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HONG KONG : A YouTube video of a hysterical Chinese woman after she missed a flight out of Hong Kong has become an online sensation, with TV stations around the world picking up the story.
But responses to the clip - more than 4.7 million hits on YouTube - has got some media experts worried about discrimination and "Chinese bashing" - especially among the Chinese themselves.
The amateur video captured the woman's meltdown at the Hong Kong International Airport. She had arrived at the airport late, and missed her flight to San Francisco.
The Cantonese-speaking woman, said to be mainland Chinese, became hysterical, when she realised the flight had left on time.
The clip was apparently filmed with a mobile phone by a member of ground staff earlier this month.
The video clip has even been picked up by media around the world, including CNN's headline news, eager to show the antics of a "crazy airport lady".
Some viewers have said her freak-out deserves a "Best Drama Queen" Academy Award.
"I mean people have been fascinated about capturing these funny, interestingly and embarrassing moments. And I think that is just part of human psychology," said Mike Yao, Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong.
The clip may seem like another funny video, but looking at the comments posted on the Web, there is a whole debate about where the woman is from, and some of the remarks were quite nasty.
Rather than looking at her outburst as an act of an individual, some comments have shunned her behavior as "typically Chinese".
Some media experts said the video has fanned the flames of negative stereotyping.
Although it is hard to tell where the posts are from, media watchers said the surprising part is that the bulk of heated comments appeared to have come from ethnic Chinese.
"How people are so quick to say well, this is a mainlander, we are Hong Kong(ers). Or this is a mainlander, we are not; we're from Taiwan," said Yao.
"There's a sense of Chinese bashing Chinese, rather than Westerners or foreigners bashing Chinese. So I think there's a certain extent of self-discrimination going on here. And I really don't think that's healthy," he added.
It still remains a mystery as to why it was so important for the woman to get on that plane. Apparently, she managed to catch a later flight on the same day, when she finally composed herself. - CNA /ls
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