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numazawa
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Location: The Concrete Barnyard
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 Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:26 am Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
Wasn't it Confucius who said, "You can't rape the willing"? |
I take it you haven't watched a Korean porn movie.  |
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ed4444
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:47 am Post subject: |
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I am from Ireland and I think the Irish of Asia analogy is quite apt as long as its not used in a racist British Paddy Irishman joke way.
There was an interview on Irish TV last friday with a famous British journalist who spend a few years in Ireland in the 1970s as the BBC correspondant.
He said that Ireland was a very insecure & strongly nationalist monocultural society at that time. He also said it was difficult to deal with the Irish habit of comparing itself to England when looking for reassurance constantly.
Sound familiar?
He also mentioned that all of this has changed now from Ireland's membership of the EU and subsequent rapid development. He thinks it now has more in common with Central Europe than England in many ways.
Many changes like the above could also happen soon in Korea when they find their feet internationally. I think it will happen sooner or later. |
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Panic Button
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:09 am Post subject: |
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| Joseph Fitzgerald wrote: |
| If it wasn't "invaded" by capitalist imperialism, it would have been invaded by totalitarianism. |
The invasion by capitalist imperialism came after the Korean war; I don't reckon MacDonalds, Starbucks and YBM and them started setting up while the M*A*S*H boys were still doing their thing.
I'm under no illusions about the comparative benefits of capitalism and Stalinism, but at the same time I don't think anyone can disagree that this place is, economically, culturally and militarily a colony of the American Empire, making it "a third world country coated in sugar" or "a unique and friendly culture coated in sh1te" depending on your opinion. |
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Satori
Joined: 09 Dec 2005
Location: Above it all
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:28 am Post subject: |
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| Panic Button wrote: |
but at the same time I don't think anyone can disagree that this place is, economically, culturally and militarily a colony of the American Empire |
Under this theory almost every country that has business ties with the states is a colony. K pop mimicking RnB and hollywood movies do not a culture make, Korean culture is nothing like american culture and never will be. Sure they are getting more materialistic as they get wealthy, they dont need cues from the states for that, it happen in all countries. And the states have bases all over the world. They are here by request and Korea has the power to ask them to leave, but obviously they see it as beneficial. Your colony idea doesn`t hold much water. |
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Barking Mad Lord Snapcase
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:36 pm Post subject: Re: I heard an interesting analogy about Korea. |
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| Panic Button wrote: |
| Unfortunately both the place and the people are in the process of having their culture invaded and erroded by capitailist imperialism. |
Are you an ESL teacher working in a hagwon? If so, then have you somehow fooled yourself into believing that you have no part in this "capitalist imperialism"?
Without "capitalist imperialism", there will be no ESL industry (and certainly no hagwons). Expats here are always tut-tutted about biting the hand that feeds them, so ... hey. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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| goodluck wrote: |
| own_king wrote: |
| Quote: |
| explaining Seoul culture with these three words: Farmers In Suits. |
Perfect!
Korea is a first world country with a third world mentality is an insult to third world countries (if only Koreans were that friendly)... |
I know this has been done to death, but why oh why do you stay here if you feel like this? one has to assume the alternative back home for you is worse |
Yes, especially when McDonald's is hiring back home. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:21 pm Post subject: Re: I heard an interesting analogy about Korea. |
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| Newbie wrote: |
| Panic Button wrote: |
I reckon a better analogy is:
(South) Korea is a unique and friendly country which has been coated in sh1te.
What do you think? |
"unique" ... somewhat.
"friendly" ... HIGHLY debatable.
"coated ...blah, blah, blah" How about unthankful, disrespectful towards, and ignorant of a culture it tries so hard to emulate. |
What exactly does Korea have to be thankful for? That its country was sliced in two by superpowers who then fought a war on their terrority which, by the time it was over, left the country in ruins and millions of their people dead? Not only that, but left South Korea under a repressive dictatorship for decades. I'd say that counterbalances any positive aspects. As for being disrepectful and ignorant that is exactly how many GI and English teachers here behave towards Korean culture. It cuts both ways. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:24 pm Post subject: |
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I have an interesting analogy about ESL teachers here though.
