Check out what the man behind It Makes A Difference to the Sheep has to say about that pic I posted a while back of the Japanese doing something (we’re not sure what) at the top of Mt. Paekdu.
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That article ends with the funniest line I’ve ever seen in a blog!!!!
as i read what this sheep man had to write, i wondered what would promt an individual to write this kind of stuff. i mean, there’s no question that the japanese were absolutely brutal to the koreans. why is it necesary to try to understand the spikes beyond the absurdity of japanese behavior? why do you need to see what the japanese have to say? they shouldn’t have been doing what the were doing at korean mountains anyway.
the koreans have every rght to chronicle this behavior, write about, talk about, and record it for future generations. that’s their right. they don’t need anyone’s aproval.
chapter 2
‘the tale of mr hwang, mr baek, and mr hook.’
in a cafe sat them all. all diferent in character out but really the same within. mr baek says to mr hook:
‘hey mr hook, you black folk need to acknowledge some of the benefits of slavery for your people.’
‘what?’ asked the stuned and very angry mr hook.
‘well, slavery was horrible and all,’ chirped mr baek, his voice high in octave. ‘we can never allow it to happen again, but i think black folk should at least admit they got some benefits; american blacks are the richest blacks in the world. making your kinfolk slaves brought you roads, schools, education, medicine, and a whole lot more. if my folk didn’t done do you folk, you’d be back there in that slop jar called afirca.’
mr hook now very angry rose to his feet with his hand raised to strike the foolish mr baek. mr hwang intervened.
‘now, now, mr hook, mr baek is suffering his delusions of grandeur again, please don’t mind him. he’s just-’
‘listen mr hwang, you too need to show some thanks to the japanese for their occupation and attempts to destroy your 2 thousand year old heritage. of course, the occupation was horrible and all,’ chirped mr baek, his voice high in octave. ‘koreans can never let it happen again. but i think korean folk should at least aknowledge they got some benefit; occupying korea brought roads, schools, education, medicine, and a whole lot more. if the japanese folk didn’t done do the korean folk, the koreans would still be in the slop jar!’
mr hwang and mr hook contemplated the many ways to kill mr baek.
Another tantrum from Jong-il…wouldn’t it have been worth it to actually read the article? It’s also a bit undignified to chide others for their “hatred,” when you clearly have so much of it yourself, as shown in your charming story there. You do show some moral honesty, in your implication that you’d like to kill foreigners. In fact, this would be the best way to get them to leave Korea. If it’s truly dangerous, not only will foreigners leave, they won’t come, either. Do you have the courage to back up your convictions?
On the actual subject, I first heard about the Japanese spike issue from this site (sorry if it’s been posted somewhere else, or if everyone’s already familiar with it):
http://www.gkn-la.net/history_.....mskang.htm
The writer mentions that the removal of one of the spikes was shown on television. If this is true, it seems like it should be possible to get a copy of the footage (from the KBS archives?). I’d certainly be interested in seeing it.
Shin Jong Il seems to be rather angry at people he doesn’t know. For example, I live in Texas (by choice) and generally don’t complain about the land of real Chicken-Fried Steak, White Gravy, and Dr. Pepper…
Although not a native Texan, I seem to fit in well. No one stares at me, pokes at me, insults my wife, or relieves themself outside my house. I must say that none of these happened to me in Korea, either (in fact quite the opposite!); but Mr Shin emptied his spleen right after _my_ posting…
We have many rude people in the US. Please allow me to apologize for his immaturity–we don’t do a good job of educating our youth on manners and common decency.
Assuming he ever rises to the point of paying property taxes on his own property and chasing crabgrass and dandelions out of his own lawn, he may see wisdom at last…
Oh yeah, those spikes. Uhm… well first off, they don’t just have to be made of metal. Iron, steel or non ferrus, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s metallic. Even a stoneware clay dopped with 10% iron or any metalic glaze will work. Also we… err, they usually placed more than one spike, as a saftey precaution and back up. Sometimes up to 3,000 different spikes were planted. It would be very difficult to find them all.
Further more, it wasn’t done to break the spirit of the Korean people. It was done to… well… ahh, lets just say that Neil Diamond wouldn’t be the only one out killing homeless people so they could… you know.
