Hey, Guess I'm OK, Then

H/T to reader for cajoling me out of my blogging vacation. But, I guess I better chime in:

"'어글리 백인 강사' 조심하세요" ("Beware the Ugly White Teacher")

Man, that's some racist shit. It gets better:

"백인 영어강사, 한국 여성에 에이즈 위협" ("White English Teacher Threatens Korean Woman With AIDS")

The stupidity of the "sports newspaper" hardly needs to be pointed out. And I'll be mercifully brief in my points.

1) Get with the 21st century. Learn the difference between being HIV+ and contracting AIDS. Newspapers in Korea continue to not know the difference and add to the ignorance about this topic.

2) This is just the perfect case the media's been waiting for, assuming it's even true, since the source is a web site of an organization of hagwons – now, that's calling the kettle black – illegally creating a blacklist that would get any of us foreigners sued to high heaven if we named blacklists of evil hagwons. Since the source is a blog and an email from hotmail, I'd say that double-confirming the sources and getting some additional confirmation would be in order. And if this story turns out to be as full of shit as when YTN reported Bill Gates as having been murdered, or the non-existent Mad Max atmosphere of Hongdae, don't look for a retraction in any Korean newspaper.

3) As for the email, if that guy's a native speaker of English, then I'll be a monkey's 삼촌.

What I want to know is – where's the interview with this mystery Australian? Is there confirmation from any outside source, say, a doctor or organization that says he tested positive? All we have is a Konglish-laden email from Hotmail? OOO-K.

4) Even if said evil white Australian English teacher actually sent the email, what evidence separates this from just a vindictive email sent by a jilted lover? If so, the guy's guilty of being a dick, but this is not newspaper worthy.

I must say that what is more interesting is how the use of HIV as a weapon is made possible in a society where being HIV+ is a crime. Were this woman to test positive, this woman would never find employment in Korea, be completely socially ostracized, and forbidden from living in the normal population, shipped off to the "AIDS colonies" where such transgressors against the psychological desire to not deal with this issue are sent.

The moral of this story, if true? A responsible newspaper media would point out the importance of at least using condoms and other means of protection, instead of perpetuating the harmful (and not just to foreigners) myth that only "dirty foreigners" can "have AIDS."

One of the reasons I know about this is because I edited several HIV/AIDS-related reports for the Korean CDC related to this topic, and let me tell you, the level of ignorance in public policy about HIV/AIDS in this country is scary, and in the end, the people overwhelmingly hurt by this stupidity are Korean citizens themselves.

Criminalizing the HIV+ and effectually stamping out any desire to actually be voluntarily tested, thereby effectively reducing the spread of the disease by encouraging people to confirm their status rather than the reality, which is that a person in a high-risk group would be wise to avoid testing, since you're a criminal either way; as they say in Korean, "모르는 게 약."

Glad to see the Korean media at it again: using flimsy sources, beating the drum of the AIDS-infested, foreign sexual predator, and adding to the body of ignorance and fear about HIV/AIDS.

Good, responsible journalism for the nation.

And according to the newspapers, you don't have to beware ME, since I'm not WHITE! So ditch the condoms, Korean ladies, and let's get ready for some sharing of dirty heroin needles, home blood transfusions, and bareback anal action!

This is one black, drug-abusing, AIDS-infested sexual predator ready to PAR-TAY! Forget those WHITE English teachers – you're totally safe with me! All those Thai hookers back in Thailand were totally safe – trust me, baby!

And you know what they say about BLACK, drug-abusing, AIDS-infested sexual predators, heh heh heh...

Comments

[MrMao]

And you know what they say about BLACK, drug-abusing, AIDS-infested sexual predators, heh heh heh...

Er, they can't get E-2 visas?

[bored]

You know, someone should probably file a complaint with the Korean Human Rights Commission.

http://www.humanrights.go.kr/eng/index.jsp

[law]

Wow.. just..... wow.....

next time instead of writiing the letter herself she should have gotten a native speaker to write it. would have been more convincing. jus sayin'

[pm]

It's ironic as well that, in a society in which people are highly paranoid about their reputations to the point of getting hostile at street photographers, it would be considered OK to publicly display personal e-mail correspondence with the sender's name and e-mail address unedited for privacy. Obviously, the same right to reputation isn't extended to non-Koreans.

[calliopegirl]

Michael, excellent comments, as usual. I actually contacted the bloke whose privacy and reputation have been so criminally invaded and damaged, just to say I was sorry for him. He asked me if I knew what he should do. I really don't know. Perhaps you do? You might try emailing him...

[calliopegirl]

Michael, excellent comments, as usual. I actually contacted the bloke whose privacy and reputation have been so criminally invaded and damaged, just to say I was sorry for him. He asked me if I knew what he should do. I really don't know. Perhaps you do? You might try emailing him...

[Brendon Carr]

Michael, good news: The risk of HIV transmission in bareback anal action falls quite disproportionately upon the recipient. Unless that's you -- not that there's anything wrong with that! -- it's still (relatively) safe even if you're with a known HIV carrier. The estimated per-act risk for acquiring HIV from unprotected insertive anal sex with a partner confirmed to be HIV positive is 6.5 per 10,000 (0.065%). Your risk has to be lower because your partner's HIV status is unknown. Whoopee! (Receptive anal sex risk is much higher: 50 per 10,000.) My doctor's advice? Try not to have anal sex with 10,000 people. "Okay, doctor, I'll try. But there's so much peer pressure."

As for the heroin needle-sharing, always go first. Stock up so you never run out, and make the other junkies wait their turn. Hypodermic needles are widely available here in Korea, too.

You watch AFN, so I know that you know you can't get AIDS from giving blood.

[The Metropolitician]

But we were going to do the transfusions using the hypodermic NEEDLES, after mixing in a bit of smack first. Brendon, man, you just don't know how to PARTY American-style.

Geez! Did you even LIVE in America? 'Cause this is just basic, man – 기본. And of course the anal action's going both ways, dude. It wouldn't be a party otherwise. Sheesh!

[Brendon Carr]

When I joined the Navy, the entrance physical at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) included a harrowing episode where they lined us all up in our drawers, shoulder-to-shoulder, and handed each of us a latex glove, which glove we were instructed to hold in our left hand. Being a foolish kid, all I could imagine was that we were going to be instructed to turn to the right, put the right hand on the shoulder of the guy in front of us, and probe around with the left hand to see if anything felt unusual. I didn't feel qualified to do that!

After that image flashed through my brain, it was a relief to have the doctor come in, take the glove from us, and feel around on our testicles. They were checking us for hernia, not polyps.

This is the closest I've ever come to anal action going both ways.

[Roch]

Michael Hurt:

You deserve a medal for being the ballsiest dude in South Korea.

Not only this, Sir, but you deserve a medal for being forking smart and using your excellent intellectual gifts for the Greater Good.

God bless you, Sir, and do take good care of yaw-self.

I am,

Roch