ARTICLE DISCUSSION

APRIL 12, 2023

INTRODUCTION QUESTIONS
• What irritates you most in a person? (Pet peeve)
• In your culture, is it acceptable to express anger
towards your workmates?
• How about to someone older than you?
• When was the last time you felt extremely angry? For
what reason?
• How do you calm down when you are almost angry?
or after being angry?
Hong Kong’s ‘villain-hitting’ ritual draws
crowds

Hong Kong’s amusing ritual to beat a clamped paper

with a shoe is drawing eyeballs and also relieving
people of their angst against someone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH9UyRDM3R0
NEW VOCABULARY
hold a grudge / hoʊld ə grʌdʒ / (idiom) – to have a strong feeling of anger
for a long time toward someone who did something bad
Example: She is holding a grudge against her best friend for lying to her.
take part in (something) / teɪk pɑrt ɪn / (idiom) – to participate in an activity
with other people
Example: He likes taking part in school activities.
villain / ˈvɪl ən / (n.) – a bad person who’s causing harm or trouble to others
Example: Corrupt politicians are the villains of this country.

ritual / ˈrɪtʃ u əl / (n.) – a set of actions or words done regularly in a religious

ceremony
Example: Lighting a candle before praying is part of their ritual.
bash / bæʃ / (v.) – to strongly hit someone or something
Example: The robber bashed the window to escape the police
HOW WILL YOU HANDLE?
Situation
Someone came to your birthday uninvited
- gatecrasher -
Someone farted near you (a stranger)
Someone talked bad / gossiped about you
Someone delivered the wrong product in
your doorstep
Someone tries to insert in the line
Your bf/gf forgets your birthday or
anniversary
Your Action
I will welcome the person unless I
hate him.
I will go away from him.
If it’s not a big problem, I will
ignore/ not care about this.
I will call him and let him know that
it wasn’t my order.
I’ll tell her to be polite and that she
has to go back to the end of the
line.
I will be upset and give him a
chance to do something for me.
NEW VOCABULARY
Pet peeve
something that a particular person finds especially annoying. "one of my biggest
pet peeves is poor customer service“
Most common Pet peeves:
- Loud chewing or drinking
- Burping
- Talking during a movie. ...
- People who walk slow. ...
- Staring at someone's phone. ...
- Clipping your nails in public.
For people holding a grudge in Hong Kong, one way to release their anger is to take part in the “villain-
hitting” ritual.
Those seeking to ease their anxieties and improve their mood visit an area beneath the Canal Road
Flyover in Causeway Bay, one of the city’s shopping districts. Under the highway, they watch ritual
practitioners — mostly older women — use a shoe to bash an image of the person who is the target of
their anger.
The target could be anyone — rival lovers, unfriendly colleagues, horrible bosses or unlikeable public
figures. The ritual is especially popular in March because some believe the best day to perform it falls on
“ging zat,” as pronounced in Cantonese, a day on the Chinese lunar calendar that literally means
“awakening of insects.”
---
This year, “ging zat” fell on March 6. The tradition attracted crowds for the first time after the lifting of
major COVID-19 restrictions, including a mask mandate.
“I’m hoping to cut out all the gossip around me and wish that the bad people would stay away from me,”
said Edison Chan, a tourist from neighboring Guangdong province.
Ho Pan-yong, one of the practitioners, said she wanted to help customers whack the bad people in their
lives. She charged 50 Hong Kong dollars ($6.40) for the five-minute ritual, which includes lighting
incense offerings to the gods, the striking of the image and a concluding blessing.
The ritual, in which no one is physically harmed, could help those who are in distress, said Dr. Beatrice
Ng-Kessler, a registered clinical psychologist in Hong Kong and the U.K.
FOLLOW UP
 Do you believe that rituals can make people feel better? Why or why not?
What other things or practices can help people release their anger? Discuss.
 Edison Chan said that he wants to cut out all the gossip around him and
wishes that the bad people would stay away from him.
Would you participate in the villain-hitting ritual for the same reason?
Why or why not? Discuss.
 Ho Pan-yong, a ritual practitioner, said she charges 50 Hong Kong dollars
($6.40) to perform the five-minute ritual.
Do ritual practitioners in your country also ask for payment? Do you think
people should really pay for rituals? Why or why not? Discuss.
 Do you know any health professionals (like doctors or psychologists) who
also believe in doing rituals to help the person feel better? (especially
mentally)