Scribblings of the Metropolitician

That Funky Robot Got Seoul!

Ha Sang Beg's F/W 2008 show was frickin' cool, of course, but the opening to the show was absolutely badass! So one could say the show was "mechanical," but that would wouldn't be a negative review in this case! What a badass way to kick off a show!

More details and pictures later. Right now, I'm off to the shows! You can see more of Ha Sang Beg here and you can keep up with our fashion week coverage over at www.FeetManSeoul.com.

Once Again, The Buffoon Speaks!

Ah, the self-described (and aptly named) "Seoul Buffoon" has graced the Korean blogosphere with yet another inane post (see the previous one), full of faulty punctuation, mispellings, and awkward turns of phrase – yet slams the English expat community as being unqualified to have an opinion on the seat switch because otherwise "they wouldn't be teaching first graders grammar."

Mmmm. Lovely. This coming from "a business journalist by profession."

Well, since he saw fit to delete my comment from his site, which was a terse-yet-not-rude response to his post, in which he calls me "one of" the people whom he thinks isn't qualified to do anything other than "teach first-graders grammar", I'll just paste my reposte onto my own humble blog. Since he "removes childish and immature reactions" to his posts and all.

First, I'll say that "teaching first graders grammar" isn't a job for losers, as this "journalist" apparently thinks, and I have great respect for my teachers from E.J. Brown Elementary School, who worked very hard to get the ABC's into my and my classmates' heads without ripping out their hair or developing a drinking problem. Being a first-grade grammar teacher isn't an easy job, and such people shouldn't be disrespected as losers, even if you want to express your obvious disdain for everyone in the teaching profession in Korea.

Yep -- I'm a teacher, but I don't teach English, actually. I teach US History and have lectured on American Culture as well as in Korean Studies; but I guess that doesn't matter, because what I REALLY need is a background in "space science" (what does that mean -- is that like going to "computer school?") should be proffering any opinions about the very Earth-based POLITICS of what's going on in relation to space, right?

Do I need a background in particle physics to discuss my opinion as to who might be more qualified for this mission? Or that secretly sending back sensitive materials to one's own country, in a blatant violation of clearly-defined protocols over there, might be something I deem reasonable grounds for being disqualified from going?

Does that qualify as a "conspiracy theory?" Oh – I should "leave it to the experts" to have an opinion as to who I think is more qualified to go after I personally interviewed one of the actual selected candidates about the specific tests and steps she went through in the selection process? Sure, I might be accused of having a personal bias because I know her, but why do I have to have a degree in the murkily-defined field of "space science" (would that be the theoretical end of string theory, or the more practical end of propulsion systems?) in order to think her to be highly qualified?

And the "experts" did decide – the guy violating the security protocols and who was deemed untrustworthy was demoted to the backup spot.

In the end, the Buffoon suffers from a continued inability to do his homework.

While not an "expert," I've certainly done a lot more thinking about this and expended more mental energy on this subject than he has, and he is certainly in no position to deem my opinion invalid -- his experience as a rhetorically-challenged "business journalist" who stoops to bragging about earning "four times the average salary of an english teacher" notwithstanding. Shall we just whip 'em out on the table and measure?

Someone's got a complex.

Seoul Buffoon -- stop tripping about being a vaunted "business journalist" or, as your profile says -- "Chief Editor of Biz Magazine" -- supposedly earning in the range of 8-12 million won per month, deal with your obvious rage and jealousy issues you have with anyone in the teaching profession, and police your own "childish and immature" diatribes.

And so, I hereby challenge you, Seoul Buffoon -- if you are so proud of who you are and what you do, then what's your name? Which publication(s) do you write for? Any links to anything you've written? You seem to say a lot for a man who won't sign either his name or sterling reputation to what you write.

I happen to know a lot of reporters in Seoul, some of them working in pretty big media outlets, and they'd probably love to hear about salaries in the range of 10 million won per month. Since you "make four times the average salary of an English teacher," right?

