Monday, May 24, 2010

最近,認識了一些新朋友。知道我來自香港後,他們都不約而同地問我,回歸後,香港是否有改變?

我很不喜歡回答這個問題。沒有做英國殖民地已經十三年,我想不透何解別人還會對這個問題的答案有興趣?這兒的「別人」,指的是愛爾蘭人。老實說,這四年在歐洲的生活,的確認識了許多不同國籍的人,比以前在香港時多許多許多倍(有時候,我甚至懷疑香港憑什麼說自己是一座國際城市),只是,除了愛爾蘭人外,幾乎沒有其他國家的人會問我這個問題。當然,這跟我接觸的還是愛爾蘭人比較多有關系。

為什麼在二零一零年,當知道我來自香港後,還是要問我「回歸後,香港是否有改變?」這樣的問題?

是可以跟我聊天的話題沒有太多嗎?我不排除這個原因。縱然在都柏林生活了超過四年,只是對這個國家的許多種種,其實沒有太多認識。皆因我每天讀的是《泰晤士報》。我曾嘗試讀一讀本地的報紙。不過,很不喜歡。況且,在這個歐洲最西邊的島國上,一份英國報紙比一份本地報紙便宜。我想不到一個原因,舍棄一份既廉宜又精彩的報紙,去取一份又昂貴又不好讀的。

是愛爾蘭人對遠方的事情沒有太多認識嗎?我不會奇怪。要知道,愛爾蘭本地報紙很不好讀,因為有太多本地消息。給我的印象是,許多無聊的本地消息比那些國際新聞佔的篇幅還要多,仿佛還要重要般。情形跟香港的華文報紙有點相像。有著這樣的報紙,其國人能夠認識國外事情的機會又怎會多?其國人認識國外事情的興趣又怎會大?

是那顆東方之珠已經再沒有給別人報導的價值,所以許多人都對回歸後的香港沒有太多認識嗎?我想,這也是一個原因。的確,在許多人眼中,那個前英國殖民地已經再不是世界的一個奇跡。她不過是中國大陸的一座城市。因為有著這樣子的想法,所以跟北京、跟上海相比之下,大家對那兩個新冒起的中國城市自然更有興趣。忽略了香港,不是什麼出奇的事情。

雖然不喜歡回答那個問題,不過,我還是回答了。我沒有不回答的理由。

我如實地跟他們說,從前,我們的政府不會不去投票;現在,我們的政府會公然表示不會在選舉裏投票。

那不是跟北京政府越來越相像嗎?那些新認識的朋友回應說。

我想了一想,道:「邏輯上,也不能這樣說。因為在中國大陸,根本沒有投票這回事。就因為沒有選舉,中國的領導人根本不會公然表示不會在選舉裏投票。不過,要我相信,香港將來沒有選舉,不會再是一件難事。所以,你說,香港跟中國越來越相像,我還是同意的。」

我想,我不是在唱衰香港罷?

怎能說我在唱衰香港?首先,我不過如實跟其他人說「政府會公然表示不會在選舉裏投票」這件事實。如果你說這是唱衰,那麼,你就是承認「在選舉裏不投票」是一件壞事。此外,說「跟中國越來越相像」,更加是在贊揚啦!中國如此強大,如此繁盛,能夠叨一點光,是我們的光榮罷?

只是,我真的很不喜歡回答「回歸後,香港是否有改變?」這樣的問題?

5 comments:

May said...

me neither...this question is not at all fashionable :P

Snowdrops said...

Hmm, whilst I agree that Irish people don't know that much about Hong Kong, I genuinely don't think there is anything wrong with the question. After all, until I was back in HK myself last summer, I too was (actually still am) very interested in finding out if HK has changed after the handover. After all, it is a very valid question -- isn't much of your blog spent on griping about how Hong Kong is no longer what it used to be, even 13 years after the handover? If you're not tired of making this comparison, why should you take offense at someone asking your thoughts for precisely that comparison?

In fact, I am really surprised that you likened Irish newspapers to HK ones in terms of international coverage. Are you kidding me? Have you read any Hong Kong newspapers lately? Even English ones like SCMP, or God forbid, the Hong Kong Standard, where they couldn't even get their spelling right? Would any Hongkonger be able to ask one single politically-pertinent question about Ireland of an Irish person if s/he comes across him in Lanqwaifong, based solely on what s/he reads in Hong Kong newspapers? Most Hongkongers I have met in HK (those who only met me for the first time) could only venture to ask where the heck is Ireland.

Whilst I do agree very much that Irish papers don't have as much international coverage compared to English ones (and I've been an avid Times and and a Guardian reader, but lately I've turned on to the Independent), as I said to you before, this is because we could get English papers very easily (and indeed, even cheaper than Irish ones as you rightly said) here, so there is no incentive for Irish papers to beef up their overseas coverage beyond US/Europe, for Irish people could get their international news fix from English papers.

On the other hand, I will caution you against relying solely on British newspapers for analysis of European affairs, after all, the Times' editorial slant is, like much of the British political class, anti-Europe. The Guardian is slightly better, but only just. To get a less xenophobic lens on Europe, you need Irish newspapers.

小巫 said...

我去英國上課....也總是遇上這個問題....而我,也很不喜歡回答這個問題....彷彿其他人真的不能從新聞裡看到真相一樣的"問題",必需要從其國民裡找些真相來聽一聽~

The Man Who Loves Everton said...

All,

I don't want to be asked about that, simply because I hate seeing that changes in HK. If I have to answer that question, i would have to go through all the changes that I don't want to see once again, at least in my mind. This is something I hate to do. Yes, I know what you are going to say about my way to face the reality (the reality??) but if i can avoid i'll try to avoid. Sometimes, I think living abroad is enjoyable because I can go on living without seeing those changes in HK.

Snowdrops,

Yes, I remember you 'warned' me before. But I just can't ditch The Times and I do enjoy reading their anti-Europe standpoint. Reading a paper doesn't mean that you have to adopt what they are thinking. We all have our brains, haven't we?

Sorry I shouldn't compare Irish papers to HK papers. Of course, I mean, HK's (general) are the worst I've ever read.

Snowdrops said...

"彷彿其他人真的不能從新聞裡看到真相一樣的"問題",必需要從其國民裡找些真相來聽一聽~"

It is correct that one can't simply get a true picture about a society from the mainstream media alone, in any country, but perhaps particularly true in American and Asian media. In any case, for someone to ask about HK post-1997 from the people themselves indicates to me an interest in getting to know the person and the country that the person is from, no more, but also no less.

"But I just can't ditch The Times and I do enjoy reading their anti-Europe standpoint."

I don't recall ever asking you to ditch the Times? All I've been saying is that one needs to be conscious about a paper's editorial bias even with seemingly good (in terms of quantity) international coverage, and be critical about what you DON'T see in terms of analysis about world news from reading the Times alone. As you say, to engage one's brain when reading newspapers.

Anyway, nobody just reads one newspaper. Even as a teen I read both the Irish Times (weekdays) and the UK Times (weekend), and my dad would get the tabloids. My school friends' households were the same. Nowadays, although individually we may just BUY one newspaper, but we'll grab the free Metro on the commute, and would catch the news online from other papers. (In my case, I buy the Guardian, sometimes the Independent, and would catch both the UK Times and the Irish Times online). To me it's a way to ensure that one has a more comprehensive picture of the world than one could get via reading one newspaper source alone. Not that I'm recommending that you have to do as I do, either.

But if you want to get to know more about Ireland, its politics and its sociology, after 4 years of being here, reading one of the Irish national newspapers occasionally is a good way to start. It'd supplement what you don't get from reading the British Times alone.