My Experience (Part 2)

Discussions on the Cantonese language.
Question time starts NOW

Excuse me!!

Post by Question time starts NOW »

...
2. The difference between ...
Filipino = Bun Mooi
Pakastani = Ah Cha (Bad person)
Westerner = GwaiLo (Ghost man, Devil man)
Arab = Szap Jong Gwai (mixed race bastard)
Black = Hak Gwai (Black ghost)
...
Q1. If Gwai in "GWAIlo" means ghost/devil, why in "TsapjongGWAI", it becomes bastard?
Q2. Are you making up sth personally?
Q3. "Bun mui" means "fili(BUN)o"+young lady, is it correct?
Really I doubted if chinese can pinpoint an foreigner's descent at a glance. As i recall, someone said that in chinese's eye, all foreigners are "Gwai" (excuse me) it was a quote!
Lisa c

Re: Excuse me!!

Post by Lisa c »

: ...
: 2. The difference between ...
: Filipino = Bun Mooi
: Pakastani = Ah Cha (Bad person)
The character used means bad, but the term is used for Indian/Pakastani/Bengali, etc. I don't know the history behind this term, but originally from "mo lo cha" and got shortened.
: Westerner = GwaiLo (Ghost man, Devil man)
: Arab = Szap Jong Gwai (mixed race bastard)
: Black = Hak Gwai (Black ghost)
: ...
: Q1. If Gwai in "GWAIlo" means ghost/devil, why in "TsapjongGWAI", it becomes bastard?
It literally means "mixed race devil". Gwai being the term used for all non-Chinese (seems to be actually more for non-Asian people) or foreigner.

: Q2. Are you making up sth personally?
Huh????
: Q3. "Bun mui" means "fili(BUN)o"+young lady, is it correct?
Mui means little sister or younger female person. When saying "bun mui" in HK Cantonese it means maid, b/c the maids in HK are predominantly from the Philippines. In the US, maids are mostly Mexican/Latino. Check out any of the shows on TV. Maids are always Latina. Stereotype? Racist?
It seems to be a characteristic of Cantonese to label people by physical types i.e. race, slim, fat, stuttering etc. It becomes their nickname. If you watch a lot of movies you'll notice this it's not just Chinese that are subject to this, but it's a part of Cantonese culture to categorize. It may not be PC, but then again you're applying Western values which is arrogant in itself. Outside of being referred to as a "ghost", have you experienced racism?
Racism is walking into a truck stop to pay for gas and having everyone immediately stop talking and stare at you for 10 minutes for invading their space until you finish your transaction. Racism is waiting to place your order at a nice restaurant and having the couple next to you place their order and get food even though they walked in 1/2 an hour after you did (same waiter).
Racism is walking in a Yuppie area of San Francisco (the most enlightened city in the US) and have cars drive pass and yell at you to go back where you belong. Racism is when Tara Lipinski beats Michelle Kwan for the gold medal and have the headling in USA Today say to the effect an American beats Kwan for the Gold. Hel-lo. Michelled Kwan IS AN AMERICAN born and raised in Southern California.
It's not PC to say 'chink' 'slope' etc. that doesn't mean racism/discrimination isn't there and vice versa. Chinese are being condemned as racist for using non-PC language. Where are the concrete examples? In the US there are tons of discrimination lawsuits each year that prove many Americans are racist. Fast food restaurants that wouldn't serve blacks etc. Things are changing in the US. It may take a few more decades but yes they are changing. Things are also changing in HK and China. Language changes take time and so do values.
Lighten up already!
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