“I’ve lived 30 years without looking or thinking or thinking about Korean people. What would have become if I’d brought Hines to Korea? Perhaps he could have become no more than a beggar. Would anyone here have hired me, even as a house cleaner? Now that Hines is famous, they are paying a lot of attention. Yeah, well. It’s burdensome, really. That’s just life, no?”
So bemoaned Kim Young-hee, mother of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl hero Hines Ward. The Chosun Ilbo followed Kim to the office of the Pearl Buck Foundation on Wednesday, where Kim accompanied her son as he met with other multiracial Koreans.
Kim spent much of the time wiping away tears as she watched her son play with the kids. Finally, one of the other kid’s mothers (this kid, to be specific) came over and said, “There’s been a lot I wanted to say, both as a mother raising a mixed-race child and as a woman… Even now, if I got the chance to leave Korea, I wouldn’t hesitate to go.”
Kim grabbed her hand and said, “Do it. I, too, often thought the same thing.” Then she said, “What would have become of us if I’d brought Hines back to Korea? Perhaps he could have become nothing more than a beggar. Who here would have hired me even as a house cleaner?”
To which, the little child’s mother replied, “Right. It’s hard for a mother with a child to get a job, and even harder for the mother of a mixed-race child.”
Kim then directed her bitterness at the Korean-American community. “Koreans are like that. Even in the United States, Koreans didn’t get along well with one another. Immigrants ignored us. And the racial discrimination is worse among Koreans who share the same skin color. But it’s strange. They hate that our children have different skin colors, but they go around dying their hair yellow and red…”
She added, “Nobody helped when I was having a tough time, but now that Hines is famous, they are showing us a lot of attention… Yeah, well. It’s burdensome. That’s life, isn’t it?”
UPDATE: The Chosun Ilbo has translated the piece for its English edition.
And in other Hines Ward news…
- The Dong-A Ilbo points out the obvious: as heart-warming a story Hines Ward is, enough is enough already. We don’t need MBC doing all-Hines, all the time. It might be making multiracial Koreans feel even more ostracized than they already feel (see this Hankyoreh cartoon), and there’s plenty of other news that needs reporting;
- Mr. Ward’s visit is giving a shot in the arm to the Justice Ministry’s plan to create by next year a new public holiday: Foreigners’ Day. No, I’m not shitting you; the ministry really is pushing to designate such a day. Yes, I happened to find it a remarkably silly idea. No, I have no idea what kinds of events the ministry is envisioning for it. Yes, I will probably dedicate an entire an entire post to “Foreigners’ Day,” because if there ever was a government initiative in need of derision, this is it.
- Oh, and how could I ever forget to link to this photo? If that doesn’t give you a warm, fuzzy feeling, I don’t know what will.
{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
Omma! Total respect.
Unless “Foreigner’s Day” is the one goddamn day out of the year when Koreans stop staring, don’t bother.
Wierd. Well meaning attempts like this can easily backfire, especially if it makes Koreans think that foreigners are getting ‘special treatment’.
Just announce “No Spitting Day” and celebrate it 365 days a year.
you go girl!!!!!!!!
as for foreigners’ day, it is merely another way of differentating korean from otherness. total bullshit. and that’s the same sentiment i had for the foreigners’ marathon a few years ago. there’s a massive difference between celebrating diversity and choosing to publicly announcing the difference between our group and all the other people who aren’t in our group. medieval.
Wow, Ward’s mom is quite bitter, not that I blame her. Sounds like she’s had a real hard time of it.
Nothing like your momma to tell it like it is. The awesome part- nobody is going to say jack because she’s right.
Hey, if you wear your “honorary white man” kit in the
freakforeigner’s day parade, I’ll do my “cigar store white man” routine.Good on her. When her first reaction to a mother saying she wants to leave Korea is “do it,” that should tell you what she really thinks of her “homeland.”
She climbed her way up the ladder while Koreans and Korean-Americans threw stones at her and tried to cut the legs out from under her. Now that she’s at the top, and those same stone-chuckers are kissing up and trying to plant their hypocrite asses on her son’s bandwagon, she’s got every right to take a dump on them.
