The "It Gets Better Project"

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 Conference this Weekend in Seoul

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.

Cut and pasted from the ATEK Newsletter:

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.

Visit www.kotesol.org for more information about KOTESOL, including how to join or contribute to the organization. Network with KOTESOL members at KOTESOL’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=2324076718&ref=ts

Is Seoul Ready for the G20?

Foreigner Joy asked the intriguing question, "Is Seoul Ready for the G20 Summit"? over on her blog; have you heard that the G20 is coming to Korea?  Well, it is.

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.

Joy looks at the cleanliness and safety of some parts of the city, and the efficiency of the transportation system, then she references The Metropolitician's post about Koreans who are being trained by their own media to suspect, and maybe hate, foreigners, and concludes that because of the provincial, nationalist mentality of people in Korea, the country's not truly ready to host the G20 Summit yet.

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.

Listen to the Customer, By Gum! Bad Service in Korean Restaurants

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.

It's vindicating to read.  So... Zenkimchi on "Korean restaurants have sh***y service" part one
And part two: "Korean restaurants don't know their asses from their elbows about making customers happy."

To go with my piece: Nice design = crappy service.

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?

PS: Fatman Seoul also adds a discussion of restaurant service culture in Korea, which is worth reading, here.

Violence in Itaewon; Important Message To Koreans about "외국인, 이태원에서 한국 노인 폭행 '논란'"

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.