By SHELTON BUMGARNER
Marmot’s Hole Guest Blogger
The New York Times shows yet again (registration required) that it thinks modern Korea is just so cute, it wants to pinch its collective cheek and buy it a lollipop.
This time, the Gray Lady turns its attention to the simultaneous release of an animated movie regarding what is referred to as the “most Korean of folk tales” — the story of Shim Chung.
…Shim Chung has earned another reward for her selfless sacrifice: an animated version of her ancient tale has become the first film to be released at the same time in North and South Korean movie theaters. “Empress Chung” opened on 51 screens in South Korea on Aug. 12, followed by 6 screens in North Korea on Aug. 15 - 60 years after the end of World War II, when the United States and the Soviet Union divided control of the Korean Peninsula.
This bit I found amusing:
In 1994, the South Korean government finally recognized the economic potential of the industry and started to support it (a far cry from 1967, when the government labeled cartoons one of the “six evils” of Korean society).
Be sure to read the rest on your own.
[Writer's Note: the title of this post has been corrected]
29 Comments
Since I’d slagged on your headline last time, let me say that this one is quite good…although the term is “cel” (animation cel). Sorry
Seriously, I like that post title. Maybe you’ve noticed, the NYT has been doing a lot of features on the Koreas lately, maybe because of the six-nation talks business, but also it seems like the Korean community has a higher profile in NY now.
yeah, i saw that today. i could only help thinking of the old nork claymation which i loved for its primitive form. i’ve been trying to find the old nork animation for a database, but i’ve had little luck finding anyone who has much in digital form. guess now’s a good time to ask anyone here.
btw, i’ve been wondering about the nyt feel-good articles on the north recently. could the reverend moon be pulling strings?
NYT is more loony than Moonie–could be, though. Better is Barbara Demick at the L.A. Times, who has been doing some great feel-bad stories about life in the worker’s paradise recently:
http://www.latimes.com/news/pr.....ealth-mens
You know, there are a bunch of North Koreans with nimble fingers and lots and lots of free time. We could turn the country into a claymation powerhouse.
They wouldn’t even have to leave the forced labor camps, and most of the country is dirt now–great idea!
“The New York Times shows yet again … that it thinks modern Korea is just so cute, it wants to pinch its collective cheek and buy it a lollipop.”
What are you smoking? The susbtance and the tone of your remarks about nearly any mention in the US Press, particularly the NYT, about Korea is that Korea is being condescended to. But there’s just nothing in the articles/authors that you thereby slander that supports that characterization. You’re simply trying to create a controversy where there is none. I suggest you apply for work as a “journalist” at Oh My News, the Hanky or any of the other local suspects.
Look out, Shelton! Sperwer’s got a gun!
Not only that; I’ve been known to actually use it.
I find NY Times, and LA Times, very pro Korean for some reason. They also cover in debpth about Korea, on the surface at least anyway. But not one nary of word about rampant anti-americanism in Korea, which I think is pretty serious. It’s cute to see those papers covering only the good things, but if they were truly interested in the truth, they should print both good and the bad.
I really think that all they’re doing is pandering to the large Korean American community readerships there.
Sperwer,
Fair enough.
There are, however, a few points I’d like to make.
1. I am a journalist (in the sense that I’ve made a living reporting in the past and hope to do so again some point in the future), but simply because I fit that definition doesn’t mean that there some Uniform Code of Conduct I’m supposed to adhear to no matter where I write. I think some of the best writing online is found at places like Gawker and Defamer. They often will write something that literally isn’t true, but the reader is smart enough to figure out that what’s being written is sort of a wink and a nod to them, saying “You and both know what’s going on.”
2. That leads us into another point: I believe that online writing, esp. blog writing, lends itself to being a bit more quirky, sly and wry than other forms of journalistic writing. “The medium is the message,” as they say. I have a sense of how newspapers work, and I can’t help but believe that the recent visit of the publisher hasn’t caused the recent uptick in pieces about South Korea. And the fact that they all are kind of squishy inside, that they’re the kind of story that makes you go, “Awwwww, ain’t them South Koreans cute.” makes me suspicious as to the motives behind them. No, I don’t have any documented proof that Arthur O. Sulzberger, Jr. walked into the New York Times newsroom one day and told Bill Keller to start thinking up cute Korean stories, but I find the idea humorous enough to run with it. What you say is me trying to be “sensational,” I would counter is writing with “personality.” Being “sensational” is the furthest from my mind. Being a bit wry, maybe. And at least one person has told me via email that I need to gain the trust of readers before I can be “wry.” I agree with the statement, it’s just that my natural writing style for blogs is, well, a bit wry. And at what point does a bell go off and I get “official” permission from The Marmot’s Hole readership to write in the manner that comes naturally to me?
