Mike Breen with an excellent op-ed in the Korea Times on — you guessed it — the US beef fiasco! A sample:
This situation would not be so confusing if the diplomats, journalists and other foreign residents who know Korea did their jobs properly. But either they don’t understand the dynamic themselves or out of love for Koreans they moderate their language. Thus the foreign press, for example, refers to “anger against resumed beef imports,” rather than public hysteria, which is what it really is. Believe me. As a European, I know hysteria when I see it. We murdered 200,000 people as witches in the 15th century and 6 million Jews, and large numbers of Gypsies and homosexuals, in the 20th, for reasons that we don’t know.
Read the rest on your own.
23 Comments
And have the peasants march on their homes?
Just easier - and safer - to sit ’round the FCC and have a laugh.
I don’t like that he throws in ‘foreign residents’ as if we were to blame for not speaking out more. My answer has always been ‘Koreans are over-reacting’ but I keep my mouth shut more often than not because I don’t want to get lynched… anyways our opinions hardly matter against the weight of ‘Uri Nara.’
Believe me. As a European, I know hysteria when I see it. We murdered 200,000 people as witches in the 15th century and 6 million Jews, and large numbers of Gypsies and homosexuals, in the 20th, for reasons that we don’t know.
If a Korean had written this article, there would be 50+ comments by now bemoaning the fact that the beef crisis was compared to the Holocaust!
It is not love but fear of a backlash that motivates journalists, diplomats, and some foreign residents to be circumspect in discussing the public hysteria over US beef imports just as some Western media organizations like CNN avoided publishing those Danish cartoons out of a very real fear of a violent response. I think Breen knows it ain’t love but by suggesting that, he is wearing kid gloves just like those he criticizes.
Damn you, Mike Breen! (Imagine me shaking my fist.)
My next KT piece was going to have some similar elements. I will have to check out the rest of his piece to see if I should change tracks.
I have a couple of problems with the Holocaust reference. First, I don’t consider it to have been done in a fit of hystaria. It was cold, calculated murder. I don’t even think it was irrational (just pure evil).
Second, I think Godwin’s Law applies here somehow.
I’ll have to read it more thoroughly and adjust my piece to avoid the appearance of plagiarism.
“… That’s Washington-speak for “what the xxxx just happened?”
A ha!
OK, I’ve read the whole thing.
I can go ahead with my piece. I just won’t use the word “hystaria” in the title.
‘We murdered 200,000 people as witches in the 15th century and 6 million Jews, and large numbers of Gypsies and homosexuals, in the 20th, for reasons that we don’t know.’
opposition against beef is now compared to the european holocaust? who really is hysterical here? amswer: the expat foaming at the mouth.
i’ll be contacting the simon wessthoal center about this.
The comparison is not the even itself, but rather the fabrication of “facts” that create the events.
Actually, I would say something slightly different. Koreans have no faith in their institutions — they assume the government is controlled by the wealthy and the jaebeol, that it will not respond to the will of the people or protect their interests, and that the only way to get the government to listen is to force it to listen through protests. LMB has done everything to support those fears.
Agent Pawi, we are not hapy about you. Your pay will be reduced. Report to the Beijing HQ imediately.
[blockquote]i’ll be contacting the simon wessthoal center about this.[/blockquote]
As soon as you learn to spell the place …
Onya, pawi, keep on keeping on, tiger. You’re a trooper and I for one hope you never change that broken record. You bring much needed comedic relief to this joint.
If only they had voted for Mr. Hur, this never would have happened. He would have cured mad cow disease, created mid-east peace, and eliminated all the taxes.
Also, there would be no uproar over his cabinet minister choices, because he would BE each minister!
I think Breen meant out of “love” not fear.
Actually, I just exchanged a few short emails with him last week. It was the first time I had tried to contact him, and it wasn’t even over Cows Gone Wild!! Hysteria…
I was in the middle of writing a post on my blog about his Apology article, and I wanted to link to some info about him because he is so often spot-on in analyzing Korea - both the good and bad - I wanted readers to know more about him, but the Wikipedia article on him was short and unsourced. And before I went googling for info, I thought I’d email him directly as a shot in the dark. And he answered the same day.
His replies to me were short and to the point answering a few biographical questioned I asked, but we also exchanged a thought or two on CGW!!H…
I was the one who wrote that I thought long term expats treated Korea with kid gloves when discussing it with non-Koreans who didn’t know much about Korea — as if outsiders had not earned the right to have bad feelings about Korea based on what we say because we had to earn it by getting to know Korea intimately.
