'Gweilo' a discriminatory slur

IF Y. L. Kwong is concerned about the ''adverse impact'' which will affect her son, due to a gweilo jogger knocking him down (''Hit-and-run hurt my son'', South China Morning Post, February 17), then she should be equally concerned about the ''adverse impact'' which will affect her son due to being raised in a racist family environment.

When literally translated, gweilo means ''human ghost'' or ''white ghost''. This word was devised when the Chinese people initially saw white people from the West. One would hope that native Hongkong people have progressed beyond the point where they arestill amazed at the physical appearance of foreigners from Western cultures.

Never in this column have I seen printed the various derogatory slang terms which describe Chinese people. Despite its widespread use, gweilo is a discriminatory slur. Numerous other expressions which could have been used in its place obviously escaped Ms Kwong's comprehension, such as the ever-elusive appellation, ''foreigner''.

LAUREL AUSTIN Kowloon