So, Seoul Buffoon, my name's Michael Hurt. I teach History and stuff. And I don't make much more than the "average English teacher."

I've called your bluff. Show us your cards. Prove me wrong.

That'd be pretty easy to do, right?

In the meantime, as we await an answer, please, please, please visit his site and let his voluminous and varied posts speak for themselves. I won't even offer any sharp words here -- I think his own writing speaks volumes.

"Conversation with an American Soldier"

Here's a Bomb English episode you all might be interested in, the first in our "Deep Conversation" series. In it, we talk to Mark, a major in the US Army, about his life and views on Korea. We think this to be a good conversation for many Korean listeners since most Koreans don't get the opportunity to hear directly from American soldiers,even though they are often very much talked about in the Korean media and over the proverbial water cooler.

Head on over to www.BombEnglish.com to take listen, download the file yourself, and get a transcript.

A Nice Piece of Buffoonery and My Thoughts On Korean Banks Being Caught In a Lie

I've discovered a blog truly worthy of its name – the "Seoul Buffoon." In response to an article that was pretty informative and an example of good journalism doing what it's supposed to do, which is to expose misdoings and inform the populace for the sake of the public good, the writer of the Seoul Buffoon, hereafter known as merely "the buffoon" writes:

All over the world, every bank is free to decide whom they give credit cards to based on their risk assessments. So naturally different banks will have different approaches to a request for a card from an expat. While one bank may feel an individual is a credit-risk, another may not. It happens everywhere. The reason why the bank officials would have mentioned some non-existing rule, is to get the expat off their backs.

Did he even read the article in question? The reason cited (and cited to me as well, when I myself tried to open a new account at KEB and they cited that non-existent law) was that the systems weren't able to track the transactions made on one's account in terms of the $10,000 limit per visit on withdrawals. My reaction? So hook up the system! Don't cheap out and simply deny me access to my hard-earned cash overseas, especially since withdrawing one's cash while overseas just MIGHT be more important who travel more often OVERSEAS.

It wasn't that foreigners were on anyone's "back", since the ability to withdraw money overseas from nearly any ATM was a strong point of the Korean banking system for YEARS, and it's perfectly reasonable to expect that if a major policy change is made (as in "you can't withdraw your money anymore) that you might get a notice beforehand.

KEB, for example, sends an email to each customer before any major holiday that involves curtailed online banking hours or access, as when I went to the US for a visit but wasn't able to access my money. After a call placed to KEB in Chicago, they informed me that there was system maintenance over the Korean national holiday, and upon a closer look at my email, I'd gotten a notice in the mail. Still, they apologized profusely, since any break in access to one's money overseas was taken seriously enough to warn every single one of their customers beforehand through email, and is a break in access that is very, very rare.

It's understood to be a given that one has access to one's funds overseas, and is a major reason you're given TWO types of cards when you open a bank account in Korea: one for domestic, one specifically designed for international use.

So suddenly having your international card not work, with no warning, and having utilized that service without any reason to expect an interruption for up to a decade, in my case, would be a serious inconvenience.

And I only found out about the law because I was opening a new account. Had I made an international trip at that time, it's very possible that I would have experienced the same shock that the interviewee in the story, who was suddenly cut off from her money while overseas had. Here's the response from "the buffoon":

Being a journalist she should have known better and inquired with the concerned bank before embarking an overseas trip. Different banks have different policies and one cannot say a country is “backward” based on this stupid experience. The lady may be backward for not doing enough due-diligence before subscribing to a card.

She should also have no issue with the $10,000 limit. She should have known better. Korea has the forex limit for reasons that are no secret. By the way, someone who wants to withdraw over $10,000 on an overseas trip should have taken the precaution and inquired first.

Yes, we all inquire before making basic transactions that one has been making for years, with no reason to expect that said access or services would be changed, right? I wonder if the "buffoon" calls all his banks and double-confirms everything before every trip overseas he makes. If he does, it might go something like this:

OPERATOR (cheerily): Visa customer service. How may I be of assistance today?

