Our Desk | Who cares… for Money?

Renato Marques

For those who have brought up conversation topics about local issues, the expression “Who cares?” is certainly not an unfamiliar one…
The fact is, many do not care, or they may avoid doing so. This happens often regarding social and political issues, government decisions and/or policies but the exception seems to be when the topic is about MONEY.
And increasingly, money is such a great thing that it is (apparently) the only thing that cannot be defined as really bad.
For instance, on that topic, the Mexican Bishop Ramon Godinez Flores argued a few years ago that, “Bad money shouldn’t be burned. It should be transformed.”
The idea of the transformation of this so-called “bad money” into a potentiality can be applied to all sectors of society across the planet, and Macau is no exception. In fact, I dare to say that is “quite a good example.”
At least for me, our major industry – Gaming – is exactly that: “a sort of money making machine” or better to say, a “money transformation machine.”
I wonder if all that money also has the ability of transform societies, too?
For the societies living in (not around) this “factory,” it is difficult not to care about money and its transformations.
Recently, hundreds marched through the streets of the territory once more, because of “money.” In this particular case, in opposition to a donation of the MSAR’s of RMB100 million (around MOP123m) to Jinan University.
The high level of concern in the population about the topic was due to the fact that they were asking not only for the withdrawal the donation but also the immediate resignation of the chief executive.
What was considered by many as a “large-­scale demonstration,” was only surpassed by the protests which occurred 2 years ago when thousands surrounded the Legislative Assembly to protest against the so-called “retirement package bill,” where the issue was… money!
No other topic seems to gather so much support in a society that seems to be divided (or just not care) about all the other things while being so united about money.
Meanwhile, another phenomenon arose during these times of unusual gathering and consensus on locals about a problem, a phenomenon that I used to call the “gwai lo syndrome.”
As most of you are familiar with, the “gwai lo” is the Cantonese term used to address “westerners.” Literally it means “ghost person” and although it is considered an improper way to address people, it is widely used as part of the Cantonese vocabulary.
The “gwai lo syndrome,” is something I can relate to, as an extreme feeling of non-belonging and/or not relating to the problems of the society in which you are living. It is frequently expressed by the similar “who cares?” and often gets even worse. Its most frequent habitat is social media platforms and comes as an angry and frustrated criticism to the problem that “others” related to, or cherished.
I do not always necessarily agree with the ideas transmitted by the medieval quote “when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” but I am pretty sure that to publicly repudiate the values that a society cherishes is most probably the fastest way to reach the stage where nobody “cares”… about you!