3. Which leads us to the next point. Yes, the idea that I would “run with” an idea such as that is the journalistic equivalent of running with scissors, but I feel it’s so minor a transgression that that average reader will simply grin and read on. And if you object to the idea that The Marmot’s Hole would allow someone to write like that, then take it up with The Marmot himself. If he contacts me and tells me to stop writing for him, I will slink off as quietly as I came without a word and without ill will towards anyone.
4. This leads us to yet another point — I find it difficult to defend myself without either sounding defensive, passive aggressive or arrogant. The reason being — those who object to what I write simply refuse to give me any semblance of “the benefit of the doubt.” Rather than humoring me, it’s like they want to come to my apartment, stab me to death then cut me up and have me for dinner. It’s like they hate me personally for Not Being The Marmot. That I would dare trample the Holy Ground of The Marmot’s Hole with my ESL teacher feet.
5. This leads me to the last point — I will lay off such behavior in the future. I will be self-conscious about straying too far off The Official Journalistic Path when I am writing here. Some of what you may object to is simply my writing style when it comes to blog writing. That, I’m afraid, I’m neither willing nor able to change. Over at Migukin, on the other hand, I’m going to keep writing any way I damn well please. Any change in writing I do there will be simply because the case made for a change is well thought out and politely stated. I paid for the domain name, that should account for something.
Shelton wrote:1. I am a journalist (in the sense that I??ve made a living reporting in the past and hope to do so again some point in the future),Actually, in that sense, you would be a failed journalist.but simply because I fit that definition doesn??t mean that there some Uniform Code of Conduct I??m supposed to adhear to no matter where I write.Actually, I think there is.
And it’s adhere, not adhear, Mr. Journalist.I think some of the best writing online is found at places like Gawker and Defamer. They often will write something that literally isn??t true, but the reader is smart enough to figure out that what??s being written is sort of a wink and a nod to them, saying ??You and both know what??s going on.??Ah, new insight into what the problem is!
Please, Shelton. Don’t make it so easy.
I know someone who, faced with any form of disagreement will say something so annoying and irritating that he uses your shock at his statement as cover during the discussion. His apparent thinking is this — you’ll be so caught off guard by the disturbing thing he said that he can pretty much say whatever he wants while you recover your mental balance.
Kushibo, you are engaging in a similar form of argument. You attack a mistake in spelling, while not addressing the few hundred other words that I used — and spelt correctly — while making what I believe to be a pretty good argument.
Ok. I should have used “adhere” instead of “adhear.”
The horror, the horror! I should never be let near word processor again!
Kushibo, are you, like 300 years old or something? I mean, Jee-Bas H. Christ, man, give me a break.
“Failed journalist?”
In the past, I have quietly held my peace because I respect you, but such ad hominem attacks are pushing me to the breaking point. It’s getting to the point where I honestly can’t take anything you say seriously given your tactics in discussion.
Soon, I’m pretty much going to ignore anything you say, given that you seem determined to make me believe that not only is there no forest, but there is a huge group of trees getting in the way that prevents you from describing it to me what is there.
This seems like a game to you. I act reasonable, you attack me for minor infractions then sit back and giggle while I squirm.
Is this an example of you sometimes have to burn the writer down to save him?
well come on!
“(a far cry from 1967, when the government labeled cartoons one of the “six evils” of Korean society)”
what are the other five?
I was wondering the same thing. For a while, long hair (for men) and miniskirts (for the ladies) were banned. And I think buying imported cars was near to impossible (the idea being, I think, that Park Chung Hee didn’t want capital leaving the country, especially for what he would have considered to be frivolous expenditures). Overseas travel was severely restricted. So there, possibly, are four more evils.
