I'm submitting applications to grad schools right now: I want to get into a Korean Studies graduate program, and some of the admissions people might be visiting this blog to see if the blog really is what I say it is...
So from time to time, you'll see this very post on the front page of this blog, in order that any inquisitive readers from the schools where I'm applying can look at some of my more analytical writings.
And if you want to leave a comment under this, and tell them how smrt smart I am, that would be nice, too.
If you are an admissions official from a school where I'm applying, you may look at this "Best of Roboseyo" page to see some of my better, or more interesting posts. There are links to some of my favorite posts on the right sidebar.
Also, here are a few of the more extended pieces I've written. While the writing style is not academic, please consider the content.
Saw a top ten list of "the greatest antiheroes" while rabbit-trailing on the internet today. And I'll let you in on something:
I love anti-heroes. Love love love'em. As you know, an anti-hero is a person who does bad things, but for whatever reason, still has the reader/viewer's sympathy. Think of my current TV obssession: Dexter
(url: http://www.wallpaperez.net/wallpaper/movie/Dexter-Morgan-1574.jpg)
Yeah, he kills people, but he's such an interesting guy!
Now, these days, there are almost TOO many antiheroes - has Vin Diesel ever played anything but anti-heroes? However, I love a likeable bad guy in a film. They're just so interesting to watch. And way more fun than watching perfect, golden boys and girls marching through plots like little, maddening paragons.
Because they always have to make the right choice, they never make any interesting choices.
I don't know exactly where the idea of the Anti-Hero started-- was Odysseus an anti-hero? What about Titus Andronicus? MacBeth definitely was, and his wife even more so. Was it the devil in Paradise Lost? Lord Byron's Childe Harolde? Who knows.
Anyway, this top-ten list of "greatest anti-heroes" was fun to me... it includes Tyler Durden, Cool Hand Luke, Tony Soprano, Han Solo, Malcolm Reynolds from "Firefly" and "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski, and a few from TV shows I never watched.
I'm not sure if Malcolm Reynolds is really an anti-hero, though: my favorite line from the whole Firefly series (yeah, I'm a nerd: but I only watched it once through, OK?) was when he said,
"You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me, and you'll be armed." I think that puts him on hero turf, not anti-hero. But that's just me.
I was a bit surprised at a few omissions on their list as well. Maybe comic book readers didn't catch wind of this list, because Wolverine was nowhere to be seen.
My own favorite anti-heroes? in no particular order:
Tyler Durden (fight club) Batman (Frank Miller/Dark Knight version, not 1960s version: re-watch that show. He's so durn preachy! Here's a website that's collected all the times Batman lectures Robin in the old TV series) Alex DeLarge (clockwork orange) - at the same time, one of the most evil, but also one of the most charming and attractive villans out there. That Kubrick makes us root for him is enough to establish him as one of the greatest film directors out there. That when Alex delivers the final line of the movie, we go "YES! Wait! NO! Wait... huh?" makes Alex a permanent top-fiver on my antihero list. I can't believe there are anti-hero lists that don't include him: my only explanation is that the person who wrote the list hasn't seen A Clockwork Orange. Dexter Morgan (the TV show Dexter. Season four is my favorite so far.)
Pick a Clint Eastwood Character - other than Million Dollar Baby and Bridges of Madison County, has Clint Eastwood played anything but antiheroes? My personal favorite Eastwood Anti-hero is Bill Munny, in Unforgiven. (his best line: see 2:00 of this clip)
Anyway, show me a great anti-hero, and I'll hear you out. Anti-heroes are great.
Tie it into Korea? How's this: One of Korea's best movies ever, Oldboy, features one of the greatest anti-heroes out there, along with a badass yogi, one of the most greek-tragedy-ish, devastating endings, and one of the most novel ideas for torture, I've ever seen.
Plus, the hallway fight scene, which regularly gets listed on "manliest fight scenes ever" and is sometimes the only non-hollywood, or non-English film on the list, because it's just so dang epic.
skip to about a minute into this clip: it's all done in one take, and in case you doubted that our man Oh Dae-su was the baddest of badasses, yes, he fights the second half of the henchmen with a knife sticking out of his back.
Other Korean movies with pretty sweet anti-heroes? Pretty much everything else by Park Chan-wook, along with Oldboy - "Sympathy for Lady Vengance" and "Thirst" come to mind. I'm pretty sure "The Good, The Bad and the Weird" has a good one. No doubt the "gangster" genre is full of them, but I don't know that genre of Korean film very well.
