Do you reckon Max Mosley’s Nazi-themed prostitutes looked as hot as Park Jin-hee? Actaully, she would have looked far sexier dressed up as a Japanese Imperial Army officer, but I have a strange feeling that wouldn’t have gone over all that well here…
“I’ve never even seen these month-old commercials run on TV,”
Brian said this on his board, but these were in heavy rotation on OnStyle TV in Seoul last week. Haven’t seen em for a couple of days now, though. Wonder why…
globalvillage: Isn’t it weird, though, how they find the Nazis so cool even though they were allied with the Japanese? No one here seems to hold that against Adolf and crew.
Maybe the cosmetics company just miscalculated the “too soon” factor here. After all, it’s usually fairly acceptible to mock tragic deaths after just a few years to a decade… Natural and man-made disasters seem to take a little longer, maybe a couple decades… So what’s the rule for genocide? I’m guessing at least a century, maybe longer. After all, nobody seems particularly morally aghast when someone dresses up like a crusader or Ghengis Khan these days.
Anyhow, yeah… Too soon for the SS to be selling cosmetics.
The swiftness of the reaction is startling. Mere hours after a Dave’s ESL poster alerted the Simon Wiesenthal Centre about the ads, a letter to the Korean firm was issued and *poof!* there’s the story up on the front page of CNN International: from obscure blog to niche message board to CNN in 48 hours.
What bothers me sometimes is that people seem to be singling out Korea as the prime example here. Nazi symbols etc. are used for marketing througout East Asia, particularly in Taiwan where Wehrmacht uniforms were standard issue with Nationalist forces in the mid-1930’s.
all much ado bout nothing though we have proof that the jews do run our media. anyway, let me be honest here; asians (not just koreans, sorry) don’t really care what the germans did to the jew just like westerners couldn’t care less what the japanese did to asians.
if it’s ok for you, it’s ok for us.
oh, and nazi bar? is that different than stores selling confederate nicknacks?
Listen NK… I didn’t say that openly displaying nazi symbols was right or a good thing. I actually think the opposite. Nor did I say that some Korean appeal to said symbols are the fault/result of others in Asia.
All I said is that there is similar appeal in OTHER Asian countries and that it isn’t FAIR to single out Korea. Nazi symbols are used way too casually without enough thought or appreciation to its dark history in many countries in the region and that’s all I was saying.
Kinda like dog eating. Carcasses of dogs are openly sold in the streets of Hanoi. Does Reuters shoot off a press release about it? Nope. At some point people need to ask themselves whether or not they are constructively criticizing or bashing for the sake of bashing just to be a prick. At the end of the day, my thought is that there are A LOT of pricks at the ‘hole…
I don’t think it is realistic to expect a decidedly Korea-focused blog to capture all the similar topics in Thailand or elsewhere. If a magazine or newspaper came out with an article titled “What’s with Koreans and Nazi themes?” without noting that the phenomenon is region-wide, you’d have a gripe.
anyway, let me be honest here; asians (not just koreans, sorry) don’t really care what the germans did to the jew just like westerners couldn’t care less what the japanese did to asians.
That’s rich coming from a son of “Hirohito’s Willing Executioners.”
Well, this is a blog about Korea, isn’t it? So, who’s the prick?
#13,
Actually, the pre-WW2 fascist tendencies of some Korean intellectuals was designed to incite widespread acceptance of Japanese colonial rule (http://www.geocities.com/volodyatikhonov/aasfascisminKorea.htm).
Admittedly, that of post WW2 is another story, though.
The kyopo also needs to shut up. Let’s face it, using Nazi symbols is wrong, plain and simple. Although there are some Koreans who flaunt the symbols, there are some who think it is wrong. The kyopo, in the name of “Korean honor”, justifying its use by stating that “other Asians use it too” only helps to give more ammunition to the anti-Korean crowd who believe (wrongly) that all Koreans are anti-Semitic.
The kyopo may think that he’s helping Korea, but in fact he’s making things worse.
i can’t speak for all koreans or gyopos but when a post like this appears, many of us (koreans/gyopos) expect a shit piling on korea by few expats. so naturally, without justifying what the koreans did/do, we become defensive. for us, the comments that are thrown around here by expats, while justifiable to some degree, appear as if they are throwing shit from a moral high ground. while the focus of the blog is korea-related, koreans/gyopos roll their eyes because, well, koreans/gyopos can find something equivalent from a western country/culture. i mean, i’m not saying koreans are ok to err here and there because the america/west has done something wrong, but without context, it’s only natural for koreans/gyopos to think some of the expats here are being hypocritical.
i think i need to make few things clear about my above post. i am no way justifying this ad or many things koreans do. right or wrong, i was just writing on why some koreans/gyopos may get defensive. and while there really isn’t exactly shit piling going on here, i was thinking more in general from other posts and other korean blogs.
“Nazi marketing and symbols are also popular in Japan.”
WRONG. Coreana uses the Nazi attire because they think the Korean people at large consider it to be cool and attractive. The Japanese girl cosplaying a Nazi officer is doing something to enjoy herself, not targeting on a large audience to sell something.
I don’t really know how many expats are conscious of the fact that nazi symbols here are quite different than in the states. It truly means something different. In the states, because we have become exceedingly educated on the holocaust, those who sport these symbols truly are, for the most part, racist. Here in Korea those who are wear or produce nazi symbols and regalia are, for the most part, doing it for more innocuous reasons. They like it for its chop off my genitalia, rip out my gold fillings and gas me look. They live in a status of pure ignorance.
While this may be true I truly believe it is more insidious. Because of its ignorance the adoption of the style could more easily lead to the adoption of other things without knowing how wrong it all is. Korea as well as the rest of asia needs more education on all that the nazis did and to realize how it is not fashionable but unspeakably ugly.
Why are you so surprised? It’s obvious the ad offended some expats here and only natural that some quickly forwarded it to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. After all, they are the authority on Nazism and antisemitism (if there is such a thing).
I don’t know if you are aware, but that cosmetics company sells its products in European countries where Nazi symbolism has been outlawed. They simply should have known better.
14. “all much ado bout nothing though we have proof that the jews do run our media. anyway, let me be honest here; asians (not just koreans, sorry) don’t really care what the germans did to the jew just like westerners couldn’t care less what the japanese did to asians.”
Ok, if Loreal made an ad featuiring Milla Jovavich and Beyonce dressed up like comfort women and subdoing themselves to Imperial Japanese soldiers I bet there would literally be a lot of people from a certain nation not only protesting it be taken down, but cutting off the fingers in mass hysteria over it.
#10
“The swiftness of the reaction is startling. Mere hours after a Dave’s ESL poster alerted the Simon Wiesenthal Centre about the ads, a letter to the Korean firm was issued and *poof!* there’s the story up on the front page of CNN International: from obscure blog to niche message board to CNN in 48 hours.”
Although Koreans are so passionate about education and knowledge that they will send their kids to the hagwon till midnight every night, I can understand how they might not have heard of the most infamous mass-murderer of the 20th century.
I can also understand how some of the Korean-Americans on this blog have been so busy falling in love with America that they forgot to do their ethics homework.
“koreans/gyopos can find something equivalent from a western country/culture.”
You can find something equivalent? Really? Please, show me something equivalent from Western advertising. Stuff from the 1950’s doesn’t count.
“westerners couldn’t care less what the japanese did to asians.”
Er, other than liberate Korea from Japan?
“i think the expat needs to shut up.”
I think the Korean/American/kyopo needs to really think about why I should have to watch some ignorant Korean airhead model on TV marching around in a Nazi uniform in the yer 2008. I was sick of looking at that bimbo on TV, so I wrote a letter. Now, you’re all telling me to shut up. Well, Korea, maybe the world would be better off without you too.
Jesus McChrist… Holocaust IS being taught during World History class back home, right? Or is it the whole ‘memorization without learning’ thing again?
Enough with the Nazi shit already.
“Korea: The Land That PC Forgot.” indeed…
@#21/#37
You two are as bad as pawi when it comes to categorizing people without any consideration. I mean, MrMao,
“Now, you’re all telling me to shut up.”
When the hell did ‘pawi = all Koreans/gyopos’ happen? Shall I pick the crews at occidentalism and decide “well, I guess that’s how a westerner/expat thinks”?
“Ok, if Loreal made an ad featuiring Milla Jovavich and Beyonce dressed up like comfort women and subdoing themselves to Imperial Japanese soldiers I bet there would literally be a lot of people from a certain nation not only protesting it be taken down, but cutting off the fingers in mass hysteria over it.”
But of course, by calling that ‘mass hysteria’, you’re also belittling the sensitivity towards anti-antisemitism. And I think this attitude is what pawi wants to address. (aka: Belittling Holocaust is not okay, but belittling 일제시대 is?) Neither events weren’t exactly a walk in the park, yet there is a sentiment of “Oh, get the fuck over it” when it comes to the latter around here. I don’t agree with pawi, but I sure as hell don’t blame him.
“When the hell did ‘pawi = all Koreans/gyopos’ happen?”
About the same time a large Korean multi-national company produced a TV ad with the help of a large Korean advertising agency that had an ad campaign that was specifically meant to invoke Nazism to sell makeup, approved by a senior manager and then broadcast commercially on a national television network for weeks at a time to millions of people which was then defended by some people that are actually Korean and some people that just think they are but are actually not as if it were totally unimportant. That’s when.
this quote from the CNN article really got me upset:
“A Korad official, Seo Sang-hee, confirmed the ad was meant to invoke a Nazi soldier and Hitler, which she said symbolize “revolution” in keeping with the lotion’s “revolutionary” dual functions.”