If Korea is a dungpile (as some posters here have insinuated) that's gotta make them the flies on the said pile. |
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Wrench
Joined: 07 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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| jinju wrote: |
Wrench,
you said you dont believe it. Arent you the guy who started the oh so classy "Koreans stink" thread? |
They do.. Apprantly its their breath not BO.. So I guess they never heard of a Breath Mint???? |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Wrench wrote: |
| jinju wrote: |
Wrench,
you said you dont believe it. Arent you the guy who started the oh so classy "Koreans stink" thread? |
They do.. Apprantly its their breath not BO.. So I guess they never heard of a Breath Mint???? |
The Koreans I work with brush their teeth obsessively. I've never seen so many toothbrushes for sale in convenience stores back home either. They also consume Xylitol in bulk. Try again. |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 11:56 pm Post subject: Re: I heard an interesting analogy about Korea. |
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| Wrench wrote: |
... he heard an interesting analogy about South Korea ... a 3rd world country with a sugar coating.
I get a giggle from it. What do you think? |
It's more like they think they can polish a turd. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 4:22 am Post subject: |
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| My Korean analogy is "Korea is like the ugly girl in high school who ends up becoming an '8' in her twenties. She spends all her time digging for compliments, trying to get people to notice her, and wants a lot of credit for wearing a mini skirt." |
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Wrench
Joined: 07 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 5:54 am Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
| My Korean analogy is "Korea is like the ugly girl in high school who ends up becoming an '8' in her twenties. She spends all her time digging for compliments, trying to get people to notice her, and wants a lot of credit for wearing a mini skirt." |
LOL |
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Panic Button
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Satori wrote: |
| Panic Button wrote: |
but at the same time I don't think anyone can disagree that this place is, economically, culturally and militarily a colony of the American Empire |
Under this theory almost every country that has business ties with the states is a colony. K pop mimicking RnB and hollywood movies do not a culture make, Korean culture is nothing like american culture and never will be. Sure they are getting more materialistic as they get wealthy, they dont need cues from the states for that, it happen in all countries. And the states have bases all over the world. They are here by request and Korea has the power to ask them to leave, but obviously they see it as beneficial. Your colony idea doesn`t hold much water. |
From www.indymedia.org :
Autonomous Village Under Siege by Korean Troops
On March 6th, 2006, South Korean military riot police began an attack on the autonomous village of Daechuri. For over four years, Daechuri and the nearby community of Doduri have defiantly resisted the siezure of their homes and fields for the expansion of an United States Army base. Barracaded inside the elementary school, rice farmers, elderly residents, and peace activists are holding out against sporadic, sometimes intense attacks by Korea's elite military police force. International support is needed to pressure the Korean government to halt its brutal assault.
Utilizing tractors as road blocks, human shields chained to the school gates, and the courage of a people fighting for their homes and lives, they have, so far, resisted wave after wave of attacks by hundreds of military riot police. Residents and peace activists have suffered beatings and arrests, while inside the school, activists upload news updates, video of the attacks, and make pleas for immediate aid. They are exhausted and dehydrated, and in need of reinforcements and supplies. International observers, journalists, and anyone with a phone or a computer can take action now.
The expansion of U.S. Army base Camp Humphreys (K-6) is part of the Global Repositioning Plan, first outlined by the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) and later adopted as the Bush Administration's strategy for consolidating its military hegemony over Northeast Asia.
Opposition to the expansion of the base has come from many diverse currents within Korean society. Apart from community displacement, many have also highlighted issues including the devastating environmental impact of US bases, the violent crimes committed by US troops stationed on the peninsula, the issue of human trafficking and forced prostitution which surrounds the bases, and the potential for a new arms race that could destabilize all of Northeast Asia. |
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Panic Button
Joined: 15 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:46 pm Post subject: Re: I heard an interesting analogy about Korea. |
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| Barking Mad Lord Snapcase wrote: |
| Panic Button wrote: |
| Unfortunately both the place and the people are in the process of having their culture invaded and erroded by capitailist imperialism. |
Are you an ESL teacher working in a hagwon? If so, then have you somehow fooled yourself into believing that you have no part in this "capitalist imperialism"?
Without "capitalist imperialism", there will be no ESL industry (and certainly no hagwons). Expats here are always tut-tutted about biting the hand that feeds them, so ... hey. |
Good point Barking Mad Lord Snapcase. Yes I am by the way, but I'm not sticking around after my contract for this reason. Had no idea of what it would be like before I came here; was a bit naive about how much the ESL industry contributes towards cultural imperialism. |
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