gal, Les/Bi/ Gay. From the the people I know who are working a the educational field also remind us of those who are born in the 90s are also developing a new kind of cultural attitude, I guess as a human being this is the way it goes?
What is “Hong Kong Phenomenon”?
1) It is a phenomenon found in metropolitan cities, but it is particularly prominent in Hong Kong.
2) It is a phenomenon found mainly in Chinese guys aged 28 to 35.
3) It is a phenomenon found mainly in guys who returned from overseas, especially the English speaking group.
4) Guys with this phenomenon are typically party players, self-centred, commitment phobic, spoiled, irresponsible, immature and ignorant.
5) Where to find these guys? LKF.(Lan Kwai Fong Central)
So how did it all started? Well, in my humble opinion, a majority of local Hong Kong people (those who have not lived or studied overseas) always feel that people who speak good English are smarter and superior. That might be due to the fact that Hong Kong was a British colony. It is not difficult to see some ex-pats here having that arrogant attitude, partially because of this pride that the local people here have implicitly given them. The same goes for what we call ABC/CBC (a rude term would be “banana”), sometimes.
I suppose back in early 80s to 90s, Hong Kong developed quickly that it made a lot of people rich. Then the whole 1997 fear hit the city and it created a tide of wealthy people moving their assets and family overseas. Therefore, not surprisingly, guys with the “Hong Kong Phenomenon” are actually kids of these well-off families and have now come back to work. Since they are fortunate enough to be able to go to good schools, they also tend to get a better job here compared to local people. They make a higher salary and can live a more luxurious life. Even if they don’t get a fat paycheck, because they don’t have to take care of their parents financially, possibly living in a nice apartment provided by their parents, they got nothing to worry about but their job (if they care). At least money wise, everything can be taken care of by their family.
After saying all these, so what? Because of their privileged background, they did not have to grow up. The attributes of this phenomenon then develop: party players, self-centred, commitment phobic, spoiled, irresponsible, immature and ignorant. I do not mean that they don’t know how to take care of themselves on a day-to-day basis. I am sure they can live alone (NOTE: not on their own because that apartment may be paid for by their parents) because they can always hire a maid to do the chores. By immature, for instance, they are insensitive of other people’s feelings. They say things offending others without knowing, such as commenting on how a 500 square feet apartment is too small for them to live in. By ignorant, they don’t know what an “ordinary” person has to deal with, what kind of challenges in life he/she is facing (job security, money, food, etc) and yet, they claim that they are so stressed already working during the week and thus need to party all out to de-stress during the weekend in LKF. They live in their own world seeing the upper scale and become self-centred. They are commitment phobic because there are way too many temptations in Hong Kong. Girls, whether local or overseas, just prefer them because of their status and background. These guys are overloaded with choices that they do not want to or need to commit to one girl.
Think about back in our parents’ time, they already had a family to take care of in late 20s/early 30s. Or even in a lot other cities now, a 30 year old guy is thinking about settling down. Hence, don’t you think this is screwed up? These guys hang out with similar people and the girls who are after them keep feeding them with the illusion that they are fine or even superior. They will always stay within their world and when they finally hit real life obstacles one day, they may not know how to handle it.
I consider myself very lucky. I had the opportunity to live and study overseas even though I don’t come from a wealthy family. I live the life I have now is because of what my family has striven to provide for me. However, I would argue I worked hard to buy every single thing I own, every piece of furniture. I am fortunate enough that I never lived in poverty. But at least, I know how much worse it can be out there. So again, cherish what we have now and don’t take it for granted.
What I wrote above about guys from overseas is not a generalization. Not everyone returning from overseas carry those attributes. I know of some very down to earth and mature ABC/CBC, guy and gal. Only in Hong Kong, you find more of this type of kid-like adults compared to say, Macau or Taiwan. And don’t get me wrong, they are not bad people. They simply don’t know what’s going on outside of their world. But seriously, if you want to see this phenomenon with your own eyes, it is not difficult to find one of these guys in LKF. Depends on what you want, they can be fun to hang out with actually as they know how to enjoy life. I’d like to go out with them once in a while. Just an advice for my lady friends, better not date one if you want a long-term and normal relationship. You will simply be babysitting a kid and he is not even your kid. It is not your job to fix his problem given he is already close to 30, if not 30 or over.
May all beings be happy.
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