I’d like to know where Ms. Seo and her counterparts at Korad went to school to think that the Nazi’s and Hitler symbolize “revolution” To think that Korean kids are being taught that scares the living daylights out of me. They have no clue that the Nazi’s were buddies with the Japanese who tried to do the same thing to them that the Nazis attempted in Europe.
You quoted pawi telling you to shut up about Korean insensitivity to Nazis, then proceeded to equate/assign the entire Korean/gyopo to his opinion (”shut up about korea’s problems, expats”). And yet you defend your overgeneralizing comment (that equates pawi’s over-generalization) by trying to imply I was talking about the jaw-dropping insensitivity to Nazism.
bumfromkorea is a smart man. even though i didn’t say it directly, he understood my point exactly. cheers to him.
i think it’s time for the jew to get over it. i think it’s time for him to stop whinning. i think it’s time for the majority world to take a hard look at israel. i think it’s time for the svc to shut down and get on with things. the holocaust that occurred in the west happened over 60 years ago. germany has gone on to become a productive nation that has been at peace with it’s neighbors for over six decades. i think the jew needs to get over it.
afterall, if the koreans gotta shut up about the japanese people paying homage to class a war criminals, i think the jew AND the expat gotta shut up about the actions of a few koreans.
gee, when you think about it, they kind of don’t compare.
let’s see, japanese people worshipping people who brought about the death of over 30 million asians or korean pop star wearing nazi uniform.
hmmmmmm, expat tell korean shut up about yasukuni but goes ballistic over nazi uniform worn by korean actress.
yeah, i can see who has the moral compass. hint: it ain’t you, expat.
I would disagree with that, pawi. We still have holocaust survivors and (more importantly) a generation of Jews with ‘postmemory’ as Marianne Hirsch puts it (indirectly influenced by traumatic experience of the previous generation as the experience dominates their childhood as an aftereffect). Until either they all die of old age or come to a consensus that it is time to completely move on, I think no one has the right to tell them “Oh, get over it”. It would be a dick move in my book.
It never ceases to amaze me just how stupid a person sounds when they insist on using terms like the “jew,” the “expat,” the “paki,” the “chinaman” while trying to get a point across.
afterall, if the koreans gotta shut up about the japanese people paying homage to class a war criminals, i think the jew AND the expat gotta shut up about the actions of a few koreans.
As if the Holocaust and the Japanese colonial period are even remotely comparable…
I think all you folks need to lay off Poor Pawi. All your reverse analogies, your feeble attempts at logic and cool reasoning mean nothing in the face of the pure narcissism that is Korean nationalism. Korean nationalism is concerned solely with its own self-regard, and all your criticisms merely bounce off the mirror of its own reflection.
It is obvious that Korean nationalists would admire the volk ideology of Hitler’s own particular and legendary form of ethnic nationalism, and see in it a reflection of themselves, of their own longing for pure-blooded unity and volk strength. At the same time, the point of this ad is that not even Nazi nationalism was as strong as that of Korean nationalism. Thus, while the rest of the Nazi world crumbles in the background of Park Jin-hee, her resplendent Korean body alone survives, crucially supplemented by a protective ideological facemask of Korean cosmetics — which of course is the blemish-free face of Korean nationalism.
This ad is not selling cosmetics. It is selling Korean nationalism. Purchasing Coreana cosmetics is thus not an end in itself for a self-interested company selling shallow and false illusions, but rather the ultimate gesture of patriotism for all noble Korean women in this glorious land.
Consume and affirm the nation! Indeed, consume Korean nationalism!
“To think that Korean kids are being taught that scares the living daylights out of me. They have no clue that the Nazi’s were buddies with the Japanese who tried to do the same thing to them that Nazis attempted in Europe.”
The Japanese never tried to do the same thing to Koreans that Nazis attempted in Europe. Koreans were Japanese during WW2. If you are talking about the ethnic cleanzing committed by the Nazis, the Japanese didn’t do it either.
pawi compares nazi to the confederates!!!
what a f’ing idiot
anyway i dont think expats are offended as much as we think korea really needs to think before they put something like this before the public
it kind of shows their ignorance or lack of knowledge about the Nazi’s
as someone pointed out before they were allies with the japanese who obviously was well under way of wiping korea off the map so to glorify nazi’s via marketing commercial products kind of makes koreans look rather silly
“As if the Holocaust and the Japanese colonial period are even remotely comparable…”
But does that make it okay to belittle the experiences during the colonial period? Reminds me of a running jest that a friend of mine always make whenever someone’s complaining about anything - “Get over it. There are kids starving in Somalia.”
If kid A’s dad became paraplegic in a car accident while kid B lost his entire family in a car accident, would you tell kid A “Stop crying, you wussy. Kid B lost his entire family.”? Kid B’s experience cannot logically reduce the significance of Kid A’s experience. And how big of a dick would one have to be to tell either of the kids “Jesus Christ, are you STILL crying over that? Get over it, you narcissistic idiot.”
It never ceases to amaze me that out of five kyopos who commented on this post none says that the use of Nazi symbols by the cosmetic company is wrong while the reaction of the other four is to circle the wagons.
The kyopos accuse the expats of generalization, but how hard is it for a non-Korean to not generalize if 4 out of 5 kyopos act in a similar manner and go about implying that the use of Nazi symbols by a major Korean comestic company in a commercial broadcast on national TV is not a big deal?
To put it simply, the kyopos should be careful, because words like this will only give the anti-Korean folks the perfect reason to say “I told you so” and thus make Koreans look bad.
Most importantly, kyopos should not be going around and claiming to represent the Korean point of view.
SomeguyinKorea
Posted April 5, 2008 at 12:18 pm | Permalink
#35,
“Oh, please. So, whose sock are you?”
sock?
what made you think that I am a sock?
isn’t it true that the Jews are very influential? why, they control even the federal reserve!
# 42
changnan
Posted April 5, 2008 at 1:42 pm | Permalink
“#35: and that must rankle, considering how long it took VANK to get google maps to change “Sea of Japan” to “East Sea””
As a Jew I am not really offended by the ads. It’s iconography is purely satirical. It’s sort of sexy - a typical S&M fantasy. I wish everyone would calm the fuck down about this.
Coreana sent me a couple messages asking me to take the videos off youtube, saying that they changed the slogan. Not going to happen, the videos will stay up. http://briandeutsch.blogspot.c.....utube.html
I had never heard of Park Jin-hee before this. I don’t think she looks very attractive in the commercial, and the uniform doesn’t help. But so I don’t get a reputation I navered her (not a euphamism), and she is pretty hot most of the time. http://www.funclub.co.kr/uploa.....711060.jpg
Looks kinda like Lee Yeong-ae, but I don’t approve of that.
Holy shit, just saw it on TV. The new, Jew-friendly one. Dumbasses. If anyone wants copies of the videos, I have them, just send me an email or pm me on Dave’s.
@#56
“Nazi symbols are used way too casually without enough thought or appreciation to its dark history in many countries in the [Asia] region…” -WangKon
“Jesus McChrist… Holocaust IS being taught during World History class back home, right? Or is it the whole ‘memorization without learning’ thing again?
Enough with the Nazi shit already.” -bumfromkorea-
Your overgeneralizing aspect seems to have overpowered your simple ability to read and comprehend. Is this like a personal thing, or do you hastily make judgments on everything without thinking it through?
If kid A’s dad became paraplegic in a car accident while kid B lost his entire family in a car accident, would you tell kid A “Stop crying, you wussy. Kid B lost his entire family.”? Kid B’s experience cannot logically reduce the significance of Kid A’s experience.
Neither is kid A’s experience nearly as horrific as kid B’s.
japan was korea’s nazis and to tell koreans to shut up about japan’s worship of war criminals while demanding koreans fall to their knees for offending your pet jew is bit too much. but it’s consistant with expat mantra.
as for condemning the k actress, no, i don’t think so. it ain’t a big deal. you know, it’s like prince henry going to party with nazi uniform, no big deal.
‘Koreans were Japanese during WW2.’ natto
uh, koreans were koreans during your people’s attempt to erase the people who civilized yours-. you got that? and what’s with that kabuki? i just saw some the other day. ridiculous!
as for condemning the k actress, no, i don’t think so. it ain’t a big deal. you know, it’s like prince henry going to party with nazi uniform, no big deal.
Prince Harry’s costume choice was a big deal, making front page news in Britain and attracting international coverage. He publicly apologized for causing offense.
most, if not all, koreans would say holocaust is wrong. but they haven’t been taught the specifics of it. so any perceived glamorization of nazism is ignorance. perharps that’s not an excuse but look at the lack of understanding from the region in general. they haven’t been taught european history. what do you want?
if you don’t think that’s an excuse, then try being a minority in the states. i love the USA but if you don’t think minorities go through subtle racism everyday, then you are holocaust denier. the general american public is not racist, but are some ignorant? yeah. i can’t blame them though. i mean, i don’t expect them to know things they haven’t been taught about or been exposed to.
seriously, can’t you guys see why some gyopos think some of the comments are seen as double standardish/hypocritical or just snobbish? in past posts, a mention of japanese occupation of korea was met with “it’s in the past, move on” crowd. koreans can be shallow, insensitive and whatever, but so are some of you posters here.
an ad that’s equivalent in the west? abercrombie (shirts with off-color humor re: asian people). now, is making some off-color humor at the expense of asians same as highlighting a nazi symbol, which killed millions of people the same? of course not! but that’s not my point. my point is that both ads are insensitive. but really, should we as more educated about the holocaust judge a country for being ignorant about the issue? of course one is worse than the other in terms of distastefulness but which country is more aware and exposed to different cultures?
just because korea wants to be global doesn’t mean korea can satisfy global standards overnight. if this company and the korean population in general can learn from this, great. but give her a chance go through the growing pains.
