The Bus Uncle
[7] The video was filmed by a 21-year-old accountant and part-time psychology student Jon Fong Wing Hang (Chinese: 方穎恆; pinyin: Fāng Yǐnghéng; Jyutping: fong1 wing6 hang4).
He claimed there was a second video yet to be posted online in which the younger man fought back by making fun of "Bus Uncle" with a friend on the phone.
[13] News of the video clip later reached Western media and was widely syndicated and has received coverage from Channel NewsAsia, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal.
[2][6][14] Reporters later identified the "Bus Uncle" as Roger Chan Yuet Tung (Chinese: 陳乙東; Jyutping: can4 jyut3 dung1), a 51-year-old restaurant worker who lived in Yuen Long.
[7][14] On 23 May 2006, 23-year-old property agent Elvis Ho Yui Hei (Chinese: 何銳熙; Jyutping: ho4 jeoi6 hei1),[7] previously misidentified as "Alvin" or "Elvin" called a talk show on Commercial Radio Hong Kong claiming to be the young man involved in the argument.
[15] Elvis Ho regularly commuted home from work on the bus and reported that he often asked passengers to lower their voices so he could sleep during his trip.
[17] Sing Tao Daily reported that Chan visited Ho's office on 31 May 2006 in Mong Kok to apologize for the dispute and to initiate a business proposal for the duo to hold a "Bus Uncle Rave Party".
Chan was quickly rejected and expelled by Ho, who expressed outrage towards the journalists who arranged the meeting and threatened legal action against the press.
[24] On 7 June 2006, Chan, who had been hired as a Public Relations officer in the Steak Expert restaurant chain, was physically assaulted at work by three unidentified masked men who then fled the scene.
[2] There have also been parodies of an apology, "re-enactments" of the incident with video game characters, composite pictures, movie posters, and versions featuring Darth Vader and Adagio for Strings.
In episode 67 of the TVB sitcom Welcome to the House (高朋滿座), the young bespectacled main character tried to stop a man from talking too loudly on the mobile phone in the cinema.
[31] Although many found the video humorous and entertaining, others warned that it hinted at a more alarming and sinister prognosis of life in stress-filled Hong Kong and other overcrowded areas.
[32] Journalism professor and Internet expert Anthony Fung Ying-him also attributed the popularity of the low-resolution video of a "trivial event" to the emotional climate of the city.
[32] While other viral videos are favoured by specific demographics, this one spread widely due to its universal[33] expression of "the true feelings of ordinary people.
He recalled an incident a few years back where he confronted a man smoking on the lower deck of a bus and was scolded for the rest of the journey.
[6] Apple Tse Ho Yi, minister of the Hong Kong Christian Service, carried out a survey of 506 students over the age of 12 following the incident.
Tse concluded that the current generation of Hong Kong young people have poor civic awareness, and it is natural that disputes often occur due to inconsideration.
[26] Some denied that any social insight could be gleaned from the video clip, arguing that the frenzy was artificially created by sensationalist newspapers to boost circulation and profits.
Clement So York-kee, Director of the School of Journalism at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, warned that methods to uncover the incident between Chan and Ho "did not seem to ... [involve the] traditional practice of news reporting.
[41] Ta Kung Pao stated that the Bus Uncle incident tested the professionalism of the Hong Kong mass media, its editorial noting that Chan sought payment for interviews and made many extraordinary claims about himself which were published without verification.
