"Korean Parents Subject of Int'l Ridicule for Education Zeal" . . . that's news?

Sorry, that was mean. The Korea Times picked up the story about Randy Newman writing a song making fun of Korean parents.

Some Jewish kids still trying
Some white kids trying too
But millions of real American kids don’t have a clue
Right here on the lot
We got the answer
A product guaranteed to satisfy…

Korean parents for sale
You say you need a little discipline
Someone to whip you into shape
They’ll be strict but they’ll be fair

Look at the numbers
That’s all I ask
Who’s at the head of every class?
You really think they’re smarter than you are
They just work their asses off
Their parents make them do it…

Koreans were apparently complaing about it being racist and promoting distorted stereotypes. I'm sure they're just as upset at the newspapers, books, TV shows, and movies in Korea that often fail to portray foreign cultures and peoples in positive ways. The article kind of implies at the end that Koreans should tolerate the song because it presents positive stereotypes, and I think you'll find that the people getting worked up about it are Asian-Americans bothered by the "model minority" thing. I'm sure some hyper-sensitive Asian-Americans will make a huge stink about it, but I don't think it warrants much comment beyond "huh?".

Another reason I don't feel like getting into it is because the story spread through the blogs over a month ago, and East Windup Chronicle, among others, did a pretty good job writing about it and its context.

As we're gearing up for the midterms at school, and as I'm being told to cram loads of material and grammar practice into my bimonthly classes---or being replaced by the Korean teacher entirely---I thought maybe the international ridicule might come from spending so much time and money teaching exclusively to English tests, and then bombing them completely. I hardly think the dawdlings of some piano player amount to international ridicule. Besides, it's hard to believe something trivial from American pop culture would be interpreted as a slight against millions of people. Well, except this time, that time, and that other time.



From here.