Korean Job Discussion Forums

[PeterDragon]

It seems M*A*S*H*, the only source of knowledge most Americans have about Korea (see the Colbert skit), is virtually unknwn here. I'm doing a language trade with my co-teacher, and I want to give her a novel to read and discuss. Is it a good idea to give her the M*A*S*H* novel, or would that go over like a lead balloon? She's a history buff, and Richard Hooker's book is episodic and easy to digest, which is why it sprung to mind.

[bluelake]

Definitely a lead balloon. When I first lived here in Korea, back in '84, MASH was still popular on US TV (although only in reruns). It made it onto Korean TVs by way of AFKN; Koreans hated it. It showed Korea in a very poor time in its history, the "Koreans" were almost always played by other Asian actors (with notable exceptions, like Oh Soon-taek and Philip Ahn), and the Korean dialogue occasionally thrown in was atrocious (hmmm, kind of like the English dialogue in Korean shows...).

Personally, I liked the show and probably saw every episode several times. However, from the get-go, my wife (Korean--married in '84) made no secret that she hated the show.

[just another day]

i actually don't know a single korean who has watched an ENTIRE episode of MASH.

Jerry Springer tho, is a different story.

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

Koreans don't like to even aknowledge that they were once as poor as any country in Africa.

[PeterDragon]

I think I'll explain to her why she might find it offensive and have an alternate book (or two) waiting in the wings. Most of my other books are comic books, but maybe she'll benefit from Doonesbury or Calvin and Hobbes.

I can see how Koreans wouldn't like MASH. It's about the U.S. army, not Korea. The setting is incidental, and the story could work just about as well in another country. Plus that shot of the mountains in the TV theme is ludicrous; the Rockies look nothing like Korean mountains. Would it have killed them the crew to snag a little footage of the Ozarks or Appalachians, which actually look somewhat like the mountains here?

[RACETRAITOR]

My wife is a film and TV buff and knows more than I do. She'd seen the M*A*S*H movie but had no idea there was a TV show about it. One of my friends had a boss with similar sophisticated tastes who'd never heard of it at all ever.

There's a reason Koreans don't know about M*A*S*H.

[dogshed]

I wonder what percentage of American who watched MASH could tell you what country it took place in?

[cangel]

Just to clear up any confusion...

[Otus]

I remember watching an episode with a Korean roommate in Korea back in about '97. He didn't like it and wanted to change the channels. When I asked him what the problem was he pointed at the portrayal of some Korean farmers working in a field.

"Those hats they have the farmers wearing are actually traditional Vietnamese hats, not Korean."

Sure enough, they had all the Korean farmers wearing traditional Vietnamese clothing.

No wonder they take it a little offensively. I wouldn't have been too happy in a reverse role situation.

[PeterDragon]

Whaddya wanna bet that somewhere out there, some clueless Eastern filmmaker made a movie that portrays Americas all wearing Lederhosen or something?

[ella]

IIRC, it was supposed to be an allegory for the Vietnam War, which was going on when the t.v. series began, rather than the Korean War.

[SuperFly]

It's a pride thing. Koreans are super sensitive about their ancestors (2 generations) ALL being farmers. Same thing with the gyopos living in the states, their parents were all little shop and restaurant owners before they started making enough money to become homeowners.

[just another day]

jerry springer is much more popular than MASH in Korea.

why? because jerry springer is more realistic! duh~