Curzon of Coming Anarchy recently celebrated his 1,000th post.
Curzon did me the honor of calling me and this blog his inspiration for blogging. The funny thing is, since Coming Anarchy has taken off, it’s become an inspiration of mine with its insightful posts and—a true rarity these days—active-yet-well-behaved discussions in its comment section. It’s also everything a multi-author blog should be. Between Coming Anarchy and Japundit (just to name two), I’m never at a loss for stuff to benchmark.
This brings me to something else I’d like to discuss.
I was recently involved in a discussion on a certain online forum when I was made aware that some people might be taking this blog for something that it is not. This is in large part my fault, as the About page probably makes this blog seem more than it is.
So with this in mind, I write the following.
The Marmot’s Hole is in no way, shape or form a fair representation of Korea. Korea—at least that part of it south of the DMZ—is a modern nation and growing regional and world power with, depending on who you ask, some 5,000 years of history behind it. It’s home to over 40 million human beings who go about their days living their lives like people in other normal countries. It also happens to be a great place to live. Yeah, it has its quirks, but which nation doesn’t, and at least Koreans aren’t shooting each other over PS3s (although they aren’t above putting out hits over online games).
It would be impossible to fully represent a nation as diverse and dynamic as Korea on one website. And this one doesn’t even try.
This website is certainly full of stuff—3,693 posts (including this one) and 53,205 comments and counting since 2003. Many of the posts, however, are political screeds that probably speak more of the ideological inclinations of its authors than of Korea. Still others are translations of completely meaningless crap that I found amusing as I was scanning the day’s news. Then there are the expat-related stories that I post because, as an expat, I find them important/amusing/embarrassing and, last but not least, the booby pics, which indicate nothing about Korea other than there are women here with nice boobs.
In other words, it’s a blog.
If you’re using this blog as your primary window on Korea—-and I pray to God you aren’t—then I beg you to reconsider. Likewise, if you know nothing about Korea, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog unless you want to develop an extremely skewed view of the country. Want to get an idea of what Korea is like? Go to Korea. net. Or better yet, make the hard-working boys and girls at the Korea Tourism Organization happy and actually visit the country. It’s a beautiful, exciting and—especially important in these chaotic times—safe place with a rich culture and friendly people. And not a single console-game-related shooting all year.
I’m not trying to say this blog is a complete waste of valuable cyberspace. I don’t believe it is. You can occasionally glean some useful or, dare I say, insightful stuff from it. But it’s best used by people who understand that there’s much, much more to Korea than what you read here, and what you read here is highly personal and much of it posted for entertainment purposes only.
20 Comments
And, most fortunately, pawi isn’t respresentative of kyopos.
And to all my fellow “most trashiest expats” enjoy Seoul’s blizzard of 2006–boy, keeps up like this for another few hours and it’ll be like Kangwon-do out there–and a Happy Christmas to all. Pawi included. Bluejives, too.
Thanks, Robert.
Nice post.
You might want to append the above to your “About” section. Probably won’t help with the trolls that much, but at least you can point to it as a disclaimer.
Humble as ever, Robert. Your blog draws a large, diverse, faithful following with an eclectic mix of politics, social issues, and tabloid fluff.
You are right, Robert. Your blog is full of useless crap. If people want to learn the truth about “Dynamic” Korea, they should take your advice and go over to Korea.net, where they will find very objective information on a variety of subjects, includingDokdo, the East Sea, and History & Truth. If you doubt the objectivity of the Korea.net site, then just go to any Korean university and get confirmation from its pure-hearted professors or administrators, who, as we all know, are extremely fair and objective and who always stand up for free speech, truth, and justice for all.
Please stop your negative posting, Robert. Your blog is doing a disservice to the foreign community by presenting a distorted view of Korean society. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Cute, Gerry.
You’re tying yourself in knots over nothing, and it’s a complete waste of time and energy.
Given the fact that you regularly go out of your way — in my opinion unnecessarily — to give multiple caveats in most posts that may reflect negatively on Korea or Koreans (i.e “It’s just as bad or worse in Japan,” as in the recent foreigners in the sauna post), you’re really giving the potential peanut gallery of misinterpretating fools far more credit and consideration than they deserve…which is none.
Let the idiots in the online forums interpret your blog however they want…it’s really not your problem, nor should you feel obliged to post disclaimers which state the obvious. Anyone that thinks this site is an encylopedia isn’t worthy of your attention in the first place.
And I’m sorry, but Gerry’s sarcasm is spot on. Not only is The Marmot’s Hole in no way, shape or form a fair representation of Korea, but neither are Korea.net or the KTO website. In fact, they’re worse. They’re plainly propoganda for promotion and profit, whereas your site is just one dude’s (fairly generous given the alternatives) view.
