Site Search:
 
Speak Korean Now!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

"The Magical Negro" in America
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Off-Topic Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Hank the Iconoclast



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: Busan

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pligganease wrote:
Maybe his point is that Korean racism against blacks is OK since they didn't own black slaves in the US?


That's what I was thinking...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
komerican



Joined: 17 Dec 2006

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:37 pm    Post subject: Re: "The Magical Negro" in America Reply with quote

ceesgetdegrees wrote:
komerican wrote:
The LA times has an interesting article pointing out that white guilt over slavery explains the existence of "magical" blacks. It also shows, in my opinion, that the basis for multiculturalism in the West is simply particular to America's unfortunate history. The relevance for Koreans is that Koreans don't have and shouldn't have this "guilt" and hence no need for any action to "assuage" it.

On the other hand, multiculturalism is used by whites to leverage this guilt in order to gain more power for themselves, so perhaps a modified form of this would be useful. Wink


http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story?coll=la-opinion-center

The Magic Negro is a figure of postmodern folk culture...He has no past, he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist...He's there to assuage white "guilt" (i.e., the minimal discomfort they feel) over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history..."


Wikipedia defines the term "magic Negro".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro

The magical negro serves as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, typically through helping the white character recognize his own faults and overcome them.[3] Although he has magical powers, his "magic is ostensibly directed toward helping and enlightening a white male character."



What is your point?


The point is that the Western experience with racism is not a universal one, i.e., its particular nastiness is specific to Western culture. Koreans didn't have international slavery; we did not enslave "other" people for centuries, putting them in shackles and raping their women at will, etc.

Much of PC culture and multicultural ideology is foisted upon Koreans who have no real knowledge/experience of the extreme cases of cruelty and barbarism that were the original reasons for them. The holocaust for example, is an extremely alien experience for Koreans whereas Europeans have been implementing "pogroms" against Jews for centuries.

Also, more specifically, American politics is a complete riddle, a nonsensical mess. While Americans preach the evils of racism they are now on the brink of electing a "magic black", Obama, based mainly on his race. What an absurd farce. Again, it's clear that the American/Western experience with race is built on an ideology that is particular to their experience and NOT relevant to Korea.

Also, not only is this Western experience/guilt irrelevant for Koreans it is being used by Westerners to bully/intimidate/marginalize Koreans. Apparently, Westerners have decided (and of course they are the ones who have decided this) that the glorious West occupies the moral high-ground when it comes to PC culture and race issues. Oh really?? This is insane comedy. They rape and pillage and do all, and I do emphasize ALL, sorts of nasty things and now that they�ve come to the conclusion that it�s no longer in THEIR interest to rape and pillage they have the right to lecture to Koreans about racism and PC culture, as if their past actions have any relevance to Korea today�it doesn�t! (We see this habitual tendency to advertise their so called moral/and other sorts of nasty notions of superiority on this on this board all the time)

Here's an article that describes the comedy of America race politics as it exists today. Again, American/western politics is now about a decent into the abyss of cynically leveraging the biases and prejudices of the na�ve and easily manipulated public for political points. It's an immoral policy of divide and conquer/destroy.

Korea must avoid this insanity at all cost.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080415/ap_on_el_pr/obama_johnson;_ylt=Atq0E_mjV0GiZNijffZbnoyyFz4D

"What I believe Geraldine Ferraro meant is that if you take a freshman senator from Illinois called 'Jerry Smith' and he says I'm going to run for president, would he start off with 90 percent of the black vote?" Johnson said. "And the answer is, probably not."

"Geraldine Ferraro said it right," Johnson added. "The problem is, Geraldine Ferraro is white. This campaign has such a hair-trigger on anything racial it is almost impossible for anybody to say anything."

Ferraro, a Democratic candidate for vice president in 1984, stepped down last month as an adviser to Clinton amid controversy over comments she made to the Daily Breeze newspaper in Torrance, Calif. "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," Ferraro said. "And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Underwaterbob



Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow... I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole. Cue explosion in 3.. 2.. 1..
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
ceesgetdegrees



Joined: 12 Jul 2007

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow!, what an unusual perspective. Koreans don't need to worry about offending minorities with their naieve oversimplified, dulled down for the ignorant masses world view because they have a different perspective on racism than the west. That's so fucking simple any idiot could have thought of it....kudos to the OP.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
JustJohn



Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Location: Your computer screen

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Suwoner10 wrote:
You mean this guy?