And in case you disagree with me that anti-heroes are more fun than heroes...
"A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell: the line "I could drink a case of you, and still be on my feet" is one of the greatest lines in a pop/rock song ever. And other lyrics get quoted in the comments.
I always encourage my students not to ask the question "What's your least favorite thing about Korea" or "What's the worst thing about Korea?" when they first meet a new foreigner: do they really want to get the conversation off on such a negative note? And what if the answer to that question is something honest, or savage, rather than just another sideways compliment, the way it's often expected to be answered?
My "safe" answer to that question, for a long time, has been "The language barrier" -- it prompts a "fair enough" kind of reaction, and it shifts the onus from Koreans to "fix" something (for example, if I said "corruption") to me, who should really be studying the language harder.
Not long ago, my answer to that question changed: there's a new "worst thing about Korea" in town, and this is it.
People go home.
On facebook today, I discovered that it was Evan's birthday. Evan's one of my boys. Honestly, he's one of my favorite human beings. He's smart, but humble, he has a faith that is strong but realistic, that gives space for others to be who they are, without sending his own moral compass aswing. He was a loyal friend to me for about three years in Korea, and he was one of the few of my friends who'd call me instead of waiting for me to call them. And he always had something good to say, something on his mind, worth talking about.
Evan (on the left)
We never ran out of conversation once.
Kelly was another really nice lady: I knew her when we were both WAAAAAY younger, back when I lived in southern Ontario, and she was one of the first Canadian friends of mine whom Wifeoseyo met. Wifeoseyo was absolutely smitten with Kelly's warmth, down-to-earthiness, and sense of fun. Kelly's another one who never ran out of conversation: she always had a story or a joke, and while she was ready to laugh at a good one-liner, she was just as ready to shoot down a lame one.
When Kelly decided to go back to Canada to get her teaching career in Canada rolling, well, it was a sad day for me and Wifeoseyo. We got together and went to see the Rodin exhibit at the Seoul Art Museum by Deoksu Palace, ate the best Kongguksu I've ever eaten, and sent her off to church.
And last December, my best friend during my time in Korea, Matt, left as well.
This is the guy who not only pulled my fat out of the fire, but taught me how to recognize when my fat was in the fire, and how to avoid getting my fat in the fire for future reference. He backed me up across South China, in some skeezy streets of Yokohoma, and in a few shady situations here in Seoul, too. He and I shared some experiences that make great stories - stories of the type where people almost die - and also some stories that aren't dramatic at all, but involve things like grief, and heartbreak, and loyalty, and betrayal, and restoration. The kinds of stories that bond a friendship for life.
And that's Matt. He's my brother until I die.
Oh yeah... things got silly too.
And he left Korea, too.
Now I'm glad he's moving on to something bigger and better. I'm glad he's living out the life plan he'd formulated in his head. I'm glad he's busy loving the heck out of his fantastic wife (who happens to be another of my favorite people)... but that little, selfish, self-pitying part of me wishes he was still doing those things in Korea, you know?
So you know, life in Korea is good: it's a beautiful country with a bottomless well of things to enjoy, there's so much to learn about this place I barely know where to begin, and wifeoseyo is a stalwart, a wonderful support whom I love more and more...
people go home, though, and it's OK to stop for a bit, and remember them, and say "yeah. Those were good times."
Maybe some long-term expats start to hunker down, and only hang out with other long-termers, because we get tired of the comers-and-goers. Maybe that's what it boils down to... I hope that I never completely detach from the newcomers, I hope that I never become one of those smirking snarkburgers who makes fun of Johnny two-month and his "You know, I've noticed that Koreans are very competitive! Especially in school!"... but then, every time another friend goes home, it gets a little harder to invest in then next Johnny two-month that comes along, lest he also leave after twelve.
Is this the sound of an expat turning into a lifer? Maybe. Maybe this is why many of the lifers I know mostly roll with Koreans, and the occasional other lifer.
I'm trying not to let that happen: one of my favorite poems in the world is Rainer Maria Rilke's "Be ahead of all parting, as if it were already behind you" -- and I think it's fine, well and good, to have some friends who come and go, as long as you can spot and lock onto the ones who are friends for life...
but it's still sad when someone goes.
Evan: happy birthday.
Kelly: we miss you.
Matt: brother, you'll always have a home wherever I am.
