Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cdninkorea]

I've been putting a great deal of thought into where I would like to teach after Korea, and I've been having trouble with the idea of the teaching in countries with authoritarian or totalitarian governments; is it ethical to do so?

There are no countries that consistently respect human rights, South Korea and my country of Canada included. But there is a difference between recognizing those rights, even if not consistently, and flouting them completely, as countries like China, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia.

Does working in a country like that make one guilty of tacitly supporting their political system? Is it better to boycott them or do whatever is possible to change them from the inside?

[Bryan]

The nature of extremely authoritarian countries is that they will collapse if let to their own devices. People (and countries) need to be free to flourish--and dictatorships do exactly the opposite--they repress freedom and the human mind. In the end that leads the country to collapsing because the people's minds are under chains; they can't produce or create under that type of system.

People like to visualize unfree societies as omnipotent, powerful governments with vast amounts of resources and technology, but that is exactly the opposite of what dictatorship creates. Think the book "Anthem" rather than "1984." The people slowly suffer, stagnate, and lose their standard of living and everything else under the hands of a totalitarian regime. Laos is a great example--it has very little foreign aid with the exception of some coming from Thailand. Even North Korea has a massive amount of foreign aid, but you can clearly see the effects of dictatorship.

The principle is that a country being unfree, as such, cannot produce anything. When you make people slaves, they can't create. The *only* and sole way these countries survive is because of the foreign money, investment, and aid that enter into them. That money helps sustain the regime--it's military, government, and other oppressors, for another year.

So if someone visits North Korea and pays $500 to see the Koreans, and they think this money going into bloody murderer's hands will help the people, they are dead wrong. They are aiding and abetting murderers. If Koreans think that these "investment areas" where they give billions to Kim and his army in little delineated areas that only Kim allows are going to help North Koreans, then they are dead wrong. That money will help keep North Korea alive and strong for another day. It will feed the soldiers, provide oil for the tanks, and give electricity to the loud speakers.

For me, personally, to go there would fill me with guilt. To know that I was lending a hand to a regime of murderers who have enslaved millions of people for decades, is something that would weigh dearly on my heart. I don't want to give money to thugs. I don't want to support them in any way.

[ChopChaeJoe]

Teaching is a cultural exhange. At some point an increase in cultural awareness will trigger a (hopefully, but not likely non-bloddy) revolution.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

This is an interesting question, and one I've often thought about myself. I think that in some cases teaching in such a country might help open people's minds, but in others it's just being used by a government that's not going to change on account of a few more expats teaching there. I'd say the latter's the case with China and SA, which is why I'd be extremely reluctant to teach in either place.

[Jandar]

Educating the masses be it in a totalitarian state or in a utopian nirvana will only lead to good.

I don't think working in the realm you dislike would be immoral, difficult maybe but not immoral.

It may well be noble in terms of aiding mankind.

Don't expect miracles, rest assured what little good you can do each day may one day have meaning on a universal scale.

[Bryan]

[mindmetoo]

I would have to say the best way to help a regime fall is educate the public. So no, it's not unethical. If people can read English they can understand English media.

[Jandar]

[adios4ca]

maybe you have never lived in China. I can understand that lots of your perceptions about China, or Chinese people, are the brain-washed version from those cold-war mentality media.

i believe in today's China, nobody cares about "human rights" - not that they don't have it.

in fact, if you talk to most of the people over there about "human rights", you will see typically three kinds of reactions:

a. "you sorry ass, which century are you living in?"

b. "you imperialism bastard, get over with your cold war propaganda"

c. "yeah, yeah, sure, sure" - they don't bother to argue.

[adios4ca]

i see one common trait of those who have never lived in the east, or only a short period but believe they understand it all.

self-righteousness is the word.

we always say "those north koreans were brain-washed".

how do we know we are not brain-washed?

the most often answer i have heard is that "because i know i am not brain-wahsed".

for that, i'd say i am sorry my friend.