Trying hard to be civil
I SHARE the views of some correspondents about the rudeness of some Hong Kong locals.
It is wrong to generalise and say that all Chinese people in Hong Kong are rude and arrogant, but I do often find myself to be at the receiving end of rudeness. For example, once a Chinese man swore at me and told me to 'go home Philippines', when he could not use the telephone, because of the long queue of Filipinos waiting their turn to make a call. Would it not have been better for the man to have asked us if he could use the phone first rather than shouting obscenities? We would have been more than happy to let him go ahead.
On another occasion, a Chinese man spat on my legs, then just walked away, as if what he had done was perfectly normal. When I experience rudeness at that level, I find it very difficult to keep trying to be friendly and show understanding.
No matter how well-mannered you try to be, it has little effect.
Chinese locals must try and look at both sides of the Filipino maids issue. Many locals just see us as being a nuisance. They should try and give us credit for the good things we do for the people of Hong Kong.
It's wrong to say that Chinese families are forced to employ foreign maids. For all I know, they could easily get Chinese maids. The point is, most Filipinos are good domestic helpers not only when it comes to household chores but also with regard to educating the children.
We respect Chinese people and therefore, we deserve a little respect from them.
LIZ DASKEO Kowloon