This is a commercial for assholes made by assholes.
The hottest chicks in Korea, or anywhere else, don’t
wear make-up. Old acne scars, stretch marks, belly scars,
overgrown incissors, etc…That’s where it’s at. Flab,
flubber, yellow toes and heels..Fuck Hitler and fuck
cosmetics.
#47 Pawi, you are right you should be outraged at Yasukuni! You should be upset with the fact that your imperial fathers did not bring home and enshrine all of the Korean conscripts who carried out a great deal of the atrocities during WW2.
Do you feel too uncomfortable to answer the question in #46?
Your self loathing shine brightest when the expat points out the fact of your country’s freedom was granted at the behest of the U.S. of A. I find it curious as to why you would abandon your country to live in the land of the expat. You hide in the country you hate the most. The patina of your own self-shame and guilt can never be scrubbed off with Ajax or Brillo pads. You also have a bad case of little dick syndrome. At least the expat is unapologetic with the fact we came to your county to make a buck. Have a cup of shut the fuck up.
Who said I was generalizing? It looks YOU are the one who has a hard time comprehending what others are saying. And get off the generalization high chair already. I’ve read you whine about generalization in the other posts. I meant don’t you get tired from all the whining?
And in regards to your quotes, well WangKon was stating a matter of fact, which he added by saying that Korea shouldn’t be “singled out” while you were wondering whether history was being taught in schools in Korea. And your “Enough with the Nazi shit” to me sounds like you are saying “hey expats, stop talking about the use of Nazi symbols in Korea, already”.
That in no way shows that the you and WK have expressed the position that the use of Nazi symbols by Coreana is wrong.
#72. Ahh the old defense of ignorance, how many times will Korea and/or Koreans be allowed to use this ‘get out of jail free’ defense before they acquire a modicum of social sensibility and join the rest of the world? Pawi is a case in point and obviously needs some kind of remedial schooling and perhaps a course in why as a Korean male the world does not revolve around his perceived grievances.
“just because korea wants to be global doesn’t mean korea can satisfy global standards overnight. if this company and the korean population in general can learn from this, great. but give her a chance go through the growing pains.”
Assuming Koreans feel that being global goes beyond exporting goods, hosting major international events, winning Olympic gold medals in archery, and having a Starbucks outlet every three blocks! Seriously, things have been changing very quickly and seem to be moving in the right direction. Koreans deserve credit for that.
“as for condemning the k actress, no, i don’t think so. it ain’t a big deal. you know, it’s like prince henry going to party with nazi uniform, no big deal.”
Pawi, I don’t think people are criticizing the actress as much as the Coreana company. In fact, were you to take the time and read the sixty-plus comments on the topic not written by you, nobody has slammed Park Jin-hee. Not one person.
As for the Prince Henry comment, you clearly do not know what you are talking about. (I’m sure this comes as no surprise to regular commenters here.) Henry’s party costume was big news, it offended a lot of people, his image was tarnished for a short while, and he had to apologize. Henry’s wearing the Nazi uniform was also intended as a joke among friends, not as a means of boosting cosmetics sales. It was indeed tasteless, but at least it wasn’t motivated by greed.
I feel like seoulmilk 71, 72 hit the nail on the head when considering both points of view.
No question that Coreana pulled a bad move with the whole Nazi commercial but that ignorance from which it is rooted is prevalent in all cultures - just towards different things. The trouble comes in when people start believing their own ignorance is somehow “not as bad” than other’s.
What everyone needs is a healthy dose of common sense and compassion - and if the comments here are any kind of example of the world at large, we’re all doomed to WWIII. That said, consequences are awfully easy to assign until you’re the one stuck with them.
Wait, so referring to all the gyopo population as if they have a single, unified opinions/thoughts is not a generalization? Not to mention the fact that you literally said “.. but how hard is it for a non-Korean to not generalize if 4 out of 5 kyopos act in a similar manner and go about implying that the use of Nazi symbols by a major Korean comestic company in a commercial broadcast on national TV is not a big deal?” You’re as bad as pawi when it comes to that matter.
“generalization high chair”? Yes, because according to you, since I’m a gyopo, I must think it’s okay for anyone to use Nazi images like that ad above. Your mode of thought frankly disgusts me to no end.
In addition, it seems that your reading comprehension is seriously being affected. In a thread discussing Nazi images being shown in commercials, with past occurrences of Nazi images in Korea (like that Nazi bar), when someone says “enough with this Nazi shit” after commenting “Jesus McChrist… Holocaust IS being taught during World History class back home, right?” (ever heard of intentional emphasis? Like that ‘IS’? Or are you not familiar with spoken English in general?) , you think I’m talking about expats bitching about Nazi images in Korea? Perhaps your idiotic predisposition to think that gyopos are ultra-nationalistic nuts is hindering your ability to, well, think.
Then again, this is coming from a man who wondered whether I was being an expat’s pet after agreeing with one in his opinion. I guess it’s not that surprising, considering you can’t fathom that people can’t be categorized neatly into your little retarded labels of people.
Not even close. That’s a spoof/satire. The Coreana ad is on TV still and you’re showing me photo-shopped stuff from crazy$hit.com. Weak.
As for generalizing, none of you “Brothers from Another Mother” has yet stated that their is anything wrong with these ads. Therefore, Koreans must be on a different planet.
Not even close. That’s a spoof/satire. The Coreana ad is on TV still and you’re showing me photo-shopped stuff from crazy$hit.com. Weak.
What’d you take me for, an idiot? Of course, that’s a spoof!
This whole issue’s a joke. You’re all taking this LADIES COSMETICS AD way too seriously. The guys at the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, etc are probably jerking off to this shiksa dressed in a kraut uniform.
Not even close. That’s a spoof/satire. The Coreana ad is on TV still and you’re showing me photo-shopped stuff from crazy$hit.com. Weak.
What’d you take me for, an idiot? Of course, that’s a spoof!
This whole issue’s a joke. You’re all taking this LADIES COSMETICS AD way too seriously. The guys at the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, etc are probably jerking off to this shiksa posing in a kraut uniform.
#13 and #15. What, do you want all gyopos on this thread to kneel before you all and beg for forgiveness for this ad or something? Obviously EVERYONE in this thread sans Pawi recognize that the ads are wrong - if you notice, discussions and arguments are being made after the assumption that the ad is wrong (once again, except pawi).
77. you know what, you are right. koreans don’t deserve the ignorance defense. how foolish of me to expect koreans to not know everything about every culture/customs/history out there. damn the korean educational system for not teaching sensitivities of other cultures. i can’t exactly recall, but i’m pretty sure the schools in the states taught everyone that not all asians know kungfu or karate, that not all asians are good at math, that not all asians run a laundramat, that there are countries beyond china and japan, that not all asians eat dogs and monkey brains…because dem white people know everthing about other culture and race. yeah, my brother working in a corporate america, didn’t see any emails floating around after virginia tech incident about how he’s korean so co-workers should avoid him. yeah, that never happened.
i am sorry for implying that korea deserves a get out of the jail free card because, even if the west had a chance to go through its history and learn from it, that’s no excuse for korea.
surely, you would think something like this will open the eyes of koreans and they can slowly, but surely, learn and grow but fuck that, if they don’t know shit about others’ history, koreans are fucked up people.
btw, mr. mao, why are you still in korea? it’s just filled with dumbass people.
aw come on seoulmilk - forget it -_- someone just needs to stop making this mole hole into a mountain.
Especially in this case where it’s so easy to fall into the intellectual defense (on both sides). On one hand you can read into this commercial too much and take it as a symptom of all of Korea’s societal ills. Or on the other hand you can take it as just a dumb ass commercial that should be disapproved boldly but nothing more; a simple mistake in the process of learning. It’s easy to go either way depending on their own predispositions.
Most people are all too eager to jump onto the high mighty pedestal of moral righteousness and honestly, you can’t say much to anybody who doesn’t want to listen. There will always be stereotypes, underlying racial tensions, and hypocrisy – all in the name of “constructive” criticism and the freedom of speech.
Anyway, Nazi waving aside, I found the weird rolling around of the beans at the end of the commercial oddly nauseating for some reason >_<
“if you notice, discussions and arguments are being made after the assumption that the ad is wrong”.
I’m not really sure if that what the case. I think people just wanted to hear someone of Korean heritage say that. Up till now this thread has been filled with alot of anger and rationalizations. Now that you’ve said it without the sarcasm Seoulmilk unloaded perhaps you’d share with us your views on Baeksu’s comment #52. Is ignorance a red-herring? I think he was being a little tongue in cheek but is there any truth to that? Hey, in real life is Pawi as rabid a nationalist as when he posts? How many Pawi’s act the part until our backs are turned or until they go home? How many are waiting in the wings to start hacking off body parts at an opportune instant?
“As if the Holocaust and the Japanese colonial period are even remotely comparable…” They actually tilt in favor of the Japanese barbarians during their imperialistic period.
It may be pointless to try to establish which World War Two Axis aggressor, Germany or Japan, was the more brutal to the peoples it victimized. The Germans killed six million Jews and 20 million Russians [i.e. Soviet citizens]; the Japanese slaughtered as many as 30 million Filipinos, Malays, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Indonesians and Burmese, at least 23 million of them ethnic Chinese. Both nations looted the countries they conquered on a monumental scale, though Japan plundered more, over a longer period, than the Nazis. Both conquerors enslaved millions and exploited them as forced labourers — and, in the case of the Japanese, as [forced] prostitutes for front-line troops. If you were a Nazi prisoner of war from Britain, America, Australia, New Zealand or Canada (but not Russia) you faced a 4% chance of not surviving the war; [by comparison] the death rate for Allied POWs held by the Japanese was nearly 30%. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731
Hard to believe, but following the war, the U.S. brought many of these murdering Japanese criminals to work on its own WMD programs at the expense of uninformed taxpayers. Sadly, the textbooks I used throughout public school taught us about the all the German atrocities in regards to the Holocaust and gruesome medical experiments, but nothing was said about the truly horrific and terrible crimes against humanity that were perpetrated by the Japanese military. It wasn’t until years later that I stumbled upon the horrors committed by the Japanese on my own. History is constantly being re-written and omitted in textbooks across the globe. How are we to know what truths those in other nations, or of different generations, were taught or even exposed to?