There's a lot happening because of the G20. I haven't been down to COEX, but my favorite iteration of the G20 so far is this one:
The cute older folks holding up signs are cute...
but I LOVED the stuffed creatures:
Finally, I don't know what this guy's deal was, but I'm sure glad he drove by while I had my camera out.
In other news: ATEK sent out an e-mail recently:
Recently, some of you have received messages from your countries’ embassies regarding the approaching G20 Seoul Summit (November 11-12). These bulletins have cautioned that often, G20 meetings are accompanied by demonstrations, and extra police security, in different parts of the city. Previous G20 Summits have been met with demonstrations in their host cities, including outbreaks of violence.
To begin with, in Seoul, please be prepared for restrictions on pedestrian and driving traffic around the COEX complex around the time of the summit, from November 11-12, and before and after. Also, prepare for transportation delays if you live or work in that area.
Also, at the last major demonstrations in Seoul, the 2008 U.S. Beef/FTA protests, an English teacher was injured during a demonstration, not for provoking the police, but for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, during an outbreak of violence. ATEK would like to alert English teachers in Seoul to use common sense in the COEX area, where the conference will be held, as well as around City Hall and downtown Seoul. Please exercise caution and around large gatherings, or areas of increased police presence.
ATEK has sent communications to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency expressing our confidence that police officers will do their utmost to ensure the safety of English teachers caught up in protest sites, whether out of curiosity or intent to demonstrate.
However, we would also like to inform ATEK’s non-Korean members of parts 2 and 3 of Article 17 in The Immigration Control Act (see source here) which states,
(2) No foreigner sojourning in the Republic of Korea shall engage in any political activity with the exception of cases as provided by this Act or other statutes[1]
(3) If a foreigner sojourning in the Republic of Korea is engaged in any political activity, the Minister of Justice may order him in writing to suspend such activity or may take other necessary measures.
Please exercise prudence in the type and level of involvement you choose, if you attend demonstrations. Do this for your own physical safety, and also because the Immigration Control Act indicates the possibility of consequences for political action: this could put your working visa in jeopardy. Please make informed decisions about participating in demonstrations, and be aware of the situation at demonstrations, even if you are only there out of curiosity, to observe or take pictures.
For more information about your rights, and how to act during an assembly or demonstration, the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) MINBYUN, or “Lawyers for a Democratic Society,” has published two document, titled the “G20 Summit Manuals for Foreign Activists,” and "Demonstrating the G20 in Seoul this November?" which provides information about Korean laws and codes regarding assemblies and demonstrations. If you plan on attending demonstrations, either for observation or participation, we recommend looking through these two documents. First point: do not participate in violence.
If you are not a Korean, please also consider registering with your embassy, to be updated on important news or alerts concerning citizens of your country.
Following are some embassy websites (if your embassy is not listed below, you will likely find it here:
So on Saturday night, I got in trouble with my wife.
I stayed out way late, and didn't have the consideration to call her and let her know where I'd be, or what I was doing.
Poor form, Roboseyo. I cooked her pancakes the next day, and we biked around Samchungdong on our new bikes (more about that later) and things are all cool now...
But the party I was at...
oooh boy.
So Nanoomi.net is a website called a "bridge blog" - a blog attempting to bridge the cultural gap between the English language and Korean language bloggers in Korea. They're affiliated with Tatter & Media, a group that syndicates a lot of power bloggers in Korea, and helps them connect with the kinds of promotional materials companies like to offer to bloggers, now that they've figured out that blogs have influence. So if Samsung is looking for a super sexy, curly-haired blogger who likes dumb youtube clips, in order to give him a really sweet digital video camera, they'd be able to say "Oh. You should call Roboseyo, and give your free stuff to him!"
I contribute to the Nanoomi.net meta-blog, which is a kind of a who's who of the K-bloggers you've been reading on my sidebar. I think it's a great, and actually a very important project: anything that's on its way to building understanding across the expat cultural divide is worth it in my book. Once the blog is going strong, group translation will be the next step. Awesome. You can read about the party here, at Lee's Korea Blog (one of the people I met for the first time: looks way different than I expected), the first blogger on my sidebar to write about it so far (though it was mentioned by one of the co-posters at The Marmot's Hole: Mr. K himself attended as well).