First thing I thought of when I saw the thread title.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kabrams



Joined: 15 Mar 2008
Location: your Dad's house

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Underwaterbob wrote:
Wow... I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole. Cue explosion in 3.. 2.. 1..


Seriously...

Quote:
Also, more specifically, American politics is a complete riddle, a nonsensical mess. While Americans preach the evils of racism they are now on the brink of electing a "magic black", Obama, based mainly on his race. What an absurd farce. Again, it's clear that the American/Western experience with race is built on an ideology that is particular to their experience and NOT relevant to Korea.


I know there probably isn't much I can say to change your opinion, so I just had a hearty laugh.

Anyway: how would you suggest Koreans survive in a world that demands multiculturalism and global communication?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Fresh Prince



Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:

In the remote north-eastern corner of North Korea, close to the border of Russia and China, is Haengyong. Hidden away in the mountains, this remote town is home to Camp 22 - North Korea's largest concentration camp, where thousands of men, women and children accused of political crimes are held.

Now, it is claimed, it is also where thousands die each year and where prison guards stamp on the necks of babies born to prisoners to kill them.


Quote:

'I witnessed a whole family being tested on suffocating gas and dying in the gas chamber,' he said. 'The parents, son and and a daughter. The parents were vomiting and dying, but till the very last moment they tried to save kids by doing mouth-to-mouth breathing.'


Quote:
'An officer ordered me to select 50 healthy female prisoners,' she said. 'One of the guards handed me a basket full of soaked cabbage, told me not to eat it but to give it to the 50 women. I gave them out and heard a scream from those who had eaten them. They were all screaming and vomiting blood. All who ate the cabbage leaves started violently vomiting blood and screaming with pain. It was hell. In less than 20 minutes they were quite dead.'


Quote:
According to the dictator, not only is a suspected dissident arrested but also three generations of his family are imprisoned, to root out the bad blood and seed of dissent.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/feb/01/northkorea
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Pligganease



Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fresh Prince wrote:
Quote:

In the remote north-eastern corner of North Korea, close to the border of Russia and China, is Haengyong. Hidden away in the mountains, this remote town is home to Camp 22 - North Korea's largest concentration camp, where thousands of men, women and children accused of political crimes are held.

Now, it is claimed, it is also where thousands die each year and where prison guards stamp on the necks of babies born to prisoners to kill them.


Quote:

'I witnessed a whole family being tested on suffocating gas and dying in the gas chamber,' he said. 'The parents, son and and a daughter. The parents were vomiting and dying, but till the very last moment they tried to save kids by doing mouth-to-mouth breathing.'


Quote:
'An officer ordered me to select 50 healthy female prisoners,' she said. 'One of the guards handed me a basket full of soaked cabbage, told me not to eat it but to give it to the 50 women. I gave them out and heard a scream from those who had eaten them. They were all screaming and vomiting blood. All who ate the cabbage leaves started violently vomiting blood and screaming with pain. It was hell. In less than 20 minutes they were quite dead.'


Quote:
According to the dictator, not only is a suspected dissident arrested but also three generations of his family are imprisoned, to root out the bad blood and seed of dissent.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/feb/01/northkorea


Those aren't Koreans are they? I mean, North Koreans aren't real Koreans. Are they?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
endo



Joined: 14 Mar 2004
Location: Seoul...my home

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:33 pm    Post subject: Re: "The Magical Negro" in America Reply with quote

komerican wrote:

Koreans didn't have international slavery; we did not enslave "other" people for centuries, putting them in shackles and raping their women at will, etc.


That's because Koreans enslaved their own people and are still doing it to this day in North Korea.

Laughing

So because Korean slavery doesn't personally effect us we (Westerners) shouldn't care about? And we should also have the right to make fun of it, correct?



Quote:
The holocaust for example, is an extremely alien experience for Koreans whereas Europeans have been implementing "pogroms" against Jews for centuries.


Okay, fine the Koreans had nothing to do with the Holocaust.

Then Westerners should be as equally uncarring about the Japanese atrocities during World War 2. For example sex slaves (I know a few Dutch woman were slaves but nothing on the level of Korean and Chinese sex slaves) and how about Unit 751 (some Westerners were used in experiements there too, but again nowhere on the level of the Chinese and Koreans).


