wco81

A CX ad was rejected on the MTR and some HKG-controlled signage recently:

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...le-banned-hong

The article references that SSM is still outlawed and may reflect cultural attitudes at play.

But some travel bloggers have alleged that has all the fingerprints of Beijing intervening.

889

If Beijing is indeed keeping an eye on such relatively minor matters as MTR posters, then we've moved to a far more serious level of interference. That'd be a much bigger story than rejection of the Cathay ads, I'd say.

Chromie25

Of course it's Beijing! I also heard they were behind the decision for McDonalds to charge HK$1 for each extra McNugget sauce.

People are way too sensitive - it's something called a business decision. MTR is a listed company and it's up to them to decide what's acceptable as advertisement (and they only have to be accountable to themselves and their clients).

christep

Be aware also that the current Chief Executive, many of her senior ministers, 2 of the 3 previous CEs, and many senior Civil Servants are devout members of the Roman Catholic religion.

Eagle2000

I guess protecting and promoting Pedos would be ok with them....

YVR Cockroach

Very conservative society, or at least a very vocal conservative element. . You see the same opposition to the usual gamut of issues in various places including where I am near. Not just by H.K.-origin but mainland as well.

kaka

you have a point. an ExCo member had been accused of being a paedo.

kaka

i doubt peking has to do with these ads. However, some court cases that relate to same-sex marriages may bring concerns that irritates peking.

Eagle2000

I am referring to the Roman Catholic church...as the poster stated they are Roman Catholics.

CX HK

Banning the ad - in which the decision has been reversed, and it was entirely in their right to pick and choose which ads they wanted to display - is a far cry from homophobia, is it not? You should go to some more conservative countries in Africa, Middle East, or Asia, or even some more conservative neighborhoods in the US or Europe to see what real homophobia is like.

Hong Kong society in general are actually pretty neutral on this topic - they just don't like it when it is constantly being shoved down their throats, or when the LGBT community screams and screams intolerance and injustice at the slightest inconvenience - all the while when society is battling issues of serious human rights (extradition law), judicial independence and a rapidly declining quality of life.

wco81

Kilian Zoll

This is absolutely ridiculous.

They key reason why HK is getting outperformed by Singapore and other cities in APAC is because every single negative thing that occurs is blamed on Beijing, instead of HKers taking a hard look in the mirror and move society out of the past where it is comfortably stuck.

CX HK

And it passes these higher standards with flying colors. Just because a massive "ad" of two men holding hands can't be plastered across MTR stations and the airport hardly suggests homophobia or intolerance. Annoyance or fatigue, maybe.

HKers are a practical bunch. There wouldn't be such a pervasive suspicion of Beijing interference if it wasn't due to past experiences. The reason why HK is getting outperformed is because the government adheres to China's policies and priorities first, instead of what is best for HK. Take a look at the extradition bill. This is not an emotional statement, just fact - I don't even blame Carrie Lam because she has no choice or power in the matter. She reflected concerns of HK, Beijing doesn't give a damn, and this is the reality we live in - HK is to serve China first and foremost, according to the Chinese Govt.

Kilian Zoll

That may be the case, but how is the extradition treaty relevant to everyday life of 99.9% of Hong Kongers?

My point is that anything negative happening in HK -- be it homophobic ad policies of HK companies or income equality or anything else really -- Beijing tends to get the blame, resulting in these issues never being dealt with properly. HK is firmly stuck in the past and it only has itself to blame in my opinion.

// objective perspective of an expat

CX HK

In my opinion, the overarching implication is that the Hong Kong Government seeks to serve the interests of China as opposed to the people of Hong Kong. The same attitude can be found elsewhere in government policy - why are we investing hundreds of billions into the high speed rail and connections with mainland China, when it is obvious the demand is more southbound rather than northbound? Why are we so invested into endlessly fawning over and promoting the Greater Bay Area and Belt & Road, when that in itself has very little relevance to 99.9% of Hong Kongers?

In this particular case, I agree it's absurd to suggest Beijing was behind it. The stance of MTR and Airport Authority is actually exactly in line with all government departments and bureau's, and besides that post / that one particular blogger, I haven't seen any suggestion from anyone that Beijing is behind this.

With regards to "Beijing tends to get the blame" - maybe it is more of a case of, "the government seeks to serve Beijing, whether Beijing asks for it or not, instead of the people?" I would go so far as to argue that the majority of issues in society, can be traced back to the government not listening to its people. Investments in white elephant projects, unrestricted and unfiltered migration of 55,000 mainland immigrants annually, needless initiatives over forcefully promoting Chinese patriotism in every aspect (education, displaying flags, national anthem) - all of this goes back to shoving Chinese patriotism down people's throats.

I (and I believe most people on HK) deeply value opinions from expats and outsiders, as often they get a view that we do not see. I would welcome you to point out any area where HK is stuck in the past and only has itself to blame, and whether or not I agree with that assessment.