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| This week's round-up |
| 05.23.04 (10:13 am) [edit] |
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The big news this week, of course, was the announcement of the beginng to the end of USFK. It is about time, too, since Korea needs to get rid of the crutch of dependency America was. It was kind of interesting how the story unfolded. First the anouncement of the departure of the 4000 strong brigade and the following announcement of the removal of their support troops. USFK never had any plan of "consolidating" south of the Han River because anybody with two brain cells knew that The Dear Leader's "NGOs" would go ape shit and never allow one more pyong of land to go to big nose. The whole "Land Partnership Plan" was a way for America to get out of Korea without looking like it was going to desert its "Ally." Well, the events of the last two years have shown what kind of "ally" Korea is. Imagine blocking building a new US Emassy, [i][b]one farther from Kyungpook-gun![/b][/i] The fact is the Dear Leader has been really successful in his campaign to sever the Koreans from their American allies. Electing his party into office, with some really big help from Han-nara-dang in impeaching Comrade Roh, was the icing on the cake. The announcement timing by USFK was no coincidence, either. I said this was going to happen two years ago and absolutely nobody believed me. What is going to happen in the very near future is all US ground troops will leave Korea. I give it about a year. All the US really wants to keep is the airbases at Osan and Pyeongteak, neither of which cause much friction with the locals. However, I would not be surprised to see them close soon as once the ground troops are gone, the Dear Leader will order the NGOs to focus on Osan. The other big story this week was the Shinchon incident. As usual this was played up waaaaaay too much in both the Korean press, OhmyLies and waygook bloggers. I think we have to look at the dynamics of young soldiers such as the ones involved. They are trained to kill people. They are told of America's superiority on a minutely basis and really believe it. They are taught to be aggressive. They do not tend to be the highest members on the Darwinian chain. What is more, there are some really nasty subcultures running in the US military, things that Rummy and Bu$h do not want you to know about. The recent Iraq debacale is a perfect example. The problem militaries have is that they have to let these kids out of the zoo now and again. Most behave OK but like all 20 year old boys, sometimes some get out of hand. In this case, they got out of hand, attracted too much attention to themselves and got themeslves into a bad situation. I am not defending the crowd but the fact one of them had a [i][b]hunting knife [/b][/i] on him shows an incredibly bad sense of judgement. Say what you want in Korea but I lived there for years and nobody, ever, bothered me on the street, not even once. I found the reactions of the waygook bloggers interesting. Marmot was reasonable but Rathbone got on his high horse again. This incident was started by the GI's poor behaviour. I have never seen Korean kids act like that no matter what Owen says and I have spent a lot of time boozing and carousing in Seoul over the years. I say throw the book at the idiot. The fact is that this is a case the Korean side will process and prosecute. There is not much for the Dear Leader's minions to do in this case because it shows the SOFA in fact works. Had that stupid GI pulled such a stunt in America, he would be looking at a lot more time than he will get in Korea. Anyway, awaiting next week's events. |
| Bye-bye- USFK! |
| 05.17.04 (11:17 am) [edit] |
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Well, what I have been predicting for at least two years now has come true: USFK is packing up. Mark these words, the 4000 leaving now are only an advance party. Moreover, the troops leaving constitute a significant portion of the combat strength of USFK. There will not be much point in leaving their support units in Korea, either, since there will be nothing to support. Yet again I will say my piece: Korea will never be a real member of the Big Boys Club, it it ever becomes one, that is, as long as USFK remains in Korea. America is a easy scapegoat for Korea. Without America, Korea will have to take responsibility for its actions. |
| Idiots "R" Us, Volume 2 |
| 05.06.04 (12:46 pm) [edit] |
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Today's story of Idiots "R" Us has four wack-job Japanese gangsters sqauring off against millions of Korea nationalists. I am sure anyone reading this has followed the Marmot's extremely funny take on what I think is the funniest thing to come out of Korea in years. For a nation so obsessed with international images, it stuns me how Korea can so often get into behaviour that makes my 3 1/2 year old look mature. I found the whole thing utterly hilarious! Imagine sending [b]FIFTEEN [/b] ROK Navy vessels to prevent an "invasion" for four loonie-tunes in an 18 foot fibreglass boat. Utterly laughable! I exchanged a few e-mails with some Japanese friends and my mail was the first they had heard of it. Most, like 99.99999999%, Japanese see the right wing as kind of a comic embarrassment. The comment I got the most was that Korea is yet again reinforcing the Japanese stereotype of Koreans as retarded