Been sitting through the first several episodes of the SBS series “The Lobbyist” (ain’t Hana TV grand?). If you’re an American of non-Korean descent, you’ll no doubt love it for its sensitive depictions of US society, uplifting portrayals of Korean-American loyalty to the United States, and positive depiction of the Korea-US relationship. My wife found this particularly amusing:
Yep, it’s the obligatory “Korean children go to the US to live with aunt who married abusive (white) American who beats the wife and kids for eating Korean food and eventually tries to rape the daughter” theme, so lovingly captured in a child’s drawing.
It gets better — I haven’t seen stuff this over-the-top since “The Rose of Sharron has Bloomed.”
UPDATE: Just got to the part where the North Korean submarine ran aground off Gangneung. Of course, it was all the Americans’ fault, because they knew the submarine was operating off the East Sea and didn’t tell the Koreans. And the poor Korean-American girl who works for US Naval Intelligence has to hear cruel jokes from her American coworkers (who, oddly enough, speak with Russian accents) afterwards. But who will have the last laugh?
Here is the US Naval Intelligence girl, Eva Yu (based loosely — very loosely — on Robert Kim), talking with her soon-to-be boyfriend Tae-hyeok, who just happened to be a military attache at the Korean embassy in Washington. Here, he complains about Korea’s over-dependence on the US for intelligence, as demonstrated in the Gangneung incident. And the locale for this discussion? Why, it’s the Korean War Veterans Memorial, of course!
After pledging their love for one another (at Montauk Point Lighthouse, no less — made my kinda misty-eyed for my Long Island homeland), Eva eases her lover’s professional burdens by handing him some documents from work. I like the camera work here — what better backdrop for treason than the Capitol. Not that Tae-hyeok asked for the files, of course — when he asks if she’ll be OK doing this, she answers, “Don’t ask that. I’m also a Korean. It’s my decision.”
So, I take it there are no laws/regulations in the United States barring foreign TV crews from shooting TV programs glorifying treason (OK, technically espionage) against the United States?
Well, at least Jang Jin-yeong (a Gunsan girl, BTW) is as cute as always.
82 Comments
Unfortunately, America is down in the “Nielson ratings”
worldwide. I hope the sponsors of Hana TV realize where
their ability to broadcast freely originated from.
This seems to be another shot in an on-going propaganda war that is being waged against things American and foreign. First the evil American soldiers theme, but now we have criminal English teachers on CJ Cable and KBS, now going on to various character assassination jobs like this one. The Lone Star campaign went well (for someone) but has backfired economically for Korea. I am guessing more creative fiction on TV will be spawned targeting evil American businessmen, thus attempting to manufacture and cultivate a climate of social distrust between things foreign/American and things Korean.
I also note that the anti-American rhetoric from NK has not abated though the North wants and demands to have normal relations with America and the global banking system.
I guess if one wants to change and shape the minds of people over a longer period of time, this sort of smear campaign is how one does it. I only wonder just which parts are planed more carefully than others.
Well, at least in our ‘anti-American’ TV shows, we at least have the good taste of making self-deprecating humor and allowing Americans to laugh with us…as long as they have the brains to catch on that it’s a joke.
Check this…fast forward to 1:50.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seYUbVa7L7w
Yup, we knew he was a dunce long before you ‘elected’ him the first time. Next time a Canadian warns you that you might be making a mistake, please listen.
…Dull Eagle is at 3:30, BTW. Rick Mercer tried to pull the same stunt with Al Gore, but they were ready for him. He wasn’t allowed to approach him (yeah, and you guys supposedly have freedom of the press).
Actually, Canadian leaders are pretty open to his humorous attacks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSkNe0AIQ6g
(He did a few with former Premier Chretien. I think he even got Chretien to walk out of his office eating a bag of Cheetos when there was discussion of decriminalizing marijuana).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Which is why he got 4 former Prime Ministers to agree to do this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Why are they continually shooting themselves in the butt? Why talk about being an ‘international hub’ when what you really want (and show) is that you want to be isolated from all things foreign? Do they think that just Koreans hear and see that mess? Kinda like a baby when you play peek-a-boo…babies think if they can’t see you, then you can’t possibly see them, either?!? It’s really laughable and irritating. I don’t get it why they do that
Has SBS’s Nogunri film ever hit the air waves yet or not?
I’ve read stories about it going to air a couple of times over the past few years, but it never seems to make it out. Did it eventually run?
Don’t you mean Premier Poutine?
