＜唉依家啲後生女＞ / Climbing the Corporate Ladder

I just finished reading a Chinese book entitled “猫猫的白領生活”that tells the story of a fictitous female character Meow Meow who was able to use her charm and ruthless tactics to climb the corporate ladder in China. Throughout the story, Meow Meow was portrayed as a modern-day Chinese university graduate who was not just smart, but also strategic. Nothing could stand in the way of her desire to succeed and to become a manager, not her room mate, not her male co-workers, and not even the senior excutive mentor with whom she had established an intimate relationship. People are sources of intelligence and tools to help her advance in the corporate world. In the end, she succeeded in getting her promotion, from a fresh-0ut-of-school trainee to a manager position, in record time.

What really chills me is the authour's apparent endorsement of what I would consider as ruthless tactics and manipulative behaviours e.g. extracting job info from friends and then misleading them; using female charm to defeat competitors or to conquer male team leaders, esp if the latter could provide her with career advancement advice and help. It is as if getting promoted is the end that justifies all means. Who gives two hoots abt values and ethics. And it goes without saying too that promotion here means higher salary, company benefit and perks, but not necessarily more responsibilities.

As a professional, it really bothers me when someone advocates that strategy rather than principle should be the primary driver for success. It is a slippery slope that will lead to short-term gain but long-term pain for a corporation, and deceit and corruptions for the trade and investment world.

Supplementary:

Attached is a Hong Kong rap entitled ＜唉依家啲後生女＞ that pokes fun at stereotyped 港女. But frankly, some ＜後生仔＞are just as bad.


＜唉依家啲後生女＞

lyrics & rap by:
鯉魚 aka Ms YoFish

好多人　好多時都戴住幾副面具　去面對
唔同人　唔同事　隱藏係人群堆裡
表面笑臉迎人　背後依舊同你對壘
耗盡心機沉醉　係呢個辦公室戰場裡

＊ 面具既掩蓋　無奈令我悲哀
爭寵既比賽　咁要維持幾耐？
為上位而殘害　你身邊果位摯愛
我問你係咪應該　離開個戰場建立未來

女人既天性　係爭妍鬥麗
精通十八般武藝　更精於攻心計
憑知識　去發圍　憑姿色　去上位
以女王姿態稱帝　砌低老細身邊既卒仔

係　每日都準備全副妝甲上陣
係　隨時以最佳狀態博殺敵人
為　捍衛自己既ＯＬ教主身份
為　攀附權貴不惜將色相犧牲

白領麗人　不斷修練道行　偽過藝人
分分鐘為領功　博上鏡製造　緋聞
憎人　富貴但又厭人貧
強調退隱森林　轉過頭繼續逗留商場打滾

＊＊面具既掩蓋　無奈令我悲哀
爭寵既比賽　咁要維持幾耐？
為上位而殘害　你身邊果位摯愛
我問你係咪應該　離開個戰場建立未來

冬天番工　個個鬥低胸　唔著羽絨　我睇到都覺凍
單靠眼睫毛簷蓬　未必可以抵禦寒風　捱到放工
當眾　你鬥妝容　莊重　你又欠奉
淨係煽動　是非專發起人事暴動
個腦　你無用　辭工　你無種
遲早　嫁個好老公　我諗你咪早發夢
未咁早轉季　晨咁早去排頭位
為既只係　限量版新款ＬＶ手袋仔
拎番公司示威　拎埋下期糧照洗
所謂　既尊嚴捍衛　始終都係靠港幣
講　是非一班庸脂俗粉圍埋講男人
「阿邊個去滾邊個醫生最近單身～」
嚇親　我話　你唔係已經結左婚？
佢話：「係～講金唔講心咪當食多份甜品」