So your saying because we (Koreans) wern't responsible for Western atrocities, we (Koreans) should not let it effect us?


Then how well do you think a porno would go celebrating the powerful Japanese man f-ucking a slaved Korean woman? Westerners were not involved with these sex slaves so the PC police should effect us.


Or how about we make a humourous video depicting the removing of Korean people's noses a la the Imjin War? It would be hilarious! All these funny looking Asians with no noses! Rolling Eyes



You are such an idiot Koamerican. And now your trying to say the Barak Obama is only popular because caucasians feel guilty.


Didn't Jesse Jackson run for President in 1984? Wow, it's amazing how this white guilt put him into office, right? Rolling Eyes

Perhaps people are supporting Obama because he's refreshing and is able to make his point in an intelligent manner.

It's people like you who continually bring up the race card, who have something against him. And I also believe it's people like you that prevent people from moving forward. This is based on your own insecurities and fears.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
mateomiguel



Joined: 16 May 2005

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Koreans may not have been enslaving or slaughtering "other" peoples, but they have definitely made up for that shortcoming by enslaving and slaughtering their own with gusto. The distance you have to travel to find the evil "other" which is not human and can be enslaved and slaughtered is just shorter here. Like, the distance between Gwangju and Seoul, or Busan and Jeju-do. Or Seoul and Pyeongyang.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Tiger Beer



Joined: 07 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:28 pm    Post subject: Re: "The Magical Negro" in America Reply with quote

komerican wrote:
The LA times has an interesting article pointing out that white guilt over slavery explains the existence of "magical" blacks. It also shows, in my opinion, that the basis for multiculturalism in the West is simply particular to America's unfortunate history. The relevance for Koreans is that Koreans don't have and shouldn't have this "guilt" and hence no need for any action to "assuage" it.

Uggh..the LA Times. After seeing another recent film on LA racism (CRASH, I think?), the one that everyone stereotypes everyone else very negatively, I'm beginning to think that that has some serious race problems that arent being addressed.

The title of this thread, if it was also the title of this LA Times article, just is a long continuum on the LA theme for me.

I guess Im most irritated with that there are 100 other BETTER things/ways to describe Barack Obama than just getting all caught up his race only. He isnt popular because of white guilt, he's popular because he is a very articule, well-spoken individual who offers to bring the country together politically and in other ways. Those are attractive features. He is also willing to address many of the serious domestic needs of the country, which has been strongly ignored the last eight years.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Newbie



Joined: 07 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Two thoughts:

1. This guy is jealous there's no "magic" Korean. Although, with that Harold and Kumar sequel coming out, maybe John Cho might be that magic one for ya.

2. This guy is Stever Schertzer's sock.

As for the topic... God forbid Western people, out of their infinite wisdom Wink , try to help out Korea and show her the errors of our history. God forbid Korea learn how to behave properly when it comes to race relations.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
logan2003



Joined: 20 May 2003

PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Um OP get a life.

Stop looking at blacks....by this I assume you mean black Americans.
Guess what? I am black, I also have faced FAR FEWER ISSUES LIVING IN KOREA, than others. For example: car accidents. Many feel that in the event of a car accident Koreans will side with Koreans. Well...guess what. I and my wife (she is not Korean, nor "black", but of the brown variety
Rolling Eyes ) were treated so nicely. Not only the police, but by the courts (the family had to pay an extra several million out of their own pockets), and the insurance companies.

The worst experience I had.....difficult to say....most of the nonsense I have experienced here I would have faced the same thing back in the States, or the other places I have been.

So OP sorry but...magical negro......dude....get a life. As a "black" I have a nice time here...it has been...9 years. It has been a great 9 years...we have even had 2 of our kids here. Rolling Eyes
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
cj1976



Joined: 26 Oct 2005

PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe this might help to explain things.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=z-WMd5rW1fc
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
pkang0202



Joined: 09 Mar 2007

PostPosted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You mean like Bill Cosby in Ghost Dad?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Korean Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Off-Topic Forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
Page 2 of 3

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

TEFL International Supports Dave's ESL Cafe
TEFL Courses, TESOL Course, English Teaching Jobs - TEFL International