…and yet there was an uproar over an ox and Lost (among many other things).
Don’t forget the teacup storm over Jay Leno’s joke about dog-eating in the wake of the Apolo Ohno affair.
I am positive that television producers are bribed by North Korean agents to amplify anti-US elements of their stories. I’ve worked on production and product-placement (PPL) contracts enough to recognize how desperate these people are for money.
They would be happy to spin an anti-American yarn anyway, but with “scholarship assistance” to really tell it right, I’m sure they’re delighted.
#6
Yes Nogunri did go to air. I remember seeing on TV in Korea early 2004.
Not sure if it was new then, a repeat, was edited down or is something played periodically.
I saw about an hour of it.
Look at the bright side: The kid made an original drawing without having to be told by the teacher exactly how to draw it (as I assume, anyway). Maybe some of the watchers will pick up on that.
One question I have: If they are shooting this in the U.S., why the Boris and Natasha accents of the actors? Or are the indoor scenes shot here?
How stupid is the U.S. government to grant visas to the Korean filmmakers?
If we can’t keep Muslim fanatics out of U.S. flight schools…
#7,
Yeah, Premier Poutine.
PS. I wouldn’t be surprised if a producer for Comedy Central heard of Rick Mercer and thought, “Shit, we can do that. We’re going to make millions!”
Yes, the indoor scenes are shot here. It’s very expensive for SBS to have the cast and staff stay in the US so in order to minimize the number of days in the US only the “necessary” shots are done overseas and it’s back to Korea for the other shots.
As for why SBS and other broadcasters for that matter spend all this money for overseas shots, well what better way for the drama itself to stand out and earn ratings then scenes shot overseas.
I’m not impressed by any of this, but how often is the foreign criminal a theme in Western television?
Often. But “The Lobbyist” is so much more. I’m not inclined to give episode-per-episode plot summaries, but let’s just say it’s so over-the-top and hamfisted it’s funny.
These days it’s rare on US television to get away with the negative ethnic/cultural stereotyping that Robert has highlighted from The Lobbyist. The Americans being villainized aren’t criminals but a husband and co-workers. A key difference between US news and entertainment and Korean news and entertainment is that the former is held somewhat accountable by a diverse audience who will write letters and make phone calls if they feel their particular group is being misrepresented.
Would SBS’ news coverage of incidents or cases like these be any more accurate?
I’m probably going to open a whole new can of worms here, but I can’t remember seeing a positive portrayal of an Arab on TV for some time. I’m aware that this show is so much more than that, but what is TV drama without the foreign/external other boogyman to scare the pants off of the domestic audience? 24 would be a great example of this.
More than that. It’s just about every non-ethnic Korean in the show (and there are a lot of them), including school children (when, for instance, a young Korean girl gets on a school bus, the entire bus — black and white students in a moving display of unity — start making fun of her, calling her racist names, telling her she smells, and playing pranks on her). And that’s just the start of it.
Somebody ought to DVR “The Lobbyist” so’s us Korean-speakers can subtitle the thing into English for Congress.
I’m not impressed by any of this, but how often is the foreign criminal a theme in Western television?
Generally the foreign criminal comes from a country that has been an enemy. Most commonly muslims these days (9/11), but often russians (Cold War) and even Brits (go back to the war of independence).
In this case, the villianous nationality is an ally, who actually saved the ROK twice - firstly from Japan and secondly from North Korea.
I’m not even american, but this stuff galls me.
@20 again, aaron (and I’m not excusing the lack of arabs on TV) but see 23.
That character on “Lost”.
And I agree with hoju_saram’s point: SBS is reveling in ethnically demonizing an ally, Korea’s strongest ally.
High time for a true backlash.
#16
I’m imagining the guy in your gravatar saying that, with a slightly interested tone of voice.
Yeah, I know that this is chutzpah of the highest order, but I can’t help but muse about portrayals of foreigners anywhere. I’m not sure about time for a backlash, as much as I would like to see millions of DVD copies of The Host and D-War steamrollered a-la Milli Vanilli, it would probably be the kindest thing you could do for the viewing public. I’m also reminded of the ugly scenes in SE Asia every time there is a perceived slight against a country as was the case with a Thai drama about Cambodia. It’s also the case here that this is a production by a private (?) media organization, who despite the tastless nature of their material, have some semblance of freedom to make what they wish. Personally, I enschew most Korean media because of these kinds of nationalist/exceptionalist themes that resonate through them as I feel that acknowledging them gives them a greater audience.
