Your faint-hearted anonymous correspondent of July 2 (letter headlined 'Domestic servants ban the norm in Hong Kong clubs'), gives his own game away with his cheap linguistic sophistry.

If 'maids' are banned from resident's clubs because they are not members, then the signs would simply read 'Members Only'. When racists in this city want to refer to non-white, non-Chinese fellow residents, they start talking about 'maids' or 'servants'. 'Servants' are banned from residents' clubs because 'bona fide' (white or Chinese) members do not enjoy looking at brown faces while they heave themselves around on the squash court.

BENJAMIN BLAIN