|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
cazzy3
Joined: 07 May 2008
Location: kangwon-do
|
 Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:10 pm Post subject: is this 'news'???? or just Weigook bashing??? |
 |
|
So my wife and I are watching the news last night and a story comes up about a foreigner who was drunk caused a car accident. The damage to the cars was fairly severe to one car, but there were no major injuries or deaths.
As a Korean, she thought it was a relevent news story, but I thought that if the same thing happened (which I'm sure it does every night) w/ a Korean driver, it wouldn't make it as a news story.
Have I been reading Dave's too much lately, or is this just another example of pointing the finger at 'the other people'? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Scotticus
Joined: 18 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:55 pm Post subject: Re: is this 'news'???? or just Weigook bashing??? |
|
|
| cazzy3 wrote: |
Have I been reading Dave's too much lately, or is this just another example of pointing the finger at 'the other people'? |
If, as you say, there were no deaths or major injuries then you can bet it only has to do with skin color. I mean, cmon, we're in Korea. Drunk driving is practically a national sport here. They'd have to have a 24-hour channel to broadcast a story about every drunk adjoshi getting into an accident. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Oreovictim
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 4:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I'm sure that you're not being paranoid. It sounds like waegook bashing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 6:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Many things are more significant than usual to many Koreans when they involve non-Koreans, like 10 times as much. I can only imagine if foreigners were caught doing some things that Koreans were caught doing, what a scandal would ensue, whereas the news of what some Korean did just sort of slides by even when it is a big deal. "Pedophile? Arsonist? Many abused or dead? Oh well, he was Korean." Swept under the rug in a week or two. A foreigner gets caught for such things, guess how long it will linger? Basically forever. And the laws will be changed.
One reason I'm glad to be out of there. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jkelly80
Joined: 13 Jun 2007
Location: you boys like mexico?
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Korea, Land of the Constant Other. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Not bashing, maybe it was a slow news day. I'm sure many Korean accidents are reported as well. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Typhoon
Joined: 29 May 2007
Location: Daejeon
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| A drunk driver hit me, wrecked my car, put me in the hospital and killed himself. It did not make the news. Make of that what you will. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Newbie
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 10:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Jindo dog bites Korean, no news. Golden Retriever bites Korean: Big news!!..... something like that, isn't it? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
|
| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
| spliff wrote: |
| Not bashing, maybe it was a slow news day. I'm sure many Korean accidents are reported as well. |
It is straight-up xenophobia. I don't want to sound like those people who say "They hate me, because I am black", but this is a case of pointing out an offense that is extremely common in a country where over 27% of Korean males admit they have a drinking problem. That would lead me to believe getting behind the wheel while being drunk is rather common in Korea, and a foreigner doing it just happens to be someone of another race doing something many of them do. Also, remember when the two Korean girls were killed by accident when they were run over by some American GIs, there was xenophobia campaign against foreigners and the U.S. and the military, though so many Koreans hit and kill children all the time in the country. It is one thing if they did it on purpose. You have to prove intent, but it is this view of foreigners as evil. Do they have many who think Caucasians are simply evil or what? Are some taught we are bloodthirsty and violent? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bluelake
Joined: 01 Dec 2005
|
| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Adventurer wrote: |
| spliff wrote: |
| Not bashing, maybe it was a slow news day. I'm sure many Korean accidents are reported as well. |
It is straight-up xenophobia. I don't want to sound like those people who say "They hate me, because I am black", but this is a case of pointing out an offense that is extremely common in a country where over 27% of Korean males admit they have a drinking problem. That would lead me to believe getting behind the wheel while being drunk is rather common in Korea, and a foreigner doing it just happens to be someone of another race doing something many of them do. Also, remember when the two Korean girls were killed by accident when they were run over by some American GIs, there was xenophobia campaign against foreigners and the U.S. and the military, though so many Koreans hit and kill children all the time in the country. It is one thing if they did it on purpose. You have to prove intent, but it is this view of foreigners as evil. Do they have many who think Caucasians are simply evil or what? Are some taught we are bloodthirsty and violent? |
I agree with what you say. However, in the case of the bolded part, in Korea a driver is at fault in hitting a pedestrian no matter what the circumstances. When that happens, there is usually blood money that is paid or, if it cannot be paid, the driver goes to jail. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
|
| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| bluelake wrote: |
