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| accessdate = }}</ref> It began when a young male passenger tapped the shoulder of a middle-aged man in front of him, asking the man to lower his voice while on the phone. The man in front reacted furiously and an argument ensued. The younger man, who seldom talked back during the quarrel, expressed reluctance to carry on the discussion. However, the middle-aged man insisted that the matter was not settled, ranting on about how angry he was being provoked under stress. The younger man apologised after being asked to and reluctantly shook hands, but received more profanities<ref name="AP" /> after warning the older man regarding the use of [[mother insult]]s.<ref name="WSJ" /> Despite the strong language and the Bus Uncle's threats of violence, a physical altercation never seemed imminent. It ended when the older man's phone rang again.
| accessdate = }}</ref> It began when a young male passenger tapped the shoulder of a middle-aged man in front of him, asking the man to lower his voice while on the phone. The man in front reacted furiously and an argument ensued. The younger man, who seldom talked back during the quarrel, expressed reluctance to carry on the discussion. However, the middle-aged man insisted that the matter was not settled, ranting on about how angry he was being provoked under stress. The younger man apologised after being asked to and reluctantly shook hands, but received more profanities<ref name="AP" /> after warning the older man regarding the use of [[mother insult]]s.<ref name="WSJ" /> Despite the strong language and the Bus Uncle's threats of violence, a physical altercation never seemed imminent. It ended when the older man's phone rang again.






==Social impacts==
==Social impacts==

Revision as of 04:35, 5 June 2007

File:Unclebusscreenshot.jpg
A screenshot of the Bus Uncle video with subtitles added.

"The Bus Uncle" (Traditional Chinese: 巴士阿叔) is a Cantonese video clip of an argument between an old man and a young bespectacled man aboard a bus in Hong Kong on April 27, 2006. The title was coined by members of an Internet forum in reference to the belligerent character in the video. Contrary to reports in Western media,[1] the word "uncle" was never mentioned.

The six-minute video[2][3] was taken by a passenger, uploaded to the HK Golden Forum and then mirrored on YouTube and Google Video. Receiving 1.7 million hits in the first 3 weeks of May 2006,[4] the clip became YouTube's most viewed video in that month.[5]

Its copious use of profanity and rhetorical outbursts attracted the attention of media around the world. The video became a cultural sensation in Hong Kong, inspiring vigourous debate and discussion on lifestyle, etiquette and media ethics within the city.

Incident

For the full video transcript, see The Bus Uncle at Wikisource.

The incident took place on the top level of a double decker[5] Kowloon Motor Bus, Route 68X[1] en route to Yuen Long at approximately 11:00 p.m. on 27 April, 2006.[6] It began when a young male passenger tapped the shoulder of a middle-aged man in front of him, asking the man to lower his voice while on the phone. The man in front reacted furiously and an argument ensued. The younger man, who seldom talked back during the quarrel, expressed reluctance to carry on the discussion. However, the middle-aged man insisted that the matter was not settled, ranting on about how angry he was being provoked under stress. The younger man apologised after being asked to and reluctantly shook hands, but received more profanities[4] after warning the older man regarding the use of mother insults.[7] Despite the strong language and the Bus Uncle's threats of violence, a physical altercation never seemed imminent. It ended when the older man's phone rang again.

Social impacts

International coverage

The video clip, though subtitled in English (erroneously in parts), never strayed far from the general tenor of the Cantonese version. News of the video clip has penetrated Western media and has been widely syndicated, and reported in prominent international journals in late May 2006, such as Channel NewsAsia, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal.[8][5][7]

Poster of an event by Capcom, capitalizing on the tagline of the clip, which may be translated as "I face pressure! You face pressure!"[5][9][10]

The famous quotes of Bus Uncle are now frequently used, mimicked, and parodied in Hong Kong, particularly by teenagers. A radio talk show host of Commercial Radio Hong Kong mentioned an incident involving his friend, a teacher, and his students at the end of an examination. Once the time was up, a student yelled, "It's not settled! It's not settled! It's not settled!", refusing to stop writing. It was only when another teacher replied, "You may be stressed, but so am I," did the student agree to stop.[11]

The catch phrases also appear on Internet forums, posters, and radio programmes.[12][7] Various music videos have been created using the catchphrases, including pop,[1] karaoke, rap, dance and disco remixes.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Merchandise such as cartoon T-shirts and mobile phone ringtones have also been produced and sold on the internet.[12][7]

In June 2006, TVB television made a parody of the Bus Uncle video in its television promotion for its coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which featured its sports commentator Lam Sheung Yee (林尚義), whose voice resembles the Bus Uncle's, on a bus playing his role. In the promotion, a passenger sitting behind Lam Sheung Yee (played by Lam Man Chung) questions whether Lam Sheung Yee feels pressured for his responsibilities in the upcoming World Cup, which would be his last TV appearance before retirement. Turning around, Lam replies that there is no pressure and emphasises that the issue (i.e. the viewers' demand for World Cup coverage) has been resolved. The passenger then offers to shake hands with Lam Sheung Yee and calls for a truce.[13]

Sitcoms of ATV and TVB also imitated the video in argument scenes. In episode 67 of the TVB sitcom Welcome to the House, the young bespecled main character tried to stop a man from talking too loudly on the mobile phone in the cinema. As a result, he was harshly rebuked by the man. Once his family knew about the incident from a video uploaded on the internet, they taught the character to be more assertive and not to allow himself to be bullied. In the end, he was able to stand up to the same man when they met again in the cinema and remove him from the premises.[14]

A closer look at life in Hong Kong

Although many found the video humorous and entertaining, others warned that it hints at a more alarming and sinister prognosis of life in stress-filled Hong Kong. The fact that it was runner-up "Person of the Year" announced by RTHK indicated that it may have struck a chord with the general population.[15]