third cousins, that is when they even bother thinking about Korea, which they practically never do. What is more is 99.99999% of Koreans think these kind of antics are a great thing for Deahan Minguk, while the rest of the world is rolling around on the floor laughing. Talk about a nut-bar ratio of 45,000,000 : 1 ! I also found uproariously funny some of the reaction to my tongue in cheek comments on Marmot's site like this one. I had said that Korea would never abide with any ruling not in its favour. [b]Very lame statmement. Only a pig would make. How do I know you're an american pig who has an obession with asia? I can just smell it. Let me give you a dose of honesty because you're not qualified to pretend to be the all knowing judge on this matter(sarcasm). It has nothing to do with Korea not abiding by a ruling not in its favor but actually abiding by a ruling that is unfair[/b] I loved this because this intelllectual Korea male (who is now afraid to post on my comments because he has embarassed himself too many times) confirms what I stated in his last sentence. Since I lived in Asia for ten years I do maintain interest in the place, especially when something this funny happens. Loved the name calling, too. I am flattered. Oh, I am also not American. If I were gay, I could get married here too, and as Canadians we see titties on TV!!! Canada #1!!! I look forward to more of this. It really made my mudane week a lot more pleasant. Oh, an poiboy, it din not make the news here in Canada. |
| Idiots "R" Us |
| 05.03.04 (8:28 am) [edit] |
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I welcome comments when they are reasonable and I find this one very amusing: [b]Dear Kimchipig, Good story, but when I read it I felt a bit uneasy about your approach to the Koreans. You essentially say: "They are just barbarians who cannot grasp our superior Western civilization based on civic virtues, ethics, gender equality etc.”[/b] Don't like what I write? You have every right to click "back" anytime you want. Had you actually read carefully, you would have seen a rich Korean trying to use influence to get special treatment for her son. I was simply pointing out that this kind of behaviour does not work in Canada. [b] Hm... But you should read what we, the post-Soviet Russians, usually write about your North American countrymen (Canada fares better, the major wrath is directed against the US, of course).[/b] Now Russia is a great example of a country that has the right to criticise anybody in the area of human rights, not that I believe for one second that you are Russian. Why don't we study Russia's record, shall we. Where can we start? The Tsars? Sure, and after 1000 pages of horrors we can end at Chechnya. I know damned well who you are from your IP (which, since you avoided racist name calling, this time, I will not post). [b] I mean, not newspaper stuff, but what people write in forums. [/b] What a bunch of xenophobes write on the internet means diddly squat because the internet is full of angry boys with no social skills trying to blame their lack of success on those who are successful [b]The same air of superiority to silly, uneducated, mean, primitive, selfish Westerners[/b] I do believe that our system of rule of law is superior to the mob and special interest rule that prevades in Korea. What Mommie had here was a lesson in what REAL democracy is: EQUALITY for all. In this case, Su-min is not going to get out of P.E. because all the other kids have to do it, the teachers and school staff is protected because there is a system of checks and balances that guarantees rights and the police will enforce them. You think that I am uneducated? Send me an e-mail address and I will send copies of my degrees and certificates. [b]("they do not know how to treat women, have no idea what family really means, are incapable of serious studies, know nothing about the world, brain-washed, lazy and very fat"). [/b] You accuse me of racist generalisations and you yourself are the first to resort to them. I treat women as equals. I know nothing about the world? I have seen and lived in a lot of more of it that you have, poiboy. Brainwashed? What do you call 100,000 clones chanting "Daehan-minguk!" over and over again for hours on end. Further, there is about a 99.9% chance you know abosolutely nothing about Canada, Canadian law, Canadian culture or Canadian traditions or those from America, either. You are simply parroting what you have read on the internet from similarly angry boys such as yourself. Incapable of serious studies? Get real. The only Nobel Prize Korea ever got they bought. If Phd's were handed out based on how much time is spent "studying" all of Korea would have one. [b]Well, I am not admirer of this writings even if they (like you) sometimes get the facts right.