We here at Korean Media Watch feel like a certain tipping point is being reached, as foreigners are beginning to fight back, speak up, and tell their own stories. We’re all about “getting another narrative out there,” so we were very happy to find a tip in our mailbox pointing us to this video.
It’s excellent because it’s heartfelt and makes a very good point, but without the longwindedness. As they say, a “picture is worth a thousand words,” so what you see here speaks volumes.
And two of my own images were used in its making, so I am flattered.
[...] got this from a tip in the Korean Media Watch mailbox. A much bigger version of the video is [...]
WTF was that? “….without the longwindedness….”? That was painful to sit through and does nobody any good.
I think the tone of this blog is a bit too dramatic for my liking. Bye.
That was pointless and goes way too far off the original message. The creater is trying to address history and issues that are over his head. Linking the sexualization of children, war crimes, and the worship of western standards of beauty to the negative stereotyping of white English teachers is ridiculous.
Sure it’s tough for foreigners in Korea that feel they are only being used for their English skills. And there’s the added insult that they are only in Korea for the easy lifestyle: money, sex and alcohol.
It sounds like the motivation of this blog and that video is to lash out at the negative stereotypes that may or may not be true.
I’m not saying that all white English teachers in Korea are losers, but there are some that are. And I think most would admit that the English teacher’s lifestyle is pretty easy. 4-6 work hours per day that usually don’t start until the afternoon. Decent pay and housing with a low cost of living. Facination and attention from young women solely because you look different. What’s not to like? And why lash out at a country and culture that allows you to live like this?
Either these negative characterizations of white English teachers are so apparent, unfair and unrelenting that they warrant violent response from this blog and the video creator, or there is some truth to it that is touching a nerve or aggrivating their self conciousness.
Only they would know.
This is the kind of thing that you would be all over, calling it racist, hateful, and incendiary, if this had been a group to which you feel sympathy or are a part. Alex Won wrote some good points about it on my site, particularly as it relates to Cho Seung-hui.
I’m not saying that the response is perfect, only that there is a RESPONSE. It’s starting to be a dialogue, and not a monologue.
That’s the point.
I’m not saying that the response is perfect, only that there is a RESPONSE. It’s starting to be a dialogue, and not a monologue.
The response is so bad that you should be embarrassed to have highlighted it. And there is no dialogue except for a chorus of “What the fu¢k was that?!”
This is images illogically strung together by an angry person who is reacting to the red meat that he has picked from the K-blogs. It’s the mirror image of the kind of thing I would expect from a newbie at Anti-English Spectrum.
I’m glad that so many others in the K-blogs share my view.
I’m glad so many other k-bloggers sharing your view reassures you.
I like the fact that others are speaking out, and I think the use of mostly images created out of hate or ignorance being remixed is a smarter way of doing things, and not just a tit-for-tat response to the hateful AES. Had I done the video myself, I’d have done it differently, and I agree the execution’s not perfect. But that’s the point. *I* didn’t do it, and I’m glad to see other people speaking out in a creative way.
I don’t see the need to “blame” me for the video, or to somehow conflate me with its creation/existence just because I think it’s a step in the right direction, but such is the way of the k-blog majority. I should be “embarrassed to have highlighted it?” Please. How sophomoric. As is the idea that being in the majority somehow reassures you. I’m not even disagreeing with you, per se. I just think the video’s interesting, and a first. Sue me.
Like most of the people commenting on that vid, I don’t get it at all. I am not sure what the purpose is, except to stir up some anti-Korean feelings.
I don’t really think of this as “others speaking out” as much as one guy with some issues.
Kushibo, you are spot on again with your comments about the vid.
Two points. First, I didn’t say that other K-bloggers sharing my view “reassures” me; I only said it made me glad. So often I am diametrically opposed to the majority opinion, but it’s nice to see everyone else being right for a change.
Anyway, it has nothing to with any kind of reassurance, sophomoric or otherwise.
Second, why is blame in quotes? I never used the word blame and I’m not holding you responsible for the video’s creation, so why is it in quotes, looking as if you are quoting me?
They’re “scare quotes.” Chill.