#26, funny how my avatar continues to generate debate. It’s kind of the point of me having it there in the first place.
Why doesn’t the media here tell stories about some of the good things foreigners have done for Korea once in a while? I know it’s about ratings, but give me a break. US military personnel do a lot of volunteer work. What about foreigners volunteering in orphanages and the recent oil clean up too.
Some foreigners I know sponsor poor Korean families. Koreans never recognize these things unless they are trying to persecute us.
Why do they have to be so hateful towards foreigners/allies all of the time?
Mr Carr has a great idea in #22
Since 9/11, it seems Hollywood has gone out of its way, often enough, to avoid demonizing Arabs in particular. The TV show 24 didn’t, but movies like Red Eye went to great pains to make the terrorist trying to blow up the Home Land Security secretary a generic group with no clear nationality or group affiliation.
When you look back at the number of movies sprinkled over the years that showed Islamic terrorists before 9/11, or you look back at the number of movies Pearl Harbor and World War II inspired, if it rather amazing how much Hollywood has avoided certain topics and character types since 9/11.
As for positive portrayals of Arabs, they are such a minority in the US, I wouldn’t expect them to play many roles in American movies beyond roles that the amount of Islamicist-based terrorism that has taken place in real life has generated, and again, even those portrayals have seemed to have gone down rather than up since 9/11.
What I mean is, for example, you do see Asians in movies and TV shows fairly regularly playing all kinds of parts including beyond any that have a character whose identity is tied to some ethnicity. Meaning you see Asians playing doctors or scientists or other professional or other role that you could simply be interchangable with a white or black actor…..
….but Asians make up a greater percentage of the minority population in the US (and probably a larger percentage of overseas ticket buyers as well)…
Apparently “Lobbyist” has already been broadcast with English subtitles, on KBFD-TV in Hawaii. I would be very curious to know if the subtitles for American consumption have been massaged to avoid “misunderstandings”.
In the movie version of “The Sum of All Fears,” the terrorists were changed from Arabs to neo-nazis. It was filmed before 9/11 (although released after 9/11).
Given the ridiculous dramatization and glorification of various Koreans wallowing in their own victimhood at the hands of the nefarious big-nose, they need to retitle this “Every Koreans Wet Dream.” Nothing stimulates and excites Koreans in their very special victo-masochistic way like the thought of themselves standing strong and striking back (a la Bob Kim) at whitey in the face of his oppression and arrogance.
Much like the non-existant backlash after the VT massacre, this series seems to present an amalgam of racist behaviors and traits within the whitebread community that Koreans so desperately want and need to believe is the norm, regardless of the reality. As long as they keep repeating these kinds of themes to themselves via the media, fake documentaries, and entertainment, they do in fact become their version of reality.
After VT, the Korean media went out of its way to paint an extremely vivid picture of a an angry, vengeful mob of blue-eyed devils out for revenge against helpless Koreans forced to hide in their basements and pull their kids out of school. Despite the inconvenient reality that there were no facts to support their fantasy, it quickly became clear that most Koreans (and sadly enough, Korean-Americans) believed there was a massive backlash against them because they wanted it to be true and because they projected their own natural, Pavlovian response onto Americans.
And while there are always strains — sometimes overt, sometimes subtle — of this kind of bullshit in just about every Korean drama ever produced, this particular shitpile decided that the most direct route to their goal was to just base the entire series on that strain and quit beating around the anti-American bush like most tend to do.
For that, they get credit. Let the racist propoganda be out in the open and clear about its intent.
The apparent demonization of American kids as racists - in addition to the negative portrayal of the husband and coworkers - is pretty twisted, but I can’t say I’m surprised. There seems to be a lot of self-loathing and deep feelings of inferiority behind this kind of stuff. Best ignored, which is what I imagine most non-Koreans will do with regard to this latest cultural masterpiece.
I’m not sure how seriously the average Korean viewer takes this crap. I think it provides people, like most Korean dramas, a brief escape from a somewhat unhappy world where they can expect their fellow Koreans at work, at school, at the local government office, on the subway, etc. to treat them like dirt.
I don’t think universal demonization is a correct assessment here. The initial story’s intent, I think, was to portray the horrendously hard life a poor immigrant has to go through during his or her readjustment to a new environment. The reason the immigrant family was screwed over was because of fellow Koreans (and a friend) pulling a con on them + corrupt Korean military making the father’s life hell to save face. Also the Korean ‘gyopos’ are portrayed as unsympathetic to their problems. It is also the school counselor of Korean ethnicity who fails to protect Harry. In addition, characters like “Lucio” (who gets more screen time than any other, uh, ‘white devils’ in the show) re-emphasizes my point.
