Tin Shui Wai

Tin Shui Wai – A City of Sadness?

Introduction

Tin Shui Wai ( TSW ) had many fish pools in 20 old ages ago and began to develop as a new town since 1990 ‘s. However, a serious household calamity ( all the 4 members of the same household died at place at the same clip ) happened in TSW in 2004 and aroused public negative perceptual experience. Although the authorities suggested many steps to forestall the household calamity, another similar household calamity happened once more in TSW in 2007. The mass media used the generalised term “city of sadness” to depict all the negative intelligence happened in TSW.

Causes of Prejudice & A ; Discrimination in TSW

Social classification is really serious in TSW because the population construction in TSW is particular. Excluding the rich 1s from Hong Kong ( HK ) local life in Kingswood Villas and Home Ownership Scheme, most occupants populating in public hosing estates in TSW are new immigrants from mainland China and come from southern Asiatic states like India and Pakistan. People divide the community into distinguishable classs on about any footing and consequence in different perceptual experiences of “Us” ( named as “in-group” ) versus “Them” ( named as “out-group” ) . [ 1 ] Usually, Cantonese born, grow and unrecorded in local HK for a really long period of clip are classified as “in-group” and handle other non-HK local Born people as “out-groups” because cultural differences is the chief ground for the formation of “in-group” and “out-group” .

One of the cultural differences is linguistic communication. Cantonese born and unrecorded in HK for a really long clip can talk Cantonese ( Guangzhou linguistic communication ) fluently and read Chinese as “in-group” . For “out-group” , new immigrants from mainland China, they may talk Guangzhou linguistic communication in their fatherland idiom or talk straight in their fatherland idiom or even talk in Mandarin merely. Another “out-group” is southern Asian ( besides named as “minority ethnic” group in HK ) . Although some of them can talk English and Cantonese, their chief spoken linguistic communication is Indian or Pakistan and most of them ca n’t compose and read in Chinese. Another cultural differences is custom. Even in the “out-group” , they besides “categorize” in Chinese group ( “in” ) and non-Chinese group ( “out” ) . For illustration, in Chinese tabu, Chinese do n’t talk “death” in Chinese lunar new twelvemonth but people in southern Asiatic states do non cognize or hold this tabu. In other words, people in southern Asiatic states do non mind to state “dead” during Chinese lunar new twelvemonth or doing Chinese friends. On the other manus, Pakistans like embracing during sing their friends and relations but Chinese do non hold excessively many organic structure intimate contact.

Furthermore, the negative perceptual experience and behavior of new immigrants from mainland China and minority cultural group besides cause HK local people to know apart these two “out-groups” . For illustration, Chinese new immigrants do non hold line uping wont when waiting some services and like to ptyalize everyplace so that HK local people think them rude and unhygienic. Peoples from southern Asiatic states have blacker teguments than Chinese xanthous teguments and the male of southern Asiatic states have more organic structure hair than male of Chinese so that HK local people feel them dirty and spread bad odor. Some HK local people prefer to take another seats to divide when one Pakistan sits following to HK local people in a coach or a train.

The feelings and beliefs are aggressively contrasting between the members of “in-group” and “out-group” . In “in-group” , members feel favorable and positive traits but feel negative positions to “out-group” . [ 2 ] Most occupants populating in public hosing estates in TSW are new immigrants from mainland China and come from southern Asiatic states ( “out-group” ) and their societal position are low because their instruction degree are low or even have no instruction. They ca n’t happen any occupations in HK. Even though they are fortunate to be employed, they can merely happen low salary occupations like cleaning workers and coolies. Some of members of “out-group” receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ( CSSA ) from Social Welfare Department. HK local people ( “in-group” ) think that people who receive CSSA are lazy and unwilling to happen a occupation to make. This sentence becomes bias and gives negative label to CSSA receiving system because CSSA resource is really limited and it should non be abused. At the terminal of 2004, a twosome life in TSW cheated CSSA to go to Thailand and came across great tsunami. Although the married woman was saved fortunately, HK local people did non pay any understanding to her and discriminated CSSA receiving system. At the same clip, HK local people ( “in-group” ) has positive position that they would gain their life ( self-sufficing ) barely more than using CSSA. As more and more hapless households live in public lodging estates in TSW, the limited resources of CSSA are taken off rapidly and drastically by “out-group” and do heavy revenue enhancement load of “in-group” . The realistic struggle theory can explicate why viing for limited CSSA resources between “in-group” and “out-group” as a beginning of bias. [ 3 ]