I hope every asshat claiming Ward as a Korean hero reads what she really thinks of them. She be right on the fucking money.
Where were you jackasses 30 years ago, when she needed you?
Ah right, gathering phlegm in your throat to toss her way.
Preach it! If there’s one thing both Korea and the Korean-American politian needs its a wake-up call as to how messed up this is.
What stands out to me is that beyond anything else, she remains grounded, humble and cognizant of her past. I think this goes a long way to show what an incredible parent Hines had growing up. Any kid would be blessed to have a mother like her.
There should be a holiday in her honor where people are asked to really look at themselves and their country and try to make things better.
It would be a holiday that people would observe, not celebrate.
Foreigners’ Day: Just as Children’s Day is the one day that Korean fathers have to be nice to their kids, Foreigners’ Day will be the one day Koreans have to be nice to foreigners. The other 364 days will be open season.
Do we get candy?
I second JD’s suggestion for Hines Ward’s mother. Since this is a “shame culture” and the gov’t is useless, maybe that’s the way to go.
Maybe it makes more sense to have an E2 Day and an F-2-1 Day and an F5 Day.
It would be strange to lump together 3D workers, educated professionals working at the branch offices of American companies, Japanese, Thai, and Chinese women married to Korean men, and hogwan teachers for a holiday.
Thing is JD, it’s not strange for me to be “lumped together” with the other people you described because that was my entire life in the States. That’s what Koreans need to get through their skulls, that their insular, xenophobic society is not the world norm, and integration is.
Some of us may be house niggers and the rest field niggers, but we’re all niggers. Let’s step’n fetchit down Sejong-no! Whatever ahppened to RALF [the resident alien liberation front]? Oh, I remember; the full-blood but not bone-rank hyphenated Koreans took over and the foreigners left – just like what’s happening nowadays at the Seoul Club.
Foreigners’Day: the day when Koreans celebrate the unique culture of Rest-of-the-worldland.
Ditto. Rather than a Foreigners’ Day, how about a “Koreans Mesh with the World Day”?
But since we’re going to have it, I suggest free entrance to Lotte World.
Oh wait, on second thought….
Thank god the poor woman finally said something. The look on her face the entire time basically told the story but it was good to hear her put it into words.
“… the full-blood but not bone-rank hyphenated Koreans took over and the foreigners left – just like what’s happening nowadays at the Seoul Club.”
Yes, in Itaewon too. Limelight is an example – first Koreans moved to one side, then built their own glassed in room. Now I hardly see anyone but Koreans there.
Anyway, back to Ward’s mother – yahoo! She’s certainly become “westernized’, eh? Tell it like it is!
thank goodness for the mother speaking the truth on this issue. it would totally make sense for the mother to talk shit about what’s happened in the past and i’m glad she did such a thing. i hope this will change for the better in the future. i hope that equal rights and treatment towards everyone will be observed and i’m soooo happy that mother ward stuck it to the korean society! it’s someone like this that’s gone through so much shit in life and been on the recieving end of getting crapped on to tell how it is and how hard of a life it is. the authenticity of and the comment makes it so much more convincing and this should send a shock wave of WTF have we been doing/saying/and thinking of such ways. now i can i can only hope that there are strong people out there like mother ward to speak out and “stick to the man/woman”. equal rights to everyone from A-Z!
Kunsan AB
I think the creation of foreigners day is another example of Korea trying too hard to “integrate” with the English world.
I have been to Korea twice, once in 1984 when I was still a child, and another time recently. Recently, I found Koreans desire to “help” foreigners to be excessive.
For example, one can hail a taxi in Korea with “FREE INTERPREATION”. This is surely going too far to please foreigners. Foreigners like me should be carrying a Korean phrase book instead of calling a number to have a professional interpret my directions.
Another example from a news report recently, was about Dokdo island going to go “English”.
Another example is how parents with children are sending their children to study in “All English” camps.
All these are reflected in Korea’s approach to studying English. Every school children studies English since elementary schools, but almost none could speak English fluently at high school. It is a very superficial embracement that is forced upon by the gahmen.