Check out a write-up of the event, with tons of great pictures, at "my jimin story"
Now, it's a funny thing when bloggers get together: we go around the circle:
"I'm Rob. I'm Matt. I'm Mike. I'm Anna. I'm Simon and this is my wife Martina." and so forth. And everybody nods politely, with slightly glazed eyes. Then we go around the circle again:
"Roboseyo. Popular Gusts. Metropolitician. Indieful ROK. Eat Your Kimchi," and everybody goes "aaaAAAAAaaaaahhh!" and the party's on.
Who was there?
ooh boy... the ones I saw were...
and those are just the ones I spoke to/recognized. Many of them, I met for the first time.
... and if I missed you, pipe up in the comments!
sorry Stafford.
I liked most of them quite a bit.
And of course, there was trouble... started by yours truly.
Did you know my first Korean nickname was "troublemaker"?
It's true.
There were a few I wish had been there, and you know, I had to put up with my nemesis, Dan Gray, from Seoul Eats. We even traded insults for a while. Then we settled down and chatted: had an illuminating conversation. Did you know his nose looks that way because of an inherited family genetic defect? It's true. I'm not just making that up right now. He's also the only person in his extended family who snores at a volume below 60 decibels (55 decibels) because of this time when he was 23 and a little girl beat him up by punching him in the nose. All true facts. Serious.
So check out Nanoomi.net. It's got an interesting thing going, it's building momentum, and I think it's going to keep getting better.
The two finalists were John Park - known by some as the Korean-American American Idol contestant from a previous season, and Huh-Gak, a shorter, less handsome guy, but all-Korean.
Here's John Park, singing "Man in the Mirror" from a previous episode: his English is stronger than his Korean, and Wifeoseyo says this was the best song of the "Michael Jackson Tribute" episode.
As much as Wifeoseyo liked him, the last thing Korean pop needed was for John Park to win, and reinforce the feeling that, in the same way John Park lost in American Idol, but won Superstar K, that Korean music is a similar but inferior version of western music.
And the two finalists were both good singers and performers. Heo Gak, the winner, had a touching story and everything, he'll made a decent balladeer once he's plugged into the star machine... but this Korea Times article touches on the best thing about this tv show: The really exciting Superstar Contestants were two other members of the top 5.
Instead, I want to tell you about Jang Jae-in and Kim Ji-su: these two also made the top five, before they got cut. Jang Jae-in doesn't have a great S-line. Kim Ji-su doesn't have great abs. But they play their own instruments. And whatever song they had to sing, they made it their own. They were even considerate enough to do a duo for one show, and totally reinvented the song "Cinderella" by Seo In-young (one of my least favorite Kpop stars) - I won't even put her song on my blog... but you can watch it here.
Their rendition is AMAZING.
now, my friend, who knows a lot, reminded me on Saturday that there are lots of Korean popstars that play their own instruments and write their own music: she mentioned Crying Nut, No Brain and Cherry Filter.
That's true. On the other hand, I don't know if any of them ever hit as broad a demographic as Jang Jae-in appealed to, by getting on this show: Wifeoseyo AND her mother watched this show, and rooted for Jae-in.
So yeah, Crying Nut and Cherry Filter have had their success. But I think Jae-in has a shot at actually becoming a significant cultural force - she might have the best shot an actual musician has had at contending with Miss-A and SNSD and SuperJunior, in a long time, and the Korean music scene needs a new model for success. Badly. My favorite Korean musician/songwriter is Kim Kwang Seok, and everyone of a certain age in Korea makes the same wistful, nostalgic face when you say his name. I don't know if any singer/songwriter in Korea has had that kind of impact since, but I think Jae-in is young enough, fresh enough, and talented enough, to do that, and to introduce a different model (um, talent) to Korean popular music.
Fact: she's the first young Korean female artist in years where I'd rather buy the CD than watch the video. Who actually listens to the music for most of these bands, anyway? You can't see Rain's sixpack when you're listening on your Mp3 player, so what's the point? Nine Muses isn't even pretending: they're being openly presented as model-idols.
I'm holding my breath. I'm excited. Jae-in has the potential to become more than just the Queen of Hongdae, and I hope to all the gods of aesthetics that she does, and that the next time I walk down Jongno street, I hear her coming out of cosmetics shops, instead of another Kpop dance band or gooey ballad. Kim Jisu? Same: I'd buy his CD. I wouldn't just watch his video, and silently seethe when Wifeoseyo watches it.
That's right. The same way Korean girls need Kim Yu-na to be successful, because she's talented and excellent and she achieved her goal, so that they can have an awesome hero other than "good mother, good wife", K-pop needs Jae-in to introduce a different model for success, so that when kids watch Korean music shows on TV, maybe they decide to pick up an instrument, instead of just practicing their aegyo, doing situps, and taking dance lessons.