…Oh, and Communism. But somehow, putting Communism, animation, long hair, miniskirts, imported cars, and overseas travel together in one list seems a bit odd. So any other ideas?
Shelton, Marmot’s Hole Guest blogger, wrote:I know someone who, faced with any form of disagreement will say something so annoying and irritating that he uses your shock at his statement as cover during the discussion. His apparent thinking is this ?? you??ll be so caught off guard by the disturbing thing he said that he can pretty much say whatever he wants while you recover your mental balance.I am doing no such thing. All of my criticisms are based on sound reasoning, even if my facetiousness masks them a little.Kushibo, you are engaging in a similar form of argument.And this is not an ad hominem statement?You attack a mistake in spelling, while not addressing the few hundred other words that I used ?? and spelt correctly ??You fancy yourself a journalistic contributor to this blog (and your own), which means you are setting yourself up for a certain standard of quality which you often fail to reach.
In this case the poor imitation of quality journalism was mostly in your opener, but the spelling was just gravy.while making what I believe to be a pretty good argument.It wasn’t. Your problem is that you think you’re a journalist because you managed to publish a few things, when the fact is that you lack the judgement, skill, or insight.
That’s okay. Few of us would live up to that standard, but no one except you keeps puffing themselves up to be someone they aren’t, especially in a convoluted way that is such an obvious defense mechanism that everyone except you can see that you are incapable of understanding constructive criticism because you think you are above it and simply misunderstood.Ok. I should have used ??adhere?? instead of ??adhear.??I am a published person, and I know that I would check things over several times before submitting it. Okay, so this is just a blog (although an influential blog), but that deserves at least a once-over with the spell-check. Especially if you’re going to tout yourself as a journalist.The horror, the horror! I should never be let near word processor again!Not exactly. Perhaps you just needed to be directed toward the spell-check function.Kushibo, are you, like 300 years old or something? I mean, Jee-Bas H. Christ, man, give me a break.I don’t get the 300-years-old reference. Can you explain using a Wikipedia or IMDB link? ;)??Failed journalist???In the past, I have quietly held my peace because I respect you, but such ad hominem attacks are pushing me to the breaking point.WTF?! You came along and called yourself a journalist, which you then used as a justification for your actions. Aren’t people who disagree with you able to question the legitimacy of your statements.
Let me put a finer point on it: You call yourself a journalist when you are not. You are not a journalist, or at the very least, you are not a successful journalist. Otherwise you wouldn’t be where you are, doing what you are doing. So maybe, just maybe, your vision of what makes a good journalist is wrong, or you aren’t living up to your own vision.
And you know what, because you simply can’t (or won’t) take constructive criticism on your writing and incorporate it into an improved writing paradigm for yourself, that will always remain true.It??s getting to the point where I honestly can??t take anything you say seriously given your tactics in discussion.That’s okay. I’m full of shit anyway.Soon, I??m pretty much going to ignore anything you say, given that you seem determined to make me believe that not only is there no forest, but there is a huge group of trees getting in the way that prevents you from describing it to me what is there.Using your metaphor, my describing what is there would be met by a Shelton covering his ears and yelling really loud, “La la la la la! I can’t hear you!”This seems like a game to you. I act reasonable, you attack me for minor infractions then sit back and giggle while I squirm.Your persecution complex is not endearing. I get criticism for my views and my writing style on a regular basis, but you don’t see me reacting like this.
Yes, I have pointed out spelling errors, but there are other criticisms I have made that are significant and go well beyond “minor infractions.” And there have been several times where others led the attack and I held my keyboard at bay, even when I agreed with your critics.
And I even warned you that Sperwer has a gun.Is this an example of you sometimes have to burn the writer down to save him?I have no intention of saving you as a writer, though I once did. You ignored the key advice I gave you some time ago, and because of that you will never be someone who, at least on Korea-related stuff, deserves the title “journalist.”
Some people go into writing because they have something significant to say. Others go into writing because they want to see their name in print. You definitely fall into the second category.
Your writing smacks of wannabe pseudo-journalism, where cutesiness and glib remarks are meant to grab the reader’s attention because you have nothing of subtance to offer instead.