Between the silly interview with the Poker Boys and now this Youtube video, the respect I had for you has dropped 10 fold.
The world will certainly still keep turning, methinks.
If your respect for me has dropped tenfold for doing an interview and posting a video, I guess your respect is kinda of a cheap date, anyway.
http://economy.hankooki.com/lpage/entv/200907/e2009070710460894220.htm
I come across this stuff nearly everyday while reading the Korean news. Is it okay to post here?
Please do!
[...] I’ve gone ahead and posted this video clip (which I grabbed here, and which was also posted here), albeit reluctantly, because this is a new blog and, as such, there is no reputation to taint or [...]
No… this video does nobody any good except in that it motivates others to do a better, more coherent job.
The way to get rid of the “Foreign English teacher” stereotypes is not to complain about how you are mistreated, but to point out cases in which you are mistreated. Likewise, the target audience of this video should not be expats, but Koreans who _have not_ studied abroad. You need to convince them that the Korean media lies, that you are being treated unfairly, and that you’re not a monolingual, drug-dealing, over-confident asshole from Podunksville*.
Do you understand Korea’s culture and language? Then help work toward improving it. Translate your story into Korean. Make a manhwa about an English teacher. Show your Korean friends a good time — without whores and drugs. Ostracize and deal with those individuals who make all foreigners look bad. Meanwhile, fight for representation in the Korean press/government beaurocracy, for the enforcement of contracts and formal checking of diplomas, for the cleanup of Hongdae. If you haven’t already, learn Korean. Go further — Learn how to express political thoughts in Korean (but do be careful!)
And then, remember not to lose view of the forest. If you want to sway a Korean mind, it’s probably not a good idea to talk about Dokdo, to point out Korean sexual hypocricy, or to visit Hongdae. Better to agree on these small points, build friendships, and fix the major worldview so that you can walk the streets without fear.
Yes, it’s hard… probably too much for any one man. Which is why it needs to be a collective effort; why we need a reputable society and a foundation to represent the interests of all English-speaking and Korean-speaking foreigners.
It will be a long effort, requiring the contribution of hundreds, and maybe this video is a start. But it gets so much wrong : it isn’t in Korean, it is mostly incoherent (what’s with the punching stick figures?), it tries to fight the small battles, and it might even strengthen the Korean belief in the stereotype!
It’s a long battle, but if the sensible people will agree to it, it should be doable. 힘 내!
[*A note: This actually seems to be the stereotype of the bilingual Koreans I've talked to -- including that of a Korean-American fluent in Korean(!) Universally, they seem to accept the Korean media interpretation, and be unaware of the expat blog interpretation. This is not an attempt to troll.]
[...] the first time my post was off-topic, but the responses kept me alive (thanks, Linkd)! The second time was really too long for a comment, but I’ve already submitted it. Here I present the [...]
BTW-I would be happy to translate the article I posted above. Where is the email/contact located on this site? Can’t seem to find it.
It’s the mirror image of the kind of thing I would expect from a newbie at Anti-English Spectrum.
I think that was the point. And I think it succeeded.
Personally, I would have preferred a different approach. I don’t like the video. I don’t agree with using it.
But Metro’s point stands just the same. It is a response.
new release!
English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXfCrrjUdc8
Korean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIni_7VSwuY
Was the spotting knife shown in the news video actually found inside the home?
I hate to say this but not all foreigners are created equal. I am a white 27 female. But I have to say there are foreign male teachers who fit the “stereotype” of druggy and drunkard.
But I guess the point is that Koreans are no different than the habits some teachers possess. But we aren’t equal guys, to them.
Being angry and being pissed off isn’t going to change anything.
The only way to change is to change yourself. This is their culture and follows a different set of rules.
If Koreans want to believe the Foreign men are after their women and that foreign women are whores than that is their own social disease. Don’t build a wall to throw stones from at them.
Instead warm up to the Koreans you do know and SHOW them that you have a family, friends and everything about you that makes you HUMAN.
Eh… really I don’t believe their views will change until we as a community come together and create media ourselves that shows us as humane. Other than that Koreans will just see their media and our drunk asses walking home at night.
to the above poster:
How did you feel about the second video? it seems that there is more of that human angle to it