*SPOILER… assuming you care about watching the show*
Harry’s dad is also killed by a North Korean “Gongbi” induced by a South Korean special forces (who later becomes a lobbyist that kills Eva). The only criticism against the U.S. is that they did not share the vital intelligence w/ South Korea (this is true for both past & present stories in the series).
In addition, Eva is actually killed off by a Korean “lobbyist” who was hired to do so by a Korean gov’t (or corporation), using a Korean hitman. U.S. government plays a role only in that they chased her sister for a while - while the U.S. agents’ ability to track and/or chase a civilian is significantly and hilariously minimized, they’re not portrayed as “bad guys” per se.
Finally, because Eva’s sister sees the Korean government and the corporation as responsible for her sister’s death rather than the ‘g*ddamn whities’, and because after Eva’s death, the whole issue is ignored at least until episode 20 (that’s where I am at), I think your response either rings hollow or is an over-reaction.
on #21
Um, actually, I kinda agreed with that portrayal of immigrant Asian kids’ lives (in the 70’s? 80’s?) in the Lobbyist… I’m literally the only Asian kid I know who haven’t gone through severe racist-driven isolation during primary/secondary school. Friends have told me of horror stories about their childhood (including several suicide attempts during high school… unfortunately, they either didn’t know Taekwondo, or it wasn’t very helpful in their situations)
You actually have to watch it — no post, regardless of how well written, could ever hope to do the show justice.
And personally, I think the scene in the Korean War Veterans Memorial took the cake — here we are, Koreans plotting treason against the United States, in a memorial dedicated to the Americans who fought and died for Korea. God, I’d love to know who thought that would be a good idea. Image FOX doing a “24″ episode where Jack Bauer encourages a “conscientious Korean” — female, of course — working for the Ministry of Defense to hand him state secrets during a romantic walk at the Hyeonchungwon. See what kind of reaction that gets.
Yes, and it did so. Quite thoroughly, I should think.
Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling for protests of SBS. I actually found the show funny… at least the first couple of episodes. After that, I was just kind of bored and wanted to finish the campaign on GRAW 2. But SURELY you could see how a non-Korean American watching that show might be someone nonplussed at the way in which their nation and society is displayed. And the way in which the Robert Kim-esque story was done made me want to puke.
:-/ it does get better (I just watch it for Seol Gyung Gu’s awesome acting) later lol…
Well, the first thing is that the target audience is anything but the people of the world. I don’t know how far you are, but starting around ep 16, all you hear about is “Korean Navy should get a nuclear submarine.” phrased in 16 different ways… not quite cosmopolitan enough to be a ‘world’ show. Plus, they needed a tragic hero who can speak English well and has connection to the mob = Harry Kim.
Perhaps what this is is racial ignorance rather than f*ck white people. Most of the reaction people display when I tell them about the possible offensiveness of some of the Korean shows (Misuda, for example) is “What? Really? How is that offensive?” After I explain, they go “Wow.. never thought about it that way.”
hmmmm….No. I can’t by ‘racial ignorance’ as an excuse anymore. Korean society knows that different races/cultures exist in this world and they’ve been exposed to them either personally, professionally, through entertainment, etc. What Korean society is putting out is just plain good ol’ fashioned racism.
Bubble Sisters, anyone?
@ Lana
Really? Because the foreign population in Korea has very recently reached 2% of the population. And the influx wasn’t quite significant until about 7 years ago. How many societies in this world have changed THAT rapidly? Hell, how many years did the US, literally most open-minded, anti-racist country in the world (don’t think anyone can argue against that), take?
that’s a poor depiction of a child’s drawing.
@40 Please…
Koreans possibly teach and 100% have taught anti-Americanism in schools. Remeber when the US requested that it be stopped a few years ago?
Koreans teach anti-Japanese bullshit in schools. Remember the subway pics? Japan getting nuked, which really amounts to the decimation of a whole culture. This was allowed by their teacher!! Sure the pics were removed, but they should never have been put up.
Seems to me hate or at least intollerance is what is being taught.
What about the fallacy behind the “pure blood” crap that little kids get taught? Smells like Nazism to me.
How about the way “mixed race” Koreans are treated here? What’s the excuse for that one?
I’ve heard things like “halfbreed” “wagon burner” “skeegie” and “spear chucker” thrown me and my mother throughout my life, but I was surprised by the shit that goes on in Korea!