Of course, my own belief is that certain perculiarities among South Koreans are the result of over 100 years of colonization without full independence. South Korea today is not an independent country. It got a short period of a few years at the end of WWII when it was independent.. But since the Korean War, South Korea has remained a US protectorate. Despite the Korean War being a relic of the cold war, and North Korea not posing any direct threats, South Korea remains a US protectorate – a country sovereign in all matters except in matters of defense.
It is said that Osama bin Laden launched terrorist attacks because he did not want Saudi Arabia to be a US protectorate. Koreans are however not committing acts of terrorism like Osama. Instead of venting their dissatisfaction through acts of terrorism, they are doing it through support for the Korea teams in sports achievement and xenophobia. However, when xenophobia reaches too critical of a point, they swing it back to “please” with services like “FREE INTERPRETATION”.
I guess, the answer to all this issue is for South Koreans to gain their independence once more. What is needed is not “Foreigners day” but “Independence Day” – the real one, not the one after 1945 because that independence was lost.
mahathir_fan–you’re confusing two entirely different issues.
“That’s what Koreans need to get through their skulls, that their insular, xenophobic society is not the world norm, and integration is.”
I suspect Michael hasn’t been to Japan.
Foreigner’s day is just one silly ideal.
But there’s a real good thing that came out of this Ward hoopla. There is an anti discrimination bill in the parliament that is in the works. It will probably pass without any political bickerings – something unheard of in Korea.
Wow! Kim Young-hee is really a tough lady. Smart, hardworking, and not afraid to speak her mind when the right moment comes. She’s saying things that need to be said.
Hines Ward was a lucky boy — and is a lucky man.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
So called “Xenophobic” Asian soceities are only limited to South Korea and Japan. Why is that?
Been to China? Been to Vietnam? Are they xenophobic like South Korea or japan?
Why are South Korea and Japan xenophobic while China and Vietnam isn’t?
One thing is obvious, both South Korea and Japan are not fully independent countries. Both are US protectorates or to speak harshly puppet regimes. There was also a puppet regime in South Vietnam but Uncle Ho took care of that.
Already we can see from the “Korean Nuclear Crisis” that the fate of Korean people lies in the hands of 4 other countries: China, Russia, Japan and USA.
We, the foreigners are there to dictate if you will be safe. We, the foreigners will dictate if there will be war or no war in the Korean Peninsular.
Living under such uncertain conditions dictated by foreign gahmens, it is not surprising to expect Koreans to be “xenophobic” in order to preserve their identity.
I would have to agree that having a “Foreigner’s Day” is ridiculous. Koreans (and the rest of us) simply need to treat others with respect and tolerance. Nothing more is needed.
P.S.
“gaemee”, over at http://www.froginawell.net/korea/, there is an interesting posting about the case of Masuda Miyako, the Tokyo middle school teacher who was suspended for having her pupils write a letter of apology addressed to South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun. She was fired and her superiors claim that she has not reconsidered her actions and is ‘unfit’ to be employed as a civil servant.
“She responded: “Japan is said to be a democratic country, but in fact, although it doesn’t employ blatant violence, it is nevertheless no different to a totalitarian state.” She also says that she will continue to fight her dismissal.”
It seems that you may have a valid point about Japanese society.
People in Japan don’t have prejudice to blacks and mixed-race people as much as Koreans do. In fact, there are people like Crystal Kay(Korean/African American)and Bobby Ologun(Nigerian)who are successful in Japan.
http://www.c-kay.com/
http://blog.excite.co.jp/bobbyblog/1764465
Mahatir_fan is exhibit A for the notion that the export of discredited Western ideas to be lapped by eager, empty Third World minds is as damaging if not more so than colonialism.
