Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hogwonguy1979]

i teach univ international trade majors and this week while teaching a lesson i noticed some of them were drawing what i consider to be racist things on a picture of an african-american person in their textbook. i want to do a short lesson on racism but need some ideas. already got a good map on skin tone

not sure it will help but given the major i want to make my point

[Kaypea]

It's kind of amusing to imagine them doing stuff like that in another country and making idiots of themselves...

I'm not sure how to do a racism lecture. They are adults, you can't really tell them how they're supposed to think. If you are a black person, though, then they are being really rude, and you have to tell them to knock it off. I mean, how would they feel if you took pictures of Korean celebrities and drew weird stuff on them?

[Fishead soup]

Show them the clip from " Do the Right Thing" or" Falling Down", involving Koreans being on the other side of racism( the victims). This might instill a little empathy.

[NYC_Gal]

Explain that racism is disappearing throughout the world (yeah I know, it exists, but it's certainly not as tolerated as it once was.)

Tell them that, if they went back in time to the west, they'd have all been considered Chinese. Do they like that?

You could show nasty cartoons of all stereotypes, followed by really nice pictures of each race. Be sure to include Asians, so they get how it's very insulting.

[djsmnc]

Screw it. Students drawing charicatures in a textbook...Shoot, I still do that when no one's looking!

[jvalmer]

I wonder what they're drawing?

[Goon-Yang]

[Kaypea]

[NYC_Gal]

[detourne_me]

OT kinda but...
Having lunch with some coteachers we were talking about The Simpsons, someone brought up how there were jokes about Koreans in the Simpsons, so i told them about all the funny ones I remember (homer commenting on cheap Korean animation, "Drive Faster!" "I can't, it's a Hyundai!", etc.)
and then one teacher thought it was racist because they are yellow.

Wow I was surprised, had to explain to them that no, they are a white family, it's just that white skin is yellow on the show, and they only have four fingers...


anyway, back on topic, you don't have to make a whole lesson around it.
If they know their comparatives and superlatives you can make a little display that will stop the students from being racist (in your presence).

Ask them.. "Is it funny because they have dark skin?"
They would usually say yes. Then pick out a few students with different skin tones... "Who's darker? Who's lighter?" etc.
then make comparative sentences,
Min Su is darker than Hyo Min. Min Su is lighter than Jae Hyuk.
Hyo Min is the lightest, Jae Hyuk is the darkest.
then substitute the words better and worse for lighter and darker.
ask the students if it is true.

[Ukon]

Korean racism isn't exactly clear cut....it how they act upon it varies

For instance a person who says "I hate black people" usually may be meaning the Nigerians around Itaewon rather than black people as a whole.

Likewise, some Koreans say they dislike foreigners, but they may be primarily referring to soldiers and third world workers rather than professional expats.

A number of Koreans think Jews run America secretly and own the media thanks to crap like "countries near and far"...I seriously have not heard of any Jewish folks here getting crap from Koreans because of it.

Quite frankly, koreans don't know enough people of other races to hold beliefs about them....except some of the third world workers and soldiers....you might want to pinpoint any racism discussion on that.

[Steve_Rogers2008]

show them a scene from "16 Candles" with Long Duk Dong.... and then let them know that the West, or at least the USA, thinks they are all like that.... well at least the Asian men are. And if the guys do any of that hand-holding or other tootie-frootie behavior in a Western society, they're asking for a beat down.


now the women are another story.... and they'll all be co-opted into the National Fabric of the White Faced Devils they invite to come to their country to teach them....


Nothing like instilling a fear-based approach to education...

[scorpiocandy]

I usually do a racism/discrimination/ stereotype lesson with most of my classes.

We start with stereotypes and I explain that it's OK to mention whatever stereotypes they have heard before. It doesn't mean they believe it.

So I'll give them a few groups to start with:
All men are...
All women are ...
All white people, Black people, Japanese, Chinese. I also throw in Korean people.

I don't make it about race but it of course drifts that way. This starts interesting conversations and usually someone will say "Oh but you know I have a Japanese friend," or " I lived with a Vietnamese guy ..." and they're not like that at all.

It doesn't solve the proboem totally but it opens up discussion and they usually see how ridiculous the whole "I hate so and so" is.

[dumpring]

The is kinda OT too but my kids were asking me what kind of food we have in New Zealand and were really surprised when I said we have pizza, coke, kfc and that kind of thing. They straight didn't believe me when I said we have Kim Chi too.

Maybe you could do food stereotypes? I betcha they won't believe you can eat McDonalds in Africa.

[lukas]