After a night with the protesters (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 draw your own conclusions — here’s just a snippet:
But beyond the very legitimate concerns about the quality of American beef, I think there is also something more going on here, at least for the university students.
I get the sense that young people are bored, bored with pop culture, bored with plastic surgery, bored with consumerism and the fetishization of luxury goods.
They are also angry that they have spent their entire lives studying, only to leave university and enter a jobless future. Korea was convulsed by political revolution in the 1980s, but never really went through an equivalent cultural revolution.
The protests are about mad cow disease today, but social movements have a way of accumulating new meanings and directions over time. Who could have predicted that opening the Korean market to U.S. beef would have sparked such massive protests. And who knows where this thing will end up. That’s the exciting thing about history.
(HT to Hamel)
53 Comments
It is good that he found the right university to teach at.
Whats this idiot’s email address? I do hope this genius knows that he publically admitted to breaking the law by participating in an anti-government protest and all it would take is a phonecall to immigration to get him in a bit of trouble.
P.S. the whole level of writing and the way he develops his argument makes me seriously doubt his intelligence.
Exciting? Not sure there. It’s a scary prospect and bleak vision of the future when one sees thousands upon thousands of students who are just itching to channel all that pent up aggression through causes that, in reality, are of little concern to them. I think it’s damn frightening to see a population progressing on emotional instinct alone with very little regard to rational thought. Am I wrong in assuming this?
It appears even Breen doesn’t know what’s going on. It’s called controlling the opposition. In this case — the Korean populace.
The plan calls for creation of an “open and seamless” economic system in East Asia. The business networks must expand until all Korea is an integrated system for this purpose. The plan: combat intra-regional infighting by stealthily stoking nationalism to create a stronger common Korean identity. First foment a populace movement resentful of kowtowing to colonialism. A crazy cow will do for this purpose. Then the jiu-jitsu move: allow the populace to win Ghandi style. Make them “own” the position they think they have won. Just like in India, make the people believe they “own” their government. Then government over-regulates the agricultural and business sector till middle class business is financially exhausted, frustrated, and squeezed out.
Then the economic policy is facilitated: Monopoly Capitalism.
Allow the chaebols to buy up the infrastructure through public-private partnerships, and fire sales of the bankrupt. Mandate the unemployed to obtain “retraining certificates” as requisites for corporate employment.
Expand the military, private security and sex-industry for those who can’t compete for the best government and coroporate jobs. Reach the United Nations goals for regional sustained government. After fifty years goes by then seriously consider an FTA with the North American Union.
You don’t have to be history professor to know Breen is a ********** (edited out by Robert J. Koehler). From Washington Post to Korea Times, soon he’ll be writing for the Limerick Parish Newsletter. The world has moved on since the 60s. For all his patronizing of Korea, he will end up with yoghurt on his face.
They are also angry that they have spent their entire lives studying, only to leave university and enter a jobless future.
Oh, cry me a river of tears about the difficult job prospects facing college graduates in the ROK. Even accepting differences in cultural attitudes about work, or in how statistical data is defined and compiled, it’s just a fact that unemployment in the ROK is lower than in a lot of other countries. Here, John Teacher - take a look.
Which is why we need to refocus the discussion on neo-imperialism, US occupation… oh, my bad. We’ve moved on from the 60s. Got it.
BTW, there’s nothing wrong with the Limerick Parish Newsletter, and the yoghurt line makes me wonder…
oooh, pseudolink! It’s tricky, that one.
I must have screwed up the hyperlink - here it is:
http://www.nationmaster.com/gr.....yment-rate
“They are also angry that they have spent their entire lives studying, only to leave university and enter a jobless future”
jobless future? that’s funny. they are contributing to prolonging the weak job market by preventing the economy directly (by adversely affecting businesses in the area; preventing the businesses from increasing their profits and hiring more people) and indirectly by preventing local businesses from benefitting from free trade.
“I was … one of two white faces (the other being my friend Scott Burgeson, author of ‘Korea Bug’).”