I applaud the work that the Simon Wiesenthal Center does, but they need to focus on doing a lot more on including the Holocausts (aka genocides) that are still occurring around the world to this day. It didn’t take long for them to respond to these commercials ( http://www.wiesenthal.com/site.....ontent_id={A88DDA3A-D18D-4265-A33B-AF0BFC6B21A3}¬oc=1 ), but where is the outrage over what is occurring in Darfur and other parts of Africa, in Iraq, and other world hot spots that are constantly flaming up?
As a history and social studies teacher back in the states, I had no answers for my students when they asked, “With all the atrocities going on it the world today, why aren’t those lived through the Holocaust doing more to speak out against them and raise awareness of the plight of those affected?” I had no idea then, and I have none now. Can anyone tell me why those in Darfur, and previously in Rwanda, aren’t deserving of the same type of support? My students aren’t dumb. They are able to deduce that skin color and religion are greater in the grand scheme of things than our just being of the same scientific classification through these types of actions and inactions.
And while, these commercials are below even the standards of poor taste, for them to be subjected to this type of outrage while people are still being killed, tortured, and enslaved every single day around the world baffles my sensibilities concerning what is justice in our politically correct run amok world.
“Kinda like Koreans and kyopos still want others to see their side about the 1905 Taft-Katsura agreement?”
Where the hell did that one come from? I had to wikipedia it to figure out what you were trying to say. Man, it’s like a streak of assuming my opinions on issues because I’m a gyopo. Good work. Another idiotic statement made with the blanket terms “Koreans” and “Gyopos”. Reminds you of any of pawi’s posts with the blanket terms “expats”? No? Ugh…
@#91
I think ‘ignorance’ is an explanation, but NOT a sufficient justification. In this case, one cannot just say, “oh, well I didn’t know about that.” - it must be “Oh, I didn’t know about that. I’ll change it from now on.” (add seoulmilk’s point on actually allowing time for the change as opposed to ‘fuck that shit’)
I’m saying that just because no one explicitly condemned the ad with harsh words does not mean they think the ad was okay. For example, Netizen Kim stated in #13 “Korea is responsible for its own Nazi fetish, WK. Dont try to pass the buck.”
He didn’t explicitly state that ad w/ Nazi = bad, but it is more than obvious to anyone who speaks English that that is his opinion… Well, anyone who’s not fixated on the idea that gyopos think alike as a mindless ultra-nationalistic collective.
in addition.
“Enough with this Nazi shit.” Unless you’re a card-carrying member of the Uber-cynical ‘Everyone’s a bastard’ Association or the mindset mentioned above, I’d say that’s pretty explicitly stated.
@globalvillageidiot
Well, it is indeed truly refreshing that everyone thus far has been willing to give PJH the benefit of the doubt. But wouldn’t it still stand that the overarching statements being made (by both sides) are rooted in preconceived beliefs of superiority? Surely just because nobody has blatantly used PJH as an example of Korea’s societal insensitivity in this matter you don’t think that everyone is being unbiased! Yes, nobody as used PJH as an “example” Korea’s insensitivity but many of these commenters have to some degree “blamed” the whole of Korean society, of which PJH is a part of, for this mishap. Saying that ALL Koreans think Nazism is “a-okay” based on the fact this make-up commercial actually made it on air IS presumptuous. Racism is when you treat or think of everyone in a race as “one thing” instead of as many individuals with vastly different beliefs even if they share the same culture (no matter what “evidence” there may be that “they are all the same”). And unfortunately, the people who are particularly virulent DO seem quite racist because their comment is often said with the implication that no other country would make such a grave mistake – that is racism isn’t it?
I very much do not want to pick a fight and while I do realize the focus of this blog is Korea (so it is expected for people to err on side of singling Korea out for many things), I truly believe maintaining a global view is critical for us as citizens of our respective countries to perpetuate tolerance and goodwill (even on this little corner of the net) as much as we can in the face of ignorance and race hate.
#96: “And while, these commercials are below even the standards of poor taste, for them to be subjected to this type of outrage while people are still being killed, tortured, and enslaved every single day around the world baffles my sensibilities concerning what is justice in our politically correct run amok world.” – 100% agree.
@97
In any case, if I haven’t been clear - I DO NOT think Korea is off the hook, ignorance or no. Toying with anything from WWII is playing with fire and for a makeup company to think they were up to it is beyond stupid. And being stupid isn’t much of an excuse either. I was just hoping a more moderate stance would be taken on this…. speaking of, netizinkim’s comment was fine by me, I referring to some of the more provocative comments (you’d have to be blind to say there weren’t any of them). And I don’t recall saying “Enough with this Nazi shit.” If I came across that way – my gosh, but I think all my comments have fairly devoid about the prevalence of Nazi ideology.
Not to degrade WWII in any way but really, this is just a make up commercial and if anything Korea as a lot more serious issues to deal with (and pick apart on this website) than the occasional flirtation with Nazi stylings. Perhaps I’m just being too naive but everyone just seems so VERY angry….
“The Education Ministry’s approval does a great disservice to the younger generations of Japan who can only gain by learning the full truth of Imperial Japan’s actions during the 1930s and 40s,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center.
I encourage you to search for SWC and Japanese comfort women and the name of the rabbi who is quoted in the press release about the cosmetics ad. I hope you’ll be able to see that the center does more than just talk about German history.
Next time students ask you questions about Jews and human rights, you can encourage them to look into the roles the Jews played in the American Civil Rights Movement. You like wikipedia. Me, too. It has a nice section on the topic.
I’m actually a little disgusted with some comments here which would equate what some kyopos say in the ‘hole as being a say all consensus of thought among all kyopos. Not only is that type of thinking a fallacy at the most basic levels, it’s also dead wrong.
I think I mentioned this story before somewhere in the bowels of this blog awhile ago, although I don’t specifically remember when. Anyways, to speak personally, I’m a member of an organization called the Korean American Coalition (”KAC”). Back when Rhie Won Bok’s comments on Jews was made public and it was widely reported in media channels, Rhie sent an apology letter to the KAC. Naturally, the KAC leadership was absolutely confused. They never had a relationship with Rhie or his publisher, so why in the world should an apology go to them and not to a Jewish organization? Well, anyways, Korean American groups, headed by the KAC, TOOK THE INITIATIVE and met with Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center AND PROACTIVELY offered to go with Cooper to meet with Rhie and his publisher. Other Korean American leaders made absolutely sure that Rhie’s beliefs were not those shared by the community and went on record to the LA Times and other media channels. Per Mr. Choe Yohngsohk, co-chairman of
182 Comments
Do you reckon Max Mosley’s Nazi-themed prostitutes looked as hot as Park Jin-hee? Actaully, she would have looked far sexier dressed up as a Japanese Imperial Army officer, but I have a strange feeling that wouldn’t have gone over all that well here…
“I’ve never even seen these month-old commercials run on TV,”
Brian said this on his board, but these were in heavy rotation on OnStyle TV in Seoul last week. Haven’t seen em for a couple of days now, though. Wonder why…
globalvillage: Isn’t it weird, though, how they find the Nazis so cool even though they were allied with the Japanese? No one here seems to hold that against Adolf and crew.
Story of the S-W Center protest got picked up by the German news.
http://www.netzeitung.de/vermischtes/961437.html
On CNN, too. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WO.....index.html
There was an article in The Korea Herald about ten years ago whose title perfectly sums up these kinds of unfortunate occurrences:
“Korea: The Land That PC Forgot.”
What were the motives behind creating the ad campaign and is there such a thing as bad publicity nowadays? Discuss amongst yourselves.
Maybe the cosmetics company just miscalculated the “too soon” factor here. After all, it’s usually fairly acceptible to mock tragic deaths after just a few years to a decade… Natural and man-made disasters seem to take a little longer, maybe a couple decades… So what’s the rule for genocide? I’m guessing at least a century, maybe longer. After all, nobody seems particularly morally aghast when someone dresses up like a crusader or Ghengis Khan these days.
Anyhow, yeah… Too soon for the SS to be selling cosmetics.
Achtung baby!
The swiftness of the reaction is startling. Mere hours after a Dave’s ESL poster alerted the Simon Wiesenthal Centre about the ads, a letter to the Korean firm was issued and *poof!* there’s the story up on the front page of CNN International: from obscure blog to niche message board to CNN in 48 hours.
Ah, they don’t care. After all, Korea is the land of Hitler bars and ‘HItleresque’ pure blood ideology….
What bothers me sometimes is that people seem to be singling out Korea as the prime example here. Nazi symbols etc. are used for marketing througout East Asia, particularly in Taiwan where Wehrmacht uniforms were standard issue with Nationalist forces in the mid-1930’s.
http://cache.daylife.com/image.....S/340x.jpg
http://foreignerinformosa.type.....shop_3.jpg
Nazi marketing and symbols are also popular in Japan…
http://www.mutantfrog.com/2006.....creepiest/
… and Thailand…
http://absolutelybangkok.com/?p=442
Korea is responsible for its own Nazi fetish, WK. Dont try to pass the buck.
all much ado bout nothing though we have proof that the jews do run our media. anyway, let me be honest here; asians (not just koreans, sorry) don’t really care what the germans did to the jew just like westerners couldn’t care less what the japanese did to asians.
if it’s ok for you, it’s ok for us.
oh, and nazi bar? is that different than stores selling confederate nicknacks?
i think the expat needs to shut up.
