Ampontan links to a very good piece by David McNeill in the Japan Times on how race — and racism — influenced the media frenzy surrounding the Lindsay Hawker and Lucie Blackman murders.
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McNeill writes:
Of course, he does not offer any cite backing up this claim.
However, if true, this would go some way in quieting down certain trolls who keep bashing the Japanese for their alleged love of porn in supposed contrast to Koreans.
dogbertt,
here is the source for ya
http://news.naver.com/news/rea.....0000062328
According to the article:
Dutch $901.98
South Korean $526.76
Chinese $223.7
Japanese $156.75
Korean are the biggest lover of Japanese Porn. It’s a big (underground) business in South Korea too. I’m serious. Just go and google yourself.
Expats in Japan: Defend racism against Japanese with all your soul.
Expats in Korea: Propapogate raciam against Koreans with all your soul.
-Loves it.
I’m a fan of watching the latter group, misty-eyed and self-righteous, praise the actions of the former group as when a guy like McNeil writes a principled article against racism present in the British press and yet in the very same article feels no qualms about giving support to racism against Koreans… (Though I leave that last assertion open for discussion. I’m concerned about the odd non-sequitir in McNeil’s article where he mentions rightwingers and Obara’s Korean ethnicity. — Or is that just me?)
What is not debatable is the irony of K-expat praising J-expat for writing against irresponsible (racist) slants in the portrayal of a group of people - in this case, Japanese. Yet, that kind of writing is par for the course across k-expat blogs.
Anyway, yes. I support the basic message of the article. It’s the one I’d like to see become a common wisdom anywhere.
toru, that article relates to the consumption of porn in general. where does it mention japanese porn specifically?
Is this the non-sequitir to which you are referring?
If so, I believe McNeil was criticizing rightwing Japanese netizen assertions that Hawker’s accused killer was Korean, not defending it.
Hey, if you say so. BTW, would that be irresponsible (racist) slants? Or irresponsible (xenophobic) slants? Just want to make sure my hate terminology is correct.
I keep checking the Japanese sites about Hawker.
This is a bit off-topic, but the article reminded me of something I hope you don’t mind me mentioning. (I’m also curious if and how others might remember)
Back in 1994 a female US Army Specialist went missing in South Korea. I can’t remember where it happened in Korea. I can’t remember all the details. So I won’t say too much or speculate. I remember she was drinking with friends at a bar (I believe she was intoxicated?) and she was last seen getting into a Korean taxi outside the bar.
There were posters with her picture and details all over the military bases, and anyone stationed in Korea at that time was made aware that the woman was missing. The search went on for a few weeks and then suddenly she was found dead, and eventually determined murdered.
What shocked me (I was in Korea for my first time for about a month) was that EVERYONE; Americans, Koreans, Korean co-workers, ALL agreed that she was murdered out of retaliation for the murder of a Korean prostitute by an American soldier a few months prior.
I asked a friend about it, a soldier who at that time had been in Korea since 1980, and he said it’s was probably true. He said he’d never before seen a case where someone “eye-for-eyed” for murder, but it was typical for Koreans to retaliate against an innocent person that way. So, for example he said; if some GI beat the living hell out of a Korean guy, there was no doubt eventually some American was soon also going to get jumped and severely beaten.
But since that soldier was murdered in 1994 I’ve never again heard of that form of retaliation. Maybe that soldier was the last innocent person to suffer that unwritten law, or maybe she was just murdered by a psycho and that idea of retaliation is a bunch of nonsense…who knows?
Anyone remember this?
“Anyone remember this?”
I lived in Korea from 1992 to 2001 and this is the first I’ve heard of this murder. This does not mean that it didn’t happen because not all murders of foreign nationals are covered in the press. The murder of an American teaching English at a high school in Sunchon by a Korean who did not like foreigners teaching Korean children was publicized only indirectly by a letter to the editor of one of the English papers by a friend of the murder victim.
Retaliatory attacks have happened after other media circuses like the 1995 subway brawl, and they are by no means “typical” nor unique to Koreans.