mahathir_fan–OK, let me put this another way. What we are talking about here is not xenophobia against foreigners, but discrimination based on race directed against Korean nationals who are not “pure-blooded.” And while this is an issue in so-called “protectorates” like Korea and Japan, it also an issue in so-called “independent” Confucian states like China and Vietnam. And, for that matter, do I really need to talk about racial views in North Korea, perhaps the most “independent” of Northeast Asian states? It’s also interesting to note that the descrimination is worse against those with parents of African or Southeast Asian descent, while those with parents of white extraction are treated relatively better. This would indicate the descrimination such individuals face is NOT a product of Korea’s neocolonial status–perceived or otherwise–in the world system, but rather highly ingrained cultural views concerning ethnic purit and race mixed with a healthy dose of classism. If you read Korean and actually read the social dialogue going on, this is all very out in the open. Maybe if we were talking about Koreans getting pissed at expat businessmen, the US military and English teachers, your theory could hold water. But we’re not, so it doesn’t.
Richard – You are reading with a differen mindset. I am writing in response to “foreigner day” mentioned in your posts which has to do with foreigners not mixed blood children.
But I can also chim in on the mixed blood issue. If Koreans are so discriminatory, can you put up some links of Korean racists websites similar to websites like white supremacists about how they are better than coloured people? To talk about this discriminatory, I would think that Koreans are less discriminatory than the rest of world, but they tend to be more explicit about it without the realization that it is discriminatory.
On the internet today, you will find more racists websites started by Westerners than you can find racist websites started by Asians. Most Asian websites want to let foreigners know about their countries. I have never seen one Asian website that put out stuff like, “Chinese people are greatest and more superior than Africans!” for example.
I personally know many Chinese people who for example, post advertisements for roommates and prefer Chinese roommates or seen employment ads that favour their own races. But they are not racists.
A westerner reading such ads would be appalled by the blatant discrimination of prefering one race over another.
I say that they are not racist because they harbor no ill will. It is just a matter of personal preferences. Many do not even think it is wrong. Why? Read on.
Many have this racial preference because there is hegemony in the way the people are raised, and thus shares similar values. For example, if a Chinese and a Malay are roommates, then there is the issue of the Chinese needing to respect his Malay roommate by not eating pork at home. Same with workplace. Workplace lunches, or dinners would have to be done at a pork-free restaurant.
Asians unlike Westerners do not suffer from the “REMORSE OF SLAVERY”. As a result, it seldom occur to them that posting ads favouring employment of one race over another is racially discriminatory and hurtful. It works bothways. If you are a foreigner, and you posted an ads favoring to hire only foreigners, I am sure most Koreans would not feel discriminated against.
Ads like these are: “I am an American living in Korea looking for an American roommate. I prefer to room with a fellow American.” or “We are an American company in Korea. We prefer to hire an American living in Korea for this position” are ads which Koreans in general do not see as discriminatory.
Westerners tend to feel more sorry about such social phenomena because more than 100 years ago, they bought many of these slaves who are coloured into their home country and toiled them to work like animals. As a result, many of today’s Westerners feel very sorry and remorseful as a result of what their ancestors did to coloured people. So, any small event that could be interpreted as racist is labeled as such. They are also extra sensitive about these issues because they felt very sorry about what they did to the slaves more than 100 years ago.
mahathir_fan,
You said that you’ve been to Korea twice. I’m curious to know how long you stayed here. Especially the second time.
As I responded in another post, the fact that you are even asking these kinds of questions indicate a) you don’t speak Korean, so b) trying to explain why what you say is, well, way off-base would probably require more effort that it’s worth. Ironically enough, you suffer from the same problem a lot of Western analysts suffer from, namely, you are dependent on what little Korean public opinion is translated into English, and assume that if it ain’t in English, it ain’t there.
BTW, the name is Robert.
Korea has significant problem in this area. Treatment of foreigners in general and treatment of “mixed-blood” children in particular.
Some Koreans look at mothers who have these children to be traitors. These moms voluntarily rejected Korean males and went and had sex with foreigners in so many occasions as to produce a mongrel and thereby affecting the Korean gene pool. I think some English blueblood nobilities may feel this way about “English blood”. And, many Japanese as well about their blood.