‘chide others for their hatred when you clearly have so much of it yourself…’ rheesus
uh-huh, folks like you, rheesus, are the ones spending your time whinning about the people you CHOOSE to live with. if you detect that i despise your average expat, well, that’s true. but then, i also despise your average goober from the sticks. you know the one, likes rush linbaugh, thinks afirmative action is the source of his failures, has a truck that passes for a tank, and just loves to say the n word when other goobers are around.
hatred for a goob like you? yes.
hatred for my country the us? no.
now get back to your slinging the mud as that was your favorite passtime back there in sleepy holler deep in the sticks of moonshine county.
arattda?
ps my little stroy above was relevant and needed to counter all the whinning flowing from the folks of the angry expat brigade.
you guys please, try to have at least one good day there in korea, ok? just one, alright? try hard and stop the tears.
OK?
See what I mean?
See what I mean?
Lot’s of name calling and accusations (”goob,” “whining,” “slinging mud”) but no content. No content means no backup. If you want your opinions to be taken seriously, you should at least provide examples to support your accusations. For example, when you accuse me of “whining” about Korea, you should provide a quote, or at least a paraphrase of what you think I said.
As far as slinging mud, you might have noticed that my reference to the “spike issue” was sympathetic to the Korean side of this story. However, it’s clear that your hatred determined your understanding of those words.
Like I said, you’ve implied a perfectly effective way to keep foreigners out of Korea. Are you willing to act on it, instead of just talking (and writing)?
Incidently, I quite enjoy living in Korea. I’d still be willing to leave if the plan that you propose becomes reality.
Anyway, trying to stay on topic, my own opinion about the spikes is that it sounds like something Imperial Japan would’ve done. The “spiking” would have been nothing for a government that could set up something like Unit 731. I’m not saying that I’m sure they did it, but there’s clearly no reason to think that they wouldn’t have if they thought it would be useful. And why go to the effort of planting the spikes if they didn’t think it would be useful for something? I’ve never heard of any sort of “positive” spike-planting in Japan, Shinto-related or otherwise. If the Japanese did indeed plant those spikes around Korea, what reason is there to think that they had any but a negative purpose?
Of course, this is all speculative, since I’ve never actually seen one of the spikes. I’m going to see if I can get a copy of that video footage, if it exists.
“angry expat brigade.
you guys please, try to have at least one good day there in korea, ok? just one, alright? try hard and stop the tears. ”
Shin Jong Il has made a good point in these lines. It’s like so many of the expat blogs linked around here exist merely to rip on something, anything, in Korea on a daily basis. There is no attempt at truly understanding. Just criticism on why Korea isn’t the way they want it to be.
Korean government removed the spikes in 1995.
Then what happened.
…………IMF………….
To $lol$:
The Asian financial crisis (”IMF crisis” for Asians) began in 1997/1998. The first country to be hit by the currency crisis (rapid Baht-depreciation, flight of foreign investments) was Thailand.
“Shin Jong Il has made a good point in these lines. It’s like so many of the expat blogs linked around here exist merely to rip on something, anything, in Korea on a daily basis. There is no attempt at truly understanding. Just criticism on why Korea isn’t the way they want it to be.”
This is a cop out. I got used to hearing it mostly from first year expats in Korea and usually from those who only planned to stay in Korea a year or two at the most.
The idea that expats who complain about Korea are trying “desperately” to find “anything” to rip on Korea is bogus.
The blogs I read daily clearly focus their entries on a particular topic to discuss, and it seems to me, each blogger tends to concentrate on a particular area of interest (in my case USFK and the US-SK security alliance).
They surely don’t run around helter-skelter trying to find “anything” to rip on Korea about. If you have a particular issue that you disagree with the complaint on, then rebut the argument. Blanket charges that people who have complaints are just “Korea haters” is lame.
Take a look at any news program around the world. How much “positive” news do you hear? How many stories about babies born that day? / How many about a 12 car pile up killing 6?
And what bothers me besides the attempt to dismiss complaints about this or that in Korea also tags things like this too it — “There is no attempt at truly understanding.”
Because too often I’ve run across usually first year in Korea expats, who still have the shine in their eyes about being in a different land, who will desperately try to block out the negative in order to have the picture they want about their Korea experience.
But I wouldn’t call this “truly understanding.”
Above all, at least the blogs I read daily, are done by people who HAVE MADE A LONG TERM COMMITTMENT to “understanding” Korea.
It seems obvious, but I am pretty sure the vast majority of the long term expats in Korea don’t stay there because they hate it…
I know I haven’t lived in Korea so many years, tried hard to learn the language (which I haven’t been very successful at) and spent MANY hours reading about its social history, because I just wanted to “find something, anything” to tear it down………and it seems like the blogs I read have people who have done much the same.
I wonder if Robert Holly every complains about Korea?