Is that the same Scott Bug who wrote this: link Why yes it is! The Scott who lamented last year that Korea had not had its “summer of (free)love” yet.
Eperjesi has this in the middle of his piece:
“The protests are about mad cow disease today, but social movements have a way of accumulating new meanings and directions over time. … And who knows where this thing will end up. That’s the exciting thing about history.”
Is it just possible that Eperjesi and Burgeson are down at the barricades, not because they join Korean democracy fighters in their opposition to US beef, but because they want to kickstart Seoul’s 2008 Summer of Love(TM)?
Idle speculation, sure. Or maybe it is just my fecund imagination projecting here. Who can say for sure? But I find it a plausible plotline. A guy will do anything to score with chicks.
This makes a lot more sense than Eperjesi’s article, which is so fallacy-ridden I don’t know where to begin. A PhD, you say? Hm. Remind me to pick one up next time I’m at the Seoul Flea Market. Who knows? Might help me snag a few girls too.
“I get the sense that young people are bored, bored with pop culture, bored with plastic surgery, bored with consumerism and the fetishization of luxury goods.”
Yoboseyo? I’m sorry, was he writing about Korea?
maybe somebody should take him about 70km to the north
12: That was my response too! Substitute “obsessed” for “bored” and you get closer to the truth.
“A guy will do anything to score with chicks.”
The only protest that I ever went to was back in university. The school was raising tuition and, although I thought the raise was justified, I went on the protest march.
I only wanted to score with this one really hot hippie chick.
I failed.
it’s amazing how good the papers are at publishing numbnuts.
I know the kpop scene isn’t covered on this blog but I was just on ShenYuePop reading their rant about the US and their beef. Soyboy (writer of the rant) actually linked violence that broke out at a kpop concert between fan clubs, of all things, to the young people “learning from their surroundings” (read: police beating the shit out of people) and just “playing out their fears and anxieties”.
Here’s a link if you want to have a laugh…I did.
http://shenyuepop.com/2008/06/.....it-happen/
I can hardly wait to see the T-shirt design: “I came for the summer of love and ended up a with mad cow, yah”. Maybe Soyboy will kick out some grooves for it.
Who could have predicted Cows Gone Wild!! Hysteria?
I did.
I’d said for a few years that once Pres. Roh was out of office, if conservatives retook the Blue House, Korea would feel secure in the US/USFK relationship again, and the games would begin again.
I had no idea it would be over beef - or that the first wave would get this high - but I felt sure it would happen.
“I get the sense that young people are bored, bored with pop culture, bored with plastic surgery, bored with consumerism and the fetishization of luxury goods.”
Exactly #12. What the F country was he in again?
I have been here 10 years and the only steady thing about Korea are these 4 things. I challenge anyone to find me a Korean who would honestly tell you these things don’t occupy the majority of their time.
Now Americans are no better in this regard, but please Professor don’t try to tell me this BS as to why these people are gathering.
#10 seoulmilk—–spot on ! I wonder how many businesses are suffering due directly to the protesting in the streets. I also wonder what it is costing the tax payers to have the riot police out in force every night
What he’s really admitting is that this nonesense isn’t about mad cow disease or trade. It’s much more superficial. Many other “issues” could be inserted into the placards with the same result. The level of discourse being shown on the nightly news should be enough to confirm this for anyone not caught up in this hysteria (I think Breen is right): “I’m only fifteen and I don’t want to die.” There’s one more word that explains a lot of what’s happeneing that I haven’t seen used yet-schizorphrenia.
This piece is disingenous to say the least. The FTA as an American imperialism / corporate agenda down Korean’s throat is a theory created from his own personal views on America, and less an honestly analysis. Michael Breen asked a legitimte question about why Americans (remember, this includes countless Korean Americans) do not protest their own beef. WE don’t protest against American beef becaues it’s perfectly safe. Protests aren’t staged for non issues that hardly affect anyone. Who is saying that if we don’t protest, no one else should? how does he draw that conclusion? Talk about a woeful misreading of someone else’s better informed opinion.
