Job Discussion Forums

[islanddreamer]

And yes, I am British ......

[Netminder]

Indeed, it is all too simple and convenient (as well as somewhat ironic) to label an entire nation "racist." Essentially, it is the human. We all seem to value a sense of belonging that is most always to the exclusion of others.

[Horizontal Hero]

[well-travelled]

I'm British - and no apologist for colonialism - but I agree with HH's comments above.

Hong Kong was, by and large, spared the terrible, manic excesses that China experienced under Mao - and that sense of moderation is still an important factor in HK today.

It was most evident recently in the anti-Japanese demonstrations that occured both on the Mainland & also in HK. The demonstrations in HK were orderly, well-policed and totally lacking in violence of any kind.

In contrast, the demonstrations in China were anything but.

And I would tend to think that that is, to a certain extent, a positive result of British rule in HK pre-1997.

well-travelled

[bubblebubble]

I think this whole NET scheme thing is to allow students in HK more exposure to the use of English. If the students know their NET can speak Cantonese, then they'll quickly switch to their mother tongue. I can see why principals do not want the NET to speak Chinese at school and to the parents. But outside work, come on, speak as much Chinese as possible and impress the locals. They'll be thrilled that a westerner can speak such fluent Cantonese. My students are desperate to teach my local cantonese slangs.

[waxwing]

[once again]

What research can you quote that shows that only one percent of UK uni students express racist oppions..and the same goes for HK.

Interesting that you assume that only the 'uneducated masses" are racist in the UK. Look at the voting percentages of how many middle class people vote for racist legislation.

If you think that the UK is far from a racist society..then explain the rise of the extreme right wing and even KILROY going over to the evil side..

There are killiings based on race...riots...shops burned down..arrests made...in the UK...tell me how many hate/racist crimes of killing have been registered in HK.

I am now confused about what you think a racist society is..and remeber that the "EDUCATED" do not make up the masses. The masses make up the masses...and by definition..there are a lot more of them.

[waxwing]

[once again]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1516851,00.html

The above is an article in the Guardian. Taken from that article "Policy Research, published tomorrow, does show that it is in the areas of greatest social deprivation that hostility runs deepest. But it is the middle classes - and the most educated - who show the greatest rise in anxiety. They just articulate it in different ways."




http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1511214,00.html

Taken from the above article "Students were found particularly to make racist comments against staff, while staff seemed responsible for much of
the sexual harassment. " which relates to ancillary workers at British universities


http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1511214,00.html


Taken from the above article

"It is the type of project that the government hopes can help root out the institutionalised racism in mental health services identified by the inquiry into Bennett's death.'


That was a very quick search of one newspaper archive which found articles with information about institutionalised racism in a health service, rising middle class racisim, and university students racialy abusing staff at universities. Should anyone wish to search a little further, I am sure there is a lot more evidence to cite.

[waxwing]

You posted the mental health link twice, the link for the University one is missing. Could you correct it?

[once again]

University support staff suffering abuse, says survey

David Hencke, Westminster correspondent
Saturday June 18, 2005
The Guardian

The image of Britain's universities as centres of civilised manners and learning is dented in a poll of more than 1,100 workers which reveals sexual harassment, racism and violence against cleaners, porters and librarians.
A survey conducted by the trade union Unison found that one in five had faced some form of violence, much of it serious verbal abuse, and one in seven had been attacked.

One in three women said they had endured some form of sexual harassment and one in five people from ethnic minorities had suffered racism. Students were found particularly to make racist comments against staff, while staff seemed responsible for much of the sexual harassment.


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Just under one third of staff reported being harassed by other staff, in ways which included racist jokes, banter, insults or taunts. The study revealed that 6% had been threatened with a weapon. The survey covered cleaners, cooks, librarians, clerical staff, technicians, security guards and other workers.
Christina McAnea, Unison's head of education services, said: "Support and professional staff are treated poorly by managers, colleagues and students. The sector needs to look long and hard at how it treats and protects its staff. Our lowest paid members are the ones who clean students' rooms and serve their food and they deserve to be treated with more respect.

"Support staff take a great deal of the burden of day-to-day life away from students and lecturers so that they can concentrate on their academic work. Without support staff higher education couldn't function properly.

"It is disturbing to see that there is an underlying problem of sexism and racism. Not just from one group, but right across the board from managers, colleagues and students. We want to work with university managers to make sure we do more than just pay lip service to getting rid of this sort of behaviour."