# 13,
Listen NK… I didn’t say that openly displaying nazi symbols was right or a good thing. I actually think the opposite. Nor did I say that some Korean appeal to said symbols are the fault/result of others in Asia.
All I said is that there is similar appeal in OTHER Asian countries and that it isn’t FAIR to single out Korea. Nazi symbols are used way too casually without enough thought or appreciation to its dark history in many countries in the region and that’s all I was saying.
Kinda like dog eating. Carcasses of dogs are openly sold in the streets of Hanoi. Does Reuters shoot off a press release about it? Nope. At some point people need to ask themselves whether or not they are constructively criticizing or bashing for the sake of bashing just to be a prick. At the end of the day, my thought is that there are A LOT of pricks at the ‘hole…
I don’t think it is realistic to expect a decidedly Korea-focused blog to capture all the similar topics in Thailand or elsewhere. If a magazine or newspaper came out with an article titled “What’s with Koreans and Nazi themes?” without noting that the phenomenon is region-wide, you’d have a gripe.
#14,
The troll needs to get a new hobby.
That’s rich coming from a son of “Hirohito’s Willing Executioners.”
#15,
Well, this is a blog about Korea, isn’t it? So, who’s the prick?
#13,
Actually, the pre-WW2 fascist tendencies of some Korean intellectuals was designed to incite widespread acceptance of Japanese colonial rule (http://www.geocities.com/volodyatikhonov/aasfascisminKorea.htm).
Admittedly, that of post WW2 is another story, though.
# 16,
Well the CNN article isn’t exactly titled as such, but it does appear to say that SWC doesn’t know that nazi symbols are used anywhere else in Asia…
The kyopo also needs to shut up. Let’s face it, using Nazi symbols is wrong, plain and simple. Although there are some Koreans who flaunt the symbols, there are some who think it is wrong. The kyopo, in the name of “Korean honor”, justifying its use by stating that “other Asians use it too” only helps to give more ammunition to the anti-Korean crowd who believe (wrongly) that all Koreans are anti-Semitic.
The kyopo may think that he’s helping Korea, but in fact he’s making things worse.
“justifying its use…”
Which kyopos are you talking about? Cuz I never said that. I actually said this:
“Nazi symbols are used way too casually without enough thought or appreciation to its dark history in many countries in the [Asia] region…”
I’m quite sure the SWC responds to all cases that it is made aware of. The Taiwan one for sure drew their fire.
The one in Thailand also drew a letter from SWC… so you are right. My apologies.
Good background on the tolerance of nazi symbolism throughout all of Asia… http://absolutelybangkok.com/?p=442
Well, the Nazi’s did have a sense of style …
They made it cool to kill.
Which is why, I suppose, that the fashion company
Hugo Boss is still in business.
Fascist uniforms could still do without the Nazi regalia
and Luftwaffe wings on the hat, however.
i can’t speak for all koreans or gyopos but when a post like this appears, many of us (koreans/gyopos) expect a shit piling on korea by few expats. so naturally, without justifying what the koreans did/do, we become defensive. for us, the comments that are thrown around here by expats, while justifiable to some degree, appear as if they are throwing shit from a moral high ground. while the focus of the blog is korea-related, koreans/gyopos roll their eyes because, well, koreans/gyopos can find something equivalent from a western country/culture. i mean, i’m not saying koreans are ok to err here and there because the america/west has done something wrong, but without context, it’s only natural for koreans/gyopos to think some of the expats here are being hypocritical.
i think i need to make few things clear about my above post. i am no way justifying this ad or many things koreans do. right or wrong, i was just writing on why some koreans/gyopos may get defensive. and while there really isn’t exactly shit piling going on here, i was thinking more in general from other posts and other korean blogs.
#12 WangKon
“Nazi marketing and symbols are also popular in Japan.”
WRONG. Coreana uses the Nazi attire because they think the Korean people at large consider it to be cool and attractive. The Japanese girl cosplaying a Nazi officer is doing something to enjoy herself, not targeting on a large audience to sell something.
I don’t really know how many expats are conscious of the fact that nazi symbols here are quite different than in the states. It truly means something different. In the states, because we have become exceedingly educated on the holocaust, those who sport these symbols truly are, for the most part, racist. Here in Korea those who are wear or produce nazi symbols and regalia are, for the most part, doing it for more innocuous reasons. They like it for its chop off my genitalia, rip out my gold fillings and gas me look. They live in a status of pure ignorance.
While this may be true I truly believe it is more insidious. Because of its ignorance the adoption of the style could more easily lead to the adoption of other things without knowing how wrong it all is. Korea as well as the rest of asia needs more education on all that the nazis did and to realize how it is not fashionable but unspeakably ugly.
#22,
And tell me, why did you feel compelled to make that point?
#10,
#10,
Why are you so surprised? It’s obvious the ad offended some expats here and only natural that some quickly forwarded it to the Simon Wiesenthal Center. After all, they are the authority on Nazism and antisemitism (if there is such a thing).
#29,
I don’t know if you are aware, but that cosmetics company sells its products in European countries where Nazi symbolism has been outlawed. They simply should have known better.
14. “all much ado bout nothing though we have proof that the jews do run our media. anyway, let me be honest here; asians (not just koreans, sorry) don’t really care what the germans did to the jew just like westerners couldn’t care less what the japanese did to asians.”
Ok, if Loreal made an ad featuiring Milla Jovavich and Beyonce dressed up like comfort women and subdoing themselves to Imperial Japanese soldiers I bet there would literally be a lot of people from a certain nation not only protesting it be taken down, but cutting off the fingers in mass hysteria over it.
#10
“The swiftness of the reaction is startling. Mere hours after a Dave’s ESL poster alerted the Simon Wiesenthal Centre about the ads, a letter to the Korean firm was issued and *poof!* there’s the story up on the front page of CNN International: from obscure blog to niche message board to CNN in 48 hours.”
Just goes to show how influential the Jews are.
Although Koreans are so passionate about education and knowledge that they will send their kids to the hagwon till midnight every night, I can understand how they might not have heard of the most infamous mass-murderer of the 20th century.
I can also understand how some of the Korean-Americans on this blog have been so busy falling in love with America that they forgot to do their ethics homework.
I can picture pawi strapped in his chair wearing a football helmet, drooling into a cup.
“koreans/gyopos can find something equivalent from a western country/culture.”
You can find something equivalent? Really? Please, show me something equivalent from Western advertising. Stuff from the 1950’s doesn’t count.
“westerners couldn’t care less what the japanese did to asians.”
Er, other than liberate Korea from Japan?
“i think the expat needs to shut up.”
I think the Korean/American/kyopo needs to really think about why I should have to watch some ignorant Korean airhead model on TV marching around in a Nazi uniform in the yer 2008. I was sick of looking at that bimbo on TV, so I wrote a letter. Now, you’re all telling me to shut up. Well, Korea, maybe the world would be better off without you too.
#35,
Oh, please. So, whose sock are you?
Jesus McChrist… Holocaust IS being taught during World History class back home, right? Or is it the whole ‘memorization without learning’ thing again?
Enough with the Nazi shit already.
“Korea: The Land That PC Forgot.” indeed…
@#21/#37
You two are as bad as pawi when it comes to categorizing people without any consideration. I mean, MrMao,
“Now, you’re all telling me to shut up.”
When the hell did ‘pawi = all Koreans/gyopos’ happen? Shall I pick the crews at occidentalism and decide “well, I guess that’s how a westerner/expat thinks”?
“Ok, if Loreal made an ad featuiring Milla Jovavich and Beyonce dressed up like comfort women and subdoing themselves to Imperial Japanese soldiers I bet there would literally be a lot of people from a certain nation not only protesting it be taken down, but cutting off the fingers in mass hysteria over it.”
But of course, by calling that ‘mass hysteria’, you’re also belittling the sensitivity towards anti-antisemitism. And I think this attitude is what pawi wants to address. (aka: Belittling Holocaust is not okay, but belittling 일제시대 is?) Neither events weren’t exactly a walk in the park, yet there is a sentiment of “Oh, get the fuck over it” when it comes to the latter around here. I don’t agree with pawi, but I sure as hell don’t blame him.
But I’m glad at least someone got to see their Nazi-fetish fleshed out.
#35: and that must rankle, considering how long it took VANK to get google maps to change “Sea of Japan” to “East Sea”
“When the hell did ‘pawi = all Koreans/gyopos’ happen?”
About the same time a large Korean multi-national company produced a TV ad with the help of a large Korean advertising agency that had an ad campaign that was specifically meant to invoke Nazism to sell makeup, approved by a senior manager and then broadcast commercially on a national television network for weeks at a time to millions of people which was then defended by some people that are actually Korean and some people that just think they are but are actually not as if it were totally unimportant. That’s when.
this quote from the CNN article really got me upset:
“A Korad official, Seo Sang-hee, confirmed the ad was meant to invoke a Nazi soldier and Hitler, which she said symbolize “revolution” in keeping with the lotion’s “revolutionary” dual functions.”
I’d like to know where Ms. Seo and her counterparts at Korad went to school to think that the Nazi’s and Hitler symbolize “revolution” To think that Korean kids are being taught that scares the living daylights out of me. They have no clue that the Nazi’s were buddies with the Japanese who tried to do the same thing to them that the Nazis attempted in Europe.
sickening
You quoted pawi telling you to shut up about Korean insensitivity to Nazis, then proceeded to equate/assign the entire Korean/gyopo to his opinion (”shut up about korea’s problems, expats”). And yet you defend your overgeneralizing comment (that equates pawi’s over-generalization) by trying to imply I was talking about the jaw-dropping insensitivity to Nazism.