Koreans are so kind, polite and friendly to foreigners! Koreans aren’t barbarians like we are, so excuse mongrels like myself for expecting Koreans to walk the walk and talk the talk.
I was here well over seven years ago and Korea hasn’t changed like you think it has. That seven years ago is way off. But according to the flag beside your name, you aren’t even in Korea.
I guess complaining about racism make me a whinner expat, so be it.
Dont know how long change took and I don’t care. 2% of the pop. you say? Well, now there’s REALLY no excuse for ignorance now is there? Regardless of how long foreigners have been here, 10yrs or 100 yrs, you’ve got sense enough to know that they are people out there that are different than me! *GASP* you’ve interacted with them, maybe work with them, seen them, etc.,watch tv…WOW FOREIGNERS ON TV! So yeah, folks aren’t totally ignorant. People are different. so get over it! Korea has made it’s presence known on the world stage. That ‘racial ignorance’ BS will simply not suffice anymore.
I just see a society an’international hub’,if you will…’the soul of Asia’ that can no longer feign ignorance with it comes to interacting/relating to people that are different than them. I mean my God it ain’t rocket science. Treat others the way you’d like to be treated. But yet when you say that to them, the eyes glaze over……*sigh*
The racial ignorance issue is an interesting one. The question it raises in my mind is at which point does it cease to be a valid excuse and become a form of apologia? It seems that the excuse is trotted out every time a faux pas is committed, a la the Bubble Sisters or the incident on Chat With The Beauties. Korea’s claims to be international and a hub will be resting on wet sand until this matter is resolved.
dudes and left wing loons ther are plenty of movies well before 9/11 where muslims were terrorists hell even back in the chuck norris delta force movies that was the case
so dont give me the racial profiling BS and have sympathy towards a group of people being singled out because of the brainwashing all of us americans received since 9/11
they have long been shown as hijackers, and religious zealots and rightfully so
…..must’ve missed those movies.
Anyway, yeah aronm. Koreans through whatever medium and in personal have been exposed to the ‘others’. So IMO, that ‘racial ignorance’ ran it’s course a long time ago. And yes, that ‘pure blood’ crap does reek of Nazism, which creeps me out, really.
Let them keep on with that ridiculousness. When all of this makes it’s way across the waters ‘and it will’ we’ll see what excuses will be made…how much ‘hemming and hawing’ will be done. When those investment $$$ (because foreigners are evil!) and tourism $$$ (because ‘others’ are dangerous!) go away, then they’ll have no one to blame but themselves.
Or Japan…..
“Korea’s claims to be international and a hub will be resting on wet sand until this matter is resolved.”
Yes. They are trying - and Korea has come pretty far and very quickly if you look at the bigger picture - but they have a long way to go.
#45,
The US has its fair share of homegrown religious extremists.
@42
All those problems you point out, Breaktack, are ALL being recognized as social problems in Korea and are in the process of being in the change. You’re not a whiney expat, but you sure do have a huge expectation for Korean society’s ability to reformat their way of thinking. It’s not quite a snap of the finger, you know. How long did Civil Rights movement take? Or the Apartheid to get f*cked up by popular vote?
@43
You’re completely missing my point. All the changes you claim have happened very recently - I still remember the first time I saw a non-Korean in Korea (I was 8), and I remember being surprised because I’ve literally never met a non-Korean in my life before.
Besides, my assertion isn’t “They’re not informed about racial sensitivities, etc.”, but “Korea is just overcoming the longstanding racial ignorance” - it’s more of a call for patience than a blind apologia.
Frankly, I find the comparison between Korean society and Nazi Germany offensive and inaccurate because the two societies are evolving (in Nazi Germany’s case, have evolved) in a completely opposite ways from a singular idea of racial purity. Take past 20 years, and decide whether in terms of display of racism and people’s tolerance of “mixed-blood” and “foreigners” have improved or worsened.
I don’t see how these can be construed as anti-American when they’re just daily reality.
- “has to hear cruel jokes from her American coworkers”
- (when, for instance, a young Korean girl gets on a school bus, the entire bus — black and white students in a moving display of unity — start making fun of her, calling her racist names, telling her she smells, and playing pranks on her
cm — You just have to watch it.
Daily reality, my ass, cm. I just got done watching a few segments here:
http://www.mysoju.com/lobbyist/
The cafeteria scene is completely unrealistic. Maybe Korean school cafeterias are unsupervised, but in the US, school cafeterias are staffed with teachers, aides, and usually an administrator. In our elementary school, kids aren’t even allowed to turn around and talk to kids at neighboring tables, nevermind get out of their seats.
