A Scottish influencer teaching in Hong Kong lost her job after being “cancelled” on social media over a viral exchange with a local street vendor.
Dumfries food and travel vlogger Kate “EduKate” Barr, 30, became the talk of the town in the former British colony after posting a video in which she offered to buy a single chestnut with a HK$500 (£50) note.
Barr, who became an English tutor in the city less than a year ago, revealed last week that she was to be “let go” at the end of her contract after she was allegedly doxxed online, raising safety and privacy concerns for her primary school students.
In a now-deleted video, the Scot expat made an emotional plea to more than 80,000 followers, saying: “I’m very upset, and unfortunately, my accommodation is tied to this job, so I have no money left, and I don’t have employment or accommodation in Hong Kong.
“The whole point of me leaving the UK was with the desire that I would return in a better position. But unbelievably, I feel as if I’ve made my life even worse.”
This reaction came after some Hongkongers took to social media to complain that Barr failed to observe local customs and etiquette in her videos, and refused to learn basic phrases in Cantonese, the local tongue.
One post on Threads read: “As a teacher with a platform showing daily life in Hong Kong to foreigners, she has a responsibility to set a better example, not encourage others to behave in the same way.”
Another post seen by 260,000 users listed out eight behavioural issues from Barr’s videos, among them were littering, walking on the wrong side of the escalator, jaywalking in front of a sign that says no jaywalking, and wandering the streets during a typhoon warning.
Local photographer Carlos, 34, claims he once saw Barr filming in a shop against the owner’s will as he didn’t want to be on camera, saying: “She knew the owner didn’t want to be filmed and shouldn’t have been so insistent.”
Yet almost just as many have come out in defence of the Scottish vlogger against what many saw as cyberbullying. Local skateboarding legend Warren Stuart, 56, said in a post: “Shocked by how EduKate was treated. She lost her job in Hong Kong just for sharing her daily life, and the online harassment was out of control.”
Another post read: “People have zero empathy. She’s only been in Hong Kong for a short time, yet she’s expected to speak Cantonese. It’s completely understandable that she might lack awareness of certain social and cultural nuances, but she’s being called rude, vulgar, and cheap.”
One local puts it bluntly: “Hongkongers, do we have to be so mean? She’s lost her job already, yet we’re still criticising her and saying she deserves it. Why do we take pleasure in the suffering of others?”
In a more recent video posted last week, Barr responded to some of the criticism levied against her, including claims that by offering to pay HK$20 (£2) for a single chestnut with a HK$500 (£50) note, she was trying to pressure the vendor into giving her the sample for free.
The food and travel vlogger explained that she always films her videos in bulk, and HK$500 was the budget she would give herself for each shooting, adding: “It’s not what I ask at the ATM, but it’s obviously just what comes out of the ATM.
“I understand [the criticism]… It’s just something I’ve never even thought of.”
After initially trying to ignore the brewing online discourse, Barr was informed by her employers that the school where she taught had received complaints about her online behaviour.
When she was later called into a meeting with her boss, the English tutor said she was told she should “prepare for the fact that you’re being let go.”
But then, she said: “One of the first things he said to me was, ‘Kate, I don’t think you’re a racist.’ That’s very relieving to hear.”
According to Barr, her employers have allowed her to fulfil the remainder of her contract, which is set to end next month. She said: “I’m hugely relieved, of course, because I really like my job.”
The Scot later announced she will be leaving Hong Kong in January, telling followers: “I feel very tired, is the truth.”
“Maybe this is part of internet life. As you know, I’m really new to this – this is my first experience of it, [so] maybe next time around I’ll deal with it all a bit better.”