The central idea behind this horrible “We-have-better-genes-than-you(racism) and therefore must protect the purity of it” comes from the lie that Koreans are unique and “pure-blooded” people. If anybody points out the historical fact that Mongols, Japanese, Chinese and Russians repeated raped Korea and left “marks”, Koreans get angry. Yesterday a Korean history professor pointed out that 40% of Koreans have foreigners’ blood. He was met with harsh criticism.
The majority Koreans still believe Koreans are people who are not mixed with any other people on this earth. A unique people. Almost like Jews. Too bad that Korean do not have a unique religion to separate them from all other races on earth.
Christians are changing Korean society and bringing the country out of this quaint idea of “blood-protection” and the unique people bullshit. Some of it was spread by the Japanese to separate Koreans from the Chinese roots.
This “one-people” lie is embraced by North Korea, which closed borders to foreigners. Some Koreans Commies in the south wants to do the same. Kick out all foreigners so that our women stay pure! I wonder what they will say to men who marry Vietnamese women. I get the sneaky feeling that they will not objects to bringing foreign women, sexy ones, to Korea. Dr. Strange Love said “several women per man in the bunkers below”.
It is about time for Korea to grow up and realize that Korea is just a part of the world. Not unique. Not pure-blooded. Just a part of the big wide world.
Then, the intellectuals step up and say “once we start mixing with other people, how we maintain Korea as a nation”? Well, this is 21st century; a nation is like a corporation. Bring in the talented people other countries and kick out bad adjussis who drink a lot. All members of this business venture need not be from one race.
Heinz Ward hugged and cried with every mixed-blood child he met in Korea. He knew how much hostility these children are facing because they look different. He encouraged them not to give up and fight on against racism and prejudice.
Korea must break out of this “one-pure-blooded people” idea. Like Nazis, Koreans are persecuting other races.
Korean Nazis.
Baduk,
I always wonder about any mention of Koreans being like Jews.
In my mind there really is basically nothing that connects the two groups.
There are lots of different types of Jews, with the gene pool not limited to Woody Allen-looking Jews from mostly Europen stock. There are also the Sephardic Jews, who most American Jews see and guess them to be Arabs. Black Jews exists as well. Also, Jews allow people to convert, so that sort of makes the possiblilities endless.
Interestingly, (I hope) there is no fear that Jewish women hooking up with non-Jews will “water down” the group. If a Jewish man marries and has children with a non-Jew, the children are not Jewish. But a Jewish woman can have a child with a priest and the kid will be a Jew.
In Yiddish (or you can call it Jewish, and it’s a total mongrul language developed over the many years of getting kicked out of other countries), there is a bad word for the non-Jewish woman that steals away your son and produces non-Jewish grandchildren. There is no bad word for the non-Jewish man who steals your daughter.
(I almost fell out of my chair many years ago when my Korean teacher taught us the word for meal, because it sounds the same as the Yiddish word for the bad woman who steals your son away.)
I sometimes hear people talk about both Koreans and Jews thinking of themselves as the chosen people. But, isn’t that something that every group does?
This foreigner’s day may just lure me back to Korea. Does it mean that ex-pat’s will receive a holiday? I’m sure hogwon owners would love to give their foreign teachers an extra day off.
jim crow, anti-descecrations laws, slavery based on skin color, apartheid, eugenics, ect.
all brought to the world by the people who whine the loudest about korean racism but say silent on the japanese variety. you may be convinced that your shit don’t stink but stink it do.
Nulji, the lady “whining” here is a Korean (or was before she was excommunicated), who would seem to know what she is talking about.
jd,
You mean “shikshu”. I also know “schumuck” and “Hootzbah”. Spellings probably are way off. I grew up in Brooklyn and have seen many Comedy movies where Jewish comedians performed. I have some Jewish friends.
I knew somebody would write about the difference between Jews and Koreans. I think, however, there is significant difference between American Jews and the Jews living in Israel. Just like the significant difference between Korean Americans and Koreans.
You like to say Jews are not like Koreans. But, if you were a Palestinian or a Saudi (or any MiddleEastern native), you wouldn’t say that. You will say “worse”.