The abusive husband is SOOOOO stereotypically white trailer trash I couldn’t help laughing.
And as for the kids on the bus, you get out of your seat once, you get a warning. Twice, you get written up. Get written up again and your parents will be driving you to school for two weeks. Maybe it’s different in Canada.
Having taught in two very different school districts, I can also tell you, cm, that black and white kids do not gang up on Asians. Black kids who don’t like Asians don’t like white kids either. White kids who don’t like Asians don’t like black kids either. And race relations vary tremendously. The elementary school where I am now is a model of racial harmony. Kids mix freely and I’ve never heard of a single racial incident. At my previous school, there was a lot of separatism. I asked the Korean middle and elementary school students there if they’d ever been harassed, and they said they hadn’t. Doesn’t mean it never happens, but you cannot say it’s a “daily reality.” America is too diverse for such generalizations.
Don’t bother Sonagi. Regardless of the boring and benign reality, the cm’s of the world are so heavily invested in their own fantasies about Amerikkka that there’s nothing you could possibly say to influence he and his roving band of professional victims.
He wants to believe that every Korean in America is brutally and relentlessly harrassed and heckled the minute they step into an office or factory, and that every Korean student is met with a hail of racial taunts and coordinated “Gook!” chants the moment they get on a school bus.
Let him believe it if it makes him feel better. It certainly made him feel better to phone up all his Korean friends and relatives after Virginia Tech with stories of whitebread lynch-mobs hunting down Koreans and firebombing Korean grocery stores.
Never let the facts get in the way of a good Korean victim fantasy.
No, bumforkorea, I didn’t miss your point. I just don’t agree with yours.
And no, Nazi Germany has not evolved, they just got rid of the gas chambers and the nazi symbol. That’s all. The attitude that created those gas chambers and that symbol are still VERY much alive and well.
Korea being compared to Germany SHOULD offend you. I know that ‘pure blood’ crap and the attitude behind it offends me.
Iheartblueball, come on now, you don’t even know me personally, how can you generalize about me like that? I have never said America was evil and that I’m a victim because of race. That is utterly ridiculous, unfair, and uncalled for.
Robert, I admit I haven’t watched the show. I think you’d pretty much I agree that I’m no near Pawi when it comes to venom. It’s fu*king damn hard these days to even come here and participate without the fear of pissing off somebody and getting pissed off myself. It usually doesn’t bother me, but these days.. I feel not like participating maybe because I’m feeling it’s a waste of time and just brings on more negativity in me. I think I’ll just make this post my very last post on your site.
No need to worry about pissing someone off. I take it it’s part of the fun for a lot of commenters here.
Indeed, Robert. Where’s YoungRocco2’s reincarnated spirit, Colontos?
Merry Christmas, cm. Do come back after the holidays. Maybe take a new year’s jab at blueballs - there’s nothing he likes better.
“In our elementary school, kids aren’t even allowed to turn around and talk to kids at neighboring tables, nevermind get out of their seats.”
“And as for the kids on the bus, you get out of your seat once, you get a warning. Twice, you get written up. Get written up again and your parents will be driving you to school for two weeks. Maybe it’s different in Canada.”
Which education district were you in, Guantanamo?
Also,
“Having taught in two very different school districts, I can also tell you, cm, that black and white kids do not gang up on Asians.”
It’s not so much as ‘f*cking chink’ as it is ‘Hey, that kid can’t speak English well and looks kinda funny’.
@#55
I meant that while Germany –> Nazi Germany transition and South Korea (let’s say 80’s) –> South Korea (2000+) are in opposite direction. Also, you’re expecting Korean society to change quite more rapidly than any other societies in human history. Not quite reasonable. Or do you really think nativist backlashes against increased foreign population are exclusive in Korea?
Once again, “Take past 20 years, and decide whether in terms of display of racism and people’s tolerance of “mixed-blood” and “foreigners” have improved or worsened.”
All I’m saying is, is that as much exposure Korea has had with ‘others’, they’re attitude should’ve evolved by now. But instead, the more exposure they get with ‘others’ the deeper they sink their claws into ‘pure blood/pure race’ thinking. That’s not expecting them to change more rapidly than other countries. They’re attitude change is LONG overdue, because, again, they’ve HAD exposure for decades with ‘others’. It really isn’t some ‘new’ thing. So, with that, yes, I expect more from them as I should and they should expect more from themselves, instead they have the attitude that nothing is wrong with that ‘hitler thinking’. The time for Korea to get in the 21st century is long overdue and there’s no excuse for them not to be, IMO.