That is one fine-looking strawman you got there.
Pawi,
So you won’t mind when someone opens a Pre-WW2-themed Japanese bar, complete with Korean comfort women as waitresses?
bumfromkorea is a smart man. even though i didn’t say it directly, he understood my point exactly. cheers to him.
i think it’s time for the jew to get over it. i think it’s time for him to stop whinning. i think it’s time for the majority world to take a hard look at israel. i think it’s time for the svc to shut down and get on with things. the holocaust that occurred in the west happened over 60 years ago. germany has gone on to become a productive nation that has been at peace with it’s neighbors for over six decades. i think the jew needs to get over it.
afterall, if the koreans gotta shut up about the japanese people paying homage to class a war criminals, i think the jew AND the expat gotta shut up about the actions of a few koreans.
gee, when you think about it, they kind of don’t compare.
let’s see, japanese people worshipping people who brought about the death of over 30 million asians or korean pop star wearing nazi uniform.
hmmmmmm, expat tell korean shut up about yasukuni but goes ballistic over nazi uniform worn by korean actress.
yeah, i can see who has the moral compass. hint: it ain’t you, expat.
#43,
Don’t feed the troll. He will eat you up.
I would disagree with that, pawi. We still have holocaust survivors and (more importantly) a generation of Jews with ‘postmemory’ as Marianne Hirsch puts it (indirectly influenced by traumatic experience of the previous generation as the experience dominates their childhood as an aftereffect). Until either they all die of old age or come to a consensus that it is time to completely move on, I think no one has the right to tell them “Oh, get over it”. It would be a dick move in my book.
It never ceases to amaze me just how stupid a person sounds when they insist on using terms like the “jew,” the “expat,” the “paki,” the “chinaman” while trying to get a point across.
As if the Holocaust and the Japanese colonial period are even remotely comparable…
I think all you folks need to lay off Poor Pawi. All your reverse analogies, your feeble attempts at logic and cool reasoning mean nothing in the face of the pure narcissism that is Korean nationalism. Korean nationalism is concerned solely with its own self-regard, and all your criticisms merely bounce off the mirror of its own reflection.
It is obvious that Korean nationalists would admire the volk ideology of Hitler’s own particular and legendary form of ethnic nationalism, and see in it a reflection of themselves, of their own longing for pure-blooded unity and volk strength. At the same time, the point of this ad is that not even Nazi nationalism was as strong as that of Korean nationalism. Thus, while the rest of the Nazi world crumbles in the background of Park Jin-hee, her resplendent Korean body alone survives, crucially supplemented by a protective ideological facemask of Korean cosmetics — which of course is the blemish-free face of Korean nationalism.
This ad is not selling cosmetics. It is selling Korean nationalism. Purchasing Coreana cosmetics is thus not an end in itself for a self-interested company selling shallow and false illusions, but rather the ultimate gesture of patriotism for all noble Korean women in this glorious land.
Consume and affirm the nation! Indeed, consume Korean nationalism!
Daehan Minguk for 10,000 years!
#44 rac
“To think that Korean kids are being taught that scares the living daylights out of me. They have no clue that the Nazi’s were buddies with the Japanese who tried to do the same thing to them that Nazis attempted in Europe.”
The Japanese never tried to do the same thing to Koreans that Nazis attempted in Europe. Koreans were Japanese during WW2. If you are talking about the ethnic cleanzing committed by the Nazis, the Japanese didn’t do it either.
pawi compares nazi to the confederates!!!
what a f’ing idiot
anyway i dont think expats are offended as much as we think korea really needs to think before they put something like this before the public
it kind of shows their ignorance or lack of knowledge about the Nazi’s
as someone pointed out before they were allies with the japanese who obviously was well under way of wiping korea off the map so to glorify nazi’s via marketing commercial products kind of makes koreans look rather silly
“As if the Holocaust and the Japanese colonial period are even remotely comparable…”
But does that make it okay to belittle the experiences during the colonial period? Reminds me of a running jest that a friend of mine always make whenever someone’s complaining about anything - “Get over it. There are kids starving in Somalia.”
If kid A’s dad became paraplegic in a car accident while kid B lost his entire family in a car accident, would you tell kid A “Stop crying, you wussy. Kid B lost his entire family.”? Kid B’s experience cannot logically reduce the significance of Kid A’s experience. And how big of a dick would one have to be to tell either of the kids “Jesus Christ, are you STILL crying over that? Get over it, you narcissistic idiot.”
It never ceases to amaze me that out of five kyopos who commented on this post none says that the use of Nazi symbols by the cosmetic company is wrong while the reaction of the other four is to circle the wagons.
The kyopos accuse the expats of generalization, but how hard is it for a non-Korean to not generalize if 4 out of 5 kyopos act in a similar manner and go about implying that the use of Nazi symbols by a major Korean comestic company in a commercial broadcast on national TV is not a big deal?
To put it simply, the kyopos should be careful, because words like this will only give the anti-Korean folks the perfect reason to say “I told you so” and thus make Koreans look bad.
Most importantly, kyopos should not be going around and claiming to represent the Korean point of view.
#39
SomeguyinKorea
Posted April 5, 2008 at 12:18 pm | Permalink
#35,
“Oh, please. So, whose sock are you?”
sock?
what made you think that I am a sock?
isn’t it true that the Jews are very influential? why, they control even the federal reserve!
# 42
changnan
Posted April 5, 2008 at 1:42 pm | Permalink
“#35: and that must rankle, considering how long it took VANK to get google maps to change “Sea of Japan” to “East Sea””
let’s hear it from the Koreans!
#57,
There you go again. Drop it, it’s not funny.
#52 Well put.
As a Jew I am not really offended by the ads. It’s iconography is purely satirical. It’s sort of sexy - a typical S&M fantasy. I wish everyone would calm the fuck down about this.
It’s still on OnStyle with the changed slogan.
Coreana sent me a couple messages asking me to take the videos off youtube, saying that they changed the slogan. Not going to happen, the videos will stay up. http://briandeutsch.blogspot.c.....utube.html
I had never heard of Park Jin-hee before this. I don’t think she looks very attractive in the commercial, and the uniform doesn’t help. But so I don’t get a reputation I navered her (not a euphamism), and she is pretty hot most of the time. http://www.funclub.co.kr/uploa.....711060.jpg
Looks kinda like Lee Yeong-ae, but I don’t approve of that.
Holy shit, just saw it on TV. The new, Jew-friendly one. Dumbasses. If anyone wants copies of the videos, I have them, just send me an email or pm me on Dave’s.
Brian, what does the new caption/text say? Can you post the Korean?
@#56
“Nazi symbols are used way too casually without enough thought or appreciation to its dark history in many countries in the [Asia] region…” -WangKon
“Jesus McChrist… Holocaust IS being taught during World History class back home, right? Or is it the whole ‘memorization without learning’ thing again?
Enough with the Nazi shit already.” -bumfromkorea-
Your overgeneralizing aspect seems to have overpowered your simple ability to read and comprehend. Is this like a personal thing, or do you hastily make judgments on everything without thinking it through?
Neither is kid A’s experience nearly as horrific as kid B’s.
japan was korea’s nazis and to tell koreans to shut up about japan’s worship of war criminals while demanding koreans fall to their knees for offending your pet jew is bit too much. but it’s consistant with expat mantra.
as for condemning the k actress, no, i don’t think so. it ain’t a big deal. you know, it’s like prince henry going to party with nazi uniform, no big deal.
‘Koreans were Japanese during WW2.’ natto
uh, koreans were koreans during your people’s attempt to erase the people who civilized yours-. you got that? and what’s with that kabuki? i just saw some the other day. ridiculous!
Prince Harry’s costume choice was a big deal, making front page news in Britain and attracting international coverage. He publicly apologized for causing offense.
‘He publicly apologized for causing offense.’
let’s hope the k actress doesn’t do the same thing.
#52 King Baeksu,
Absolute best post I’ve read in a long, long time!
‘Not going to happen, the videos will stay up.’ brian wieselthal
you’re gonna show them, expat, aren’t ya? can i ask how you feel about yasukuni? any letter writing there? no? that’s what i thought.
you live unshaven in korea, don’t you?
‘but rather the ultimate gesture of patriotism for all noble Korean women in this glorious land.’ baeksy
i’m startin to think this guy got his woman taken back by the k guy.
most, if not all, koreans would say holocaust is wrong. but they haven’t been taught the specifics of it. so any perceived glamorization of nazism is ignorance. perharps that’s not an excuse but look at the lack of understanding from the region in general. they haven’t been taught european history. what do you want?
if you don’t think that’s an excuse, then try being a minority in the states. i love the USA but if you don’t think minorities go through subtle racism everyday, then you are holocaust denier. the general american public is not racist, but are some ignorant? yeah. i can’t blame them though. i mean, i don’t expect them to know things they haven’t been taught about or been exposed to.
seriously, can’t you guys see why some gyopos think some of the comments are seen as double standardish/hypocritical or just snobbish? in past posts, a mention of japanese occupation of korea was met with “it’s in the past, move on” crowd. koreans can be shallow, insensitive and whatever, but so are some of you posters here.
an ad that’s equivalent in the west? abercrombie (shirts with off-color humor re: asian people). now, is making some off-color humor at the expense of asians same as highlighting a nazi symbol, which killed millions of people the same? of course not! but that’s not my point. my point is that both ads are insensitive. but really, should we as more educated about the holocaust judge a country for being ignorant about the issue? of course one is worse than the other in terms of distastefulness but which country is more aware and exposed to different cultures?
just because korea wants to be global doesn’t mean korea can satisfy global standards overnight. if this company and the korean population in general can learn from this, great. but give her a chance go through the growing pains.