Jewish mothers and Korean mothers are very similiar. But the similarities end there. The Jews have been persecuted for hundreds of years and from that experience they have developed The Jewish Sense of Humor. Koreans, too, have been persecuted for hundreds of years and what do we have? Han.
I think it was Aidan Foster-Carter, writing on han, who said Koreans and the Irish share the MOPE (Most Oppressed People Ever) syndrome.
Jewish mothers from Woody Allen movies are maybe the same as Korean mothers. I always liked to think of my mom as more like the mom in Leonard Cohen’s “Beautiful Losers,” but only because that made me more like Lenny… who has since become a monk. It can be very confusing.
We have 2 topics going in parallel here as a result of the original post. The first is foreigners xenophobia and the 2nd is the treatment of mixed race children.
Foreigner xenophobia is easily explained by the fact that South Korea is not fully independent.
When a country is threatened by foreign forces, their people will be xenophobic. Case in point:
1) China at the end of the 19th century – the Boxer Rebellion – after Western powers began invasion into China
2) Malayans fighting guerrila warfares and assasination attempts on European farm owners during the periods of British colonization.
3) Americans feeling that jobs are being lost to lower wage countries like China launches xenophobic anti China movement
4) Americans fearing that they would revert control of California, and Arizona back to Mexico which was gained from them from the Mexico-American War launches anti immigration acts and private citizens are patroling their borders to stop the hispanic population growth explosion in the South West.
5) North Koreans xenophobic because the US could attack it at any time.
When a country is not threatned, their people are not xenophobic. Case in point:
”
1) Vietnam. Vietnamese today welcome Americans visiting their country with open arms and smiles. It is the Americans who are xenophobic in this case. There have been many cases for example in the US which showed that when the Vietnamese population “invades” a city and move in in droves, the original Americans move out. Same situation with Hispanics. Today in LA, there are almost no white people because they all left. I think they call this social phenomena white flight or something like that.
2) Malaysia today. After gaining independence, we are no longer xenophobic and we welcome foreigners to Malaysia to empty out their vacation savings. “SELAMAT DATANG! SMILE
As for treatment of mixed race children, I am not clear what is the issue. I can only guess that because their father is not Korean, their children are not accorded Korean citizenship and thus governmental benefits. This rule is actually quite common in many countries where citizenship of the child follows that of the FATHER ONLY.
Of course, in places like Japan there are night clubs where foreigners are not allowed into. The reason has actually less to do with racial discrimination. What happened in the past was, young American soldiers paid with minimum wage would go into these upscale night clubs, and waiters would bring them women, and they would have a great time but at the end of the night they left without paying the customary BIG several hundred dollar tips to the waiter. When pressed to pay the several hundred dollar tips to the waiters, trouble erupts. As a result, many night club owners no longer welcome foreigners because foreigners do not understand the standard operating procedure of these night clubs and it ended up causing more trouble than profit. Now the foreigners accuse them of racial discrimination especially those who do not frequent these night clubs as a resul t of their culture of being extra sensitive to these issues as a result of remorse over slavery that their ancestors had committed.
Is this guy for real?
I’ll take unintentionally funny and self-focused over unintentionally boring and unfocused any day…
it’s refreshing to see someone cutting their teeth on illogical debate with such unabashed enthusiasm!
Mahatir himself is a racist, anti-Semitic, xenophobic demagogue (but one who welcomed foreign investment, so I guess I can add hypocrite to that list). To choose the handle mahatir fan speaks volumes about the quality of this individual.
It is sad to admit that Korean is one of the most closed-mind/discriminate race towards foreigners. And it is truly xenophobic attitude. Lots of discrimination towards foreigners especially ones from SE Asia, Ethnic Korean from China, Mixed ones like Hines Ward. Yet very inferior to Westerners (Westerners means white American or European).
Mrs. Kim made right decision for Hines and she worked really hard to support him. And hope their visit would help Korean to open up the heart.
However, No matter how u look at it, there are Racist in Korea, and there are Racist in the US, Racist in Japan, Racist in Canada, Racist EVERYWHERE in the world… I think it’s natural habit as human being. Simply, Majority vs Minority.
