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What if Koreans had no outsiders to complain about?
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endo



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

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:24 pm    Post subject: What if Koreans had no outsiders to complain about? Reply with quote

I've come to the conclusion that a significant part of what makes up Korean nationalism is rooted in the fear and mistrust of foreigners or waygooks.

In other words, one of the central forces that unifies the Korean nation is its collective stance of "us" versus "them".


A quick review of Korean history and one can understand why this may be the case. Whether it be the Manchus or the Japanese, the Americans or the Mongols, this pennensula has a long history of being invaded, looted and subjected by foreign forces.

What Koreans will fail to also mention however, is the fact that Korean people have been just as and arguabley more brutal to one another over this same period.


We only have to look at the modern day example of North Korea and the numerous examples of human rights abuses that go on there. What's interesting is that this current regime is earily similar to Chosun rule that controlled the Korean pennensula prior to the Japanese annexation.

Further examples include the modern distrust between the people of Cholla and Gyongsan provinces while is rooted in Bekjae and Shilla dynasties.
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endo



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

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm getting off track here, but the point I'm tryin to make is the notion that the Korean people are unfiied and have always been so is a complete farce!

Korean Han, Jung or whatever, is bull$hit. The only thing keeping these people from tearing each other apart is the collective fear and distrust towards foreigners.

Because when the "evil foreigner" is taken out of the equasion, Koreans will will turn on themselves.


A great example of this is the Korean War. Immediately after being liberated, and with the Chinese and Japanes out of the equasion, the Koreans broke into various factions in a power struggle to gain control. These factions didn't just pop up out of nowhere, but were instead rooted in thousands of years or regional, social and political differences amongst the Korean people.


A few years after liberation as these groups gained enough power the "nation" broke out into civil war. Sure there were foreign influences and fighters during this time, but the vast majority of violence and bloodshed was commited by Koreans against other Koreans.


The Korean War was one of the bloodiest civil wars in human history.
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endo



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

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The collective hive (Koreans) need an outside threat (real or made up) to unify them, because once this threat is taken away, the collective hive will turn on themselves. Often ruthlessly and violently.

And I think the Korean people know this. At least deep down inside they do.


This minset exaplains why this country will go literally crazy over Mad Cow, yet do literally nothing when it comes to the human rights situation in North Korea. This is why Koreans refer to the 1997 economic collapse as the "IMF Crisis" and not the "Chaebol Crisis".


This is also why politicians periodically bring up the Dokdo issue as a way to deflect attention from domestic issues that really matter.


Koreans need to blame an outsider, because they are unwilling to look at themselves. They do this because not only is it easier to do, but safer as well.
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nautilus



Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

endo wrote:
The collective hive (Koreans) need an outside threat (real or made up) to unify them, because once this threat is taken away, the collective hive will turn on themselves. Often ruthlessly and violently.


indeed. Absolutely.

Something like the barbaric and brutal state of fear existing in North Korea right now. Where slavery continues and anyone suspected of having thoughts against the ruling elite is brutalised beyond imagination.
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billybrobby



Joined: 09 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What if outsiders had no Koreans to complain about?
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New Balance



Joined: 15 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your right. Koreans suck. Everyone else sucks. We all suck.
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billybrobby



Joined: 09 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

New Balance wrote:
Your right. Koreans suck. Everyone else sucks. We all suck.


Are you talking about 'we' as humans or 'we' as non-Koreans? Because I don't want to be lumped in with those weird-looking bastards who -- almost every one of them -- make terrible generalizations about people who don't look the same as them.
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asylum seeker



Joined: 22 Jul 2007
Location: On your computer screen.

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

billybrobby wrote:
What if outsiders had no Koreans to complain about?


Why, t'would be the end of Dave's ESL, to be sure, to be sure.
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PeteJB



Joined: 06 Jul 2007

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think he means mankind in general.

In case you didn't notice, the West and most of the World has been kicking the crap out of each other for centuries too. The US in it's short history doesn't have so much to write about, but countries like Germany, UK, Nordic countries, etc all have long violent histories.
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shifter2009



Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Location: wisconsin

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have met the enemy and they is us.
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wking



Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Location: U.S.A.

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Endo,
You posted a topic and then replied to yourself 2 times before anyone else replied. Are you really desperate for attention? Perhaps you can get back home to honkyland soon and resume a normal life.
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endo



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

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wking wrote:
Endo,
You posted a topic and then replied to yourself 2 times before anyone else replied. Are you really desperate for attention? Perhaps you can get back home to honkyland soon and resume a normal life.


No, actually I thought my long ass post would be easier on the eyes if I broke it up into smaller parts.


And actually I do just fine, thank you.
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wking



Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Location: U.S.A.

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No Endo, I think you need some attention.
Come on over and sit on Daddy's lap, tell me all about your troubles in Asia. It's OK, you are really special and unique....
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endo



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

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wking wrote:
No Endo, I think you need some attention.
Come on over and sit on Daddy's lap, tell me all about your troubles in Asia. It's OK, you are really special and unique....


huh
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TheUrbanMyth



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired

PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

endo wrote:

Because when the "evil foreigner" is taken out of the equasion, Koreans will will turn on themselves.


A great example of this is the Korean War. Immediately after being liberated, and with the Chinese and Japanes out of the equasion, the Koreans broke into various factions in a power struggle to gain control. These factions didn't just pop up out of nowhere, but were instead rooted in thousands of years or regional, social and political differences amongst the Korean people.


.



That is a very poor example. Both America and the Soviet Union together with China (yes China was still in the game) were heavily influencing their respective sides. A case can be made that if all outside powers had stayed out of it, that war would never have happened (most people would have been too busy trying to feed themselves).
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