BUFFOON: Yes. I'd like to know if my Visa is still working overseas.

OPERATOR: Why, yes, sir. It most certainly should. The Visa card is recognized in major countries all across the world. It's everywhere you want to be, as we like to say. (chuckles cheerily)

BUFFOON: But can you specifically check if it will work in a major city such as Tokyo? I'm going there next week.

OPERATOR: It most certainly should, in any place that displays a "VISA" symbol, sir.

BUFFOON: But I want to make sure.

OPERATOR: Is there a specific point-of-sale location that you'd like me to check, sir?

BUFFOON: Umm, no. I just want to make sure it works in Japan.

OPERATOR (a bit confused): Umm...yes, sir. I'll check to make sure your card works...in all of Japan.

Rinse and repeat...3-5 times, for each card in most of our wallets. I guess the "Seoul Buffoon" has a lot of time on his hands than the rest of us, since I don't have time to go double-checking every service I've regularly used for years: I wonder if my phone will continue to work next month? Or my domestic ATM service? Or my electricity? Will I still be able to use my driver's license? And man, I sure hope my discount card at TGI Friday's is still valid.

Some people must have a lot of time on their hands.

The JoongAng article was good, and it gave me and others an important piece of information – the reason cited by the bank (this non-existent "new law") is not the reason for the change in policy. Basically, the banks are just too lazy to hook up their ATM transactions system to the tracking system for overseas transactions for foreigners. Which is something I suspected from the git-go, that someone was just being lazy somewhere. But I never thought that the "new law" line itself was a crock of shit.

And it's always a good sign when an organization wants to sue a newspaper for simply reporting the naked truth, and exposing that they were lying. Means somebody's doing their job.

If the "Seoul Buffoon" – one of the most apropos titles for a blog I've read in a loooong time, by the way – had actually read the article he criticizes, and understood the Korean banking system from direct experience, he'd understand just what kind of good article this was, instead of displaying just how poor his basic reading comprehension skills seem to be.

Oh, and by the way, "Buffoon," enjoy the brief burst in traffic you'll get from this; I'll let the poetry of your own prose speak for how much of a "Buffoon" you may or may not be. Here's another piece of link love to make sure.

Still Here, But Blocked by KT

Some of you have been complaining about not being able to access this site, and the problem seemed to only get worse from last week.

I was on the phone with KT yesterday, since the problem has gotten worse, specifically since last Friday. To their credit, they seemed concerned with the problem.

Korea.blogs.com (I ain't linking it!) seems to be the site that's the issue. The guy on the phone with me specifically checked the list of places banned by the MIC and blogs.com and SixApart (same company) is on it. And korea.blogs.com is specifically at issue (although it doesn't seem to be really active). Last Friday, they made another aggressive update to the block, apparently, which is why things have gotten worse. I myself was giving a lecture for a week at Kyeong Hee University in Suwon, and at the beginning of the week, I had accessed my site in class, while by Friday, it was no dice.

It was explained to me that since KT is also government-affiliated, they're more zealous about complying with MIC requests than private companies are. Which explains a lot of things. It is possible that KT was simply overzealous in blocking the offending site. It's blocked on the private sites as well, so they must have gotten the memo. Maybe it's KT's fault that they used a shotgun to swat a fly.

In any case, they're still checking, as there are possibly other issues exacerbating things. He's supposed to call me back.

But for now - yes, blogs.com and SixApart sites are on the ban list, but KT seems to be on the case about the problem of perhaps having blocked hundreds of thousands of sites because of a couple bad apples. I just think they didn't know.

We'll see how this pans out. And all this explains why my traffic has really started to take a dive lately. Especially from last week. Grrr. More news as I get it!

The "Korean History Channel"

Thanks to ExpatJane for this, since I'm getting on the bandwagon late.

Pushing the edge of acceptability, two young (Korean American?) guys do their take on two Korean old guys (ajussis!) with a lot of sarcasm and obvious pent-up frustration at probably having to have listened to Korean guys (relatives at family dinners?) in their 50's and 60's going on about how evil Japan was and is when all they wanted was a Playstation for Christmas. I can see it in their minds' eye:

KID: I want a Playstation for Christmas.