‘she’s korean…’ slim
and you’re not. what’s the point? my problem with all this:
sure it’s fine to talk about mild racism in korea. i say mild becuase we don’t hear about people being, say, tied to a truck and then dragged until the head falls off. however, where’s the talk about the other side of the coin? why are there so many amerasians in korea? many of you talk as if you’re so concerned but then by ommission, many of you seem to forgive an unforgivable on the part of fathers who don’t care for their children. that’s part of the problem too right?
still further, ask any one of you fine gutter types whether amerasian children should get automatic citizenship to the us and then all you trailer park types will start talking about korean women trying to scheme so they can come to america.
moreover, i don’t have problems with this korean lady pointing her finger at koreans but the low class expat? i have problems with that.
lastly, while all the heat is towards koreans, did blacks accept hines? did the black community help this half black child? you mean because i’m an american with korean blood i somehow was obligated to help ms hines raise her child but negroes were not?
BULLSHIT!
korean racism is rather mild and most of you whiney expats are well treated in korea. of course, from me, you get treated for the trash that so many of you are.
What gives this nulji — with his manifest crippling deficiencies in the realms of maturity, intellect, spirituality, culture, ethics, morals, decency, basic literacy, common sense — the right to determine who is low class?
I’m being polite when I say that you, sir, are a waste of carbon that could have gone into more beneficial life forms, such as maggots, slugs or even strains of bacteria.
I was born in Korea but moved to the states when I was still a baby. Growing up in the US I don’t think I ever met a single interracial Korean/American kid via my parents social circle. I knew that Korean women married American GIs but it was NEVER discussed openly. Only whispered. As a kid I could only infer that it was something really bad and shameful.
Strange thing is now that I’m an adult I have a very good friend (anglo) married to a Korean woman. Oddly, all her friends are Korean women married to Anglo Americans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Korean couple at their house.
Koreans are a very homogeneous lot. Are Korean rascists? We certainly do have racial biases but we don’t lynch black men for whistling at our women (US). Nor do we hold decapitation contests of inferior races(Japan).
If anything, Koreans do have a deep seated fear of other races. Especially, the dark ones. I don’t exactly know why.
Hey, do you guys remember the Bubble Sisters? I do.
A friend of mine (who is African-American) went to Korea to do a film project, and she was often catcalled as she was walking along the street. One time a bunch of kids called her “Whoopi Goldberg.” Another one of their crew was also black, and one time some kids wearing “gear” came up to him and started beatboxing and rapping for no reason.
Also whenever I stay over at the above mentioned friend’s house, my mom goes nuts and starts to breathe heavily.
Just thought this post could use some gyopo anecdotes.
Nulji is the perfect example for restricting immigration into the U.S. Sadly, most kyopos are similar to nulji in their hateful and spiteful natures, varying only in degree.
The U.S. government’s policy toward Amerasians, especially in the Vietnam War, was shameful, those children should have all been brought to the U.S. for humanitarian reasons.
“Nulji is the perfect example for restricting immigration into the U.S. Sadly, most kyopos are similar to nulji in their hateful and spiteful natures, varying only in degree.”
Are you kidding?
dogbertt,
Man, you generalize too much. Most KoreanAmerican(kyopos) are happy to be in the U.S. and very patriotic toward their newly adopted country. Very anti-Communist and very Republican.
I am a Democrate but I support Bush’s effort in Iraq. And, I hope the U.S. take Iran as well.
Back to the KAs. Do you know about twenty KAs died in 9/11 attack? Yes, KAs are no longer Koreans; we are Americans whether you like us or not. KAs will defend the U.S. just like any other minorites in the States. We love the U.S. – Freedom for all and “All men are created equal” and the efforts made to embrace minorities.
Most KA people who like Korea better have left the U.S. after the Los Angeles Riot. Present KAs are pro-America or even Pax-America bunch. We love America.
Korean Americans are very similar to Cubans. When and if entire Korea falls to China’s influence (and become dirt-poor like NK is) and threatens the U.S. and Japan, then we KAs will form a special forces troops to take Korea back from Chinese tyranny.