| Adventurer wrote: |
| spliff wrote: |
| Not bashing, maybe it was a slow news day. I'm sure many Korean accidents are reported as well. |
It is straight-up xenophobia. I don't want to sound like those people who say "They hate me, because I am black", but this is a case of pointing out an offense that is extremely common in a country where over 27% of Korean males admit they have a drinking problem. That would lead me to believe getting behind the wheel while being drunk is rather common in Korea, and a foreigner doing it just happens to be someone of another race doing something many of them do. Also, remember when the two Korean girls were killed by accident when they were run over by some American GIs, there was xenophobia campaign against foreigners and the U.S. and the military, though so many Koreans hit and kill children all the time in the country. It is one thing if they did it on purpose. You have to prove intent, but it is this view of foreigners as evil. Do they have many who think Caucasians are simply evil or what? Are some taught we are bloodthirsty and violent? |
I agree with what you say. However, in the case of the bolded part, in Korea a driver is at fault in hitting a pedestrian no matter what the circumstances. When that happens, there is usually blood money that is paid or, if it cannot be paid, the driver goes to jail. |
Bluelake, this blood money idea reminds me of the way things were done in the Middle East centuries ago from my reading. I think in some tribal areas it is done, and so the U.S. did that when civilians were killed in Iraq, because the practice fit with Iraq because there is turmoil there and there is a historical precedent, though it is not common practice in those countries as it is in Korea. I don't support the idea of blood money unless the family wants that. What price tag can you place on your child? Do Koreans uniformly accept blood money?
I, actually, was not debating whether the driver was innocent. The foreigner was at fault. He was drunk. However, it is not newsworthy to report it when it is very common to find Koreans doing the same thing. It is possible that drink driving/drunk driving is just as common here. I think there is too much of this knee-jerk reaction to high-light everything wrong we do, and downplay injustices done to foreigners. I would like that to change. It is too bad we don't have some Korean organization fighting prejudice on our behalf. Anyway, I am not all sore about the report. I just think it's in bad taste. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
steroidmaximus
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: GangWon-Do
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Emphasizing the fact that he was a foreigner, while no deaths or serious injuries occured, makes it waygook bashing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bluelake
Joined: 01 Dec 2005
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Adventurer wrote: |
| bluelake wrote: |
| Adventurer wrote: |
| spliff wrote: |
| Not bashing, maybe it was a slow news day. I'm sure many Korean accidents are reported as well. |
It is straight-up xenophobia. I don't want to sound like those people who say "They hate me, because I am black", but this is a case of pointing out an offense that is extremely common in a country where over 27% of Korean males admit they have a drinking problem. That would lead me to believe getting behind the wheel while being drunk is rather common in Korea, and a foreigner doing it just happens to be someone of another race doing something many of them do. Also, remember when the two Korean girls were killed by accident when they were run over by some American GIs, there was xenophobia campaign against foreigners and the U.S. and the military, though so many Koreans hit and kill children all the time in the country. It is one thing if they did it on purpose. You have to prove intent, but it is this view of foreigners as evil. Do they have many who think Caucasians are simply evil or what? Are some taught we are bloodthirsty and violent? |
I agree with what you say. However, in the case of the bolded part, in Korea a driver is at fault in hitting a pedestrian no matter what the circumstances. When that happens, there is usually blood money that is paid or, if it cannot be paid, the driver goes to jail. |
Bluelake, this blood money idea reminds me of the way things were done in the Middle East centuries ago from my reading. I think in some tribal areas it is done, and so the U.S. did that when civilians were killed in Iraq, because the practice fit with Iraq because there is turmoil there and there is a historical precedent, though it is not common practice in those countries as it is in Korea. I don't support the idea of blood money unless the family wants that. What price tag can you place on your child? Do Koreans uniformly accept blood money?
I, actually, was not debating whether the driver was innocent. The foreigner was at fault. He was drunk. However, it is not newsworthy to report it when it is very common to find Koreans doing the same thing. It is possible that drink driving/drunk driving is just as common here. I think there is too much of this knee-jerk reaction to high-light everything wrong we do, and downplay injustices done to foreigners. I would like that to change. It is too bad we don't have some Korean organization fighting prejudice on our behalf. Anyway, I am not all sore about the report. I just think it's in bad taste. |
I doubt all Koreans uniformly accept blood money, although in the case of a family where the main/only wage-earner was killed, it would be likely (I personally know of a case where that happened).
I agree that reporting about a "foreigner" driving drunk (and causing accidents), while not reporting all the "nationals" who drove drunk (and all the accidents and death that went with them), is clearly biased and unfair. Some are reported, but it is usually when you have a horrific accident. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
