So what gives Burger the idea she has the right to criticize North American culture, as an Indian? Or for that matter, Indian culture, as an North American? Because if she grew up/went to school in North America half her life, isn’t she just as much as an outsider to the Indian culture as she is the NA culture? How is she so sure she hasn’t completely eliminated her own North American cultural baggage to an extent that she can criticize any other culture? By her own criteria, she doesn’t sound qualified to criticize either culture.

“…but also examine yourself and your assumptions and your attitude and learn to evaluate how much of your entrenched background you are still caged within and what the nature of the cage is from which you speak. It is not the matter of how many years you have lived somewhere–it is a matter of where you are coming from.”

I think it’s impossible to be perfectly aware of where you are coming from at all times and to know with perfect clarity the nature of your particular cage. It’s a standard that is impossible to meet and impossible to quantify, but I agree it is one you should work towards, especially if you encounter something in another culture that you find strange, undesirable or indefensible.

Anyone who thinks people from her host culture should do what she says just because she says so has some work to do. Of course no one has to listen to you or agree with you. Only an arrogant, self-important person would think that, and those people are not exclusive to North America.

And Burger, how is “Well, I don’t care what you think, nyah, nyah!” NOT a defensive response to that clueless Canadian? Not only defensive, but rude! Sounds like you’re more North American than you realize or care to admit, huh?

To make a long story short, he flipped his lid at his hogwon and got himself fired. He tried to rally people to his cause to fight this injustice, and all the injustices to English teachers. He must of forgotten all the times when he told others to “suck it up” when they had issues. I saw him about a week before he left, going on and on about what a “hole” Korea was and how we should all leave. Now whenever, I run across a kimchileader, I see a little “Tom” in disguise.

Wasn’t the Boston Tea Party about the right to protest? What is wrong with complaining? I understand why “ask a Korean” would defend Korea, as I believe he is Korean.

I think that the ones who try to get involved in the discussion of how Korea can achieve its own stated goals — because it’s not Westerners telling Korea to become a “world hub of whatever” — it’s Koreans who want that, (and foreigners know how to convince foreigners to travel here, and foreigners know how to convince foreigners to invest here, probably better than Koreans do) — people trying to participate in THAT dialogue find it frustrating to be lumped in with Johnny Firstyear’s vocalising of his unreflecting culture shock, when they HAVE done their homework, and really do want to see Korea become a better place for everyone (not just for them) — a lot of us stand to gain or lose as Korea does well or poorly.

Not that I’m American, but I think that policy makers in America WOULD try to listen to that group of fresh-off-the-boat immigrants, if they were complaining about issues that pertained directly to them; they might even be consulted, say, if social services was interested in learning how to better support new immigrants’ transition to American life. Sure, they wouldn’t be consulted for fixing the mortgage crisis, but in the right arena, I think they’d have a voice in America, or Canada (where I’m from).

Can you imagine a small, non English speaking, recent arrived immigrant group in America complaining about all the problems of American society (that is already covered by the American media) and expecting the Americans to listen to THEM for guidance on how to fix things?

And to the clueless person above who said:
“philosophies like Confucianism that should be tossed in the dustbin of history. But the only way to do that is to continue to point out that they need to be thrown away.”

And you wonder why they don’t listen to you?

And yes, I know the main branch is in Gwanghwamun, but I found at least three different sets of “hours” for it, including two different ones from “official” Korean websites. FYI, it closes at 1 p.m. on Saturdays, not 8 p.m. (learned this the hard way).

I guess stuff like that can be annoying, because unless I’m missing something, it would take someone about an hour to simply update the Korea Post website:

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

But that’s also pretty minor compared to the litany things I found myself bitching about in America before I came here.

harmonious social relations
Or: Classism forcing the “lower” to shut up and put up with the shit of the “upper”.

respect for education
HAW HAW HAW~

Thanks for the laugh. Teachers are slightly above the hwajangshil ajumma on the respect scale here.

moral governance
Or: The status quo telling people how to think.

but denying that there’s any good in it at all is as seems just as fundamentalist as radical Islam or extreme far-right Christianity.

This is an incorrect statement. Fundamentalism has no meaning outside of a religious context.

If you actually ignore what the believers claim, and actually take the time to read the mythology, you’ll discover that religion has no moral core. And all of it’s “benefits”, (like working together, morals, and alturism), are things that occur naturally in people.

Religion’s only value is in social control… If that’s what you’re into.