Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Jon Huer strikes again.
What the fuck is this shit, and why does he get paid to write for the papers but I don't? In a piece about what foreigners appreciate in Korea the guy doesn't talk to a single foreigner, his selections don't make any sense, and his number one choice is undermined by the common knowledge that you can't walk too far without nearly getting hit by some sort of vehicle. The other day he implied we should put Korean-Americans in internment camps. You know what, considering how wildly off-target this quote-unquote academic has been in all of his Korea Times columns, I'm about 62% convinced this is an elaborate hoax.
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18 comments:
I think he is telling the Koreans what they want to hear. Koreans love it when you say good things about Korea. They get a big smile across their otherwise expressionless faces and get a hardon that the foreigner likes Korea. He probably is lying about what he is saying, but the Koreans wouldnt be able to get it. Try it yourself: Start a conversation with a Korean about how the world knows that kimchee is a magical food that is world famous and loved by all people around the world. Everyone knows that kimchee is the world's number one heathy food and that it is made in the wonderful land of Korea by kind and gentle people. Of course that is a big steaming pile of shit, but they will never get the humor of it.Jon Huer is probably doing the same thing. A couple of years ago, some foreign guy got the Koreans all misty eyed because he said that his soul was Korean, or some shit like that.They'll buy anything you tell them with a straight face.
Brian wrote:
his number one choice is undermined by the common knowledge that you can't walk too far without nearly getting hit by some sort of vehicle
"The streets" is a metaphor for being outside, not literally being a pedestrian. He is right that Korea's big cities and rural areas have generally a high level of personal security, while you're right that pedestrian safety needs serious work. But you're talking about two different things. I'd cut him some slack here.
I'm about 62% convinced this is an elaborate hoax.
I know this person in real life, though not well. He's not a hoax. He suffers from trying to oversimplify complex things, but he actually comes across better in real life than in print.
Ah, but this gem...
In so many ways, they display all the signs of being potential Robert Kims if their mother country comes calling for their "patriotic" duties.
... does warrant a nasty post from me.
Yes, I know what he meant by streets. He's right that your chances of being mugged in a city here are far less than they are anywhere in the US, but part of the "streets" experience here is knowing that while a mugger isn't behind that corner, a scooter or a bongo truck is.
He comes across terribly in print. Terribly. It boggles the mind that he's given such a forum. Yeah, he's considered a foreign quote-unquote academic, something I guess relatively rare enough that the KT jumped. His opinions would be roundly criticized---but probably tolerated a little---if they showed up on blogspot, but that he regularly appears in one of Korea's top English-language newspapers is unfortunate. It's not only foreigners who cringe at his shallow assessments; Koreans, too, have written in to the paper wondering what planet this guy's from.
Regarding his article about Korean-Americans and their divided (or not so divided) loyalties, he does sort of have a point. But that's not exclusive to Koreans. Ethnicity is very trendy in the US. You have sixth-generation immigrants saying "I'm Irish!" and fifth generations saying "I'm proud of my Italian heritage!" I remember one cringe-worthy moment in an undergrad history class where one freshman was talking about how she identifies more with her Italian heritage than with her American, even though her family had been in the US for generations, she hadn't been to Italy, didn't speak Italian, and was basing her judgement on get-togethers with other Italian-Americans.
This identity crisis, and the belief that somehow being unhyphenated is being less a person, is something you find all over the US. It's a problem, sure, and it's ridiculous. Be a global citizen, sure, but not at the expense of the country that's given you everything. (Let's not split hairs about how Italian or Korean an Italian- or Korean-American may or may not be).
That so many Korean-Americans were cheering for Korea is just a sign of that ethnicity trend. Yeah, it's annoying, and my ex-girlfriend as really obnoxious each time she'd talk about "her" Korea, even though she couldn't speak Korean, grew up in the US, and had less of a connection to the country than I.
I'm sure there's a special term for it, but K-As cheering for Team Korea (and of the ethnicity trend) is a case, too, of identifying with what makes one different. Individuality is encouragedi n the US, even if individuality means cheering for a team with tens of thousands of people just like you. If Korean-Americans were cheering for Korea against the US, you'd have a bigger reason to hurl curse words at those idiots.
