From: lyeh@alleg.edu (Hun Lye)
Subject: Re: cantonese songs
Organization: Allegheny College
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 18:43:39 GMT

In article <1992Nov7.002331.44485@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>  
nephilim@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:
> In article <1992Nov4.124014.3020@wuecl.wustl.edu>, ppc1@cec2.wustl.edu  
(Peter Pui Tak Chiu) writes:
> > In article <1992Nov3.163124.1936@cs.mun.ca> yeng@garfield.cs.mun.ca  
(Yeng Fat Fai) writes:
> >>
> >>Cantonese songs.  I wish I am wrong, because I really, really, 
> >>really want to listen my home (Hong Kong) songs through the 
> >>computer.  So if anyone outthere who has the ftp address to 
> >>the Cantonese songs, please let me know.
> >>
> > 
> > how do you listen to songs through your computer???
> > if you really miss hong kong songs so much, why don't you ask someone
> > in hongkong to mail you a tape?
> > 
> > pete
> > 
> I think this is common w/in HK students.  They are away from HK and they  
still
> want to live the way they used to back in HK.  Come on, open yourself, I  
don't 
> know how much you know about American culture, not much, I guess.  The  
HK music
> scene sucks anyway.  Love, everyday, everysong, everybody, I am sick of  
it.
> It is so superficial that it is phony as hell.
> Well, do whatever you like.  Just some of my opinions.  You are my sons,  
I
> don't care!!!

Well...not wanting to speak for everyone out there but I think it is not a  
good idea to make generalisations.  It is true that the Hong Kong music  
scene is filled with songs about love day in, day out.  That's true (but  
there are always exceptions right?). But to say that all those who want to  
get hold of HK music is not "open" to American culture is an  
over-simplication of things.  It is true that foreign students tend to be  
"groupie."  This is very true when they are in big groups in state  
colleges or in big cities.  However, as for myself who is in a private  
liberal-arts school, like it or not I have to mingle and adapt to the  
environment.  I have nothing against American music - I like REM, Bryan  
Adams (not really American but close enough), Mariah Carey and others.   
But every now and then I want to listen to something familiar.  I want to  
hear something that sounds like my native language.  In short I don't want  
to feel as if I am totally ripped away from who I am and where I came  
from.  For those of us who can do without them - great!  But for those of  
us who want to listen to what's familiar to us; (although we are far far  
away from home) is there anything wrong about that?  Coming to America  
should not mean having to give up what I like.  Besides, it's a very  
personal thing. To try to impose a certain kind of music on someone is NOT  
what America is all about.  If it is anything it is about being able to be  
who we want to be.  The problem is not with what you listen to or not  
listen to.  It's how willing are we to learn another culture and hopefully  
appreciate it.  I  personally think I have learnt a bit of American  
culture and have come to appreciate quite a bit of what I have learnt.   
But I still want to remember where I came from - the sights, the tastes,  
and the sounds. So, why not leave us to our HK music and confront the  
problem straight on - the problem of being "groupie" and closed to  
American culture.  Remember:  One person's meat in another's poison! 


Hunyeow Lye
lyeh@alleg.edu

"Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?"
Newsgroups: soc.culture.hongkong