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'a gweilio won'

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  1. #1

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    'a gweilio won'

    This is how Regina Ip describes Paul Zimmerman's victory in the recent by-election in her piece in the SMP today (pg12).

    Is it ok for her to call Mr Zimmerman a gweilo? I think not. Could it be racial harassment under the Race Discrimination Ordinance?


  2. #2

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    Having not read the article it is hard to put the comment into context, and the 'correctness' of using the term is entirely dependent on the context in my opinion.

    I use the term about myself and other westerners. I don't mind others calling me a gweilo if it is intended in a friendly way. If Regina intended it as an insult or any negative way then it is wrong though (I would imagine she would complain if Zimmerman said he beat a "chinky".)

    Last edited by hullexile; 19-09-2010 at 01:43 PM.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by drumbrake:
    This is how Regina Ip describes Paul Zimmerman's victory in the recent by-election in her piece in the SMP today (pg12).

    Is it ok for her to call Mr Zimmerman a gweilo? I think not. Could it be racial harassment under the Race Discrimination Ordinance?
    funny, i noticed the same when i read the article today. i also thought that Gweilo is not a term that one would use in public.

    the other intriguing statement in her article is how she calls all the non-Chinese voters 'expatriates'. assuming that many non-Chinese permanent residents in Pok Fu Lam have lived there for generations and probably do not own any other passport than the HK one, i find such a term a bit misplaced (if this assumption is true indeed)

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    Having not read the article it is hard to put the comment into context, and the 'correctness' of using the term is entirely dependent on the context in my opinion.

    I use the term about myself and other westerners. I don't mind others calling me a gweilo if it is intended in a friendly way. If Regina intended it as an insult then it is wrong though.
    here is the start of it. i think it's clearly meant as a 'we' vs 'them', i.e. Chinese vs 'Expatriates'

    "The gloves are off for electoral fights
    REGINA IP

    Pok Fu Lam, the lush, scenic neighbourhood tucked away on the south side of Hong Kong Island, became the unlikely battleground a fortnight ago of two candidates vying for a seat on the Southern District Council in a rare by-election.

    On the face of it, the outcome was surprising - a gweilo won in a heated contest which pushed the voter turnout to nearly 40 per cent, unusually high for a by-election. Yet on deeper analysis, the electoral outcome was not only unsurprising; it also holds many important lessons for the future.

    Pok Fu Lam, a constituency with an unusually high proportion of expatriate registered voters (more than 20 per cent), tested expatriates' commitment to supporting one of their own kind. "

  5. #5

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    The context is that she was describing the outcome of the Pok Fu Lam by-election where the candidate she supported, Ellis Lau, was defeated by Paul Zimmerman. In the article, she does not mention that the Savantas policy Institute (of which she is chairwoman) supported Ellis Lau, although there is a note about that inserted at the end (I presume by an editor). She does state in the article that Zimmerman was supported by the pan-democrats.

    So to me it sounds like sour grapes, and not a friendly bit of banter. I agree when 'gweilos' call each other gweilo it is fine, and it can also be a term of affection between Chinese and westerners.


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    Read that earlier and thought the comment out of order. Obviously still smarting from the kindergarten tactics of her own representative she now puts the loss down to expatriate support only. Guess old mop head hasn't gained wisdom with age.
    Posted via Mobile Device


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    Big deal over nothing to be honest.
    Posted via Mobile Device


  8. #8

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    Having not read the article and only the info here it sounds like democracy at work in many respects.

    Anyway I think 'gweilo' is apporiate when speaking english about some but not when writing about someone in a news article. Why not say 'foreigner' or 'western foreigner'. As many of you know the old meaning of gweilo is 'ghost' and refers to any foreigner, not just westerners or causasans.


  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by jimbo:
    Big deal over nothing to be honest.
    Posted via Mobile Device
    yeah sort of agree, not going to upset me in the slightest. Just a bit immature and brainless really. Definitely sour grapes. What she fails to explain of course is why most of the 80% of the electorate who were "her kind" decided not to vote for her candidate.
    Last edited by hullexile; 19-09-2010 at 05:09 PM.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by jimbo:
    Big deal over nothing to be honest.
    Posted via Mobile Device
    That depends on whether she was in breach of the Race Discrimination Ordinance.

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