I've been getting tons of invitations to Halloween parties on facebook and by e-mail...
turns out having a widely read blog means people want me to pass on word about Halloween parties.
So if you're part of the 50% of my readers in Korea, or if you're one of the 50% of my readers outside Korea, but you're planning on visiting Korea next weekend, here's what I've got:
Wolfhound Pub in Itaewon promises to give me a free beer, and maybe even a beef and mushroom pie (my favorite) if I tell you about their Halloween party. It's a 10 000 won cover, and big prizes.
So, I'm sure it's going to the the best of all the parties. I'm sure of it. And you should totally go! Here's the party facebook page.
Hi Expat has a pretty good rundown of Halloween parties here, which you should look through. Dillinger's, Sky Bar Lounge, Stompers, and many more are featured on the list.
Freebird sent me an interesting sounding party invitation: they're going to set up a bunch of bands around the edge of the room, and then each band will take turns playing one song each, trading off songs, so that there's a constant flow of music, and the party space has no front row: you can just hang wherever you like. 15000 cover, and the facebook event (including some of the bands playing) are here.
Korea's new to the Halloween game, so it's still a little hard to find a good costume shop; however, so far I haven't been let down by Namdaemun market: go to Hoehyeon Station, and head down to the main stretch, and towards the west end of the market. See map.
Remember "The man your man could smell like" - that old spice commercial? This one.
Well how about "The Monster your man could smell like" -- here's grover.
And, see, I don't know ANY artist that grows on you as much as Prince does -- the first time I listened to him, I didn't get it. A while later, I tried again, and "Purple Rain," the epic song, was the '80s song that got me over my previous prejudice against '80s music (I hated '80s music until about 2002), and convinced me to give the rest of it a chance. Still don't like the synth stuff-- sorry, Duran Duran, but the more you listen to prince, the more you love him.
Sign O'The Times is one of the most complete, impressive musical accomplishments in music: it was ALL done, from writing to mixing, to playing of every instrument, completely by Prince by himself, and it might be the best album of the '80s. It's certainly in the top ten. And here is the most charming song on that album (again, one that grows on you), with the muppets.
Other artists that grow on you?
Bob Dylan -- but strangely, he later grew off me. Too many lyrics being deliberately obtuse - like his songs were a prank on the kinds of people who want to find meanings in them.
Tom Waits & Leonard Cohen - generally, the songwriters are the ones that do this best.
Sigur Ros - at first it seemed ludicrous to me that a band could find international success with whale sounds. But then one day, I just kind of got it.
Artists I loved immediately:
TV On The Radio
Andrew Bird
White Stripes
According to this article, a government agency signed a memorandum of understanding with a bunch of US universities to recruit students to teach in Korea.
The program will bring hundreds of students to Korea to teach in rural schools, and give foreigners a chance to learn Korean culture.
The monthly stipend is 1 500 000 won, and it's run by the National Institute for International Education.
and maybe this program is trying to imitate the Fulbright placement program, which my friend, who went through it, tells me was very successful, and where the pay was similar, but which was successful because of the people it recruited, and the level of training and preparation and cultural orientation they'd received before they even entered the classroom... (more on Fulbright vs. EPIK here)
On the other hand,
well...
if the Korean government is ready to hire people who haven't even graduated, and low-ball them at freaking 1.5 million a month...
can we please, pretty pretty please, stop hearing about low quality English teachers,
when it's become obvious that the gatekeepers don't give a damn, and will lower the bar this low, to get bodies in classrooms?
Is that too much to ask?
It probably is.
One of the greatest Marmot's Hole comments I read, and I wish I could find the source, was simply this:
Lots of foreign English teachers.
Trained & qualified English teachers.
Cheap English teachers.
Korea has to choose two.
Yeah, right now it's an employers' market: the people doing the hiring have more choices now than before, as lots of educators and people with postgraduate degrees from America are looking for work, given the bad economy over there.
But 1.5 a month, for non-graduates?
If Korea really wants to attract high quality teachers in their schools? How about this:
Designate public school teachers "teachers" instead of "assistant teachers": this way, the years an education graduate spends in Korea count as real years of teaching experience on grad school and job applications, once they go back home. Or say that teachers who renew for a second year get "full teacher" designation if they want it, or if they meet certain criteria, to count those years on their resume as true years of teaching experience. Then years of teaching in Korea's public schools would no longer basically appear as black holes on professional educators' resumes, and give professional, ambitious, career educators an incentive to come, or even stay a second year.
