Ruminations in Korea

Comment by Brian

30 December 2005 @ 8:11 pm

Well done, Jeff.

Comment by Cristina

3 February 2006 @ 3:37 pm

hi.

i just heard your voice-blog and I’m glad I did. As a Korean-Canadian I found myself almost offended when reading your blogs. But, after listening, I found some comments interesting and agreeable.

For one, I agree that Korea is a wonderful country. I do have a love-hate emotional tie to this mother land of mine. I have never lived there, but my whole life is very much based around Koreans, so I feel very much Korean as opposed to Canadian. And, from what I know about Korea and its people, I know that Korea has many many many flaws. And, it is also my hope that Korea could improve and become the country that it has the potential to be.

HOWEVER. For the most part, I disagree with your intentions for this blog.
I wonder, is it really necessary to really post these negative comments? You say that you love Korea and that you want it to become a better country. But, ask yourself this: who’s reading your blogs? They’re not the Koreans who would be able to make a difference. The Koreans who could make a difference would hardly understand the English on this page. They would not even come across this blog. So, how would your comments EVER make a difference?

Instead, yoru blogs only create a hateful atmosphere. The tone that you portray is blatantly negative and blatantly hateful. There are hardly any comments that ever praise Korea. And, yeah, you’re not trying to sugar-coat the country. Good. It’s being truthful. However, by only presenting these negative aspects of the country, it makes it harder for Korea to become a more powerful and/or respected country because those who read this blog end up having such negative notions of the country.

And, even if you say that you don’t touch the “culture” of this country, you do. What is culture anyhow? The eating of kimchi? The traditional clothes? The pagodas? The relics in the museum? Is it not in the way Koreans exchange things? Is it not in the way Koreans deal with their customers? Korean service sucks for the most part? Are you kidding me? Korea is known for their service! Or else, the business would go out of business. So, by ostentatiously professing that “Korean ____ sucks!”, you misrepresent the country so as to offer the netizens of the world a stereotype of this country.

Koreans are the way they are because of their CULTURE. Their culture, their history, the way things had been done, the way things had been taught to them is what makes them the way they are. Why do you think there are so many corrupt people who crave money? They grew up knowing nothing but money. Their parents knew nothing but money. They needed to in order to survive.

You know, you really should read Edward Said’s “Orientalism”.
http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Orientalism.html
Said, a postcolonial writer basically says that people have stereotypes of other countries through the foreigner’s (although you’ve lived in Korea for 17 years, you are still a foreigner and see the country through a foreigner’s eye–and unfortunately, I am in the same boat as I am not completely aware of the culture, the whys of certain behaviors) representation.

that was a lot of verbiage. Quite frankly, I agree with you that there must be a difference in this country. But, as much as you have a lot passion, your negativity can cause more damage than intended. So, this is my advice. Perhaps a disclaimer (i.e. having the link to your voice-blog on the side bar, at the very top?) would be necessary?

In any case, I’m glad I dropped into this website.

Cristina