The report also reveals that three-quarters of staff reported that their workload and pressure had increased. Four out of five said that they had been given additional duties and responsibilities and more than 40% said that this was due to pressure to meet targets. The result has been that 40% reported increased stress levels. Half had considered leaving their jobs.

The main reasons given by those who had considered leaving were managers' treatment of staff, levels of pay, unfair grading and a lack of career and promotion prospects. Reasons for staying were good colleagues, job satisfaction and commitment to the job.

[once again]

MoD denied war payments over race, memo shows

Vikram Dodd
Tuesday June 14, 2005
The Guardian

A secret government memo reveals that hundreds of British people held prisoner by Japan in horrific conditions during world war two were denied compensation for their suffering because of their race, the Guardian has learned.
The document, written in 2001 by a senior Ministry of Defence official, says that race was a "deciding factor" in considering which British citizens received compensation and which were refused.

It came to light as part of a case brought by Diana Elias, 81, who was refused a �10,000 payment because she has no "blood link" to Britain, nor was she born here.


Article continues

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Mrs Elias was a British citizen who was born in Hong Kong to an Iraqi mother and Indian father. She and her family were interned in 1941 when the then British colony was invaded by Japan. She will go to the high court today to attempt to overturn the MoD ruling.
The MoD won an earlier court battle and has argued that its scheme did not discriminate.

In the memo, the official, Alan Mayers, writes: "It is true to deny we are being racist but we are in fact including race as a deciding factor as part of our eligibility criteria."

Last night the MoD refused to confirm Mr Mayers' title or the name of the department administering the scheme.

Mr Mayers was in 2001 the operational manager for the War Pensions Agency, according to a letter he sent Mrs Elias refusing her claim.

In documents lodged with the high court for today's hearing, the MoD appears to come close to admitting the scheme indirectly discriminates.

According to a skeleton of its argument seen by the Guardian, the MoD will say: "Although there is no evidence to this effect, the secretary of state accepts that it is likely that the birth-link criterion puts applicants whose national origins are not British at a disadvantage when compared with those of British national origins."

Ms Elias said she was still haunted by the ordeal, which started with her family being pulled from their beds in the middle of the night, before being incarcerated for four years.

"I've been British all my life and feel abandoned by the government," she said. "It's because of racism they are denying us the compensation.

"I still suffer very badly from my ordeal. I don't want to think about it. It was hell."

Mrs Elias's solicitor, John Halford, said of the memo written by Mr Mayers: "It seems the MoD were applying, by their own admission, a criterion to deny compensation that was racially discriminatory. It's there in black and white.

"They are abandoning people who were persecuted for being British. They were interned in camps by the Japanese as enemy aliens for being British."

Mr Halford estimates that at least 1,100 people were denied compensation because they had no blood link to the UK. "We will also point out that this policy is also indirectly discriminatory, as by giving compensation only to people born in the UK or who have a parent or grandparent born in the UK it puts people of foreign national origins at a particular disadvantage."

Mrs Elias's lawyers will also argue that the MoD is breaking laws placing a burden on public bodies not to discriminate.

The MoD refused to discuss the Mayers memo. "This is one of the documents to be discussed in court. It's not our policy to discuss it ahead of the hearing."

It added: "For civilian detainees [to get compensation] they had to be British citizens at the time of internment and they were born or had a parent or grandparent in the UK."

The case is being supported by the Commission for Racial Equality.

It said: "The CRE will argue that excluding the claimant from an ex gratia compensation scheme ... for the sole reason that neither she, nor her parents or grandparents were born in the UK constitutes discrimination on the grounds of national origins."

[herman]

[russhozey]

Hi my name is Russ. i have never been to HK, but i live and work in a true international culture. istanbul, literally where east meets west, is where historic meets modern. No culture could be more stark and stern than those of the middle east. Yet there are the very icons of modernism on every street corner (next to thousand year old buildings).
But none the less, they are racist towards Kurdish people (for a pretty understandable reason - invasion of there country) As an American, i am pretty well accepted by the locals, as most westerners are. But i am respectful of their customs and their culture.....regardless of whether i agree with them or not. i was thinking of going to HK to teach next year. i jjust wondered what you guys thought about that. Also, what is the dating scene like there?, As i am an American, will i be more or less popular with the girls there?

[bubblebubble]

depends on what kind of girls you are talking about. i know some girls in HK who are very traditional and refuse to go out with westerners. of course, some ABC, BBC and CBE don't really mind.