That'd raise the caliber a lot right there.
And I haven't even mentioned visa portability yet.
I was just looking over the series I wrote this spring, about how to make friends across the foreign/Korean cultural divide, in which I highlight a few of the common pitfalls in developing friendships between Koreans and non-Koreans. The series is extensive, good reading (I think), but while editing and cleaning up hanging links, I added this paragraph:
And remember: "It's a cultural difference" is NOT the end of a conversation. It's the BEGINNING of a conversation. After saying "It's a cultural difference," it's important to articulate that difference, and how my expectations are different than your expectations, so that we can be understanding and flexible towards each other in the future.
Using "cultural differences" can be a cop-out to avoid responsibility for unacceptable behavior which I, or someone else, is unwilling or unable to actually justify. Any time somebody starts saying "cultural difference," watch carefully, to see if that same person is trying to get away with something, or to figure out what topic they're avoiding.
That is, if you want to have a genuine relationship with said person. Otherwise, "it's a cultural difference" end of conversation, can be the sound of a door closing in someone's mind.
1. In a follow-up to the piece about articles giving wildly inconsistent statistics about native English teachers breaking their public school contracts, I have two friends who are looking to connect with Public school teachers, either past, or present. In particular, they're interested in talking to teachers who broke contract, in the way some news sources reported as many as 66(!)% did. So if you are/were a public school teacher, and especially if you didn't finish a contract, please contact me (roboseyo at gmail dot com), and I'll put you in touch with people who want to talk with you. If you're worried about your name being out there, I'm sure they'll let you do it anonymously.
2. One of my favorite new blogs is I'm No Picasso, because she provides a smart, engaging, and thoughtful female perspective on life in Korea. She has a recent post titled "I'm No Picasso. I'm also No Dating Blogger" where she calls the Korea blogosphere, and particularly the Dave's comment boards, to task for being overwhelmingly male... it kind of reminded me of this video: "X-Box Girls Get Revenge" where at least one of those sexist asses populating the internet gets his comeuppance.
The other thing I loved was this paragraph plus change:
Ladies, my question is, what are you doing? I know you're out there. I know you are insightful and intelligent and well-spoken. I know you have valid things to say about your experiences here in the ROK. Which is not to say that the dating bloggers aren't doing that -- they absolutely are. But that's only one aspect of our experience here. Don't tell me that it's the only way we're capable of expressing ourselves, or that it's the only source of interest we have in paying any attention to each other. Community is what you make of it, and so far, ours hasn't been very strong.
Not that it's easy. You'll all (the women, I mean) know exactly what I mean when I reference the boys' club aspect of life here as a female expat.
Chris in South Korea has a list of female K-bloggers, which he keeps updated, as far as I know, and I once made a call out for female K-bloggers before, but I'd love to hear if there are other awesome ones I should add to my reader, and all y'all female bloggers: heed INP's words, and get y'all connected!
Too many kids in the USA have been committing suicide because they were overwhelmed, or bullied, about their sexual orientation. That sucks.
But this is really cool: there's this amazing Youtube movement called "It Gets Better" - a fella named Dan Savage started this Youtube account, and opened it up, that people could post messages on there, expressing support for young homosexuals. The main message is just that: "It gets better" - high school sucks, but somewhere beyond high school, there are people who care, who understand, who don't judge.
I've been watching these videos, and they're touching, and beautiful, and it's heartbreaking hearing story after story of humiliation and ostracization, but it's also amazing watching the whole internet come out in support. It's lovely.
The ones that got me the most were these ones: the christians. I grew up in a Christian home and went to a christian school, and a chrisitian university where any gays were deeply closeted, and where you had to sign a contract that, at the time, stipulated that you were not supposed to partake in homosexual practices, like the girl in the video below. Since then, I've decided, like my friend Melissa, who was one of the first people to nudge me in this direction, that Christians are really on the wrong side in this issue.
It seems like, when you look down the line of history, at other great human rights victories, Christians have been on the ragged forefront, fighting for the disenfranchised - slavery, civil rights, women's rights -- yet this time, the religious right is the antagonist, and that grieves me.
So anyway, spread word about the "It Gets Better Project" because stuff like this reminds me of how much good the internet can accomplish, and it restores my hope in humanity just a little again.