Some long term K-bloggers might remember that is one of my common themes over the years…
I brought that up as a way to thank him for having both a sensitivity to what is good in Korean society but also speaking the critical truth - and in his witty style. He is a rare breed.
So, based on those short emails, I think he meant exactly what he wrote.
On the Holocaust reference, since it came with a reference to the Inquisition, I’d think he meant the hysteria in the masses and not the leadership. Hitler’s crew were cold and calculating, but I think you can say they used hysteria to grease the wheels of the machine.
(this is not real information, it is posted purely for the sake of poking fun at the Korean “media”.)
I have it on good authority (myself) that there are no standards and inspection for beef produced in Korea. Also, there have been 8 cases of mad cow in Korea, 3 causing death of Koreans and making one Canadian deathly sick. Meat exported from Korea is inspected so that 100% of it contains mad cow, it also must not contain any portion of meat that could/would be eaten by real Koreans.
That said…I do know there have been cases of mad cow in the US. As to whether or not Americans eat the same meat as we export, I have seen NO evidence that we don’t. Also, I would like to say that I keep my windows open when using a fan…just in case.
Lee Myung Bak warns of economic nightmare if Korea ends up asking for beef renegotiation with the US:
http://news.chosun.com/site/da.....00794.html
He should be addressing the nation on TV and spell it out to the young naive dullards who are into their 72 hour non stop candle light protest.
I can’t believe the various lefty loonies who are taking advantage of this, do not know what will happen if Korea break the international contract. They must know, yet they are ready to sink the entire country so that they can get back in power.
Female celebrity comedian Jung Sun Hui attacked by netizens for insulting candle light vigil protesters. She apologizes for her remarks.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/ww.....25433.html
But since the netizen mob refuses to forgive her even after her tearful apologies, she says she will resign from two show that she hosts.
http://news.chosun.com/site/da.....00852.html
The duty to be a good patriotic Korean (even in the face of mass ignorance and hysteria), transcends any common sense. Thus the reason why there so few Koreans who are willing to speak up in public (other than the internet).
Ah…more attention getting comments from the great hypocrite kyopo cm.
In a discussion about Korean hysteria regarding US beef imports he inserts two totally unrelated links with the aim of doing what I ask? If he really wants to “improve Korea’s standing in the international arena” then shouldn’t he resort to more philosophical and logical arguments rather than resorting to “I hate Korean loonies” line that is music to the ears of the anti-Korean expat?
It is also ironic that the guy who professes to “hate Korean loonies” has the nerve to thrash Koreans that do not tout the hard core pro-Korean nationalistic line. And he says that others are hypocrites. What a loser!!
BTW, I’ve noticed, not really seen here though, some nutty KKK type expats around the teaching scene (not targeting it specifically, just that it’s been the major area that I was involved in), which is really confusing as to why they’d bother even traveling to other non-white countries. What’s up with that?? That or there’s something in the water which brings out any latent my-ethnicity-is-superior thoughts… just curious as I’m sure I’ve met one or two of those posters at the Korea Times link, unless it’s just regurgitated lines…
@14: So, is Breen a Moonie or not?
I just saw the ‘protesters’ in front of Seoul City Hall…Who pays for all this ‘hysteria’? They have stages and tents set up. It looks all very expensive to me.
#18,
????
Read his comment until you get it.
“Read his comment until you get it.”
… You’re asking for the virtually impossible.
3 Trackbacks
[...] Michael Breen has just confirmed one of the angles I have been discussing all this week about the US beef issue: This situation would not be so confusing if the diplomats, journalists and other foreign residents who know Korea did their jobs properly. But either they don’t understand the dynamic themselves or out of love for Koreans they moderate their language. Thus the foreign press, for example, refers to “anger against resumed beef imports,” rather than public hysteria, which is what it really is. Believe me. As a European, I know hysteria when I see it. We murdered 200,000 people as witches in the 15th century and 6 million Jews, and large numbers of Gypsies and homosexuals, in the 20th, for reasons that we don’t know. [Korea Times via TMH] [...]
[...] (and a certain American friend of his), Kyung Hee University professor John Eperjesi think Mike Breen was absolutely wrong in calling the protesters’ concerns “hysteria.” Read it and [...]
[...] (and a certain American friend of his), Kyung Hee University professor John Eperjesi think Mike Breen was absolutely wrong in calling the protesters’ concerns “hysteria.” Read it and [...]