Nonetheless, I make up my own mind on the stories, but have developed a weighted respect for the Marmot’s viewpoints…keep it up Robert.
Except when you black out and make twitching posts supporting the American Republican (Coulter-led grunting-monkeys) party.
Then you’re retarded.
Except for that, keep up the good work, Robert! Change nothing!
Robert,
Your blog is insightful,healthy and very addictive
one. Keep up the good work.
감사합니다!
I visit this “blog” daily as I cruise a number of asian websites and news organizations. It is the perfect way to begin or end my day, and gives me all the very rich news I need about South Korea and its people. Thanks!
I’m confused. I thought foreigners are getting arrested left and right and getting lynched by the foaming at the mouth Korean mob forming in the streets.
PS: any new update on the “Pusan 9″? A fine of $1000.00 for couple of them doesn’t seem like a serious charge enough for them to be deported.
I apologize if I am wrong, but it seems like you are getting a bit worried that what happened to Gerry and the “Pusan 9″ is going to happen here.
Korea.net, the KTO… Oi-Yoi-Yoi!
수고하세요!
Actually, I’m not really concerned about that happening. Or better put, I’m not any more concerned about that happening than any foreign blogger in Korea should be. Frankly, it’s not the Korean netizens that worry me, but rather the foreign netizens who might come away from my blog believing, as cm half-joked above, that Korea was a craphole on the verge of a Boxer Rebellion. Most bloggers in the United States don’t really worry that what they post will give readers in Botswana the wrong impression of America, and I don’t intend to show the same concern here, but given the limited amount of English language material about Korea, it probably behoves me to ensure that readers don’t mistake this blog for what it’s not.
Robert,
After reading your post I was left with a similar impression as Aletheia. For example, what exactly does the following mean?
The explanation of your online “discussion” was somewhat cryptic, wouldn’t you say? What was actually said? Were you and your blog accused of being anti-Korean? Was an indirect threat made? Did you really feel as if you needed to post a “warning” to “foreign Netizens” that your blog might be giving them the wrong impression of Korea? Do you really believe that the content of your site is so far off the mark that you needed to post a warning?
Actually, it appears you are trying to walk a thin line between having to say “Hanguk Saranghae-yo” and, “Screw off! I’ll post things as I see them.” By the way, I liked the way you squeezed in the “5,000-year history” comment. You were able to win points with Koreans there, but, at the same, you were able to avoid being labelled an “ass kisser” by adding “depending on who you ask.”
I realize I could be reading much more into your post than is there, but I just get the feeling that there was more to it than your simply worrying that foreigners may get the wrong impression of Korea. Why are foreigners made to feel they need to praise Korea in order to stay on Koreans’ good side? Why can’t we just discussion issues normally without fear of cast out of the country?
By the way, I love kimchi and Korean barbecue.
Good question. The existence of such a question reveals the actual status of foreigners in Korean society, I think
So do I! I also like aspects of Korean culture and can speak Korean. I get good reactions from Korean people for this. However if I was asked about a subject like Dokdo and I was anything less than 100% percent behind Korea, then the kibun goes to hell and it is like nothing else matters.
You you are right. You’re reading too much into this.
That is not what he said.
Are you afraid of being tossed out of the country for speaking your mind? It doesn’t seem like you are.
I like your blog. Granted, the very first 15 or 20 minutes of reading it I thought it was just a bunch of english teachers hating on Korea. I was right, but it’s all good.
When my wife returned from there (she’s from Itaewon. The good part. Past “the hill”)she said it was good to be home; meaning the states. Then started complaining about cab drivers, rude Koreans, crazy drivers, the smell of parts of the city, you know, all those things I complained about when living there that pissed her off because I was picking out negative things with her country. I can’t wait to get back there. It was interesting, frustrating, and challenging all at the same time. I made many many Korean freinds while there..ok, not really my freinds, but my wifes freinds. Doesn’t matter…some are hot!!
So yea, to make a long post shorter..I wouldn’t sweat it. If I were looking for info before my first trip to Korea, an expat blog would not be my first choice for that info..unless it was where to find the good clubs.
I wonder if the Mexican expats in the states feel the same about us? You know, anti-mexican, speak english only, etc. Or do they just go about picking our lettuce and onions?
besottedtom:
I’d say you’re going to fit right in back here.
Thank you. I like my soju straight btw.
Robert,
Thanks for the kind words.
Japundit has been inspired by The Marmot’s Hole right from the beginning.
Keep on keepin’ on.
JP
I like this site a lot, but this giant disclaimer was pretty lame. We’re not retards, and no native English speaker would consider “The Marmot’s Hole” to be the Korean CNN. Although you denied it, it feels like the whole post was made for the benefit of any idiot Korean netizens (redundancy) that may be lurking.
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