This is a commercial for assholes made by assholes.
The hottest chicks in Korea, or anywhere else, don’t
wear make-up. Old acne scars, stretch marks, belly scars,
overgrown incissors, etc…That’s where it’s at. Flab,
flubber, yellow toes and heels..Fuck Hitler and fuck
cosmetics.
and Fuck Fashion too.
#47 Pawi, you are right you should be outraged at Yasukuni! You should be upset with the fact that your imperial fathers did not bring home and enshrine all of the Korean conscripts who carried out a great deal of the atrocities during WW2.
Do you feel too uncomfortable to answer the question in #46?
Your self loathing shine brightest when the expat points out the fact of your country’s freedom was granted at the behest of the U.S. of A. I find it curious as to why you would abandon your country to live in the land of the expat. You hide in the country you hate the most. The patina of your own self-shame and guilt can never be scrubbed off with Ajax or Brillo pads. You also have a bad case of little dick syndrome. At least the expat is unapologetic with the fact we came to your county to make a buck. Have a cup of shut the fuck up.
“give her a chance”
No. There is no excuse for this ridiculous behaviour in this day and age. By the way, I’ve never told anyone to shut up about Yasukuni.
#69, 70,
Man, you really crave attention, don’t you? Were you breastfed as a child?
#63.
Who said I was generalizing? It looks YOU are the one who has a hard time comprehending what others are saying. And get off the generalization high chair already. I’ve read you whine about generalization in the other posts. I meant don’t you get tired from all the whining?
And in regards to your quotes, well WangKon was stating a matter of fact, which he added by saying that Korea shouldn’t be “singled out” while you were wondering whether history was being taught in schools in Korea. And your “Enough with the Nazi shit” to me sounds like you are saying “hey expats, stop talking about the use of Nazi symbols in Korea, already”.
That in no way shows that the you and WK have expressed the position that the use of Nazi symbols by Coreana is wrong.
”
That in no way shows that the you and WK have expressed the position that the use of Nazi symbols by Coreana is wrong.”
No, in fact nobody has. It’s like talking to a wall.
#72. Ahh the old defense of ignorance, how many times will Korea and/or Koreans be allowed to use this ‘get out of jail free’ defense before they acquire a modicum of social sensibility and join the rest of the world? Pawi is a case in point and obviously needs some kind of remedial schooling and perhaps a course in why as a Korean male the world does not revolve around his perceived grievances.
“just because korea wants to be global doesn’t mean korea can satisfy global standards overnight. if this company and the korean population in general can learn from this, great. but give her a chance go through the growing pains.”
Assuming Koreans feel that being global goes beyond exporting goods, hosting major international events, winning Olympic gold medals in archery, and having a Starbucks outlet every three blocks! Seriously, things have been changing very quickly and seem to be moving in the right direction. Koreans deserve credit for that.
“as for condemning the k actress, no, i don’t think so. it ain’t a big deal. you know, it’s like prince henry going to party with nazi uniform, no big deal.”
Pawi, I don’t think people are criticizing the actress as much as the Coreana company. In fact, were you to take the time and read the sixty-plus comments on the topic not written by you, nobody has slammed Park Jin-hee. Not one person.
As for the Prince Henry comment, you clearly do not know what you are talking about. (I’m sure this comes as no surprise to regular commenters here.) Henry’s party costume was big news, it offended a lot of people, his image was tarnished for a short while, and he had to apologize. Henry’s wearing the Nazi uniform was also intended as a joke among friends, not as a means of boosting cosmetics sales. It was indeed tasteless, but at least it wasn’t motivated by greed.
I feel like seoulmilk 71, 72 hit the nail on the head when considering both points of view.
No question that Coreana pulled a bad move with the whole Nazi commercial but that ignorance from which it is rooted is prevalent in all cultures - just towards different things. The trouble comes in when people start believing their own ignorance is somehow “not as bad” than other’s.
What everyone needs is a healthy dose of common sense and compassion - and if the comments here are any kind of example of the world at large, we’re all doomed to WWIII. That said, consequences are awfully easy to assign until you’re the one stuck with them.
“nobody has slammed Park Jin-hee.”
I did. I called her an airhead bimbo. And, wearing that outfit she sure looks like one.
“koreans/gyopos can find something equivalent from a western country/culture.”
You can find something equivalent? Really? Please, show me something equivalent from Western advertising. Stuff from the 1950’s doesn’t count.
http://img262.imageshack.us/my.....eincf4.jpg
Wait, so referring to all the gyopo population as if they have a single, unified opinions/thoughts is not a generalization? Not to mention the fact that you literally said “.. but how hard is it for a non-Korean to not generalize if 4 out of 5 kyopos act in a similar manner and go about implying that the use of Nazi symbols by a major Korean comestic company in a commercial broadcast on national TV is not a big deal?” You’re as bad as pawi when it comes to that matter.
“generalization high chair”? Yes, because according to you, since I’m a gyopo, I must think it’s okay for anyone to use Nazi images like that ad above. Your mode of thought frankly disgusts me to no end.
In addition, it seems that your reading comprehension is seriously being affected. In a thread discussing Nazi images being shown in commercials, with past occurrences of Nazi images in Korea (like that Nazi bar), when someone says “enough with this Nazi shit” after commenting “Jesus McChrist… Holocaust IS being taught during World History class back home, right?” (ever heard of intentional emphasis? Like that ‘IS’? Or are you not familiar with spoken English in general?) , you think I’m talking about expats bitching about Nazi images in Korea? Perhaps your idiotic predisposition to think that gyopos are ultra-nationalistic nuts is hindering your ability to, well, think.
Then again, this is coming from a man who wondered whether I was being an expat’s pet after agreeing with one in his opinion. I guess it’s not that surprising, considering you can’t fathom that people can’t be categorized neatly into your little retarded labels of people.
“http://img262.imageshack.us/my…..eincf4.jpg”
Not even close. That’s a spoof/satire. The Coreana ad is on TV still and you’re showing me photo-shopped stuff from crazy$hit.com. Weak.
As for generalizing, none of you “Brothers from Another Mother” has yet stated that their is anything wrong with these ads. Therefore, Koreans must be on a different planet.
Not even close. That’s a spoof/satire. The Coreana ad is on TV still and you’re showing me photo-shopped stuff from crazy$hit.com. Weak.
What’d you take me for, an idiot? Of course, that’s a spoof!
This whole issue’s a joke. You’re all taking this LADIES COSMETICS AD way too seriously. The guys at the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, etc are probably jerking off to this shiksa dressed in a kraut uniform.
Lighten up.
Not even close. That’s a spoof/satire. The Coreana ad is on TV still and you’re showing me photo-shopped stuff from crazy$hit.com. Weak.
What’d you take me for, an idiot? Of course, that’s a spoof!
This whole issue’s a joke. You’re all taking this LADIES COSMETICS AD way too seriously. The guys at the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, etc are probably jerking off to this shiksa posing in a kraut uniform.
Lighten up.
#13 and #15. What, do you want all gyopos on this thread to kneel before you all and beg for forgiveness for this ad or something? Obviously EVERYONE in this thread sans Pawi recognize that the ads are wrong - if you notice, discussions and arguments are being made after the assumption that the ad is wrong (once again, except pawi).
77. you know what, you are right. koreans don’t deserve the ignorance defense. how foolish of me to expect koreans to not know everything about every culture/customs/history out there. damn the korean educational system for not teaching sensitivities of other cultures. i can’t exactly recall, but i’m pretty sure the schools in the states taught everyone that not all asians know kungfu or karate, that not all asians are good at math, that not all asians run a laundramat, that there are countries beyond china and japan, that not all asians eat dogs and monkey brains…because dem white people know everthing about other culture and race. yeah, my brother working in a corporate america, didn’t see any emails floating around after virginia tech incident about how he’s korean so co-workers should avoid him. yeah, that never happened.
i am sorry for implying that korea deserves a get out of the jail free card because, even if the west had a chance to go through its history and learn from it, that’s no excuse for korea.
surely, you would think something like this will open the eyes of koreans and they can slowly, but surely, learn and grow but fuck that, if they don’t know shit about others’ history, koreans are fucked up people.
btw, mr. mao, why are you still in korea? it’s just filled with dumbass people.
“how foolish of me to expect koreans to not know everything about every culture/customs/history out there.”
Knowing about Hitler doesn’t mean you know “everything about everything.” You’re trivializing the Nazi era again.
Why am I still in Korea? I can be anywhere I want. Who the hell are you?
“What’d you take me for, an idiot? Of course, that’s a spoof! ”
Well then I guess that makes Korea a spoof of a country.
“What, do you want all gyopos on this thread to kneel before you all and beg for forgiveness for this ad or something?”
Kinda like Koreans and kyopos still want others to see their side about the 1905 Taft-Katsura agreement?
aw come on seoulmilk - forget it -_- someone just needs to stop making this mole hole into a mountain.
Especially in this case where it’s so easy to fall into the intellectual defense (on both sides). On one hand you can read into this commercial too much and take it as a symptom of all of Korea’s societal ills. Or on the other hand you can take it as just a dumb ass commercial that should be disapproved boldly but nothing more; a simple mistake in the process of learning. It’s easy to go either way depending on their own predispositions.
Most people are all too eager to jump onto the high mighty pedestal of moral righteousness and honestly, you can’t say much to anybody who doesn’t want to listen. There will always be stereotypes, underlying racial tensions, and hypocrisy – all in the name of “constructive” criticism and the freedom of speech.
