Jodi’s recent banning from some kind of alleged racist message board is discussed at great length in her post (and the comments appended to it) titled In Defense of the White Boy. I’m not going to get into my opinions of the specific case, but just say that I’ve been frustrated with the kind of thinking that runs behind this. Young guys, mostly, who like to think themselves political, strong, militant, and so they get all vocal about racial issues without thinking, without reasoning, without seeing that what they themselves have adopted is racism. I think people have a right …
Tag: KOREA
Wondering what it’s like to be a minority
If you are, go read this post over at I Have Seoul. [The blogger is, I think, from Saskatchewan just like I am, by the way!] It’s not always like this for me in Korea, but it’s like this just enough to develop a bad attitude, if you don’t watch yourself. I notice it at least once every time I go sit down on the subway. I’m starting not to care anymore, but, you know, you still notice, and still sort-of care. And don’t forget, white people have it relatively good as far as minorities in Korea. But I still …
Who’s Your Worst Enemy?
Reading the title of this post at Mingi Hyun’s page, S. Koreans Say China is the Greatest Threat in the Future, it feels like seeing Luke Skywalker eyeing Boba Fett and saying, “You know, that guy, he’s the one I’m worried about, guys.” And this, with Darth Vader standing in the background, lightsaber at the ready. sigh
The Dog Poop Girl Story
Well, I live in Korea, but this is news to me. Maybe I just haven’t been keeping up on my Korea-related blogs. In fact, that’s probably why I haven’t heard about Dog Poop Girl. This is one of those inconsiderate idiots I rant about from time to time, the kind of person who walks around as if nobody else in the world even exists. She took her dog onto the subway and when I crapped on the floor, she didn’t make a move to clean it up; instead, she apparently acted as if nothing was amiss. Annoyed passengers gawked, and …
With Tech, Festina Lente
This Chosun Ilbo report describes how Korea is in a hurry “to turn what sounds like science fiction into everyday life.” To me, as someone who knows SF pretty well, this is a little bit of a scary proposition, especially considering other elements of Korean culture. For one thing, Korean netizens came out shockingly in favour of censorship during the blog ban a few summers ago, despite the fact that censorship violates a civil right that people only a generation before were fighting to wrest from the country’s dictators; personal security doesn’t seem to have been enough of a concern …