DAD: Playstation?! Why Playstation?!

KID: Because it plays games. I want a Playstation.

DAD: [BEGIN JAPAN-IS-EVIL RANT AND WHY YOU SHOULD BUY SOMETHING FROM SAMSUNG.]

KID: I still want a Playstation.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard variations on that same conversation. I'm used to it by now, but I can also see how it gets old, and it's pretty easy to parody. I was showing off my iPod Nano just today to some older people, and the first note was "Samsung makes the memory chips for those, you know." Yeah, I know. And that's cool. But coming from a person who otherwise knew nothing about the actual iPod line or the product other than that singular fact, it was kinda funny.

I thought the "Japanese stegosaurus" schtick was pretty funny. They came to eat all the peace-loving Korean dinosaurs and never apologized. Hehe.

Is This Really "Anti-troops"?

Something I posted on ROKDrop, a blog worth reading and a perspective worth knowing about. We disagree from time to time on some things, most recently on his recent piece on a New York Times piece I read last night, was very saddened by, but quite appreciated. Whether or not they got some things wrong, I don't think such journalism is "anti-troops."

My comment on the ROKDrop post in question:

Sure. Being Af-Am isn't actually a reasonable "cause" for troubles back home, and the rates of bad things happening amongst people with PTSD seems to be higher, and the incidents caused by the violence and stress of being in action.

And to be fair, the NYT reporters were very clear from the jump about the context they wanted to be taken in, the fact that their research for the story was not scientific nor exhaustive, as well as the fact that they went to great lengths to interview talking heads who point out that PTSD is one of many factors that lead to problems back home, but to say PTSD is not worth looking at unto itself is a problem, especially given the stigma that exists about the subject even (and especially) within the military itself.

One might disagree with aspects of their take on the story, but that article struck me as honest – certainly not "anti-troops."

And major newspapers (The Washington Post is a recent example, in their series on black men) and the print publishing media has done a great deal of good, responsible work on the problems endemic to certain parts of the black community (black men in particular), and dealt with the problem of violence and drugs in particular.

I don't and didn't have a problem with that being pointed out, as long as it's done responsibly and with an eye to context, as I think the NYT story was.

Combined with a very good story done by NPR recently on PTSD, involving both a civilian and official Army psychologist, veteran representatives, vets from Vietnam and Iraq, which looked at the complex issues involved in coming home and the difficulties in getting help sometimes, or identifying the problem, I don't think the so-called "liberal" media is troop bashing at ALL, but on the contrary, taking a nuanced take through good journalism on a difficult and emotional subject.

Kudos for the NYT tackling this issue. When I read this as a civvie leftie, I didn't think "damn troops!" but I sympathized with the hell that soldiers are going through in war. And I really think most of the readers of the NYT are with me on that, since that's the spirit in which this is written, tone, context – all of that.

If any criticism is being leveled in the direction of the "military" it's for failing to recognize the problem and help its soldiers get treatment, as expressed through pending suits against the government, not just the NYT's alleged agenda or hatred of "troops." I think this is real news, and an issue worth looking at, just as the Walter Reid issue is and was.

This kind of journalism is about as "anti-troops" as saying that a failing health care system is "anti-patient" or pointing out the collapse of public education as "anti-student."

I don't find the content, tone, or context of these articles "anti-troop" at all. I think, as a self-avowed right-of-center guy and as a member of the military yourself, you might just be taking this in much more of a sensitive way than need be, which is understandable, given the emotions running high about this war.