Anyway, Nazi waving aside, I found the weird rolling around of the beans at the end of the commercial oddly nauseating for some reason >_<
#70: “i’m startin to think this guy got his woman taken back by the k guy.”
Ouch! I’ve been deconstructed by the Great Pawi!
If Baudrillard were alive today, he would call this entire kerfuffle the 5th or 6th stage of simulation.
“if you notice, discussions and arguments are being made after the assumption that the ad is wrong”.
I’m not really sure if that what the case. I think people just wanted to hear someone of Korean heritage say that. Up till now this thread has been filled with alot of anger and rationalizations. Now that you’ve said it without the sarcasm Seoulmilk unloaded perhaps you’d share with us your views on Baeksu’s comment #52. Is ignorance a red-herring? I think he was being a little tongue in cheek but is there any truth to that? Hey, in real life is Pawi as rabid a nationalist as when he posts? How many Pawi’s act the part until our backs are turned or until they go home? How many are waiting in the wings to start hacking off body parts at an opportune instant?
#79 - I should have specified that nobody here has slammed Park for being a racist or hater for being in the ad.
#91: Wasn’t Herr Pawi endorsing pogroms in Korean Chinatowns just the other day?
TV On The Radio,
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZqI0FYN-r5c
and Indiana Jones know:
You’re only allowed to have nazis if you kill them at the end. If you kill them at the end, even hot nazis are allowed.
i really don’t feel like engaging in the rest of this discussion, but “province” is a cool song.
“As if the Holocaust and the Japanese colonial period are even remotely comparable…” They actually tilt in favor of the Japanese barbarians during their imperialistic period.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes
It may be pointless to try to establish which World War Two Axis aggressor, Germany or Japan, was the more brutal to the peoples it victimized. The Germans killed six million Jews and 20 million Russians [i.e. Soviet citizens]; the Japanese slaughtered as many as 30 million Filipinos, Malays, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Indonesians and Burmese, at least 23 million of them ethnic Chinese. Both nations looted the countries they conquered on a monumental scale, though Japan plundered more, over a longer period, than the Nazis. Both conquerors enslaved millions and exploited them as forced labourers — and, in the case of the Japanese, as [forced] prostitutes for front-line troops. If you were a Nazi prisoner of war from Britain, America, Australia, New Zealand or Canada (but not Russia) you faced a 4% chance of not surviving the war; [by comparison] the death rate for Allied POWs held by the Japanese was nearly 30%.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731
Hard to believe, but following the war, the U.S. brought many of these murdering Japanese criminals to work on its own WMD programs at the expense of uninformed taxpayers. Sadly, the textbooks I used throughout public school taught us about the all the German atrocities in regards to the Holocaust and gruesome medical experiments, but nothing was said about the truly horrific and terrible crimes against humanity that were perpetrated by the Japanese military. It wasn’t until years later that I stumbled upon the horrors committed by the Japanese on my own. History is constantly being re-written and omitted in textbooks across the globe. How are we to know what truths those in other nations, or of different generations, were taught or even exposed to?
I applaud the work that the Simon Wiesenthal Center does, but they need to focus on doing a lot more on including the Holocausts (aka genocides) that are still occurring around the world to this day. It didn’t take long for them to respond to these commercials ( http://www.wiesenthal.com/site.....ontent_id={A88DDA3A-D18D-4265-A33B-AF0BFC6B21A3}¬oc=1 ), but where is the outrage over what is occurring in Darfur and other parts of Africa, in Iraq, and other world hot spots that are constantly flaming up?
As a history and social studies teacher back in the states, I had no answers for my students when they asked, “With all the atrocities going on it the world today, why aren’t those lived through the Holocaust doing more to speak out against them and raise awareness of the plight of those affected?” I had no idea then, and I have none now. Can anyone tell me why those in Darfur, and previously in Rwanda, aren’t deserving of the same type of support? My students aren’t dumb. They are able to deduce that skin color and religion are greater in the grand scheme of things than our just being of the same scientific classification through these types of actions and inactions.
And while, these commercials are below even the standards of poor taste, for them to be subjected to this type of outrage while people are still being killed, tortured, and enslaved every single day around the world baffles my sensibilities concerning what is justice in our politically correct run amok world.
“Kinda like Koreans and kyopos still want others to see their side about the 1905 Taft-Katsura agreement?”
Where the hell did that one come from? I had to wikipedia it to figure out what you were trying to say. Man, it’s like a streak of assuming my opinions on issues because I’m a gyopo. Good work. Another idiotic statement made with the blanket terms “Koreans” and “Gyopos”. Reminds you of any of pawi’s posts with the blanket terms “expats”? No? Ugh…
@#91
I think ‘ignorance’ is an explanation, but NOT a sufficient justification. In this case, one cannot just say, “oh, well I didn’t know about that.” - it must be “Oh, I didn’t know about that. I’ll change it from now on.” (add seoulmilk’s point on actually allowing time for the change as opposed to ‘fuck that shit’)
I’m saying that just because no one explicitly condemned the ad with harsh words does not mean they think the ad was okay. For example, Netizen Kim stated in #13 “Korea is responsible for its own Nazi fetish, WK. Dont try to pass the buck.”
He didn’t explicitly state that ad w/ Nazi = bad, but it is more than obvious to anyone who speaks English that that is his opinion… Well, anyone who’s not fixated on the idea that gyopos think alike as a mindless ultra-nationalistic collective.
in addition.
“Enough with this Nazi shit.” Unless you’re a card-carrying member of the Uber-cynical ‘Everyone’s a bastard’ Association or the mindset mentioned above, I’d say that’s pretty explicitly stated.
@globalvillageidiot
Well, it is indeed truly refreshing that everyone thus far has been willing to give PJH the benefit of the doubt. But wouldn’t it still stand that the overarching statements being made (by both sides) are rooted in preconceived beliefs of superiority? Surely just because nobody has blatantly used PJH as an example of Korea’s societal insensitivity in this matter you don’t think that everyone is being unbiased! Yes, nobody as used PJH as an “example” Korea’s insensitivity but many of these commenters have to some degree “blamed” the whole of Korean society, of which PJH is a part of, for this mishap. Saying that ALL Koreans think Nazism is “a-okay” based on the fact this make-up commercial actually made it on air IS presumptuous. Racism is when you treat or think of everyone in a race as “one thing” instead of as many individuals with vastly different beliefs even if they share the same culture (no matter what “evidence” there may be that “they are all the same”). And unfortunately, the people who are particularly virulent DO seem quite racist because their comment is often said with the implication that no other country would make such a grave mistake – that is racism isn’t it?
I very much do not want to pick a fight and while I do realize the focus of this blog is Korea (so it is expected for people to err on side of singling Korea out for many things), I truly believe maintaining a global view is critical for us as citizens of our respective countries to perpetuate tolerance and goodwill (even on this little corner of the net) as much as we can in the face of ignorance and race hate.
#96: “And while, these commercials are below even the standards of poor taste, for them to be subjected to this type of outrage while people are still being killed, tortured, and enslaved every single day around the world baffles my sensibilities concerning what is justice in our politically correct run amok world.” – 100% agree.
@97
In any case, if I haven’t been clear - I DO NOT think Korea is off the hook, ignorance or no. Toying with anything from WWII is playing with fire and for a makeup company to think they were up to it is beyond stupid. And being stupid isn’t much of an excuse either. I was just hoping a more moderate stance would be taken on this…. speaking of, netizinkim’s comment was fine by me, I referring to some of the more provocative comments (you’d have to be blind to say there weren’t any of them). And I don’t recall saying “Enough with this Nazi shit.” If I came across that way – my gosh, but I think all my comments have fairly devoid about the prevalence of Nazi ideology.
Not to degrade WWII in any way but really, this is just a make up commercial and if anything Korea as a lot more serious issues to deal with (and pick apart on this website) than the occasional flirtation with Nazi stylings. Perhaps I’m just being too naive but everyone just seems so VERY angry….
@ #94,
Less than a minute’s worth of Google produces:
“The Education Ministry’s approval does a great disservice to the younger generations of Japan who can only gain by learning the full truth of Imperial Japan’s actions during the 1930s and 40s,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center.
I encourage you to search for SWC and Japanese comfort women and the name of the rabbi who is quoted in the press release about the cosmetics ad. I hope you’ll be able to see that the center does more than just talk about German history.
Next time students ask you questions about Jews and human rights, you can encourage them to look into the roles the Jews played in the American Civil Rights Movement. You like wikipedia. Me, too. It has a nice section on the topic.
I’m actually a little disgusted with some comments here which would equate what some kyopos say in the ‘hole as being a say all consensus of thought among all kyopos. Not only is that type of thinking a fallacy at the most basic levels, it’s also dead wrong.
I think I mentioned this story before somewhere in the bowels of this blog awhile ago, although I don’t specifically remember when. Anyways, to speak personally, I’m a member of an organization called the Korean American Coalition (”KAC”). Back when Rhie Won Bok’s comments on Jews was made public and it was widely reported in media channels, Rhie sent an apology letter to the KAC. Naturally, the KAC leadership was absolutely confused. They never had a relationship with Rhie or his publisher, so why in the world should an apology go to them and not to a Jewish organization? Well, anyways, Korean American groups, headed by the KAC, TOOK THE INITIATIVE and met with Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center AND PROACTIVELY offered to go with Cooper to meet with Rhie and his publisher. Other Korean American leaders made absolutely sure that Rhie’s beliefs were not those shared by the community and went on record to the LA Times and other media channels. Per Mr. Choe Yohngsohk, co-chairman of