Again, I understand what you’re saying, I just don’t agree, so to keep from saying the same thing over and over again in different ways, I agree to disagree with you.
who owns single “t” dobgbert?
who owns single “t” dogbert?
#60,
“It’s not so much as ‘f*cking chink’ as it is ‘Hey, that kid can’t speak English well and looks kinda funny’.”
Kind of like the reaction my son gets from kids (and, sadly, some adults) here in Korea–except my son speaks Korean fluently since. It really annoys him to always have to explain that he is Korean.
Oh, and bum, I agree with this assertion.
“Take past 20 years, and decide whether in terms of display of racism and people’s tolerance of “mixed-blood” and “foreigners” have improved or worsened.”
Right now things don’t look so great because some of the Roh government’s policies, but the fact remains that in the last 5 years, during Roh’s term, the number of interracial marriages and, ostensibly, the number of interracial Koreans being born, has gone up drastically. Despite the government’s xenophobic jingoism, it has made some effort to curb prejudice against multi-ethnic Koreans and interracial relationships and Koreans have grown more accepting as a result. F-5 visas are far easier to get and grant the holder additional rights, such as the right to vote in local and provincial elections. Sure, for the Korean government immigration is a solution to the depopulation of certain provincial areas (thus protecting the agricultural sector), but at least it has finally understood that immigration can be a positive force. Now, if they could only pass a proper anti-discrimination law.
How much are you offering?
#53 - “And as for the kids on the bus, you get out of your seat once, you get a warning. Twice, you get written up. Get written up again and your parents will be driving you to school for two weeks. Maybe it’s different in Canada.”
Not so different. It has been more than a decade since I taught there, but these policies have become/are continuing to become increasingly stringent.
“America is too diverse for such generalizations.”
Same thing with regard to Canada. Anyway, the portrayal of the United States in this drama is especially inaccurate and twisted.
#65 - Someguy, you are right - things have become easier for guys like us (foreigners married to Koreans and with kids) in the last five years. It is one of the few truly “progressive” things the outgoing regime has managed to accomplish, and I have to give them some credit for it.
You just can’t stop thinking about me, can you? This is the second time this week you’ve mentioned me in a thread I wasn’t even participating in.
Yeah, the ladies always remember me.
“Regardless of the boring and benign reality, the cm’s of the world are so heavily invested in their own fantasies about Amerikkka that there’s nothing you could possibly say to influence he and his roving band of professional victims.”
The MH line in the sand seems to separate those with fantasies about Amerikkka and those with similar ideas about KKKorea (with a handful of people on the sides).
A note about the kid’s drawing:
It’s is appalling that the cow just stands there and does nothing. Must be a Korean cow.
Koreans through whatever medium and in personal have been exposed to the ‘others’. So IMO, that ‘racial ignorance’ ran it’s course a long time ago. And yes, that ‘pure blood’ crap does reek of Nazism, which creeps me out, really.
*YAWN* Whatever. Maybe I’ll give a shit when Koreans actually start rounding up you guys into concentration camps equipped with zylon gas showers and human-sized ovens.
I second # 71…
And we’ll take notice of South Korea’s needs when the NORK shells and missiles come scudding over Bukhansan.
Oh, that’ll be too late; so sorry.
First, thanks to Sonagi for the link to the ‘MySoju’ link for imbedded video of Korean dramas with English subtitles. I enjoy watching Korean dramas, but it’s tough going trying to understand everything that’s said in real-time. If you like dramas, bbe sure to check out this link - it’s really good.
That said, having watched the first six links (about two hours total) of this show, the story is generally developing okay so far, with the rightly-criticised exception of the whole ‘Joo-ho and his sister move to Philidelphia’ sub-plot.
First, they’re on what looks to be a fairly sizable horse farm - in Philidelphia. Did I miss something here? The farm’s owner (Joo-ho’s aunt’s white trash husband) never seems to do anything except drink bourbon straight from the bottle, clean his gun, and beat his wife and Joo-ho in various ways.
Anyone searching for reasonableness of plot here will just get stuck with bad writing that simply begs the question of why they couldn’t have made the husband’s character more realistic without having him be nice. This part of the drama just ends up looking like a tired piece of race-baiting rather than an interesting complication to the storyline.
