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Geckoman
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
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 Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 6:20 am Post subject: Re: Racism, Death Threats and Kimchi |
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Matt Lamers, the editor of The Korea Herald's "Expat Living" section, has recently published a number of good articles that deal with racism and xenophobia in Korea:
Rape Victim Speaks Out
Blurring Line Between Hate, Free Speech
My Crusade Against Racism
Korea, the Media and the Scapegoat
Death Threat Leveled at ATEK President
Building Bridges and Making Kimchi
Expats and HIV -- Stop the Stigma
Well, he got some letters from readers in response to them and he published them in this article:
Re: Racism, Death Threats and Kimchi
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/12/08/200912080006.asp
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Geckoman
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 6:28 am Post subject: Matt Lamers Was Stabbed in Hate Crime! |
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Matt Lamers does a good job of publishing articles that stand up for foreigners and that fights racism and xenophobia.
Interestingly, a little over a year ago Matt Lamers was stabbed in a hate crime.
Some Korean thugs attacked him and another foreigner Korea Herald editor while they were hanging out in a park near Hongdae.
One of the Korean thugs lunged at Matt Lamer's heart with a broken bottle, attempting to kill him. Matt Lamers blocked the object with his arm, thereby saving his life, but leaving his arm slashed and gushing with blood. The arm required stitches.
The whole episode was big news in cyberspace (blogs, etc.).
See the Dave's ESL Cafe thread about it here:
Matt Lamers, Editor of Korea Herald's Expat Page, Stabbed!
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=125880&highlight=
Also, Matt Lamer's ID on Dave's is "KHerald." And his e-mail address is [email protected].
Keep up the good work Matt Lamers!
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Geckoman
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 6:34 am Post subject: Sad Letter |
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This letter was sad:
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RE: My crusade against racism
Anwar Khan
JEJU ISLAND -- I am originally from Pakistan, but am now a naturalized Korean. No matter the color of our skin, we all experience racism-related problems in Korea. And what most hurts me is that I experienced it not only outside, but also inside my own family.
I am Korean now. My kids were born here, but they were already treated differently in kindergarten by other kids. We took them home and never sent to any kindergarten again. We can't afford international schools, of course.
If I were to act like Bonojit Hussain, I would sue at least two people every week. My wife is Korean and every time we are outside I feel the staring eyes on us.
There are more instances. Another time an old woman tried to spit on my face while I was walking alone early in the morning. Another time a man tried to attack me and my pregnant wife at subway station and nobody did anything to stop him.
I know that not all people are racist, but the more I live here, the more I feel I have to push myself to love this people and country. I hope Lee Myung-bak can move the country to a more open-minded approach. |
He and his family should leave Korea and immigrate to a better country. |
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DeMayonnaise
Joined: 02 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 7:02 am Post subject: Re: Sad Letter |
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| Geckoman wrote: |
This letter was sad:
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RE: My crusade against racism
Anwar Khan
JEJU ISLAND -- I am originally from Pakistan, but am now a naturalized Korean. No matter the color of our skin, we all experience racism-related problems in Korea. And what most hurts me is that I experienced it not only outside, but also inside my own family.
I am Korean now. My kids were born here, but they were already treated differently in kindergarten by other kids. We took them home and never sent to any kindergarten again. We can't afford international schools, of course.
If I were to act like Bonojit Hussain, I would sue at least two people every week. My wife is Korean and every time we are outside I feel the staring eyes on us.
There are more instances. Another time an old woman tried to spit on my face while I was walking alone early in the morning. Another time a man tried to attack me and my pregnant wife at subway station and nobody did anything to stop him.
I know that not all people are racist, but the more I live here, the more I feel I have to push myself to love this people and country. I hope Lee Myung-bak can move the country to a more open-minded approach. |
He and his family should leave Korea and immigrate to a better country. |
That's a pretty bigoted thing to say. Because obviously the guy has the option of doing that.  I'm sure if he and his Korean wife tried to emigrate to the US they would be accepted with open arms (<-- SARCASM)
Civil Rights movements, Sacco and Vanzetti, Japanese concentration camps, and recent racism towards Muslims. Come on Americans, we can't demand Korea be rid of many of the same problems we've had. We're a nation of immigrants while Korea is a nation that has stood tall defending itself from Chinese and Japanese forces for like 5000 years (<--HYPERBOLE). People alive in Korea today still remember the Japanese occupation. So let's try not to pile on Korea too much, though for a lot of people on this board it's much too late for that. |
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rocket_scientist
Joined: 23 Nov 2009
Location: Prague
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:04 am Post subject: |
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| Listening to Pakistanis talk about human rights abuses in other places makes me want to throw up. Pakistan has plenty of problems. Mr. Khan should have stayed home where he is needed. |
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Ssem
Joined: 04 Dec 2009
Location: California / Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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| rocket_scientist wrote: |
| Listening to Pakistanis talk about human rights abuses in other places makes me want to throw up. Pakistan has plenty of problems. Mr. Khan should have stayed home where he is needed. |
I don't understand this. How is the way that he is treated in Korea relevant to what is going on in Pakistan? |
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ytuque
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Location: I drink therefore I am!