KOTESOL is holding a conference this weekend, and you should go. KOTESOL is an organization focused on professional development for English teachers in Korea, and they're quite well established. If you're serious about your craft as a teacher (and you should be), this is a great place to sharpen your tools. If you're planning on being in Korea for a long time, this is also a great place to meet long-term English teachers, and do some of the kind of networking that will help you make the most of your life in Korea, and attain your future goals for living here.
From October 16 to 17, the KOTESOL PAC2010 International Conference will be held at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, with the theme Advancing ELT in the Global Context. More information about speakers, venues, schedule, registration fees and membership is available on the KOTESOL conference page at http://www.kotesol.org/?q=2010IC.
Living downtown, I'm starting to see flags, placards and signs all over the place that the G20 is coming. Seems some of the higher-ups, or at least the people who hang flags on light posts, are pretty excited about this.
Along that vein, Chris in South Korea chimes in, agreeing that while the hardware is there - infrastructure, facilities, etc., Korean people's mindset is not really global, and that Koreans will treat foreigners as if invisible, until it is revealed that they are associated with the G20 summit, at which point the special treatment will come out: he cites incidents where Koreans were more ready to apologize when their bad service led to upset people, than just to give good service in the first place.
Chris says, in light of the coming summit:
To assume that every Korean will suddenly become friendly to every foreigner they see during the summit is ludicrous. The summit is so far removed from the average person's life that they'll barely be aware what's happening, or where.
Except... that has happened before. I wasn't there personally, but from all accounts, Koreans, and Seoulites, are pretty good at putting their best food forward when the occasion calls for it: during the 2002 World Cup, every person I've talked to who was there remembers Koreans never being friendlier, warmer, kinder.
No, sir, the question is not how Koreans, on the whole (and I apologize for referring to Koreans as if it were just one person, with just one personality) behave when the world is watching. I have no doubt that once the cameras are pointed at Korea, most people will do their best to put on a show.
The question, and the true test of Korea's status as a globalized country is this: after the diplomats go home, next time a foreign English teacher does something like this, or this, of if, heaven forbid, an English teacher ever actually is caught molesting their students, what will happen?
Anybody can put on a show for a one or two-week summit. World Cup 2002 was a whole month of peace love and understanding... but in 2002, in the middle of the happiness and love, there was a black undertone: on June 13, two girls were killed by a US Armored vehicle. During the World Cup, nobody did much about it, but just as soon as the international soccer fans went home: after the world cup ended on June 30, Korea embarked on a series of anti-American protests called an "orgy of hate" by the Chicago Tribune - that story is meticulously documented by ROK Drop here, in one of their most important posts.
I'm not really interested in how Koreans act during the G20 Summit. I'm more interested in whether that half-Indonesian kid entering Kindergarten this year is given a chance to fit in with his classmates. I'm more interested in whether the Filipina bride in the countryside is given information about recourse, in case her husband starts hitting her. I'm more interested to hear whether, during the office dinner, somebody speaks up to defend the interracial couple across the restaurant, when one of the team members starts grumbling that he doesn't like seeing "our" women with "those kinds of men." I'd like to know what steps are being taken to make sure that those mixed kids don't fall behind in school, or on the all-important tests, or, since we're talking about the disenfranchised, I'd like to know whether Lee Eun-eui, who won her sexual harassment suit against Samsung is being viewed as a one-time anomaly, or as a sign that such behavior will no longer be tolerated, which other women look to, in order to feel more empowered at work.
Yeah. The subways run fine and they're on time. There are a lot of new, very pretty buildings all around the city, and I bet every hotel employee in the whole damn country is learning a few phrases in English, French, Arabic, Spanish and whichever other languages will come in handy. And those diplomats and finance ministers will be well-enough shielded from street protesters and drunk belligerent ajosshis, I think the question of how regular folks will behave during the G-20 is mostly moot. International events aren't a good barometer of this stuff, in my opinion: a better measure of Korea's true globalization would be how easy it is for a foreign English teacher to get any or all of these things:
1. A fair shake from the police if a fight breaks out between him and a Korean
2. The approval of his/her fiance's parents
3. Fair treatment according to Korea's labor laws
4. The health care he/she was promised when he/she signed that contract, and a way to press his/her boss if it turns out he/she illegally wasn't registered
6. A smartphone, without jumping through ridiculous hoops from the phone company
7. A membership on any sign-in website in Korea
8. The benefit of the doubt
9. A contract re-negotiation if the labor board finds that their contract is illegal, and
10. Release from a bad contract, along with the right to find other work instead of having to then leave the country
and an even better barmometer would be how easily a Southeast-Asian could get each of these things. Now, I'll say for sure that it's easier for we waygooks to get most or all of these things than it used to be... but I'll also say that there's a ways to go, because who cares what a visiting diplomat says about Korea (other than quote-starved "Tell us how much you like us!" reporters), really? I'd rather know what the long-term expat residents say, to see how far a country's really coming.