Yes, it definitely happened. I BELIEVE they never solved it - not sure. I remember it became very sensitive at a certain point and the military decided to unoffically put discussions of it off-limits. Early on, once they knew she was murderded they broadcast it for a couple of weeks, but then it went silent, very fast, overnight.
You’re right Sonagi, definitely not unique to Korea. But personally I was shocked. I didn’t know about that in my own country, but I guess somehow it happens.
Korean, the country, suddenly seemed to me like a small town in the USA.
I believe that was the female soldier that ended up missing during the Octoberfest at Camp Redcloud and was, if I remember my rumors correctly, having been burned and shot…..can’t remember for sure but I know someone who probably does. The same thing goes for the English teacher in Sunchon…
Robert
Sorry for the poorly worded post…dead tired
This is interesting stuff. Do you people have more on such murders of foreigners in Korea? Please fill us in.
“I believe that was the female soldier that ended up missing during the Octoberfest at Camp Redcloud and was, if I remember my rumors correctly, having been burned and shot…..can’t remember for sure but I know someone who probably does. “
Now my memory is triggered. I do recall a murder of a female GI by a taxi driver. He raped her, killed her, and burned her body in the mountainside in an attempt to get rid of the evidence. I didn’t think it was as far back as ‘94.
The Japanese people ought to take some opportunity to seriously re-examine their own internalized beliefs about race, identity, gender, and beauty.
Reports such as this:
After the horrific story of Blackman finally broke, Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima was one of several who pointed out that Asian women had been disappearing for years. “All of a sudden it was news when a white girl disappeared,” she told Time.
and this
The magazines are, however, tame compared to the xenophobic ranting of the “blogosphere,” where rightwingers discuss how long it will take to reveal that Ichihashi, like Obara, is Korean.
while the Western press is busy demonizing JAPANESE men, makes the Japanese seem like clueless clusterfucktards to this Korean-American.
Since I cannot read Korean, can anyone inform me of the methodology used in determining per capita spending on smut? This is after all the same media that blames English teachers for spreading AIDS, so its good to have a sense of skepticism. Particularly, I don’t see how mainland Chinese can spend 1/8th of their income on porn. Maybe they are referring to Taiwaners or Hongkies?
i looked at toru’s link. Methology is questionable.
Toru, anyway, production is way more in Japan.
Toru, can you confirm or dispel a myth I’ve always wondered about?
Here it is.
Is the Kimino for the woman really supposed to serve the purpose of outer garment and
pillow and blanket with one pull of the string
when the situation calls for it?
It was so odd, when I heard it, but I’ll believe it if a Japanese person confirms it.
Hell, I’ll believe it even more if a Japanese person lies about it, and later I know for sure it’s the truth.
How will I confirm what’s truth?
Not sure about that one.
Maybe travel to Japan?
kimono
“Since I cannot read Korean, can anyone inform me of the methodology used in determining per capita spending on smut?…Particularly, I don’t see how mainland Chinese can spend 1/8th of their income on porn.”
The Korean news story is based on a report from a US marketing research organization. You can see the original data in English here:
http://internet-filter-review......_countries
The methodology is not explained. In answer to your question about Chinese stats, the chart lists per capita spending at $27, less than 2% of the 2006 per capita income figure of $1,750 provided by the Chinese Embassy in the US.
Wow…One of excellent pieces of Korean bashing, I am most impressed how you managed your old memory of story/rumor from this topic with a typical Korean style of ” 아님말고~” or “~카더라” (assume that you do understand these terminologies).
Wow…I guess you are also the one of people who believe in the dusty journalistic closet marked “weird Japan.” described by DAVID McNEILL .
WJK, with all my respects, I encourage you to take days off or a vacation to travel around Japan or any other country you might feel to explore more. Or else, please stop another statement with ” 아님말고~” or “~카더라” sentiment.
“Is the Kimino for the woman really supposed to serve the purpose of outer garment and
pillow and blanket with one pull of the string”
Grow up.
Not Korea Bashing. Please explain the terminologies JiMong.