You could change that. But you won’t. You will dismiss everything I have said as pettiness over minor infractions, and you will fail to see the big picture.
I forgot to include this in my above comment: Shelton, I did not quite call you a failed journalist. Instead, I suggested that if you thought of yourself as a journalist based on the past, then you would be a failed journalist in the present.
Your writing, Shelton, is just fine for http://www.migukin.com. I have gone there several times, and I think that blog is just fine. But here, your “wry” style is more like “awry.”
I don’t quite understand why so many seem to dump on Shelton. His stuff doesn’t bother me at all nor are they offensive or stupid. He’s doing a good job. If you don’t like to read his stuff, don’t read it. Why insult and attack?
‘i don’t understand why everybody dumps on shelton…’
well, he’s not hateful enough to koreans. that’s why.
#14, #15: One must be ???????????? (former PC Bang). My bro spent a fortune there. Whenever he was missing, I found him there. Other things might be dance (disco), sex, alcohol, gamble (??????, ??????), and porn maybe?
“The cartoon” (one of 6 evils) must be ????? (comic strip) not animation. In Korean, comic strip and animation use the same word ????. Children animation was highly encouraged to brainwash children.
Shelton, you are nothing compared to what I went through for the past few days. You never know what ??? is like. 80% of the comments I’ve got the other day were ??? (none-sensical crap). I got rewarded though; thanks to the enormous # of comments (almost 900), I got bonus!
Ah, ??????! Thank you! I was trying to remember that word (for completely unrelated reasons).
Your list makes much more sense than mine (i.e., it has more internal consistency!).
???i don??t understand why everybody dumps on shelton?????
well, he??s not hateful enough to koreans. that??s why. Oh, yeah. That’s exactly why I’m doing it.
No, that’s not it at all. I had decided to just let his annoyances slide unless they were particularly bad. But when he starts defending his sloppy writing by saying in effect that, “I am a journalist and this is how we do it,” then he needs to be called on that. And then when cites very unjournalistic models that exemplify his idea of journalism (as he seemed to be doing), then I just have to say something.
I am back to my original opinion on the matter: Shelton’s writing is fine for his Migukin blog, but it generally is not up to par for Marmot’s, which may again be in danger of turning into the Ahssa Hole.
It’s true people can skip on down past his posts, and some will do that (many do, it seems), but at the same time some will just simply be turned away from the Marmot’s, and the community here may deteriorate.
I don’t own Marmot’s, I don’t pay for Marmot’s, I don’t guest-blog for Marmot’s, but in the same way that I have an interest in Apple Computer turning out more and greater products, I have an interest in Marmot’s maintaining its integrity.
It is not a rejection of change. The Yangban’s posts are not the same as Marmot’s, but there have been virtually zero complaints or criticisms of his writing. Instead it is a rejection of change toward something that is subpar.
There has been no shortage of criticism of Shelton’s work here, but he just doesn’t get the importance of some of the suggestions. Instead he tells us he’s a journalist and this is the way his brand of journalism works.
And the result is a stinking Ahssa Hole. And that’s why everybody dumps on Shelton).
Shelton wrote:
5. This leads me to the last point ?? I will lay off such behavior in the future. I will be self-conscious about straying too far off The Official Journalistic Path when I am writing here. Some of what you may object to is simply my writing style when it comes to blog writing. That, I??m afraid, I??m neither willing nor able to change. (emphasis added)
Wait a moment - when you began blogging here, didn’t you say that you would adjust your writing style to the point that no one would be able to distinguish it from The Marmot’s? But now, ‘neither willing nor able to change’?
Personally, I just skip over the stuff I don’t like, so I’m not usually bothered by it all. However, I agree with Spewer’s comment that you’ve written in controversy where none existed. That’s fact, not opinion.
Just keeping it real…
And the fact that they all are kind of squishy inside, that they??re the kind of story that makes you go, ??Awwwww, ain??t them South Koreans cute.?? makes me suspicious as to the motives behind them.
Oddly enough, I find this the typical characteristic of most of the “white guy in Korea” blogs.
I don’t want people to think that Kushibo is alone. Everything he says about Shelton is right on the money. There is just something about his style, and it has nothing to do with journalistic standards, although he has brought that upon himself.
