This
video clip is being uploaded to Youtube in late 2013. The content is based on a
true story which is being taken by a minibus passenger. The core idea of the
video is simple – if a man has money, he then can get respect from his
girlfriend’s mother.
The
reason of choosing this video to make an analysis is its unexpected comments
and agreement within the whole local society. With more than 220 thousands
clicks through rate, there are a lot of Youtube comments saying the video is
sad but true. A lot of Hong Kongers have re-posted this video to their blogs or others
forums. This phenomenon of re-posting Youtube video has created an emerging power
for this kind of cultural text.
As
mentioned before, the content of the video is based on a true story in real
life. When the original video first existed on the Internet, most people’s
attentions went to the last sentence said by the main female character – “I said
you enjoyed eating my cunts.” This sentence is kind of rude and shocked the
online network at that time. However, when the story was being made into a new
video, the focusing point has changed. People started to say it is reflecting society
values.
The
first value being put forth is the idea of “money”. The whole video has
emphasized on how important money is. If a man has money, he can buy a house. When
he has housing, his girlfriend’s mother would like him and show welcome, which
is in a form of giving him a chicken leg. It seems that Hong Kong people depend
so much on money that having no financial ability is a failure. The division of
social classes is serious. Public housing is being said as not suitable, ideal
or even would make people feel pity for it. Living in public housing is
presented in a way as a shame, though the male character has once asked “What’s
so bad about public housing?”
The
second value in the video is related to the idea of “money”, which is noble and
lowly of occupations. Working as sales is something to be laughed at. It seems
that this proper job does not deserve any respect and can never compare to the
jobs like doctor or lawyer. This idea is reflecting common Hong Konger’s idea
that if someone is working as sales, he or she must have failed in their studying.
The
last value is the idea of “Hong Kong ladies (港女)”. Actually, this video does not have a clear
idea of saying anything bad about Hong Kong ladies. However a lot of viewers
would decode the video by saying the female character’s attitude towards her
boyfriend is what typical Hong Kong ladies would do. For example, she cannot
show understanding to her boyfriend and blames him as useless.
This
is more than just a remaking video based on real story; it also reflects the
social norms in Hong Kong. The decoding process by the audience has added more
meanings to the video indeed.
Number
of words: 515
Link
of the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GPy533VKzM#t=310
Chan Lok Yan, Chika (10316896/ 21233747)
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