Letters | What links sexy Hong Kong street performers and lonely elderly looking to kill time
- Rather than moral outrage, the popularity of street singers should provoke concern over the lonely seniors in the audience
- It isn’t enough to build facilities for the elderly, more activities have to be held to engage them
Recently, a video featuring a female street performer dancing indecently up close to an elderly man in a park went viral on the internet. Middle-aged female street singers, locally known as da ma , have been criticised for allegedly enticing the elderly into giving them tips by dressing and dancing provocatively. While this has prompted worries about behaviour outraging public decency, I am concerned about the social issues this reveals.
Elderly loneliness has become a headache for many governments in Asia, and Hong Kong is no exception. I believe what’s driving seniors to flock to performances by street singers is their lonely hearts.
It is not difficult to imagine that the old and infirm might have a very narrow social circle. They rarely use social media and their closest friends might have passed away. A lot of them are also neglected by their families. Thus, going to parks to watch performances is one of few activities they have for killing time and keeping loneliness at bay.
There, they can make new friends, sing and dance with the performers and, more importantly, talk to some people.
The government offers recreational facilities to the elderly, including sports centres and parks. But building more facilities is not enough, organising more activities is more important. Having more places to go to does not make them less lonely.