Korean Job Discussion Forums

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

This country confuses me, on the one hand they loooooove this guy, but at the same time most wongjangnim's would probably be averse to hiring blacks to teach in their hagwon for fear of ajumma pulling their kids out. MBC was interviewing him in the superbowl pre show and i wish he would have been a bit more controversial but he has to tow the line and he may well not know of the deep seated predjudice that exists in korea.

4 months left · Joined: 07 Feb 2003

I wonder how his popularity is in Korea these days. Last year he was Superbowl MVP, this year his team didn't make the playoffs but he personally had a great year. 99% of Koreans know nothing about football and also the "what have you done for US lately attitude."

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

The MBC interview was kinda surreal, there he was sitting in front of a live studio audience with the female presenter battering her pretty little eyelashes at him and all the halabogies and halmonies lapping up his every word (most of the questions were about his mother and what she did for him, fair enough, thats what they want to know about) and he was sitting there, a big black dude answering all the questions in english. The audience and presenters seemed quite infatuated by him, but a big black guy sitting on the subway speaking to his buddies or whomever, i wonder what type of reaction that would elicit, actually i don't wonder because i know...and it ain't good. At one point he was sitting there talking about how all people are the same and how eveyone should love each other regardless of skin colour, the audience and presenters mmm'd and ahhh'd in the affirmative...what a joke.

gang ah jee · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: city of paper

http://metropolitician.blogs.com/ has written heaps about Korea's relationship with Hines Ward. Really worth reading.

cibomatto · Joined: 30 Aug 2006 Location: NY

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:41 pm Post subject:

I saw him talking about growing up not being accepted by blacks or by Koreans in the states. He actually never really knew his Korean heritage, but coming back to Korea, he found something that was missing. It's not a perfect story by a long shot, but I'm happy for the guy, because he knows his truth, and I don't think for a second he is naive to the prejudices in the world, he knows better than anyone; he just came home, we all can relate to that I hope.

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

It's too bad that all Koreans throughout the universe hate blacks.

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject:

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

I never said hate, i never said all, BUT....it's there in a big way and not too hard to fish out. I'm not saying all koreans are racist, just some are pretty naieve, and somewhat contradictory, but it's the same the world over to an extent.

Sounds like he did it pretty tough as a kid and he said that he grew up quickly. He said that one day when his mom was driving him to school all the kids who teased him about being korean and having a korean mom were standing outside school so when they drove past he ducked out of sight of them, this in turn made his mom cry and she told him maybe he should move with his dad if he was ashamed of her.

VanIslander · Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:50 pm Post subject:

he said his mom taught him everybody is equal and that skin colour doesn't matter ... then a bit later he said his mother really wanted him to marry a Korean woman Laughing

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:51 pm Post subject:

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

Thats neither here nor there really though, given the extent she went too to provide him with all the opportunities that has made him what he is, she has sent a pretty high benchmark in terms of korean wifes/moms.

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

The same thing went on and goes on in America. Sydney Poitier won the Best Actor Oscar in 63 and it was a big deal. Was America non-racist in 63? Is it now? I don't think a fundamentally racist society applauding a minority represents hypocrisy, I think it just shows that race relations are complicated.

Basically, despite what the best minds on this board assert, Korean society is not intellectually homogenous. Some elements are more progressive than others, and if Korea is anything like America, the entertainment industry is going to be more liberal than the society at large. So the talk shows are going to embrace this guy and pat themselves on the back for their foward thinking. And it's all a bit phony, and driven more by Korea's insatiable craving for recognition on the international stage (however tenous the superstar's links to Korea may be), than by a real push for racial openness. But you can't get too cynical about it, because after all, it's better than open racism.

dulouz · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Location: Uranus

How much of Jr's hurt and pain comes from knowing his father abandoned him? The press gave the relationship's end a pass but it looks like Dad took off. All of the credit given to mom? She had to work because it looks like Dad didn't send alimony, palimony or a Xmas card. He ditched her hard with several difficulties. This was a dumb relationship. Why do the Koreans have to take care of Jr? Dad dumped on him, why can't the Koreans?"