Still, I maintain that it has become quite politically possible to be anti-war and have no animosity towards "the troops" and in fact, anti-war protest has always been such, even and especially in Vietnam. Even the ever-present spectre of the "spitting on troops" image is quite overblown, as peace/anti-war/free speech activists in the late 1960's worked quite closely with veteran groups against the war. A man I heard on NPR, and a book I want to read and has been quite talked about: The Spitting Image

He makes a very compelling case that even the "fact" of troops being spit upon as a rule back in Vietnam is mostly a media creation and more of a function of post-Vietnam war movies than something grounded in reality, or much more than urban myth amongst vets who did in fact face some negativity towards them, but rarely, if any spitting or other pattern of obvious derision.

Personally, I think the "anti-troops" myth right now is a big one, because I don't know anyone on my side of the fence who has anything against soldiers, and this includes activists and other active anti-war people. Just like the NYT piece, whenever a liberal speaks out against the war, or against even one of the government's institutions in the NAME of saving American lives and getting our men and women 1) back home, 2) the proper equipment, as in criticizing Rumsfeld for not getting the proper armor on Humvees, or 3) help and treatment upon returning from war - we get slapped with this "anti-troops" thing and dismissed as disrespecting men and women in uniform.

I don't believe this is happening, nor is that the intent. And I just wanted to extend that to the present NYT piece as well. I think some very good and helpful work is being done to help soldiers. And as a person with family members presently in the military, as well as a father, uncle, and other family members 20 years retired, I am certainly not "anti-troops." And one of the reasons my Dad got such good hospice care in his fight against colon cancer (lost in 2001) was because he lived near the UMich hospital and was able to receive care through them, as opposed to the Dayton, OH VA hospital that I wouldn't want to wish on anyone fighting for their lives in a hospital bed. Which is where the heart of the Walter Reed reporting was, and where I think – for what it's worth – is where the heart of the present NYT article is.

That's where I'm coming from, in any case. I just think it's kind of a cheap shot to lump everything critical of the war or the military as "anti-troops" when there's much more complexity and carefulness than you imply here.

Thanks, Brian, for a More Reasonable Message

Read this post from Brian in Cheollanam-do. A good recap, as well as concise statement as to "why I'm still here" for those who've asked.

Getting Anthropological with the Wonder Girls

Thanks to Gusts of Popular Feeling for the lengthy, well-thought write up. For another sendup on the Wonder Girls, I think it's a smart piece. And I do like the fact that we can have a conversation here, building on each other and adding, helping the thought processes move along. Two related posts:

"Reading too much into the Wonder Girls"

"Perceptions of teens in the mid-1990's"

I am especially glad that Matt went and did the latter write-up, since he explicitly found a lot of the stuff I had read and heard about back in the 1990's and from working in alternative and youth education in the 2000's. That's where a lot of my apparent anger and disgust with the Wonder Girls marketing and reception by older men is coming from, since there are some pretty significant reasons in Korean society for alarm bells to be going off here.

At least, from one perspective.

Great job, and as always, great blog.

"Silly Rabbit! Questions are for RUDE People!"

I haven't written a spoof piece in a long time, but this utterly stupid and eminently arrogant article (which you should read BEFORE reading further) in the Korea Herald is beyond the realm of criticism. It's almost like a parody of itself, except that it isn't. Check out the debate going on about it at The Marmot's Hole, where I first ran across this story.

Here's my adaptation, with minimal changes besides the ridiculously specific nature of my identity and the language involved. "1.7-generation Korean-American" – Now that's most of the joke right there.

"What Are Appropriate Questions?"

By Shakifa Kim

Since coming to South Korea in July of 1994 to work as an English teacher through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship on Cheju Island, I often had to deal with the following questions from teachers and students: Do you eat chitterlings (eb. "chit'lins)? Can you speak ebonics? Have you tried this food and that food and so on.

Such endless and redundant questions have made me think how unknowledgeable people are about Korean-Americans, part-percentage Korean-African-Americans, overseas Koreans (gyopo) and the Korean/African diaspora as a whole and how much of a long way we have to go to bridge this gap of understanding.

Therefore, with the intention to bridge the gap, I would like to respond through this writing to the questions I often encounter, reflecting on my personal experiences as a 0.4 generation Korean-American. (I was born in the U.S. to a black father and Korean mother, but since my blackness does not extend past my waist and seems to have only partially included my penis, and the majority of my body fat is in my belly, I can't exactly say I'm "half-Korean" and will err on the side of a lesser fraction of Korean genetic material.)