Furthermore, the societal individuality theory suggested that persons seek to experience positively about the groups to which they belong, and portion of their self-esteem depends on placing with societal groups. It is because people who are identified with their group are most likely to show favoritism toward their ain group and a corresponding prejudice against “out-groups” , valuing our ain group has predictable effects for bias. [ 4 ] HK local people feel proud and holding pride of the positive nucleus values like difficult working and high grade of freedom that they like to populate in HK and acknowledge their HK local individuality. They form their ain societal webs. The inflow of members from “out-group” to TSW would destruct positive feeling of local HK people.

Methods to Reduce Prejudice & A ; Eliminate Discrimination

Re-categorization in TSW is one of the method to cut down bias by switching the boundary between HK local people and new immigrants from mainland China. It was a fact that a immense figure of Chinese refugees came to HK from China mainland after the terminal of World War II. Why this coevals of HK locally born people forget their parents and grandparents whom were immigrants from mainland China before and live in HK for many decennaries? However, there was no bias and favoritism of Chinese immigrants within Chinese life in HK from 1945 to 1980 but adding many barriers to new immigrants from mainland China in recent old ages. All populating Chinese in TSW and even in whole of HK should be treated equal.

Another manner to cut down bias is contact hypothesis. Mr. Shafi, the president of Mutual Aid Committee of one public lodging estate in TSW, comes from Pakistan and he has Chinese name called “Tak Brother” . He was born in HK and speaks Chinese, English and Pakistan linguistic communication fluently. He likes to see the neighbour including other Pakistans, new Chinese immigrants and HK local people. When they have problems, he likes to assist them voluntarily. [ 5 ]

Furthermore, societal acquisition is besides of import to cut down bias because keeping prejudice attitude would hold less gratifying life. HK local people can appreciate the positive value of new Chinese immigrants and “minority ethnic” group like salvaging of stuffs. We can state “no” to prejudice and favoritism when some HK local people scold to new Chinese immigrants and “minority ethnic” group as a rubbish! Social instruction against bias is really utile. Mr. Shafi is keeping a societal inclusion programme in TSW that Indian or Pakistan can larn Chinese civilization. On the contrary, HK local people and new Chinese immigrants can larn how to do Indian curry and culinary art. Cultural exchange can shorten the distance between “in-group” and “out-group” . [ 6 ]

On the other manus, the mass media should take societal duty that non to describe the negative intelligence happened in TSW and do n’t utilize the term “city of sadness” any longer. More positive intelligence about TSW should be reported like the Asiatic Game Exhibition of 2008 would use 100s of impermanent staffs who live in TSW at the first precedence. [ 7 ]

For extinguishing favoritism, the authorities is now explicating the jurisprudence against racial favoritism in HK. Some racial favoritism heads and behaviors like stating “??” to Indian or Pakistan should be banned.

Decision

Pigeonholing, bias and favoritism are the obstructions between the relation of different societal groups. The barriers are easy built but barely to pulverize because different societal groups need a long period of clip to understand the other groups. On the other manus, bias is non inevitable by increasing communicating channels between different societal groups.

Bibliographic Mentions

Robert A. Baron, Donn Byrne, Nyla R. Branscombe ( 2006 ) . Social Psychology ( 11th edition ) . Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. ( Page 233 )

[ 2 ] Robert A. Baron, Donn Byrne, Nyla R. Branscombe ( 2006 ) . Social Psychology ( 11th edition ) . Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. ( Page 234 )

[ 3 ] Robert A. Baron, Donn Byrne, Nyla R. Branscombe ( 2006 ) . Social Psychology ( 11th edition ) . Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. ( Page 232 )

[ 4 ] Robert A. Baron, Donn Byrne, Nyla R. Branscombe ( 2006 ) . Social Psychology ( 11th edition ) . Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. ( Page 235 )

[ 5 ] ???????? ( 2007?10?23? ) ??????:???????24628 DVD

[ 6 ] ????????? ( 2008 ) ????????????? “Poly Life” ( ?37.1? ) ???:???? ?????????????,?45-53?

[ 7 ] ???? ( 2008 ) ?????? ????????????????? ( 2008?11?3? ) ???? ??http: //www.metrohk.com.hk/index.php ( ???? : 2008?11?13?? )