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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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 Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:06 pm Post subject: The Oh my god, Koreans abroad doing things tv show |
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Arirang tv always has this "Koreans elected to political office in the USA" feature. Like a Korean who has been elected to city council. It's as about interesting as a tour of a box factory. But then I was listening to the Metropolitician podcast the other day and they were making a point about the Cho mass murder and the Korean worry that whitey would go wilding on their relatives Stateside. The woman, expat Jane, made the point "because Koreans would do it to us they assumed Americans would do it to their relations in the USA."
That got me thinking. Does the reasoning go "since no non-Korean face would ever get elected to Korean political office it must be the case that no non-white would ever get elected in the USA. That a Korean got elected must mean there is something super special about Koreans." |
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boyne11
Joined: 08 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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I recall there was a 1st generation U.S. congressman from California.
He was promptly arrested by FBI and convicted for accepting illegal political contribution.
He was forced to resign (maybe voted out) and served time like any other Korean politician. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:15 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't think so. It strikes me more as: Home-town boy makes good in the big city. |
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Intrepid
Joined: 13 May 2004
Location: Yongin
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:16 pm Post subject: Response to first post |
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| I doubt it's so much amazement at how incredible that Korean person must be. I think they know that in the US, non-whites can be elected. This is just more of just the usual TV fare--the catalogue of "Oh, this Korean did this, and that Korean did that." |
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Justin Hale
Joined: 24 Nov 2007
Location: the Straight Talk Express
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:16 pm Post subject: Re: The Oh my god, Koreans abroad doing things tv show |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
That got me thinking. Does the reasoning go "since no non-Korean face would ever get elected to Korean political office it must be the case that no non-white would ever get elected in the USA. That a Korean got elected must mean there is something super special about Koreans." |
Probably.
The real reason - that there are opportunities for people regardless of race in the U.S. (the opposite of the situation in Korea) - will be overlooked by many in favor of an argument flattering to Koreans.
The key to surviving attacks on reasoning like this is to simply (a) laugh and (b) return to one's home country with a ton of money. One'd go nuts otherwise.  |
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nateium
Joined: 21 Aug 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:31 pm Post subject: Re: The Oh my god, Koreans abroad doing things tv show |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
Arirang tv always has this "Koreans elected to political office in the USA" feature. Like a Korean who has been elected to city council. It's as about interesting as a tour of a box factory. But then I was listening to the Metropolitician podcast the other day and they were making a point about the Cho mass murder and the Korean worry that whitey would go wilding on their relatives Stateside. The woman, expat Jane, made the point "because Koreans would do it to us they assumed Americans would do it to their relations in the USA."
That got me thinking. Does the reasoning go "since no non-Korean face would ever get elected to Korean political office it must be the case that no non-white would ever get elected in the USA. That a Korean got elected must mean there is something super special about Koreans." |
Hmmm...I might be interested to see a program on Americans (or 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation Americans) who have emigrated to other countries and been elected to political office! Or maybe not...oh wait now I'm confused.   |
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GoldMember
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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| What's even more remarkable, is that these Koreans got elected into office, and they didn't have to be body builders or actors. |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:29 pm Post subject: Re: The Oh my god, Koreans abroad doing things tv show |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
But then I was listening to the Metropolitician podcast the other day and they were making a point about the Cho mass murder and the Korean worry that whitey would go wilding on their relatives Stateside. The woman, expat Jane, made the point "because Koreans would do it to us they assumed Americans would do it to their relations in the USA."
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As it happens, there was article yesterday in the Chosun Ilbo about the Vtech shootings. http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200712/200712180011.html
Here is chunk at the end:
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◆ Korean-American silence
Korean Americans in the Washington, D.C. area were shocked when the Apr. 16 shooting occurred. They have tried to deal with the tragedy by getting together at Korean churches in their community, where they have held memorial services for the victims and raised funds for their families. The Korean churches in Northern Virginia collected $300,000, which they delivered to Virginia Tech. But on the whole, Korean Americans refrain from mentioning the shooting if they can. A Korean-American graduate of Virginia Tech said, "I was embarrassed because a Korean was the perpetrator. It seems nobody wants to talk about this."
Yoo Hyun-seung, who has been elected next president of the Korean students council at Virginia Tech, said, "Since the shooting, none of the Korean students have experienced discrimination just because they are Korean." The parents of Cho Seung-hui, the perpetrator, still live in Virginia, out of touch with other people. An official at the Korean Embassy in Washington, said, "We don't attempt to keep in contact with them out of respect for their wish to keep to themselves."
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I remember all the doom and gloom many Koreans anticipated (just dig up some of the typically troubling "Asiafinest" threads).
But as for Arirang. Stick to the "Sexy Mong" show you mentioned in another thread. It's way more intelligent than the stuff on Arirang. |
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victorology
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| I don't think so. It strikes me more as: Home-town boy makes good in the big city. |
Agreed. |
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Khunopie
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: Fucking, Austria (pronounced "Fooking")
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| I watch arirang TV while abroad sometimes just for the LOL effect. Really, everyone should have to watch this before deciding they want to visit here. It's like an Infomercial for the country, complete with the paid audience and Cheezze host. Korea: Sparkling! The sole of Asia |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Khunopie wrote: |
| I watch arirang TV while abroad sometimes just for the LOL effect. Really, everyone should have to watch this before deciding they want to visit here. It's like an Infomercial for the country, complete with the paid audience and Cheezze host. Korea: Sparkling! The sole of Asia |
I like their music video show at 8 am. Only because a) I can laugh at cheesy Korean videos b) I learn the names of Korean bands so I can drop them into conversations with my students. "No no. Mp3 player is the device. An Mp3 is the song file, like Big Bang's Lies."
Expat Jane had another point. Korean music, movies, and Arirang are written to please the boss. Not to please the audience. "Ah yes, this extols my virtues and the greatness of my nation. Good good."
International audiences are sophisticated and know when they're just watching an informercial. When you're trying to position Inchon as the center of the universe, the greatest city in the world, people only conclude your nation is a bunch of nationalistic hayseeds. You have an airport and 747 cargo planes. Wow! Whoawweeeeeee! This must be the center of the universe!
I remember when Old Boy was taking all kinds of awards the Korean government decided to give the nod to Welcome to Dongmakgol as their entry for the Oscars. Naturally it didn't even get nominated. Old Boy, of course, wasn't about shiny happy Koreans holding hands and machine gunning down UN aircrews who volunteered to keep Korea free. Old Boy was about the nation's underbelly. Of course in the government's mind, international audiences are rubes like them and will just go "wow, Koreans are all rapists!" We're not sophisticated consumers of international cinema.
So, Welcome got the nod. Not a clue, however, that international audiences would notice the travesty of English acting in this film.
Compare Welcome and Old Boy in terms of awards:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475783/awards
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/awards |
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whatever
Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Location: Korea: More fun than jail.
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| Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 3:35 am Post subject: |
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Damn. I don't think I get Arirang. I have maybe 50 channels, but not that one...heard a lot about how asinine it is, though. I feel like I wasn't invited to the party...  |
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