'TIS better to give than to receive.' An apt motto for this holiday season but one many seem to have forgotten by their conspicuous lack of goodwill towards their fellow men.
To test local generosity during the Christmas season, two Sunday Morning Post reporters, one a local and the other an expatriate, prowled the territory's byways seeking out festive goodwill.
They found expatriates were more ready to give money to the local than his compatriots. But the situation was reversed with the expatriate: he found locals more willing to give than Westerners.
The Sunday Morning Post 's local undercover man, who claimed to have just spent his last dollar buying Christmas gifts, hung around the MTR ticket machines seeking donations towards a train fare. A pudgy mainlander in a Mao suit looked incredulous and proceeded to shake his head, not even bothering to reply when asked for just $5.
Next was a Tsim Sha Tsui office girl, fake Louis Vuitton bag in hand. When asked for $5, she replied: 'No, I do not have any money at all.' Dejected, his sights turned to the next target, an off-duty Filipino domestic helper who ingenuously opened her purse. Lo and behold! There was a $1 coin and some 10 and 20 cent pieces which she offered without hesitation. An American businessman commented: 'You're kidding! You're kidding!' - but he did reach into his pocket for the spare change.
Next he asked a European for the fare. Without batting an eyelid she asked why. After a detailed explanation, she coolly weighed the request before digging into her bag. To wishes of 'Merry Christmas', she replied: 'Yeah, yeah, I don't care, I've heard it before.' So much for generosity of spirit.