He cites no links, stats, or opinions on people turning to vegetarianism and other sources of protein because they’re fed up with the American beef industry. I haven’t read of any such trends lately, and I frequent several liberal newspapers. If you’ve decided on a vegitarian lifestyle out of pro-animal sentiments, then the MDC discussion is really moot point anyways. I say he’s making sweeping generalizations to render this into an anti corporate issue. And MY WILD guess is that the slaughterhouses in “Fast Food NAtion” tends to be the exception and not the norm. Have we stopped eating beef after Upton Sinclar’s “The Jungle”?
I would hope that foreign teachers in Korea would (dare) encourage dissent and debate, but certainly not from this individual.
Obamafan (#11), more Summer of Love fun may be found here.
I heard some people are pissed because LMB is planning to allow corporations to go ahead with their plans to develop green areas in and around the DMZ.
When I see newspaper stories like this one, I am bewildered by those who try to dissect it. Its simple, the Korea times desperately tried to find a white face, or non Korean that agrees with their editorial policy, no matter how coherent or incoherent the article is. Alot of these type of articles appeared during 2002 as well. This article betrays the vast majority of the expat sentiment, that this is political opera for the stupid.
Its does serve as a distraction. Every day there is suddenly a new reason for the rallies because none of them really stick or are based on reality.
Many Koreans are dishonest and do not trust others. For a long time the argument about was US beef is we much keep it out because Koreans are too dishonest and will sell and serve it to us under a different label.
I think American Seoul is painting with a pretty broad brush with all the ‘Koreans are dishonest’ talk, they’re not. But it is true that the KT looks for specific viewpoints. So does Fox in the states.
I think everybody here knows that about the KT. What I thought was bizarre was stuff the writer seemed to be spinning out of whole cloth. It left me wondering whether we had witnessed the same event or were even talking about the same country. I mean maybe there’s an element of People Power in that taking it to the streets has an effect on government. But anti-consumerism and cultural revolution? It’s a bit of a stretch.
10, spot on. They’ll find out the hard way when foreign investment (or what little of it is left here) heads for the hills and Western governments retaliate to the madness in kind.
As for the article, it’s another one of these “I feel therefor it must be a phenomenon” posts that poster mins has been into for a while, save to say that Beatnick Burgo’s mate Electric Eperjesiland has moved the watercooler out amongst the raving marxists on Sejongno.
Methinks the writer should consult a dictionary before continuing his sociology 101 discourse.
The term also occurs in the phrase mass hysteria to describe mass public near-panic reactions. It is commonly applied to the waves of popular medical problems that “everyone gets” in response to news articles.
A similar usage refers to any sort of “public wave” phenomenon, and has been used to describe the periodic widespread reappearance and public interest in UFO reports, crop circles, and similar examples. Also, when information, real or fake, becomes misinterpreted but believed, e.g. penis panic.
Fail but nice try!!
“I helped turn Korea into a laughingstock Third World nation and all I got was this mad cow tee-shirt”
“Who could have predicted that opening the Korean market to U.S. beef would have sparked such massive protests.”
Um…apparantly one guy didn’t see it coming.
To be fair, don’t single out KT only. Because I just another news headline on MBC which made me throw up. They proudly announced, unprecedented peaceful protests. Koreans watch reports like this and their belief in Mad Cow infecting Korea gets confirmed and legitimized. Unless the Korean media on the whole reverse, there is no hope arguing with Koreans about facts and figures. If it’s on TV, it must all be true.
This is getting bigger and we still have the anniversary of those two girls killed by US tanks in an accident, coming up.
And then there is growing voice for impeachment of the president.
Nothing short of the president stopping the beef deal will make the protesters happy. Even renegotiations with the US will not make them happy. There’s nothing the US government can do either because Koreans don’t believe them anyway, so don’t bother.
So where are all the reasonable Koreans? Why don’t they speak up? Well in this mob rule “democracy”, they are afraid to speak up. Because something like what happened to this comedian Jung Sun Hui can happen to them also. She made a wrong joke:
http://news.chosun.com/site/da.....01564.html
If any Koreans don’t fall in line with what’s been accepted through populism, they’ll be ostracized, criticized, attacked, boycotted, and finally muzzled. This is Korean style “democracy”.
