Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Steelrails]

[Wai Mian]

[rollo]

As the poster presents it the book seems a little too U.s. centric. Also the wild over the top nationalism of pre war Japan was not drummed up by the government or industry. Also the populations of these countries ARe hardworking, resourceful and frugal, anyone who has lived or traveled in those countries can vouch for this.

[Wai Mian]

[rollo]

Not anecdotal that savings rates in Northeast asia run between 35 to 50%. This is a great stimulus to their economy.

Yes any discussion of post war would of course feature the U.s. but pointed out that some of the conditions existed prior to war. such as Asian as superior to Westerner which is still a powerful influence in the region. didnt need goading by post war governments.

I am not totally dismissing these ideas but their was pre exiting conditions that nurtured the beliefs and the sucess of these economies is not entirely due to the U.S or to any government interventionist policies. Look at china when it finally unleashed the work ethic and savings regimen of its people.

[Wai Mian]

[liveinkorea316]

I think if you compared Japan pre and post WW2 you could find that even before the War Japan was opening up. Except it was doing it outside of the comforts of the US and it's donated markets. Japan decided to grab territory close to its borders. Not unlike the way the West had been grabbing territories for 100 years.

I can't see what is particularly developmental about attitudes and practices in Korea. Even now. Granted they are forced to live with some different laws and limitations that we are not used to in the West but then, Asian cultures do not have a histroy of Human Rights and individual freedoms that exists in the West.

I think you need to be more specific about what instances you are referring to when you say a Korean claims "this is the culture around here". Because me and other people who are participating in this discussion have experienced many situations like that and it seems like the culture is the reason in many cases.

Koreans and Asians in general have lived under Kings, rulers and oppressive rulers well into the 20th Century whereas us i nthe West have been in democracies for much of that time. We have become accustomed to openness and human rights whereas in Asia they (as part of their way of life) have become accustomed to not having any say and just following the rules.

Asian countries ALL have extremely nationalistic governments that keep in place laws that are at many times unnecesarily xenophobic and openly discriminatory. Drug testing of foreigners, inability to buy land and difficulty in getting cell phones, not being allowed into certain bars - these are just some things that still need to be rectified here. They come from the culture and it will take a long time if forever to root this kind of treatment out.

Extrapolate that kind of treatment of foreign teachers to how foreign companies and businesses are treated and also foreign countries. You can still be a member of the WTO and be mean.

At what point does the Korean government represent the will of it's people? It is popularly elected isn't it? So if it represents the will of Koreans then aren't many laws and policies driven by culture?

[rollo]

"root these things out' Oh boy!!! the assumption being because these things do not exist in the West they must be wrong. Dont like the rules here, take airplane go home no one forced you to come to Korea.

But the topic is that what is called traditional culture is just the product of a program by an industrializing state to gain unity for its actions. I think it is really too difficult to tell if governments using and strengthening preexiting biases and beliefs and the fact that those beliefs existed before the industrial state and perhaps would have continued to hold the populace in sway without govenments reinforcing them that it is too hard to say. I respect Dr. Johson immensely but his area of research is looking at U.s. relations and influences in Asia. So I would argue that much of what he writes is a tad too U.S. centric. That is what it is supposed to be . Blowback is a great book

Japan was an industrial power before the war and probably would have become one even without U.s. help but probably not to the extent it became world wide but it would have been strong in Asia.

China made tremendous gains in the late 80's and early nineties due to massive investment in infrastucture and by courting foreign investment first from Taiwan than other nations.

Anyone who thinks that Korea is exonphobic now look at what was don

[Wai Mian]

[Steelrails]

[Wai Mian]

[liveinkorea316]

An awful lot of local people don't have the best interests of their own country in mind either. It really depends on how you define what this is. People act generally in their OWN best interests, not that of their country. Why should residents who came from foreign countries be held to a higher moral standard than that of the locals?