The Marmot doesn’t write every entry like a newspaper article, but there is an underlying intelligence combined with wit, and humor that doesn’t have to be explained to his audience.
The problem is that Shelton lacks these essential skills, in addition to his sloppy spelling and frequent updates to correct other errors in his entries.
The Ahssa Hole! I still love it. Great one Kush.
I just wanted to give some words of encouragement to Mr. Bumgarner, because I know it’s hard to keep up with this hostile crowd.
So let me put in my two copper abraham lincoln coins that should no longer be in circulation:
I really have no idea why Marmot keeps this blog or why in fact, any bloggers pay cash out of their own pocket and maintain this when they could be like me and leech off of other people’s hard work when deluging cyber space with their own brand of absurd views. But I’d imagine that the webmaster, like all of us here, have life to lead, places to go, new boshingtang places to try out, etc etc. We all know it’s very time consuming to do this. This is purely out of conjecture, but it seems that he wanted to acquire some guest bloggers as a way to keep the blog going. And I have to commend the webmaster for choosing guest bloggers in a way to cover the diverse political tastes of the readership here. The diversity of political views here is more like Washington Post rather than say Fox News or Village Voice. I guess it’s more accurate to say the worst of Fox and Village Voice put together… haha
People’s “beef” with Mr. Bumgarner, I find goes into two camps. People who despise his political views. People who despise his style.
Demanding Marmot’s Hole stay true to “Marmotness” is like asking Marmot to just stay home all day and update his blog all the time. I mean if, people demand Flying Yangban post more and Shelton post less, then we might as well just go to Flying Yangban blog when Marmot isn’t updating.
I find people who object to Shelton’s political views somewhat irrelevant, since this causes even more readership to post “i-hate-u” reepuls. Hell, half the readership at Baghdadburning are probably her most vicious enemies.
As for his style… I do think that there are certain constructive criticisms that people are making. Personally, I think Sperwer’s political views are several degrees(if x is where i am, sperwer’s is x+50degrees) on the right side of my own, but I do think that he makes a good point—that his criticism is not jaundiced. I applaud Mr.Bumgarner’s mature response. I hope he doesn’t take things to seriously and retains his willingness to learn from people, even those who may hold irrational distate for him.
That being said, I will now be a hypocritical lurker so I can pounce on an-jil-gguh-ya-shaku-shaku when he types his insanities on cyberspace, thereby reaching self-actualization in become the Voltron to Shaku’s Zarkaness.
Aigo…I still think the heading on this post is quite good, because it piques the reader’s interest with an interesting turn of phrase. It should have been followed through with an opener that spelled out the inter-Korean angle more clearly, but whatever. Also, I read the NYT almost daily…aside from Paul Krugman’s mildly naive editorializing, I wouldn’t say it finds either Korea particlarly “cute,” whatever that means, but Mr. Bumgarner is welcome to his characterization. That leaves us with style. Blog writing can indeed be “a bit more quirky, sly and wry than other forms of journalistic writing,” and it can also be topical, insightful and knowledgeable. Since the Marmot’s blog is on Korea, it has quirks galore, and Mr. Marmot simply lays it out with minimal interpellation–it’s not journalism, but it sure ain’t “something that literally isn’t true” either, or I doubt that many people would bother reading it. I think what ticks off so many here is Mr. Bumgarner indulges in some tangential, hermetic wordplay, which if contextualized might gain him some fans. A little follow-through, a bit more relevance to Korean issues, would keep these posts from sounding too clever by half.
haha!!! i almost missed the flaming of the ahssa-hole!
looks like shelton has been cutting and pasting his rebuttals from former flame sessions. always the same criticisms, same defensive posture. the more things change, the more they stay the same.
4. This leads us to yet another point ?? I find it difficult to defend myself without either sounding defensive, passive aggressive or arrogant. The reason being ?? those who object to what I write simply refuse to give me any semblance of ??the benefit of the doubt.?? Rather than humoring me, it??s like they want to come to my apartment, stab me to death then cut me up and have me for dinner. It??s like they hate me personally for Not Being The Marmot. That I would dare trample the Holy Ground of The Marmot??s Hole with my ESL teacher feet.
just wanted to acknowledge the accuracy in point four of your rebuttal.