當筍盤淪為地產霸權？Our homogenous society
最近看電視最令人吃驚的不是娘如《團圓》的劇集都可以出街，而是陳豪這「筍盤」於各個廣告出鏡的頻率：咖啡，蛋糕，寬頻上網，信用卡，男士用品......頻率高到我已分不清陳豪所代言的產品，甚至好可能有日如果我要賣廣告的話，陳豪有一日會連我都代言埋。
我跟很多女性觀眾一樣都喜歡陳豪，他的外型無得頂，也是一個稱職的演員，可塑性高，做好人得，壞人得，傻人都得。跟廖姓女演員分手後也旋即被娛樂版封為香港第一筍盤。或許就是因為這原因，陳豪得眾多廣告商的垂青，除了電視廣告，陳豪也出席不同場合，聽聞叫價已高過被潘霜霜打殘的女人湯丸林峯。
隨之而來就是被不同的陳豪廣告不停轟炸，廣告商及娛樂版不斷的提醒我，陳豪這盤有幾筍--而且是唯一的筍盤：要瘟仔都要瘟一個好似陳豪咁索嘅！陳豪就成了大家心目中的指標；情形就好似地產商建所謂豪宅一樣，住得人嘅屋只有這一種，食飯只有大家樂美心麥記，買餸買日用品只有百佳惠康屈臣氏萬寧，買衫只有那些在任何一個mall 都有的連瑣店......
如果沒有地產霸權，我們會有多一點選擇嗎？
香港社會單一化得令人心痛。
How am I going to translate this? The art of translation lies in not only in one's command of languages, but more importantly, translating one culture into another.
Lately I've become a TV addict - I'd watch anything ranging from soap to infotainment programmes. But one of the things I've spotted lately isn't how dumb HK's terrestrial's TV has become (that's old news anyway). It is how popular TVB actor Moses Chan has become: he's the spokesman for a variety of consumer goods - coffee, dessert, Internet broadband, credit card......you name it. Very soon he will be speaking for all the consumer goods found in every chain store.
Those who do not read Chinese language entertainment press or watch TVB might have no clue who Moses Chan is. Here's a bit of background: Chan is a model-turned-actor. He started acting in films but his showbiz career didn't take off until he joined TVB, playing a wide range of roles from good guys to bad guys and even retarded guys. Moses Chan is a household name.
Like many females in Hong Kong, I also like Chan. He's got great looks - handsome enough but not intimidating, and he's also a versatile actor. After the break-up with fellow TVB actress surnamed Liu, Chan was named by Hong Kong's entertainment press crowned him as "the most eligible bachelor". We have a special term for it in Cantonese, and that is "shun poon", a remarkable piece of property sold at a great price. Perhaps because of such a great image, Chan has become the hottest star in the eyes of advertisers. Rumour has it Chan now commands more than HK$100,000 for making an appearance at a 30-minute event, much higher than other TVB actors ask for.
There's nothing wrong with Chan's soaring popularity, but the more I'm being bombarded by the ads and the entertainment news, the more homogenous Hong Kong appears to me: Chan is the MOST eligible bachelor in town, the only reference for Mr Right, albeit at an unattainable standard. It's just like those so-called luxurious flats built by those property developers - there's only ONE choice for properties sold at unattainable prices. Looking for quick fix for food, go to all chain fast food restaurants, as they are the only ones that can stand the soaring rent. In need for daily necessities? Go to all those chain supermarkets, where most of them are subsidiaries of property developers. Wet markets? Sorry, there are less and less of them because property developers are buying them out for "re-development" into "luxurious" flats. Want to shop for clothes? Again, to go chain stores at malls, and eventually everyone wears virtually the same clothes in the same style. Once people got used to this, they will stop questioning the lack of choices.
We are still living in the feudal age run by a handful of property developers, who have become the modern day feudal lords, running not just our lives but also our minds. Without them, would there be more choices for us?
It's heartbreaking to see Hong Kong becoming such a homogenous society.