The Robert Kim situation is troubling, of course, but I suspect most reasonable Koreans would agree that he's a bad guy for helping the US.
I don't know if John Huer lives on-post or off-post, but if one spends too much time inside Yongsan Garrison and only a little time off of it, the sprawling bit of a Americana can become a gilded cage that distorts the lens one sees of Seoul or the rest of Korea.
And for the record, I do share the concerns of everybody else regarding pedestrian safety.
Brian, I emailed Huer about this article and he responded to me in about 15 minutes. Please see my blog for the full quote: http://anexpatinkorea.wordpress.com/2009/03/31/i-have-a-talent/
Kushibo,
The "Safety of Korea" is a myth. Statistics on crime are useless because crimes are either unreported or the police are too lazy to do anything about it.
If this "Jon Huer" is a real person, why does he provide an email address that doesn't work?
You're in on it aren't you? I wouldn't be surprised to learn that our good friend Kushibo is "Mr. Huer."
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that our good friend Kushibo is "Mr. Huer."
Well, I would.
Matt wrote:
The "Safety of Korea" is a myth. Statistics on crime are useless because crimes are either unreported or the police are too lazy to do anything about it.
You're right about the problems of using reported crime stats for determining actual levels of crime. Reported sexual assaults in Korea (and next-door Japan) are notoriously lower than the actual number. The US, where people dramatically underreport but still report in much higher percentages than in Korea or Japan, has a reported rate about ten times higher than Korea, which is almost certainly inaccurate.
But the people who compare safety, security, personal risk, etc., rely on other studies, like insurance claims and reports that ask things like, "In the last six months, have you experienced any of the following?" These are much more accurate, and Korea still comes out considerably safer than US overall. But there are a lot of places in America that are similarly safe. Honolulu comes to mind.
If this "Jon Huer" is a real person, why does he provide an email address that doesn't work?
It doesn't work? Hold on, I'll give you my home email.
I agree with number one. Meaning I don't worry about being mugged or shot on the streets. It's nice that there aren't any guns. At least I haven't seen any. But the rest of the list seems to be a big, HILARIOUS, wet kiss to the Korean collective ass. I've heard ajjumas called "ajjumonsters", "the third sex", but never sensative. THAT one floored me.
Is this the best they could find? This guy's been in Korea what, a month? He is a sociologist isn't he? He should get out there and socialize. I think there should be a rule that a person should have to actually LIVE in Korea amongst the Koreans, (not on base), taking the bus or subway everywhere they go, you know rubbing elbows with them, before he/she is allowed to write about life here. For their own protection. Because when they learn like we all do, they're gonna feel pretty silly about saying things like this.
It doesn't work? Hold on, I'll give you my home email.
I tried 3 times and all 3 were returned to my inbox.
Matt wrote:
I tried 3 times and all 3 were returned to my inbox.
Just so we're clear, my "home email" comment was a joke. I'm not Jon Huer and I'm not in on this.
Does it say his email inbox is full? If loads of people are emailing him, maybe his box got full. But "An Expat in Korea" managed to get through earlier.
If ever anyone was in need of a brain enema.
In reading that, it HAS to be a big sarcastic joke. Because...the way those descriptions read, they're so incorrect it MUST be sarcastic.
At least, I wish it was.
Kelsey, read the other tripe he's written. You'll then realize the guy is being straight up.
Unless of course, he's the greatest newspaper troll EVAR~!
ROKH: I just read the email he sent back to ExpatKorea... Holy crap, that man clearly is overcompensating for...something. ;)
I will give Jon Hur "safe streets". I can walk the streets of Seoul at 3am without worry, but I cannot do that in parts of Toronto.
The rest of the post is pure bullshit. Who the fuck goes to a foreign country to meet women over 60? Koreans are friendly in the countryside? Fighting spirit? How about getting pushed down by a mob of Koreans in Toronto because I had a German flag on my backpack, and Koreans were sore losers they lost in the 2002 world cup against Germany?Asian-fascists. Fuck off and die.
No, he didn't bet paid for his columns, according to the Korea Times and him as well.
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