[/b] Then don't read them. I am sorry to confuse you with facts. Must disturb your "kibun" and make your "Han" boil. [b]May be, we all - Canadians, Koreans, Russians – have to be a bit more careful with righteous generalizations about other cultures? [/b] Show me one generalisation. I was describing a specific case. [b]But it would be an utopian world…[/b] Poiboy, you are no doubt and intelligent boy and you seem to have taken seriously my admonishments to get a education but you are not going to get critical thinking skills by surfing the internet. Further, by continually pretending to be something you are not, (German, a Marine "Corpse" member, to name a couple) you do a disservice to your country and only go to confirm the stereotypes people have about Korea. Further, Industry Canada figures state that the Korean mania for overseas education is pumping at least $300m a year into the Lower Mainland and billion in all of Canada. We let Koreans build and buy anything they want here (example: every major Korean newspaper has a Vancouver edition. Try that in Korea!) and we reap the benefits. Korea could easily address this education defecit by allowing real foreign schools in Korea and allowing them to be staffed by real teachers with real permanent resident visas. Think of the investment that would pour into Korea and the amount of Korean students who would study in Korea instead of here. However, Korean closed minded thinking and special interests conspire to prevent this And I knew you couldn't stay away. You hit at least twice a day. PS: Please forgive any typos. I am in a hurry to get to work. Do you know what "work" is poiboy? |
| Gasp, Pant... |
| 05.02.04 (8:15 pm) [edit] |
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Again it has been a long interval between posts. The reason is simple; work! I am swamped with work, offers of work and turn lots down. The reason is simple: at least 65% of the population of Greater Vancouver does not speak English at home. This makes it very difficult for children to do well in school. I have mostly gotten in the Korean crowd and what a strange lot they are. Most are mothers here wth their kids for the sole purpose of getting their kids an education in English. They have two ghettos, both in really shitty areas, Coquitlam and Surrey for those familar with the Lower Mainland. Both suburbs are awash with white trash and scuzzbuckets. I assume that lower property prices cause the Koreans to move to these areas. I would never live in either! The Korean boys have a terrible time adjusting to Canadian schools. Kids here are rather, ahem, tough. Canadian parents see the value of athletics and teaching values to their kids such as courtesy and kindness to others. Korean mothers do not, for them the only goal in life is to force their kid to spend as much time as possible "studying." This usually means spending a lot of time in hagwans and in their rooms in front of computers. Of course, in classic Korean style, the appearance is the important thing. If little Su-min is playing Lineage on the computer at least it looks like he is studying so all is well. Su-min sits in hagwans or at the computer and stuffs his fucking fat gob with crap and ends up being 200 lbs at age 11. Not surprisingly, the Canadian kids rib the living shit out him and his P.E. teacher calls him a wussie. Mommie's solutuion: go to the school and get Su-min taken out of P.E. class. Around the same time, Su-min asked me "What does 'throw him in the ditch' mean?" Obviously Su-min, whose classmates call him "Degi-boy" is not having much fun here. Herein lies a major cultural difference: In Korean, she who complains the most gets the most. Koreans can push around just about anybody they want if they have enough money and yell enough. The recpient of the bitching will always bend to the person in the higher social position. I doesn't work that way here. In this case, if Su-min's Mommie wants to facilitate his wussiedom, she has to have a valid medical reason. This sends Mommie into a tizzy. [i]How dare a waygook tell me what to do with my treasured little (in her mind, anyway) genius![/i] P.E class is taking away study time from Su-min and will probably be the reason he does not make it into Harvard Law School! So Mommie takes Su-min in for a physical and the doctor comes to this prognosis: "Su-min is a fat fucking lump who rams coke and cheetos into his fat fucking face all day and some exercise would do him good." Mommie is now at the end of her rope. How dare them dirty waygooks not do what what she wants! She is spending upward of $100k a year to have her two kids in school here! money talks, right? Wrong, in this case so Mommie seeks out a Korean-Canadian doctor who will also not sign to get Fat Boy out of P.E. citing the far-out concept, one totally unknown in Korea, of [i][b]ethics![/b][/i] So what does Mommie do now? She marches back to the school and demands the P.E. teacher be fired at which point everyone in earshot bursts out laughing sending Mommie into an Ajuma rage which leads to the statement "Please leave or the police will come." I explain that this is for real. All this transpired over the last two weeks and I got into the middle of it because I speak Korean relatively well and really wanted to help Mommie and Su-min adjust somewhat to Canadian culture. Problem is that Mommie cannot really grasp the concept of law and proceedures. Now she is frantic because if she returns to Korea before Su-min (who is not exactly Ivy-League material) graduates from Harvard Law, she will lose more face then having a waygook P.E teacher calling her darling a wussie. Mommie also finds out that she cannot just change schools like she has changed Su-min's hagwan so many times. The most ironic thing is Su-min's little sister. She is eight years old and Mommie does not bother wasting money on tutors or hagwans for her. She is only a girl, afterall. The last time I met her she had her face buried in a book, and English one at that. She spoke well and according to her teacher, is very popular. Ain't it amazing? |