We may try a Bay-of-Pig attack on Busan or nearby area. The Japanese will provide ships to hide the US involvement. We speak the language and are familiar with terrains. We will persuade locals to form insurgents.
We will take back Korea and rescue the U.S. from a nuclear attack. The U.S. need us.
A disclaimer: I must admit, as a self-identified “twinkie” and newcomer to the Korean blogsphere, I have limited understanding and experience with the expat vs kyopo drama that seems to be constantly going on.
Nulji’s “low-class” comment obviously hit a sore spot for some people- is that something which is often directed, perhaps subtley (perhaps not), towards the expat community?
First of all, I don’t think anyone can simply generalize across the Korean-American community, for them being entirely pro-American or for being the spiteful hateful gyopos that just come to get a good education and leave (shades of welfare queen?). I think we like to rely on polarizing symbols to suit our own biases.
That being said, this is my own particular understanding of the problems with some gyopos (at least what I’ve gleaned from my experiences with family): Korean immigrants come primarily for better economic opportunity and the chance at a better life. The part that most of them tend to forget is that they should adopt, or at least acknowledge certain ideals which we as Americans are meant to value, particularly treating people and ideas which are different with respect. Some Korean-Americans never learn to do so, but for that matter, some Americans never do either.
Please note that I’m not trying to ground xenophobia in some essential Korean nature because I think even in America, it has taken centuries of struggle and discourse to get us where we are today, and some might argue “open-mindnedness” has only come about because it was somehow salient to do so, not because of some kind of superior moral nature. Some might also argue that it has never truly come about and only exists in the public realm in the form of political correctness.
How do you account for the likes of bluejives and nulji?
Mahatir_fan
“Asians unlike Westerners do not suffer from the “REMORSE OF SLAVERY”.
Hmmmm…..should I pity your ‘revisionism’ first and then laugh? Trust me, -M-Fan, Whitey is long over any “remorse of slavery”.
See, I’m a big bad Whitey but pay attention now- I had nothing to do with slavery! Hence I have no guilt whatsoever for what Blacks went through more than a hundred years ago. So what makes you assume I’d feel some kind of guilt for some spoilt second- or third-generation Asian-American (or whatever you are) who has far too much free time on his/her hands? “White guilt”? C’mon man, who is feeding you this crap you so passionately devour? Only a fool would confuse a liberal White who was say, anti-Apartheid or pro-affirmative action with some New Age sucker who falls for anything, including the myth that Asian-Americans have some special right to be angry.
I really hate to trash your ‘unique’ view of history but what the Korean or Chinese immigrants went through in America was no worse than what happened to the Irish or a multitude of other minorities. I have to laugh when I hear “Azianz” like you who perpetuate the fantasy that Asian-Americans were somehow treated as horribly as the Blacks were under slavery. Not only is that totally wrong, it is arrogant and a massive insult to Black people who had it a hell of a lot harder than your people ever did, at least in America. You also conveniently ignore the fact that slavery has existed/continues to exist in Asia and did long before White people ever landed on your harmonious, egalitarian shores. And before you drag up some examples of mistreatment of Chinese railway workers or Japanese-American internment camps during WW2, do some research on the Dickensian conditions many White people lived under (i.e. child labor sweatshops in New York or Manchester) or White slave labor in Asian POW camps during the same time periods.
So M-Fan, please spare us your all-too-predictable Fightin’ 44s whine-fest and put your ‘creative’ talents to good use as your immigrant parents and grandparents surely did.
By the way if you’re such a fan of Mahathir you might as well be a fan of George W. Bush. They’re both wearing the same style of blinders.
And by the way Mahathir Fan, so you know where I stand on the issue of Asian slavery let me just say Free Tibet, and Aung San Suu Kyi while you’re at it. Some of the biggest bones you need to pick are buried in yer backyard.
Remorse of slavery? Weren’t something like 20% of Koreans slaves up until the beginning of the 20th Century? As they say, whitey came to the slavery game late and got out early.
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