Why Are Hong Kong People afraid to sit next Black People on the Train

[Tom]

I have noticed something very strange in Hong Kong. If a black person sits on the train and there is empty seat beside him, They would rather stand then to take a seat, if that same person was a Chinese or white person they would take the seat next to the person. I have noticed this on number of occasions.

If you don't believe me watch and observe when they there is an empty seat and the person beside is a black or Indian, watch Hong Kong people reactions

To me this is just ignorance and says something about Hong Kong People and people of color.

[janice]

well i have noticed same thing for the lift..
they will rather wait for another one than take it alone with you..

[david]

I live in Canada and in the past there were a few occasions where white people didn't want to sit next to me on the bus or train. All whites like that?. I don't think so but there's always pocket of A.H. in any ethnic group that acts ignorantly.

[hksnowman]

I am also from HK but didn't see the same situtation....

[Pika]

Ponaehalo, potomu chto!

[Anjie]

sometimes you just have to ignore the racism, and when you do that Hong Kong is actually a pretty amazing place.

[Owain Johns]

its true, and not just for black/indian people either, i'm welsh (uk) although im usually taken for being of spanish/greek/french type origin and Ive had the same, not on Hk island, but anything north of mong kok and its possible. Usually the older generation. many times I'd be on the metro and they would rush in and grab the first seat, look around, see me, and get up and move - I was astonished, sooooo blatant!! Im an English teacher and Ive had it first hand in school on more than 1 occasion.
Discussion segment of a lesson about 'holidays'
Q. How about a holiday to America?
A. Oh no, its dangerous!
- sensing an opportunity for discussion, and thinking America is dangerous because of all the guns.... I asked....
Q. Why do you think its dangerous?
(This is a 'good' school, well off families, Christian slogans all over the walls, on-site chapel, and the class teacher was in the class with me F2B)
A. Ugh! so many black people!
Q. Whats wrong with black people???
A. So dirty and dangerous.
I was stunned.
I looked at the class teacher for support.
She looked at the floor.
The class was generally in agreement, some support, NO objections.
I asked the student to think...
Q why might I be offended by the comment?
A. Because your a Foreigner? but your not black?
I showed them a photo of my lovely niece and some of my friends.
It took the smiles off some of their faces, the class teacher never looked me in the eyes again.
I do like Hk, but there is still some way to go on 'cultural perception'
which is PC double speak for ; yes, this is a fairly racist place, unfortunately.

[pope in hk]

i quite diagree with the hongkong people who think that black people are dirty.hongkong people are clean on the train but in their room is like refuse house.they live in one room with their families toilet inside.i could remember during the sar period all the people travellin from hongkong to another country are quarantined for 24hrs before they let them in the city.cleanliness depend on the individuals so hongkong people shouldnot judge the black people

[Winnie]

In answer to the above comment, I don't quite understand what you are saying...hopefully I am reading it all wrong but you make it sound like HK people live in poverty...'room is like refuse house.they live in one room with their families toilet inside'. They certainly don't live like that!

I think the problem with racism in HK is that it isn't really a multicultural country so it may stem from that problem.

[Christopher]

Dear Pope,

I suggest you take your bigotry and hatred and proceed to forcefully insert into your rectum.

Cheers
Christopher

[Cin]

Why people do that???I just adore black people^.^

[tan sa kit]

Thanks to the old Hollywood movies like Tarzan, etc. that portray black as "savages" and many from the third world sterotype the black as "dangerous" like NY's Harlem in many Hollywood movies. It is about time that we should correct this biased imaged.

[Charlie]

I'm a white westerner in HK, the local Cantonese call us gweilo (ghost man), I guess it's like a black man being called the N word (*I can't believe this comment box wouldn't actually let me write it. It's just a word!*). I have seen local HK people avoid sitting next to gweilo's before. Racism is not exclusive to Blacks or Indians and just because blacks/whites/indians etc are in the minority does not mean that they are not racist to the majority.
Besides, is racism not sitting down next to someone?

[larrysam]

I am a chinese student in hong kong ,
in my view
i almost see different colour people everyday
but i don't think there is a racism problem in hong kong
even thought the black people
in my living estate
we have south-asia people as neighbour
they playing and studying with chinese people together .

[Hotkiss Law]

I am a student from HK.
I believes that many people in HK do not discriminate others, but some of HK people are not highly educated.
The older people holding bad impression of Foreigner because they were suffered from the war in early years of HK.
Actually, I really like to meet Foreigner and make friends with them.

[anti-racism]

Hongkong people are quite racist. Generally they worship Caucasians but showing desdain towards dark skin people including South Asian or Africans as they consider if you do not have fair skin then you belong to another class of human-being. Not too long ago, they even treat their own race but coming from China very much the same way and they even give a nickname for these cousins - "A Chang" and look how they suck up to these cousins these days.

I am from Hongkong but living in Canada and I am telling you, the people from Hongkong do not change their spots even they have migrated overseas.

[Mr X]

thats cos black people have a bad reputation for mugging u and indians have a bad reputation for smelling like curry...

[FancyPants]

However dumb the underlying thoughts, I don't think it's an immigrant's privilege to demand that their new host country changes to accommodate their needs. Don't like it - don't stay.

I also haven't seen the discribed situation very often in HK, and I think it's unfair to generalize about HK people from your anecdote.

As a fair, well dressed person I get good access to Eastern societies. I also get good treatment by goverment and serice people. But people try to squeeze a lot more money out of me than they do from my darker or rougher looking friends. If you look well heeled you get treated better, but you're also expected to pay more.

Immigrating to a new country and expecting to keep all your privileges and advantages from your own ethnic group like being considered smart, exotic or sexually desirable, but also get all the privileges of the new people you immigrate to, is a bit like getting invited to a party and just eating the topping of the cakes. It's not fair to the others, and it probably won't do you any good to try either.

[London-Hong Kong]

Well...! I am arriving in Hong Kong in 5 days and hope the situation is not as bleak as this post makes it out to be!

(British born female of Carribbean origin)

[Fed Up]

Fancy Pants,

Confronting obvious percieved misconceptions about different races, has nothing to do with accommodating to ones needs. Obviously, this is the result of high levels of ignorance, on many people's part, including.
Your over simplistic conclusions,(you being well -dressed, almost assumes that other victims of this discrimination are not usually well dressed- or polished.
You are obviously very naive.