Turns out I'm not the only one to be sourly discontent with restaurant service culture here in Korea. I wish I'd known about this (old) post when I was writing up my screed about Passion 5 (great bakery, HORRIBLE service in the restaurant) -- Joe hits the nail on the head, and touches on most of the same points I did, but better, and more thoughtfully.
I won't feel totally vindicated until I have an apology from Passion 5, in the form I asked at the end of my rant. But at least somebody agrees with me.
All of this also amounts to further support for why I almost actively avoid foreign restaurants while I'm in Korea. Why bother? It's overpriced, often pretentious, and the wait staff (often/usually) doesn't know how to give western-style service anyway. Why not go to a Korean restaurant, where at least the service is what you expect, and the dining atmosphere and style fit the type of service?
So Hi Expat continues to pull out interesting stuff: this time it's a video of someone who seems to be an American GI ("I fought in Iraq for six years!"), punching an old Korean man in the head. Warning: the video includes swearing and violence. It's pretty shocking.
It's up on Naver, blurred and stuff, and collecting hits. (see also daum TV)
This video, and the old lady attacking the young girl earlier this week (see here)
These two videos, in the same week, make me think:
1. Holy COW! What the hell is happening? Why is violence breaking out on video, all over Korea?
2. I hope other Korean seniors planning on picking on youngsters see these two videos, and choose to pick on a younger Korean instead of a younger foreigner... because many foreigners haven't been trained from birth that abuse from a senior must be borne silently.
3. The young guy throwing punches at a senior citizen's head: this guy shouts that he has been in Iraq for six years, so he may be dealing with much bigger things, personally, than an annoying old guy who won't back off -- I don't know the story about the old guy, or what led up to this incident...
However, I'd like to take this moment to address any of my Korean readers, who finds this blog post after getting upset about foreign (alleged) soldiers punching Korean seniors in the head:
Important Message:
Hey everybody. In the comments about this video, a lot of people will say a lot of nasty things about foreigners, Americans, and especially American GI's. I hope that somebody out there puts in a word for us foreigners living in Korea. Many of us can't speak or write Korean, so we can't speak for ourselves very well in Korean internet comments.
See, there's a stereotype of foreigners who criticize or mock Korea, who live here, but talk as if we hate it, but really, most of the foreigners who hate Korea leave. The foreigners who DO live here? Most of us like Korea a lot. Most of us are shocked and upset by a video like this young GI or ex-GI, punching an old Korean man in the head. Most of us are peaceful people who like and respect Korea, and who find healthier ways to deal with our frustrations.
Moreover: we are not responsible for this guy's behavior, and we don't approve of it. We wish this guy would have stayed home and gotten drunk with his friends at home, instead of going out and making an ass of himself in public, and around strangers.
So please do not think that "all foreigners are like this guy" -- all the rest of the foreigners in Korea would like you to know that almost all of us are not like this guy.
And finally, think of the worst night of your life. Think of the night when you did something really stupid: something you regretted for a long time. Now imagine that stupid mistake you once made when you were young, and imagine that someone filmed you having your ugliest moment, and put the video on the internet. Now imagine that everyone in America is watching that video and saying, "All Koreans are exactly like this person in the video. All Koreans have the same ugly character as this person in the video."
That judgement of YOUR character would be wrong, wouldn't it? After all, it was the worst night of your life, and the worst mistake of your life. And judging EVERY person in Korea by that one video would be even more wrong, wouldn't it?
Please don't judge all foreigners, all Americans, or all GI's by this one video. That would be wrong.
Sincerely
Roboseyo
p.s.: any reader is welcome to translate my message into Korean, and post it on the comment boards where people are discussing this video. In fact, you're invited to. I'd like you to. I'd love you to. Just give me credit, and a link, and I'm happy.
Update: Marmot's Hole reports, the old guy was willing to forgive the young guy, and the young guy was not a GI. He WAS thirty one, an age at which there remains no excuse for behavior like that.