Sperwer,
Isn’t it nice to know that neither of us influence or dictate policy?
WangKon936:
Well, it’s not for want of trying, and who knows - I just signed on as an adviser to the FP adviser of one of the candidates.
Apologia? It’s far more appropriate to be punitive than apologetic. In truth, this thread = Another fine example of expat fools making mountains out of molehills.
For the record, this drama does NOT generalize. The Americans are incidental to the show and they are portrayed in diverse ways -as kind, as mean- as are the Koreans and Asians in the story. There are no fences here. The fact that some of the bad characters are American means absolutely shit. The abusive caricatures we see ought to be chalked up, plain and simple, to cheesy writing and convenient story device rather than ascribed to some ideological move against whitey (blacky, et al), and this is the obvious part. Consider how cheesy everyone else is characterized, consider the role of the kindly white man who helps the girl’s father get a job as a bus driver. Secondary and non-Korean characters tend to be poorly written and produced in Kdrama in general. It’s due to a lack of imagination, lack of good actors, and poor production values.
Lobbyist is tv pap, in other words. Nobody in their right minds ought to be taking it seriously. Anyone who thinks otherwise simply has not seen the show or else must exist in that habitual category of expat mentioned above.
Anyway, I watched a few eps and stopped watching after that. It just sucks.
#71,
Sure, racism here is pretty mild.
But, some elements of Korean nationalism has been influenced by Nazism through the intermediary of Yi Pom Sok.
http://metropolitician.blogs.c.....of_th.html
Aww man, I’m dying over here from laughter. Americans complaining about racial injustice in Korea. I’m hoping most of you guys are white, because it’ll be that much funnier. If you are of any other race-American, and you’re bitching about this, then you got priority issues. Also funny.
How many time have I set infront of TV in my home to see another black man get vilified? Why are (black) people in New Orleans still in fema trailer “camps”? Why did the 3 top tier candidates from the republican presidential election decline to attend a PBS debate infront of a mostly black audience recently? Yellow peril? What’s the hell’s that? is it like bird flu?
But we’re not talking about America’s deep rooted racism and its effect on modern society, we’re talking about negative portrayal of Americans on Korean TV, including some US government agencies. Which is what? racism?
You guys ever ask why Americans are portrayed in such way? Not just in Korea, all over.
So you don’t beat your Korean spouse, and don’t use racially offensive words, does that mean it doesn’t happen?
As far as US government doing shady things, it ain’t nothing new. Osama-CIA, Noreaga-CIA connections, and the Shah of Iran come to mind.
I’ve read a few articles here now and then, but these “racially charged” ones are the best for comic relief on this site. Especially when white Americans think they’re on the the receiving end of these “racial discriminations”.
Anyways, if you don’t want to be portrayed in a negative way, tell your people to stop fucking up. Matter of fact, start at the top, vote for Ron Paul 2008
#79,
I’m neither white nor American, not that it should matter.
Read comments 3 and 4. There are tasteful ways to poke at other countries. Making a TV show such as that one isn’t one of them.
Think about this: the people who watch that show are probably the same ones who freaked out when Meg Ryan joked on American TV about her weird experiences shooting TV ads here, and she didn’t even mention Korea by name.
What’s up Someguy.
I haven’t seen the show but I’m assuming you have. I’m just going by what’s written on here.
You can poke and make it amusing when criticizing someone, I agree. But from what I’ve read, this isn’t some variety or a comedy show. So what’s not tasteful about the show besides the fact that its not humorous? Are they depicting something thats improbable in America? Or is it because you aren’t used to seeing a (white) American doing anything but saving “the world” in movies or TV?
Negative depiction of a minority population? People speaking in accents other then their own in tv programs? We here in the U.S. written a book, graduated with flying colors a long time ago on stuff like that and did it in much more grand scale. The diploma and the book’s probably under a rug somewhere. Xenophobia? Discrimination? We do it so well now, people here don’t even realize it when they see it. If they do see it, they turn the other way. Unless of course, when people feel the tables turn. The hypocrisy very funny to me.
Look, I’m not saying 2 wrongs make it right. And I don’t know who watches the show or what Meg Ryan said. But think about this. the same people complaining about this is probably the same people who thought “get over it” when Rosie O’donell made those “ching chong” comments(would’ve been a joke if it was funny), and probably the same people who thinks Jena 6 is a girl band.
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[...] that was cold. But not nearly as cold as this show that the Marmot describes. You know, the intrigue and making the American intelligence services out to be the villains [...]