18-05-21
I guess you may not be with me? Some good guys turned bad only after they had been cheated or exploited. It was easier to follow the dirty crowd. Make yourself wolves and you will then have sheep to eat.
There is a Hong Kong expression ‘guu-wak’ (古惑). A person is ‘guu-wak’ when he shows 4 bad qualities: dishonest, opportunistic, pretending and playing tricks on others. Many people become ‘guu-wak’ without knowing it.
In Hong Kong, theme restaurants are liked because they offer a focal concept to attract customers. Architecture, décor, posters and special gimmicks are utilized to create exotic environments. With the concept of ‘guu-wak boys’, a theme restaurant was recently opened in Tsim Sha Tsui of Hong Kong and it has drawn great attention. ‘Guu-wak’ Boys is the name of the best-selling comic book series in Hong Kong, popular from 1992 to 2020. Online publication kills print now and traditional comic books are disappearing from the street newspaper stands which now sell toys and candies only. ‘Marvel’ heroes also destroy local comic-book characters.
‘Guu-wak’ Boys is about the stories of a young gangster Chan Ho Nam(陳浩南) whose purpose of life is to help friends, busy fighting and busy dying. Such stories had 2,335 issues, deserving an application to Guinness World Records. In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, Hong Kong was gripped by the waves of violence, and police opened fire at criminals in the neighbourhoods. The city produced the best crime films, fictions and comic magazines in Asia. For more reading, you may turn to an article ‘Triadization of Youth Gangs in Hong Kong’ published in 2011.
Of course, not all ‘guu-wak’ people in Hong Kong are gangsters. They can be the ordinary people who take advantage of others. Their motto is ‘don’t step on shits, be part of the shits and shit on others.’ The following 7 species of mentality give rise to ‘guu-wak’.
- Money-grabbers
These people are solely interested in money and will take any opportunity to acquire. Their desire for money makes them for sale or to be bribed.
- Self-serving scale
These ‘guu-wak’ deliberately weigh factors with bad faith in order to reach a decision which favours the stronger party in a deal, in return for the ‘lion’ leaving them a share of the pizza as a token of appreciation. In disregard of fairness, these ‘guu-wak’ are always trying to second-guess and please the boss.
- Have the smug final say
In an argument or disagreement, a ‘guu-wak’ who keeps quiet and hides his personal stand will be able to make the best use of the situation, especially at the end when there is an evenly split vote in which neither side has the majority. His critical final say will enable him to name a price for himself.
- Flattery as a sweet poison
A flatterer is a wolf in sheep’s clothes as he uses flattery to manipulate. The veil of his selfish hidden agendas is usually cloaked in flattery. A ‘guu-wak’ never speaks the truth but hands out flattery like chewing gum in the hope that the others will swallow it.
- Flee and run away
Escape from one’s responsibility breeds great mischief but a ‘guu-wak’ does not bother. When a ‘guu-wak’ smells something that is burned, foul, spoiled or wrong, he will immediately run away. The act of running away or resignation in the face of overwhelming problems and conflicts is selfish and a manifestation of a man’s opportunistic mentality.
- Liars
A ‘guu-wak’ has no other interest in life apart from money. For money, he can lie whenever he can. No declaration of his conflicting interest in a deal or making up a story to hurt a competitor are his most usual tricks. He just loves seeing his savings rise and he can look for more ways to build wealth.
Studies show that most people lie two or three times during a conversation. Isn’t it incredible?
- Betrayal
‘ For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first.’ We are not angry when we are betrayed by an enemy. We can hardly forgive when we are betrayed by a lover, family member or good friend. The cruel thing is that the mistake is yours, for trusting someone that you should not trust. A successful ‘guu-wak’ is someone who believes betrayal is the only truth that sticks. Besides, his joy often comes after the pain of others being hurt.
‘Guu-wak’ is a prevailing behavioural norm in Hong Kong. If self-interest can advance our economic growth, this social evil also grows at the expense of human soul.
This article can also be found at the following sites:
