Hong Kong’s Commerce and Economic Development Bureau says it does not “collect any information on the race or ethnic background” of those exempted from quarantine, but it seems unlikely that an Indian, Vietnamese, or Nigerian actor, even if they were to have a global reputation, would have been simply waved through. A Philippine director shooting a film about the lives of tens of thousands of female domestic helpers in Hong Kong—who are all critical to the economy—would have a slim chance of getting the same perk, even if they, like Kidman, had arrived from Australia. Thousands of domestic helpers stuck in the Philippines and Indonesia are only just now being allowed back in—and naturally have to undergo the three-week isolation.
Sadly, the people of Hong Kong have long viewed white privilege as how the world works. It is what they even seek, with their Western names, love of Western brands and enthusiasm for Western passports and Western universities. This was evident during the protests of 2019, when the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack flew from the barricades, and young demonstrators assaulted mainland Chinese bystanders but left white people alone. Many protesters even sought support from Donald Trump and his merry band of white supremacists. This “colonization of the mind” is the result of decades of subjugation.
Across Asia, white privilege has persisted well after the end of empire. A 2016 study by the U.K.’s Economic & Social Research Council found that expats in low-income countries can earn up to 900% more than their local colleagues. In Hong Kong, a foreign middle manager costs an average of $284,466 a year to employ, taking into account benefits such as accommodation, cars and so on. The average salary for a local middle manager, who almost never receives such benefits, is just over $98,000.
