Equal mockery on Hong Kong TV means fairer treatment

By Wang Di Source:Global Times Published: 2013-1-29 19:18:01

I haven't been a TV fan when living in Hong Kong. Owing to my intrinsic mainland prejudices against the taste of the city, I obstinately believe its television industry produces no comparable work to the shows I truly love, like, Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire.

Over years people are become to the inferior quality of soap operas that pander to housewives' preference. Therefore, I am amazed this time that some Hongkongers really stood up and audibly objected to a new series, Inbound Troubles, a TVB comedy drama.

This drama boasts a realistic, if sometimes exaggerated, portrayal of cultural differences between Hong Kong locals and mainlanders. This slight deviation from the industrial aspiration toward wasting viewers' time on absurdity and advertisements has met with reactionary critics.

Some Hongkongers blame the drama for depicting them as narrow-minded and mean boors. Some mainlanders report being uncomfortable, when rich mainland visitors show bad manners and are cajoled into buying outrageously expensive junk on screen.

However, few of these complainers admit the existence of a corresponding reality. Such social incidents as the infamy of tour guide "Ah Zhen," locals' paranoia about mainland human traffickers, and the campaign to bully mainland visitors by singing "the song of the locusts," are all sources of inspiration for a series.

I wonder why people get furiously angry when a TV show just repeats the news.

At least, I did not see the producers maligning any side. When both sides claim to be the victims of distortion, I believe we are close to the truth. A truth must be true when everybody denies part of it.

And I see no reason for outrage when this truth makes people uncomfortable.

There are also critics worrying this show may exacerbate the tensions between locals and mainlanders by bringing back bad memories. This is fair, but irrelevant.

The truth is that there are bad mannered people from both Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Let's admit that their appalling behavior really deserve some criticism. But often the public outcry against a certain group will worsen the relationship between peoples and create a damaging stereotype.

It helps little to just single out the sins of one side and say "Look, how stupid you are!" But it helps much more if someone can bring every piece of stupidity together and realize that no one is innocent.

The best such "someone" I can imagine is a comedy producer, and the worst I think is a politician. Their commercial impetus drives them to relentlessly exploit every moment of social controversy, and make fun of all everyone.

A minimum tolerance for this fun, sometimes innocuous but sometimes offensive, is an aspect of civil society. And surely the public finds it more interesting to watch it than sign up for a Facebook campaign hostile to mainlanders.

When people can see the whole picture and tolerate such a TV show, they are one step closer to tolerance and acceptance.

Identity battles, cultural wars, and xenophobia are ubiquitous today in regions that face pressures of immigration and regional integration. Of course we can't expect a comedy to completely reverse this downward spiral, but it may help to relieve the problem.

I once resisted my friends' recommendation of Inbound Troubles. But after I watched it, I saw the point. Isn't it much better to consume TV shows that make people less offensive but funnier than keep debating whether mainlanders mess up everything in Hong Kong?

This is the only one Hong Kong TV show so far that I really want to watch, simply because it is hilarious and informative. 

The author is a Phd student in Economics in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn



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