News

I am inclined to disagree with film correspondent John Lui’s view on the consequences of comedian Nigel Ng portraying Uncle Roger in Cantonese-accented English ( , July 14). Rather than closing our eyes to our differences, we should be more accepting of what distinguishes us from one another – and makes us more interesting. Such parody is a legitimate and light-hearted way of looking and laughing at these differences. This crosses the line, however, when the caricatures we portray are hurtful to the people we feature. For example, ridiculing a person with a handicap is cruel and has no place in respectful discourse. Our society is made up of stereotypes we find endearing, and often we express this affection by imitating them. In the case of the portrayal of Uncle Roger, I have not come across any native Cantonese speakers taking offence to being portrayed in this way and we should not offer our unnecessary sympathies as that would be crying foul when no wrong has been done.  Our distinctive characteristics should be enjoyed and need no apology.