To Kit, a well-known columnist and broadcaster, made a commentary about the incident on Commercial Radio. He described the behavior of Bus Uncle as "a noise raping" and said that the incident was the manifestation of underlying social tension as well as the mindset of a common Chinese person. He criticised the young man's speechlessness as being too weak, likewise a stereotype of present-day Hong Kong youth. In addition, he noted that the incident implied that harmony in the neighborhood was somehow upset.[16]

Dr. Lee Sing, director of the Hong Kong Mood Disorders Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, warned that Hong Kong's high-stress working environments are spawning a city-full of "Bus Uncles". Dr. Lee estimated that one out of every 50 grumpy Hong Kongers suffers from intermittent explosive disorder, turning one into a "ticking time bomb" of rage and violence.[17][5]

Dr. Ng Fung Sheung, a social science lecturer of the City University of Hong Kong, explained that Hong Kong people tend to chat loudly in public places. She attributed this phenomenon to the television screens found in many vehicles and trains, which broadcast programmes at high volumes. She suggested that the government should provide better civic education for the public to make them more considerate of others. When it comes to schools which banned the usage of catch phrases like "I'm stressed!" Dr. Ng stated that teachers must be able to distinguish whether the students really face pressure or are simply following the trend, and provide guidance if necessary.[18]

Criticism of Hong Kong media ethics

Some denied that any social insight could be gleamed from the video clip, arguing that the frenzy was artificially created by sensationalist newspapers in order to boost circulation and profits. Clement So York-kee, Director of the School of Journalism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, warned that methods to uncover Bus Uncle news "did not seem to...[involve the] traditional practice of news reporting."[19] For example, several media outlets offered rewards on unmasking Uncle Bus' identity. In late May 2006, a group of journalists and photographers initiated and followed the Bus Uncle's second meeting with the young man. After the young man's refusal, they brought Bus Uncle to a dinner and karaoke session.[9] Although the session was widely reported, many believed it was artificially created news and unworthy of front-page attention.[20] Others held that the frenzy was not the product of a media conspiracy, but rather a reflection of the public's curiosity and of Hong Kong's consumer-driven media market.[19] The situation also allowed camera phone marketers to highlight the potential comedic value and to draw attention away from privacy concerns.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c Howard Kurtz (2006-06-08). "Cats and Dogs Edition". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-05-04. Mr. Ho called him 'uncle,' a familiar way of addressing an elder male in Cantonese. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Quotes from a Wall Street Journal article.
  2. ^ Fong, Wing Hang. "X尚義聲線高壓呀叔搭巴士途中問候後生仔 (the original video)" (in Cantonese). YouTube. Retrieved 2006-04-27.
  3. ^ Fong, Wing Hang. "巴士阿叔 - Bus Uncle (雙語字幕 - Bilingual Substitle)" (in Cantonese and English subtitles). YouTube. Retrieved 2006-04-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  4. ^ a b Lee, Min (May 25, 2006). "Grumpy Man Is Internet Hit". CBS News (AP). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Also published by The Standard as "Video of whinging bus rider a hit on Net". May 26, 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e Bray, Marianne (June 9, 2006). "Irate HK man unlikely Web hero". CNN. Retrieved 2007-05-03. The encounter... became the most viewed video on YouTube.com in May, with nearly three million people flocking to see the original and its incarnations, like the Karaoke version, the rap remix and the dance and disco take. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Lam, Agnes (2006-05-30). "Bus Uncle taught me a lesson: take a different bus". South China Morning Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b c d Fowler, Geoffrey A. (June 7, 2006). "A Six-Minute Tirade On a Hong Kong Bus Rides Into Vernacular". The Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition, archived by ProQuest. Retrieved 2007-03-25. Also, there are several insults involving mothers. Web sites peddle T-shirts with a cartoon of Bus Uncle and the famous phrases. They are also available as mobile-phone ringtones. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference beaten was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Patrick Lejtenyi (June 8–14, 2006). "Bombs and Bus Uncle". Montreal Mirror. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  10. ^ "Three men beat up Hong Kong's 'Bus Uncle'". The Star (AP). 2006-06-08. Retrieved 2007-05-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Afternoon segment". 香港幾咁好　為人民服務 (in Cantonese). 2006-05-23. Commercial Radio Hong Kong.
  12. ^ a b 長鬚 ("Long Beard") (May 19, 2006). ""大熱! 巴士阿叔效應" ("Hot! Bus Uncle Revealed!")" (in Traditional Chinese). Apple Daily. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  13. ^ Lam Sheung Yee (林尚義) (2006-06-10). TVB Version Bus Uncle (Television, archived on YouTube). Hong Kong: TVB. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |title= (help)
  14. ^ "人善人欺欺不欺". Welcome to the House (高朋滿座). Season 1. Episode 67. 2006-07-11. TVB. {{cite episode}}: External link in |transcripturl= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |transcripturl= ignored (|transcript-url= suggested) (help) Template:Zh icon
  15. ^ DeGolyer, Michael (January 4, 2007). "Commentary: The power of the people". Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved 2007-03-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "巴士怒坑". 光明頂. 2006-05-23. Commercial Radio. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help) Template:Zh icon
  17. ^ Law, Niki (2006-05-28). "City full of 'bus uncles' just waiting to explode: experts". South China Morning Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "The Bus Uncle reveals many problems with society (巴士阿叔揭示社會問題)". Taikungpao. 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2007-04-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ a b Lam, Agnes (2006-06-03). "Along for the ride". South China Morning Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "由巴士阿叔，到星島造新聞實錄 ("From the Bus Uncle's appearance to the fabrication of news by Sing Tao")" (in Traditional Chinese). 香港獨立媒體. 2006-06-01. Retrieved 2007-04-27. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
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