Through my responses, I hope to help bring about such redundant, naive and perhaps, inappropriate questions to those that are more reasonable, sensible and respectful.

Let me start with the all too familiar question: Do you speak ebonics? I personally find this question annoying. Yes, I understand that many people often assume that 0.4-percentage Korean-African-Americans can't speak ebonics because of the fact that I have only a taint of black in my blood and would seem to only possess a rudimentary knowledge of ebonics.

So I guess it would only be inevitable that such a question is asked to 0.4-percentage Korean-African-Americans. It's also unfortunate that because of this, I'm too often generalized and stereotyped as someone who had no exposure to ebonical language and can't speak it.

Moreover, this generalization is aggravated by the fact that I'm a native English speaker and therefore, we must all be English-speaking monolinguals.

I have too often let this go over my head, thereby letting people get away with their generalization. But I reached a point where I felt that it was time for me to stand up, speak the truth and embrace my ebonical-self rather than try to fit into this black and white mold where you have to be either Korean, a smart-looking American white guy, or black.

So when ``Do you speak ebonics?'' was asked, I answered ``Yes'' and if further questions were asked, which is always the case, I gladly answered even if it required a lengthy explanation.

Since my main concern was to help them to dispel their stereotypes about 0.4-percentage Korean-African-Americans, I didn't hesitate to fire back with a vengeance in ebonics when assumptions were made.

At last, after two years of struggling with this beast, I have gained the confidence and courage to stand up, speak the truth and not be pigeonholed into this box that has no place for people like me. Therefore, I have taken many people by surprise.

The fact of the matter is, most 0.4-generation Korean-African-Americanss who belong in the 0.6 or lower category, do speak ebonics and many of them, for the most part, grew up speaking ebonics with their parents.

I grew up in an ebonics-speaking home so I'm no exception. So why is this so surprising to people? Isn't this common knowledge?

What's even worse is that I've encountered some Koreans who thought that I learned to speak ebonics while in Korea, not before coming to Korea. Of course, I find this completely absurd.

Not only are they discrediting the efforts of many 0.4-percentage Korean-African-Americans in America, who have spread the ebonical language and culture in America, they are also disrespecting my parents, both ebonics speakers from historically black establishments all across Ohio, as well as my ancestors, some of whom have their roots that go all the way back to Africa and stuff, yo.

One of my co-teachers even went on to tell me how lucky I am to have the opportunity to immerse myself in Korean culture and language because the majority of Korean students don't have the opportunity to immerse themselves in English culture and language. Therefore, I should be more understanding of Korean students as a non-ebonics speaker.

How dare she compare my situation to the Korean students! Did these students have to speak English to communicate with their parents like I had to speak ebonics to communicate with my parents growing up? I remember being utterly offended by her statement.

A similar response can be said of questions dealing with food such as ``Do you like chitt'lins?'' ``Have you tried dirty rice?'' etc. I had a black parent and therefore, I only grew up eating black food at home. My mother cooked nothing other than black food. The refrigerator at my home was always stocked with grits, okra, and lawwwwwd knows how many collard greens.

So to answer your question once more, yes indeed, I've tried chitt'lins. I can eat biscuits and gravy. I know how to use Tabasco sauce.

So may I ask all of you once more to please ask something more reasonable, appropriate and meaningful next time you meet a 0.4-percentage Korean-African-American? There's so much more to ask other than the same, mundane and outdated questions such as the ones I mentioned above.

And as they say in ebonics, "Ya'll betta recognize, boooieee! Word up to ya mutha, yo!"

The writer is currently freelancing as a teacher and journalist in Seoul. She can be contacted at mr_0.4_percentage_Korean_African_American_living_in_korea_so_you_betta_memorize_my_email_address_it'll_be_on_the_test_you_little_snots@yahoo.com.