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Ssem wrote: |
| rocket_scientist wrote: |
| Listening to Pakistanis talk about human rights abuses in other places makes me want to throw up. Pakistan has plenty of problems. Mr. Khan should have stayed home where he is needed. |
I don't understand this. How is the way that he is treated in Korea relevant to what is going on in Pakistan? |
Go to Pakistan and wear a cross or better yet a star of david around your neck and report back. |
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Old Gil
Joined: 26 Sep 2009
Location: Got out! olleh!
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Yes, we get it, Pakistan isn't tolerant. How does this make his experience in Korean any less difficult? |
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Smee
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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| David Thiessen got his name in the paper again. |
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Ssem
Joined: 04 Dec 2009
Location: California / Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| ytuque wrote: |
| Ssem wrote: |
| rocket_scientist wrote: |
| Listening to Pakistanis talk about human rights abuses in other places makes me want to throw up. Pakistan has plenty of problems. Mr. Khan should have stayed home where he is needed. |
I don't understand this. How is the way that he is treated in Korea relevant to what is going on in Pakistan? |
Go to Pakistan and wear a cross or better yet a star of david around your neck and report back. |
Does 15 months in Iraq and 6 months in Afghanistan count? There are a lot of bad places, intolerant places, and places where your lifestyle can get you killed, fired, or have your family raped and their heads cut off and placed in the village square. Intolerance is everywhere, and it is the responsibility of the people directly able to change it who need to change it.
Saying that this man should fix his own country first is like telling us to stop commenting about wars or corruption or the host of problems that we have in our own countries.
I understand that Pakistan is a "bad place to live". My concern is about Korea and this article. This individual identifies himself with Korea and thinks of himself, at least as far as this article is concerned, as a Korean. Telling him that his opinion isn't valid because a place that used to live also has bad things going on doesn't make sense to me, wouldn't he in fact be MORE qualified to judge the intolerance?
<shrug> I guess it's just different ways of looking at things. |
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steroidmaximus
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: GangWon-Do
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| Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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RE: Blurring line between hate, free speech
All racist materials within the cafe are posted by passers-by or people who try to degrade the cafe's credit.
As far as foreign crime goes, whether the rate is small or large, the cafe will not stop. In my view, until all illegal crimes and misbehavior by foreign teachers stop, anti-English Spectrum will not cease its activity.
As a Korean, I applaud Anti-English Spectrum's hard work.
Lee Byoung-Hee
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Ms. Lee, how many times have you been to that website? If it were more than once, you'd know that AES has simply become more sophisticated in its PR. I recommend that you dig some more, and consider for the example how the site has evolved over time. (click on link for that info) Consider the posters and pamphlets they used to hand out, and just what prompted them to begin their group in the first place. Also, the point you're missing is that if you are seriously concerned about crime, then focus your efforts on reducing it in the community that causes the most of it, i.e. Koreans. Hoping for a zero crime rate amoung foreigners is unrealistic and highlights your prejudice.
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RE: Death threat leveled at ATEK president
Why does your paper have to constantly provide a platform for ESL teachers in Korea? I'm pretty tired of their whining and the disproportionate amount of space your paper provides them. Why do I have to read their slipshod analyses on how to improve Korea?
The section is called Expat Living -- so go out there at speak to some real expats.
Brendan Taylor |
Mr. Taylor, just what makes a 'real expat' in your view? I've been here 10 years, married a local with whom I have 2 children, learned the language, the culture etc. Oh, I'm also an English teacher. I suppose that last bit actually disqualifies me in your view
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RE: Expats and HIV -- stop the stigma
"It would be best if you went after the Westerners and their attitudes and get them to change, instead of trying to change the Korean people. Korea belongs to the Koreans. One does not go into the owner's house and criticize or make demands."
David Thiessen |
Mr. Thiessen, stop telling me what to expect and how to behave in my house, since that is what Korea is to me. Or should I not think that way since I'm not pure blood Korean? When can an expat call their adopted country home, or is that impossible in your view? If so, then Koreans and all people of other nationalities should not expect fair and equal treatment in the land of my birth either. Obviously, you have spent zero time actually reflecting on who is asking for so-called 'special' treatment, nor on the implications of your position |
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