You know, as easy as it is to poke fun of the guy, at least he and Scott are out there talking to people.
It’s fine that these 2 guys are out there talking to people, but I find it odd that they need to go to a raly to talk about this.
I agree that his opinions of American culture have quite a bit of fiction. He mentions that many meat-eaters have converted to vegetarianism in the USA due to fear of beef. I find that to be ridiculous I do know anyone in the US that falls into this category of conversion nor have I read anything else supporting this. He goes on to talk about McDonalds yet McDonalds really has nothing to do with mad cow, as the beef does not come from US, the company is a Korean franchise, and the employees are Korean. Odd. John is the kind of guy that looks for things to complain about.
I also like this: “I get the sense that young people are bored, bored with pop culture, bored with plastic surgery, bored with consumerism and the fetishization of luxury goods.”
No, you’re bored with that crap. Koreans live for it.
Another one: “For the record, I’ve been teaching and writing about the dark side of American history for the past 10 years, specifically U.S. imperialism in Hawaii and the Philippines.”
Great, just what the world needs, an anti-American American teaching the kiddies in Korea.
That article was 90% projection.
KT’s new slogan: “Providing high-protein blog fodder since well before there were even blogs.”
Forget cow entrails and bones, America is exporting to Korea academics that who they wouldn’t allow to train dogs back home.
I hope this post is not too far down for you peeps not to see what I got to say…
Any Discordians here? It seems there a lot of Greyfaces out these days and we need something of a “Turkey Curse” to dispell all this negative energy…
Remember that idea to strike back with cartoons? Why not make it even more simple and lacking a political viewpoint? Why bother addressing any issue at all - since it has been stated there is no one issue to address?
I propose a leaflet campaign on buses, subways, and public restrooms. Something simple like 사랑해 미친소 (I love you Crazy Cow) with a picture of the candle-holding schoolgirl hugging the crazy cow. Call it an Operation: Mindfuck of sorts…
#41 that is brilliant!!!!
#33
There is one.
Protesters threaded him by saying “YOU eat mad cow”, “I’ll put your picture all over the web”.
As usual for reasonable Koreans, he received a name “Chinilpa!”
Chad (#35) — McDonald’s Korea is not a franchise, and does not franchise restaurants. The beef does not come from the US (because US beef was banned in 2003, and now it’s politically radioactive), and its employees are virtually all Korean.
McDonald’s, like most anything else, does business in Korea with a Korean partner.
I believe that’s two partners. They’ve taken the penninsula and, um, divided it.
Hey, wait a minute…
No hysteria?
LMFAO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....8&NR=1
I think it’s “What Hysteria!”
“You know, as easy as it is to poke fun of the guy, at least he and Scott are out there talking to people”.
Robert, I get the beef issue in the ear every day from the people I mix and work with. Just because we aren’t writing it or blogging it, doesn’t presuppose that we have no contact with the masses.
aaronm teacher, do you like america meat?
aaronm teacher, do you like america meat?
yep, that’d make me a fucking expert too
Robert, can I think that it’s both media-fueled hysteria AND a generation bored, directionless kids looking to change their stagnant society, yet not having the first clue how to do so?
Because I do.
There is much wisdom in Bipolar Mindscrew’s post 41 - subverting the dialectic of polar oppositions, revelling in the fallacy of the excluded middle; not this, not that…
Neither rationalism nor emotionalism, just paradox and projections perceived…
Look, anyone who has ever spent any time in Korea realizes what a dysfunctional place it is. When you’ve got 10 year olds studying till midnight every night somethings not right. The society evolved over 1000s of years in an agrarian, feudal environment, and in 30 years or less they’ve jumped from the 11th century to the 21st. People don’t know how to behave, they don’t know how to interact with each other in an urban, globalized environment. There’s no sense of priorities, there’s no sense of exploring their own society or questioning the direction they are taking. Lacking introspection, they externalize their problems on the “foreigners”.