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The Bus Uncle

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File:Unclebusscreenshot.jpg
The Bus Uncle

"The Bus Uncle" (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, the word "uncle" was never mentioned.

The video[1][2] was taken by a passenger, uploaded to the HK Golden Forum and then quickly mirrored on YouTube and Google Video. Having attracted some 1.7 million hits in the first 3 weeks in May 2006 alone, the clip became one of YouTube's most viewed items in that month.[3]

Its copious use of profanity and rhetorical outbursts attracted the attention of media around the world. Not only did the video become a cultural sensation in Hong Kong, it also inspired vigorous debate and discussion on lifestyle, etiquette and media ethics in the city.

People involved

File:Busuncle atv.jpg
The Bus Uncle, Chan Yuet Tung interviewed by an ATV reporter

Bus Uncle (Roger Chan Yuet Tung)

The "Bus Uncle" is a restaurant worker in his early fifties, Roger Chan Yuet Tung[4] (Chinese: 陳乙東), a Yuen Long resident living with five cats. He has also made three attempts for the office of Hong Kong Chief Executive: in 1997, 2002 and again in 2006,[5] failing in preliminary stages each time. After Chan's identity was revealed, many journalists tried to interview him, but he demanded remuneration for press interviews[6]. Chan further claimed to have served an eight-year prison sentence in Belgium for drug smuggling and to have once won $2.5 million in a lottery, only to gamble it all away[7].

In Chinese culture, it is common for a person to refer an older person as "阿叔", roughly translated as "Uncle". Therefore, the English title of the video is called "Bus Uncle".

File:Elvis ATV.jpg
The Bus Uncle's "victim", Elvis Ho Yui Hei

Young man (Elvis Ho Yui Hei)

The young man scolded on the video is Elvis Ho Yui Hei (Chinese: 何銳熙), a property agent for his family's property management company in Mong Kok. On May 23, 2006, Ho (previously misidentified as "Alvin" or "Elvin") called a talk show on Commercial Radio claiming to be the young man involved in the argument. In a later interview with the South China Morning Post[8][9], Ho said he often takes long bus rides home and would frequently ask passengers to lower their voices so he could take a nap. Despite having been threatened, Ho said he forgave "Bus Uncle" and sympathized with whatever stress the older man was suffering.

Cameraman (Jon Fong Wing Hang)

The man who recorded the video clip has been identified as Jon Fong Wing Hang (Chinese: 方穎恆), an accountant and part-time student, after he called a radio station on May 25, 2006. Fong, who recorded the incident with a Sony Ericsson W800i cellphone, claimed there was a second video yet to be posted online in which Ho fought back by making fun of "Bus Uncle" with a friend on the phone. Fong also stated that the reason for the recording was to provide evidence to the police in case "Bus Uncle" became physically violent.[10]


Incident

For the full transcript of the incident, see Transcript of the Bus Uncle video in English.

The incident took place on a bus (Kowloon Motor Bus route 68X) en route to Yuen Long at approximately 11:00 p.m. on 27 April, 2006. It began when a young man sitting behind a middle aged man tapped his shoulder, asking him to lower his voice while on the phone. The man in front, Chan Yuet Tung reacted furiously and an argument ensued. The younger passenger, who seldom talked back during the quarrel, expressed reluctance to carry on the discussion.

However, the middle-aged man angrily insisted that the matter is not settled. He ranted on, saying how angry he is when provoked under extreme stress. Throughout the second half of the video, the Bus Uncle insulted the young man repeatedly and appeared to be unapologetic about it. Despite the strong language and the Bus Uncle's threats of violence, a physical altercation never seemed imminent.

Aftermath

Chan stated that when Ho tapped him on the shoulder, he was under duress from an argument with his girlfriend and was calling the Samaritans suicide-prevention hotline for support. However, Ho claimed that Chan was just chatting with friends.

Sing Tao Daily reported that Chan visited Ho's office on May 31, 2006 in Mong Kok to apologize for the dispute and to initiate a business proposal for the duo to hold a "Bus Uncle Rave Party". Allegedly, Chan was quickly rejected and expelled by Ho, who expressed outrage towards the journalists who arranged the meeting and threatened legal action against the press.[7]

On June 7, 2006, Chan, who had been hired by a restaurant as a Public Relations officer, was physically assaulted on-the-job in front of horrified diners by three unidentified masked men who then fled the scene.[4] He sustained severe injuries to his eyes and face and was admitted to the emergency department for treatment.

The restaurant owner Mr. Lee then faced pressure from his wife and daughter to fire Chan due to magazine coverage of Chan's exploits in a Shenzhen karaoke hostess-bar. Lee's initial refusal led to his wife's suicide attempt through drug overdose on June 11 in order to force the issue.[11] Having learnt of it, Chan resigned, saying he did not want Lee's family to be unhappy.

Some local newspapers pointed out that the behaviour of the "Bus Uncle" theoretically contravened the general code of conduct of bus passengers, in that it:

  1. constituted a criminal offence, according to Section 46(1)(a), (n)(ii)[12] and 57(1)[13] of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations,[14] which carries a maximum penalty of HKD$3000 and a 6-month imprisonment; and
  2. constituted an offence under Section 17B(2) of the Public Order Ordinance, which carries a maximum penalty of HKD$5000 and 12-months imprisonment.[15]

His behaviour could also constitute Criminal Intimidation, an offence under Section 24 of the Crimes Ordinance which carries a maximum penalty of HKD$2000 and 5 years imprisonment.[16]

Nevertheless, he was not charged with any of these offences.

Social impacts

International coverage

The video clip, having been subtitled in English (in parts erroneously, though never straying too far from general tenor of the Cantonese), has penetrated Western media and been widely syndicated, and reported in prominent international journals in late May 2006, such as the New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail and the Wall Street Journal.[17][18]

File:Pressureucb.jpg
Poster of an event by Capcom, capitalizing on the tagline "I'm stressed! You're stressed" (我有壓力,你有壓力) adopted from the clip.

The famous quotes of Bus Uncle are now frequently used, mimicked, and parodied in Hong Kong, particularly by teenagers. The catch phrases also appear on Internet forums, posters, and radio programmes.[19][20] Various karaoke versions, a rap song and parodies have been created using the catchphrases, including versions tuned to Cantonese pop songs,[21] an apology, "reenactments" of the incident with video game characters, composite pictures, and movie posters.[22] On May 28, 2006, this incident was mentioned on the main evening news on TVB, as well as Cable TV news[23]

Parodies of the video

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. The advertisement featured TVB sports commentator Lam Sheung-Yee (林尚義), whose voice resembles Chan's, on a bus playing the role of the Bus Uncle. 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 emphasizes 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.

Furthermore, sitcoms of ATV and TVB also imitated the video in argument scenes.[24]

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.[25]

To Kit, a well-known columnist, 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 Elvis' 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.

Dr. Lee Sing, director of the Hong Kong Mood 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 is a "ticking time bomb" of rage and violence.[26]


References

  1. ^ Fong, Wing Hang. "The Original Video Of Bus Uncle". Youtube. Retrieved 2006-04-27.
  2. ^ Fong, Wing Hang. "Video Of Bus Uncle With English Subtitles". Youtube. Retrieved 2006-04-30.
  3. ^ Lee, Min (May 25, 2006). "Grumpy Man Is Internet Hit". CBS News (AP). Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  4. ^ a b Fowler, Geoffrey A. (June 8, 2006). "Hong Kong's "Bus Uncle" beaten up by three men". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Colorful characters liven up proceedings". Hong Kong Standard. December 11, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "「最少八千」 巴士阿叔受訪要收錢 兩度報名參選特首 自稱身價5000萬" Mingpao News 01-06-2006
  7. ^ a b 「阿叔」何許人也!, Singtao Daily Template:Zh icon
  8. ^ "Bus Uncle taught me a lesson: take a different bus", South China Morning Post, May 30, 2006
  9. ^ "Don't make me meet Bus Uncle again", South China Morning Post, Jun 1, 2006
  10. ^ "The Cameraman revealed: "If someone fights, I can give this evidence to the Police" (巴士阿叔短片攝影師現身:「倘有人動武, 有證據交警方」) [[:Template:Zh icon]]". Ming Pao. May 26, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  11. ^ 「扒后」林珍奇仰藥逼炒巴士阿叔 Template:Zh icon
  12. ^ Section 46 of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations
  13. ^ Section 57 of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations
  14. ^ Cap 374D, see Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations
  15. ^ Cap245, see Section 17B of the Public Order Ordinance
  16. ^ Cap 200, See Section 24 Crimes Ordinance (the offence) and Section 27 Crimes Ordinance (the penalties).
  17. ^ Fowler, Geoffrey A. (June 7, 2006). "A Six-Minute Tirade On a Hong Kong Bus Rides Into Vernacular". The Wall Street Journal; Eastern edition. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  18. ^ Bray, Marianne (June 9, 2006). "Irate HK man unlikely Web hero". CNN. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  19. ^ 長鬚 ("Long beard") (May 19, 2006). ""Hot! Bus Uncle Revealed!" (大熱! 巴士阿叔效應)". Apple Daily. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  20. ^ Fowler, Geoffrey A. (June 7, 2006). "A Six-Minute Tirade On a Hong Kong Bus Rides Into Vernacular". The Wall Street Journal; Eastern edition. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  21. ^ "Video of whinging bus rider a hit on Net". Hong Kong Standard. May 26, 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  22. ^ Bray, Marianne (June 9, 2006). "Irate HK man unlikely Web hero". CNN. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  23. ^ A copy of the Cable News report about the Bus Uncle.
  24. ^ Welcome to the House (高朋滿座) episode 67: 人善人欺欺不欺
  25. ^ DeGolyer, Michael (January 4, 2007). "Commentary: The power of the people". Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  26. ^ "City full of 'bus uncles' just waiting to explode: experts". South China Morning Post. May 28, 2006.

Other references

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